Carrot Banana Bread
Updated Mar 27, 2026
Homemade carrot banana bread with bananas, carrots, walnuts, and a light cream cheese frosting for an easy loaf cake.
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YOU’LL LOVE MY CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD!
This carrot banana bread is what I make when I’m torn between banana bread and carrot cake. It gives the best of both. The bananas keep it sweet and moist, and the carrots add just the right texture (and make me feel like I’m being a little bit healthy, ha). I usually throw in some chopped walnuts for crunch, but pecans or even raisins work too.
It’s one of my favs to make around Easter when I’m craving carrot cake but don’t feel like baking a whole cake. I’ll sometimes spread a little cream cheese frosting on top of the carrot banana bread and call it dessert; it totally works.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Carrot Banana Bread Ingredients
- Carrots: I like to use fresh carrots and shred them myself. Shred the carrots fairly fine, so they soften into the loaf as it bakes. Pre-shredded carrots are usually too thick and dry for banana bread.
- Bananas: Make sure you use ripe bananas! They add more sweetness, moisture, and flavor than unripe bananas. If your bananas are still yellow and firm, I would wait.
- Walnuts: I add chopped walnuts to the batter and use some as garnish on top of the frosting. Chop the walnuts small so they mix through the batter better. You can also toast the walnuts to give them a nuttier flavor. If you do not want walnuts, you can leave them out or use pecans instead.
- Dry ingredients: You’ll need brown sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt for this carrot banana bread. Measure the flour carefully so the bread does not turn out too dense. If you want a little more spice, you can bump up the cinnamon slightly. Dark brown sugar gives the loaf a deeper flavor, but light brown sugar can work if that is what you have.
- Wet ingredients: You’ll also need unsalted butter, large eggs, and vanilla extract. I recommend softening the butter (but not melting it) and using room-temperature eggs. Soft butter helps the fat blend more evenly into the batter, making the bread moister.
- Cream cheese frosting: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla make a simple frosting for the top. Make sure the cream cheese is softened first so it mixes smoothly. If you want to skip the frosting, this carrot banana bread still works on its own.
How to Make Carrot Banana Bread
Carrot Banana Bread Recipe
Carrot banana bread made with fresh shredded carrots, walnuts, and ripe bananas. Mix everything together and bake in the oven.
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 medium ripe bananas mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded carrots about 2 large carrots
- ½ cup chopped walnuts plus more for garnish
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated after each addition. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until no streaks remain. Fold in the shredded carrots and walnuts until evenly distributed.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 65–70 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. You may need to tent the bread during the last 15 minutes to prevent too much browning.
- Let the banana bread cool completely in the pan. Meanwhile, whisk together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cooled banana bread and sprinkle with more walnuts on top.
Notes
My Top Tip: Make sure to soften the butter before creaming it with the sugar, but avoid melting it. Soft butter helps the fat blend more evenly into the batter, resulting in a moister loaf.
Storage: The bread will keep for around 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container.
Freezing: This bread freezes really well and will keep for up to 3 months. Wrap it in parchment or plastic wrap and store it in a freezer bag. You can either freeze individual slices or the whole loaf.
This recipe has been updated in March 2026, but if you like the original version, you can still find it here and in the recipe video (updated recipe uses an extra banana instead of applesauce and pecans instead of walnuts):
Cooking spray
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup Danish Creamery Unsalted European butter, softened
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 medium ripe bananas mashed (about 1 cup)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup carrots, shredded, about 2 ½ medium
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the bananas, applesauce, and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix until no streaks remain. Fold in carrots and pecans until combined.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cooking spray
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup Danish Creamery Unsalted European butter, softened
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 medium ripe bananas mashed (about 1 cup)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup carrots, shredded, about 2 ½ medium
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Add the bananas, applesauce, and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix until no streaks remain. Fold in carrots and pecans until combined.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 282kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 376mg, Potassium: 241mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 2089IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Variations
- Add dried fruit: Stir ½ cup raisins, chopped dates, or dried apricots into the batter for extra sweetness and texture.
- Give it a tropical twist: Add ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut to the batter. Or, sprinkle a handful on top of the loaf before baking!
- Make it more decadent: Go full dessert mode and add ½ cup dark, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips. My kids always add chocolate chips to this!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter once you add the flour. It should be well combined with no dry flour, but if you overmix it, the gluten can overdevelop, and you’ll get a very chewy loaf.
- Have foil on hand. Keep an eye on the bread near the end of baking. You may need to tent some aluminum foil on top during the last 15 minutes to prevent it from browning too much.
- Let the bread cool fully before slicing and serving. If you cut it when it’s still warm, it is likely to crumble apart. It’s worth the wait!
FAQs
Why is my carrot banana bread dense?
You may have overmixed the batter. When you combine the wet and dry ingredients, make sure you mix until just combined, with no streaks of flour.
Why is my carrot banana bread falling apart?
You may have cut into it too soon. Make sure you let it cool completely in the pan before frosting and slicing.
Comments
The cake turned out great overall, but I could taste the baking soda. I wonder if using 2 tsp of baking powder instead would work?
Hi! That can happen sometimes if the baking soda is a little heavy-handed or not fully mixed in. I’d also make sure the baking soda is fresh and whisked really well into the dry ingredients before mixing. You can try using 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead, and it should still give the loaf good lift, though the texture may be slightly lighter. Hope that helps!
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