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These Healthy Banana Carrot Muffins are naturally sweetened and full of whole grains, protein and fiber. They are freezer friendly and a great snacks for babies and toddlers, as well as adults!
A healthy Banana Carrot Muffin Recipe
Healthy muffins are a very popular snack in our house. A few years ago I developed my Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffin for Baby Fox, and we have them in the freezer almost all the time. We also love making my Pumpkin Banana Muffins in the fall. I love that these healthy muffins freeze well and can easily be reheated for a quick and healthy snack.
Get picky kids to eat vegetables
We have been struggling with a picky eating toddler for a few years now. He absolutely will NOT eat vegetables, no matter how many times we put them on his plate. I decided to try some exposure to vegetables in a different way, by putting them in a familiar food he already loves. Enter the Banana Carrot Muffin. I had my 3 year old help me make these, and he even mixed the grated carrots into the muffin batter. That way, he wasn’t being tricked into eating the carrots, he knew they were there. I was nervous when he first tried the muffins, but he loved them!
How to make the best Banana Carrot Muffin
There are a few tips for making the best Banana Carrot Muffins
- Use VERY ripe bananas. The browner, the better. The more ripe bananas will add more sweetness and more moisture to the muffins. Did you know you can often find overripe bananas sold at the grocery store for a reduced price? Take a look next time you are grocery shopping!
- Grate your own carrots, do not use pre shredded carrots. Although it might be tempting to take a shortcut and buy already grated carrots, they will not work well in this recipe. It only takes a few minutes to grate whole carrots on a box grater or using the grater attachment on your food processor.
- Make these Banana Carrot Muffins dairy free by using Earth Balance Buttery Spread instead of butter.
- Mix by hand, don’t use an electric mixer. It is very important not to overmix the batter. Overmixing will result in tough, dry muffins. Hand mixing is actually much better than using an electric mixer, because you are less likely to overmix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix just until the batter comes together. Lumps are fine.
- These muffins are naturally sweetened with maple syrup. I found 1/2 a cup made them just sweet enough. Feel free to try 1/3 cup instead if you want to use less maple syrup. Be sure to use pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup.
- These muffins contain 1/4 tsp of salt in the entire batch. The salt makes a big difference in taste. However, if you are making these for a baby under 12 months, you may want to eliminate the salt. Babies under 12 months should have very little sodium.
The best flour for healthy Banana Carrot Muffins
I use white wheat flour for these and all of my healthy muffin recipes. White whole wheat flour has the same nutritional content as whole wheat flour but is milder tasting and paler in color. I find that it creates a lighter muffin that tastes more like one made with All Purpose White flour, but still has the nutritional benefits of using whole wheat flour. If you can’t find White Wheat Flour, you can use regular whole wheat flour or All purpose white flour.
Are these Banana Carrot Muffins Healthy?
These muffins are low sugar, with about 4 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. Each Carrot Banana Muffin has about 169 calories. I consider these a healthy snack for my preschooler. He loves them too, and he even refers to them as “cupcakes”. This could be considered a healthy carrot cake recipe!
Can You freeze Banana Carrot Muffins?
These Banana Carrot muffins freeze very well. For best results, allow to cool completely before freezing. They can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and then places in a freezer bag, or just skip the plastic wrap and place them all together in a freezer bag. They can be thawed at room temperature in a few hours, or microwaved for a quick snack.
Healthy Carrot Banana Muffins
Equipment
- muffin tin
Ingredients
- 2 bananas very ripe mashed
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1.5 cups cup grated carrots about 3 medium carrots. Do not use pre grated carrots.
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In one bowl, mash the bananas. Add the butter, maple syrup, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla extract, mix well. Stir in grated carrots.
- In another bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just mixed. DO NOT over mix or your muffins will be tough. A few lumps are fine.
- Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups.
- Bake muffins at 425 for 5 minutes, then, leaving the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees.
- Bake at 350 for another 20-22 more minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Baking them at the higher temperature at first helps them rise and gives a nice rounded top.
- Remove from the oven and remove from the muffin tin as soon as possible. Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or individually wrap and freeze for up to one month.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the items I recommend through the links I provide, I get a small commission. For more info, please see my disclosure policy. Thanks for supporting Fox and Briar!
I loved that you combined two of my favorite muffin flavors into one! These look so fluffy and wholesome, and perfect for Easter brunch!