This delicious Carrot Banana Bread offers the best of both worlds, combining the rich, spiced notes of carrot cake with the wholesome goodness of thick banana bread. Ideal for breakfast or any time you crave a comforting treat, you won't be able to resist as the aroma of warm cinnamon and sweet bananas fills your kitchen!
Perfect for breakfast and dessert, this recipe does not require any eggs! The addition of almond flour and cornstarch is my secret for making a tender moist homemade vegan loaf.
Ingredients Used to Make This Carrot Banana Bread
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com. They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
Banana Bread Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - You can use any brand of All-Purpose Flour. I haven't tried this recipe with whole wheat flour, oat flour or other gluten-free flour blends, so substitute at your own risk!
- Almond Flour - Almond flour contributes to a softer, more tender texture in this banana bread recipe. Because it's naturally gluten-free, the almond flour helps reduce overmixing and minimizes gluten-formation in the bread.
- Cornstarch - the addition of cornstarch is NOT REQUIRED, but it acts as a binding agent (it's sometimes used as a vegan alternative to eggs) and makes a softer, more tender textured bread that retains more moisture. Fun fact: cornstarch is the main ingredient in pudding mixes 🙂
- Salt - any kind. I used Pink Himalayan Salt
- Baking Powder - many banana bread recipes use baking soda, but I like using baking powder in my eggless bread recipes because the results are more consistent (baking soda is activated by acid while baking powder does not). If you want to use baking soda instead: 3 tsp of baking powder is approximately equate to 1 tsp of baking soda plus 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar.
- Cinnamon Powder
- Sugar of choice – You can use any sugar you have at home. If you want a low-sugar and low carb option, I recommend this monk fruit sweetener.
- Mashed Bananas - mash ripe, peeled bananas with a fork until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Carrots - you'll need finely shredded (or grated) carrots in this recipe.
- Light Olive Oil - I like using light olive oil since it has a neutral flavor, but you can also any cooking oil of your choice like coconut oil, or avocado oil instead
- Milk of Choice – I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk (dairy or dairy free) works in this recipe.
Add In Ingredients
- Chopped walnuts
- Raisins
Filling & Frosting Ingredients (Optional)
- For the cream cheese filling & frosting, you'll need to mix 8 oz cream cheese (can be a dairy or dairy free kind) and 2 Tbsp powdered sugar until smooth. Half of it will go inside the bread, and half will be used for frosting.
Banana Bread Add In & Filling Variations:
- Banana bread can be wonderfully versatile, and I've gathered some add in and filling ideas to take your baking to the next level. Here's the FULL POST
Step by Step Guide
How to Make Carrot Cake Banana Bread
STEP 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a standard loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
STEP 2
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients
STEP 3
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients
STEP 4
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir gently until the batter comes together.
STEP 5
The batter will be thick, but if there are still dry ingredients remaining, you can add 1-2 Tbsp more almond milk.
STEP 6
Fold in the chopped walnuts into the batter.
STEP 7
For the cream cheese filling, in a small bowl, mix together 8 oz cream cheese and 2 Tbsp powdered sugar until smooth. Set aside half for the cream cheese frosting
STEP 8
Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the batter. Sprinkle the raisins on top. This will give us a pretty layer of raisins on top of the cream cheese filling.
STEP 9
Add the remaining batter on top, making sure the filling is fully covered.
Bake the Banana Bread in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
STEP 10
Once baked, remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frost with the remaining cream cheese frosting.
STEP 11
Enjoy!
How to Store Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- You can store any leftover banana bread covered at room temperature for up to 1 day. For longer storage, you can place them in a an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, or wrap in a freezer bag and freeze up to 4 months.
More Frosting & Glaze Ideas for Banana Bread
Get creative with these scrumptious glaze and frosting ideas to upgrade your banana bread to the next level! Here's a List of Topping Ideas to Try
Final Tips
- Use batter right away after prep. The batter will deflate over time, so I've found that you don’t want the batter sitting out on the counter for too long.
- Prevent Over-browning - Depending on your oven or where your bread is placed inside the oven, the top of your bread may start to brown. Check 40 minutes into baking to see if this is the case, and gently cover the top of the bread with aluminum foil. This helps prevent excessive browning while the bread continues to bake.
- Turn them into muffins! You can also bake this in a muffin pan instead of a cake pan. To adjust, reduce the cooking time from 50-60 minutes to 30-40 minutes.
Carrot Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Filling Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Bread Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour 180g
- ½ cup almond flour 60g
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch *
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup dark brown sugar 110g
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup mashed banana 168g
- ¾ cup shredded carrots 90g
- ½ cup light olive oil 110g, or melted coconut oil
- ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk 76g
- ½ cup walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
Cream Cheese Filling & Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese of choice , can also use vegan cream cheese
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar can also use granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a standard loaf pan or line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, almond flour, salt, and baking powder. Make sure the dry ingredients are well combined.
- Add the dark brown sugar and cinnamon to the dry ingredients, and whisk again to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, combine the mashed banana, shredded carrots, light olive oil (or melted coconut oil), and almond milk. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Pour half of the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread it evenly.
- For the cream cheese filling, in a small bowl, mix together 8 oz cream cheese and 2 Tbsp powdered sugar until smooth. Set aside half for the cream cheese frosting
- Evenly spread the cream cheese filling over the batter. Sprinkle the raisins on top.
- Pour the remaining batter over the cream cheese filling, spreading it carefully to cover.
- Bake the carrot banana bread in the preheated oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Frost with the prepared cream cheese frosting
- Slice and enjoy
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