Carrot Banana Bread — EASY, no-mixer, super soft banana carrot bread that reminds me of carrot cake but healthier!! Great Easter brunch idea or spring baked good!
Table of Contents
I have every possible combination of carrot + apple + zucchini + blueberry + banana quick bread. Or so I thought. But I don’t have this combo.
Springtime and Easter make me think of carrot cake, which I love, but since I have multiple recipes for it I wanted to change things up a bit.
Enter: this super moist, springy, tender banana carrot bread. It’s bread that reminds me of cake and I’m not complaining.
This carrot cake banana bread is an easy, no mixer recipe that goes from bowl to oven in minutes. I use oil rather than butter and there’s no butter to cream and no mixer to dirty. Oil keeps bread softer and springier than butter and I prefer it.
Recipe Ingredients
To make this banana carrot cake bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Canola oil
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Grated carrots
- Ripe bananas
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Can I Add Mix-Ins?
You probably can add mix-ins like raisins or chopped walnuts, but I haven’t tried it myself.
How to Make Carrot Banana Bread
This carrot cake bread recipe is very similar to your typical banana bread. Here are the basic steps:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients and the two kinds of sugar, then stir in the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the mashed bananas and grated carrots last.
- Turn the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Let the banana carrot bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack.
Tips for Making This Recipe
Spices: For an even more pronounced carrot cake flavor, you can add some cinnamon and nutmeg to the banana bread batter. And I bet a cream cheese glaze would taste amazing drizzled on top of this loaf!
Bake time: Because both carrots and bananas have lots of moisture and if your bread takes longer (or shorter) than the time estimates I gave for baking, don’t worry. Bake until it’s done.
Freezing: Note that this banana carrot bread freezes incredibly well. You can freeze the entire loaf or slice and freeze individual servings.
Storage Instructions
Room temperature: Let cool completely, then wrap in foil or seal in a zip-top bag. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week
Freezer: Wrap in plastic wrap and foil or seal in a freezer bag. Bread will keep up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw on your countertop for 1 to 2 hours.
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Carrot Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cup sour cream, lite is okay; or Greek yogurt may be substituted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional if necessary (see step 4 in directions)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 cup coarsely grated carrots, laid loosely in cup and not packed (don’t wring out)
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, from about 2 medium/large bananas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one 9×5-inch loaf pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the the first six ingredients, through vanilla, and whisk to combine.
- Add 1 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Add the carrots (grate them on the coarsest blade of a box grater), bananas, and stir to combine. The batter should be quick thick but because all carrots and bananas vary in their moisture content, you may need to add 1/4 cup additional flour. If in doubt, add flour.
- Turn batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 53 to 63 minutes (I baked 60 minutes) or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Tip – Tent the pan with a sheet of foil draped loosely over it at the 45 minute-mark to prevent top and sides from becoming overly browned before center cooks through. Baking times will vary based on moisture content of carrots, bananas, climate, and oven variances. Bake until done; watch your bread, not the clock and don’t worry if it takes longer to bake than the baking estimates provided.
- Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Adapted from Carrot Apple Bread, Blueberry Zucchini Bread, and Zucchini Banana Bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Carrot Cake Recipes:
ALL OF MY CARROT CAKE-INSPIRED RECIPES.
Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — A tender and moist classic two-layer carrot cake with tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting! For anyone who loves carrot cake, this cake looks and tastes so impressive but is EASY to make!
Salted Caramel Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, tender carrot cake infused with salted caramel sauce and topped with tangy cream cheese frosting is the ULTIMATE in decadence!
Carrot Apple Bread — Carrot cake with apples added and baked as a bread so it’s healthier! Super moist, packed with flavor, fast and easy!
Carrot Zucchini Bread — Fast, easy, one bowl, no mixer!! Super soft, moist, and tastes so good you’ll forget it’s on the healthier side!
Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting – Soft, moist carrot cake that’s baked as a loaf. So much faster & easier than baking a cake!
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting – My favorite foolproof recipe for soft, moist, flavorful carrot cake cupcakes!
Soft Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Glaze — Super soft bars that taste like blondies packed with chewy carrots!
Soft and Chew Carrot Oatmeal Cookies — All the flavors of richly spiced carrot cake, but in cookie form! Soft, chewy, extremely moist, and not at all cakey.
Delicious! I used olive oil and added walnuts. The bread was moist and went well with my morning joe. Thank you!
Delicious! I used olive oil and added walnuts. The bread was moist and went well with my morning joe. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that the olive oil worked well!
Your recipes, or what I can see of them, sound good. However….there are Absolutely way too many pop ups getting in the way to see it. When looking at your recipes on an iPhone there isn’t enough room to read let alone enjoy reading your recipes. Also, please get rid of the circles with the heart & looking glass. Or at least move them out of the way. I don’t need or want to see hearts sprinkling up as I’m trying to read this recipe.
Not everyone is using a computer. You have constant pop up advertisements at the top AND the bottom, plus a bar at the top showing additional recipes.
Please fix your site so Everyone can enjoy it.
I subbed sweet potato for carrot, and it is delicious. Also added chopped walnuts. Very moist and tasty. This is a keeper!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that sweet potato worked in place of carrots!
If you like sweet potato bread, try this one https://www.averiecooks.com/cinnamon-and-spice-sweet-potato-bread/
One of my favourite recipes! The whole fam loves it
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s one of your faves and the whole family loves it too!
I tried your carrot banana cake and it was delicious..
Thanks!
This was so good and moist. My family loved it and i can’t wait to make another one of your recipes.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it was a hit for the whole family!
Can I make the carrot banana bread into cupcakes
Probably but because I haven’t tried it I can’t give specific info. Good luck!
Yes
I made this last week and it was very yummy! I used no-egg and soy yogurt to make it vegan. And well I’m obsessed with cinnamon so I added some. I will definitely make it again, it’s easy and quick! :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you as a vegan-ized version! I love cinnamon too!
I just finished this loaf on Thursday and I made it last Sunday it was super moist and not too sweet thank you for the great recipe . Maria B
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
Made this today with my three-year-old daughter! We both loved it! :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
This is the perfect combination!! I have to try this because I love both breads!
You can’t go wrong with either bread and together they were definitely a winner!
Yum! All of these are on my “to bake list”! Thank you!
Awesome, let me know what you make first!
hey girl- this looks so yummy!
Getting your fruit and veggie servings in with a bread! It’s win-win!
I love the way you think :)
This one looks as good as all your other quick bread recipes!! You have so many yummy combinations and I was surprised to read you han’t done it before. I love recipe tweaks–just a little change or two and you can have something entirely different!
I was surprised too :) haha! That’s the beauty of quickbreads as you said, just a couple tweaks and you have something entirely different!