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This Carrot Banana Bread recipe post is sponsored by Danish Creamery.
Simple to make and so delicious, this carrot banana bread is perfect for an easy breakfast, snack or dessert. Wonderfully moist and full of flavor, this quick loaf is full of texture and flavor.
The butter in this recipe truly makes the banana bread better! That’s because Danish Creamery. European Style Butter is slow churned in small batches. That gives it a velvety texture and rich flavor that is preserved in foil.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Carrots: Use freshly grated carrots rather than pre grated for the moistest and tastiest bread.
- Banana: Use a ripe or overripe banana. They are naturally sweeter and contain more antioxidants.
- Egg: To bind the ingredients together. You can swap with two flax eggs instead.
- Butter: Using butter and a high quality one makes all the difference in creating a rich taste with a perfectly moist texture in quick breads. Danish Creamery European Style Unsalted Butter, used in this recipe, is made from a high quality cream from pasture-raised cows. It has 85% butterfat, which means it adds a richness and a truly buttery flavor that you just can’t get from oil or yogurt.
- Flour: Use all purpose flour for this recipe or you can swap with a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
- Baking soda and salt: To allow the bread to rise when it’s baked.
- Dark brown sugar: The molasses in the sugar adds a deep rich flavor to your loaf. You can use light brown if you are in a pinch, but it won’t be quite as flavorful.
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce to add moistness to the bread.
- Cinnamon and vanilla extract: For flavor and sweetness.
- Pecans: Optional, but they add a great texture to each bite.
How to make carrot banana bread
- Place the butter and sugar into a bowl.
- Whisk together until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the wet ingredients and then the dry. Add in the carrots and pecans.
- Fold in carrots and pecans until combined.
- Pour the batter into a loaf pan.
- Bake until cooked through and golden brown.
Tips for making carrot quick bread
- Soften the butter before creaming with the sugar, but don’t melt it. Softened butter allows the fat to distribute more evenly into the batter, which makes it more moist in the end. If it’s melted or too warm, it doesn’t cream as easily.
- Skip peeling the carrots. As long as the carrots are scrubbed clean, you don’t have to worry about peeling the carrots. And make sure not to use peeled baby carrots as the taste and texture are different.
- Don’t over mix the bread dough once you add the flour. It should be well combined with no dry flour, but if you over mix it, the gluten can over develop and result in a very chewy loaf.
- Let the bread cool fully before slicing and serving. If you cut it when it’s still warm, it is likely to crumble apart. Be a little patient!
Frequently asked questions
Once your carrot banana bread has fully cooled, keep it in an airtight container or wrap in foil. It will keep at room temperature for around 3 days and in the fridge for up to a week.
Yes, this bread freezes really well, and will keep for up to 3 months. You can either freeze individual slices or the whole loaf. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to freeze.
A slice of this carrot banana bread is perfect by itself with a hot cup of coffee. It’s delicious with some butter and honey or your favorite jam. You can also frost the loaf if you like with some cream cheese frosting.
This carrot banana bread is all kinds of delicious! It’s the perfect mix of carrot cake and banana bread and it’s so rich and moist. Be sure to make a double batch, as it will disappear quickly!
More quick breads to try:
- Cinnamon Apple Bread
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Pistachio Bread
- Sweet Avocado Quick Bread
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Cinnamon Banana Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Carrot Banana Bread recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
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Carrot Banana Bread
Video
Ingredients
- Nonstick 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
- ¾ cup 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 shredded carrots 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.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Can I substitute the butter and use oil instead?
Hi there! This recipe relies on the creaming method to give it a light and moist texture so I would suggest using softened butter for the best possible outcome.
Excellent! Reduced the amount of sugar a little and added walnuts instead of pecans, then baked in muffin tray (reduced the baking time). Full of flavor, moist, just delicious.
Thanks for sharing!
This recipe was EXCELLENT! I substituted the applesauce for plain Greek yogurt, and added it in 3 tablespoons of hemp hearts for an extra little boost. It was so good, super moist and full of flavor!
Love the tweaks you made, thanks for sharing!
I tried the recipe immediately as I had all the ingredients necessary to bake the Banana Carrot bread. And my, it was wonderful. Sooo moist and just the right amount of sweetness!
So happy to hear it came out well for you!
Can I replace the banana with more applesauce?
I haven’t tried that in this recipe, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Hi! Is there something I could substitute for the apple sauce?
The applesauce is used in this recipe in place of a fat, so you can use vegetable oil at a 1:1 ratio.
Hi Yumma , just wanted to share , i made the Carrot Banana bread today , and OMG the kids and the whole family loved it ,it was so delicous 🙌 Will continue making it for sure 😊👍
Yay! So glad you and the kids enjoyed!