Name: Healthy Banana Carrot Muffins [GF+Oil Free]
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice); 1 cup very ripe mashed banana (approx 2 large bananas or 3 small/medium); 1 cup shredded carrots (gently packed, from approx 2-3 medium carrots); 1/4 cup maple syrup; 2 tbsp lemon zest (from approx 1 large lemon); 2 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour; 1 cup oat flour (gluten free if preferred); 1 tsp cinnamon; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda

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A cross between banana bread and carrot cake brings you these delicious, yet healthy banana carrot muffins. Super tasty, lightly sweetened with hints of lemony flavour, moist and completely wholesome. Ready in 30 minutes or less!

This recipe was originally published in April 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.

I love adding a little lemon to my baked goods and just like my lemon cranberry muffins and lemon blueberry muffins, these muffins are made using healthier ingredients.

So no sweat if you’re serving these for breakfast or a healthy snack.

And if you want to add these to an incredible breakfast spread, be sure to check out these air fryer hash browns.

What makes these muffins healthy?

This slightly sweet treat is one that you can feel great about eating and serving to your kids.

Healthy is a pretty subjective term, but here are a few reasons why I consider these banana carrot muffins to be “healthy.”

The flour: Unlike most carrot muffin recipes out there, these are not made with refined white flour. I’m using a combination of chickpea flour and oat flour which have the added bonus of being gluten free and adding some protein.
No oil: Rather than use oil to add moisture, I’m using ripe bananas to keep these muffins moist and delicious, adding natural sweetness at the same time.
All the fruit and veg: These banana carrot muffins have a healthy dose of fruit and veggies with 1 whole cup of mashed banana and 1 cup of grated carrots!
Low sugar! With only 1/4 cup of real unrefined maple syrup in the entire batch, that means each muffin has only 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. The remaining sweetness comes from carrots and overly ripe bananas.

How to make them

(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Gather your ingredients. Peel and grate your carrots, and zest your lemon. Set aside.

Start by combining your soy milk with the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside to let it curdle and make your vegan buttermilk. (photos 1-3)

Meanwhile, mash your bananas in a large mixing bowl. (photos 4-5)

Then add the remaining wet ingredients, including your now curdled soy milk. Mix well. (photos 6-7)

Next, add your dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix until combined but do not over mix. (photos 8-9)

Divide the batter among your 12 muffin cups. (photos 10-11)

Then bake your banana carrot muffins in your preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (photo 12)

Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from the muffin pan. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Storage

Store your muffins at room temperature for 2 days in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, to keep them moist.

For longer storage, refrigerate your muffins in an airtight container and you may reheat in the microwave for a few seconds, if desired. You may keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

To freeze your banana carrot muffins, make sure they are completely cooled to room temperature. Then freeze in an airtight container or zip top bag. You may keep frozen for up to 2 months.

When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge or on your counter. Then reheat in the microwave before serving if you prefer them warm.

What substitutions can I make?

If you don’t have chickpea flour on hand, you can make some in a high speed blender, like a Vitamix. Grind dry/raw chickpeas into a flour consistency in seconds.
Same goes for the oat flour. If you don’t have oat flour on hand, you may grind oats in your blender into a flour consistency.
To skip the chickpea flour, you may sub with all oat flour instead of the mix. Whole wheat flour should also work, however, I haven’t specifically tried these with whole wheat flour yet.
You may sub the maple syrup with another liquid sweetener of your choice. Date syrup or agave syrup would work well at an equal ratio.
For soy free, you may sub the soy milk with almond milk, or another plant milk you prefer. However, to make the vegan buttermilk, soy milk does work best.

Expert Tips & Tricks

These banana carrot muffins are pretty simple to make, but here’s a few tips to make sure they turn out perfectly.

Use overripe bananas. The riper your bananas, the greater flavour, sweetness and moisture they will add to your banana carrot muffins. Bananas with brown skins work best.
Grate your own carrots. Freshly grated carrots will add more moisture than the already shredded kind you can find at your grocery store. You want moist carrots to help in adding moisture to your muffins.
You may use a box shredder or a food processor to grate your carrots. If you need to hide the carrots from picky eaters, be sure to use the fine grate side of your shredder. I use the larger side because I like the bright orange flecks it adds to my muffins and my kiddos eat them either way. You know your audience so choose accordingly.
Measure your mashed banana to ensure you’re using one cup. Bananas vary greatly in size. Two large bananas did it for me.
Same goes for the grated carrots. Keep grating until you reach one gently packed cup. I used 3 medium size carrots.
Use a non stick muffin pan. If you do not have a non stick muffin pan, make sure to grease your tins or liners.
Make sure to let your muffins slightly cool. Once removed from the oven, set the muffin pan aside for 5-10 minutes. As the muffins cool, they will be easier to remove from the pan without breaking them.

More healthier muffin recipes

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