Apple Banana Carrot Muffins (Kid-Approved!)
Fruit, veggies and whole grains baked into one soft, lightly sweet muffin? Heck yes! These apple banana carrot muffins (or ABC muffins as my kids call them!) combine ripe banana, applesauce and finely grated carrots with whole wheat flour and oat flour. Cinnamon and ginger give them a cozy fall flavour, while maple syrup or honey adds just enough sweetness.
As a dietitian and mom of three, I love having a batch of homemade muffins waiting in the freezer. Anything that makes my life a little easier on a busy day is a win in my books! Plus, I really love them too!
Why you’ll love these apple banana carrot muffins
These muffins check a lot of boxes for busy parents without trying too hard:
- They’re made with familiar, everyday ingredients.
- They freeze well for busy mornings, snacks and lunchboxes.
- They’re easy to keep nut-free by choosing a nut-free milk and leaving out the optional nuts.
- They can be adapted to be egg-free or vegan.
- There are simple jobs for little kitchen helpers, from mashing the banana to stirring the batter.
And no, the carrots shouldn’t be “snuck” in. I’m not a fan of hiding vegetables in kids’ food. For kids navigating picky eating, knowing what’s in a food and helping prepare it can build trust and familiarity. Grating the carrots, mashing the banana or choosing the mix-ins are all meaningful exposures even if your child isn’t ready to taste the finished muffin that day.
Vegetables can show up in many forms, and a muffin offers one familiar, low-pressure way to explore carrots. It doesn’t replace offering carrots in other ways; it simply adds another exposure to the mix. If chocolate muffins are more your child’s speed, my double chocolate veggie muffins offer a similar opportunity with zucchini, sweet potato and spinach.
If homemade muffins are also in regular rotation at your house, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in my collection of healthy muffin recipes for kids.
How to make them
These muffins come together in two bowls without any complicated steps.
Start by whisking together the whole wheat flour, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger. Whisking the dry ingredients separately helps distribute the leavening and spices evenly throughout the batter.
In another bowl, mash the banana and measure out ½ cup. Add the finely grated carrots, applesauce, maple syrup or honey, milk, oil, egg and vanilla, then whisk until everything is well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir until no dry patches remain. Try not to keep mixing once the batter has come together. Overmixing develops more gluten and can leave you with muffins that are dense or rubbery rather than soft.
Divide the batter evenly between 12 lined muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Let them cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They’ll still be fairly delicate when they first come out of the oven, so giving them that cooling time makes them much easier to handle.
A few muffin-making tips from my kitchen
After many, many batches of muffins for my own kids, I’ve learned that a few small details can make a big difference in the final texture:
- Use a very ripe banana and measure it. A banana with plenty of brown spots adds the best flavour, but stick with the measured ½ cup. Too much can make the muffins heavy or gummy.
- Finely grate the carrots without squeezing them. Smaller pieces soften and distribute more evenly, while their moisture helps keep the muffins soft.
- Make your own oat flour if needed. Blend rolled oats in a food processor or high-powered blender until fine and flour-like, then measure. Here’s my simple tutorial for making oat flour at home.
- Spoon and level the flour. Scooping it directly from the container can pack too much into the measuring cup.
- Mix gently. Stop stirring as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are combined to avoid dense muffins.
- Start checking at 20 minutes. Every oven is a little different, so look for a clean toothpick or a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely before storing. This is the hardest part! But packing warm muffins into a container traps steam and can make them overly damp.
More ripe bananas waiting on the counter? These one-bowl whole grain banana chocolate chip muffins are another easy, freezer-friendly option.
How to make these muffins egg-free or vegan
We love a versatile muffin. To make the muffins egg-free, replace the egg with one chia egg. Stir together one tablespoon of ground chia seeds and three tablespoons of water, then let the mixture sit for five to ten minutes, until it thickens and becomes gel-like.
The chia version may be slightly denser than the original, but the banana, applesauce and carrots help maintain a soft, moist texture.
For vegan apple banana carrot muffins, use:
- One chia egg in place of the egg
- Your preferred plant-based milk
- Maple syrup rather than honey
The rest of the ingredients can stay the same.
What can I serve with apple banana carrot muffins?
Sometimes a muffin is all your child wants or needs for a snack, and that’s completely okay. At other times, you may want to add a source of protein or fat to make it more satisfying.
Some easy pairings include:
- Greek or regular yogurt
- Milk or fortified soy beverage
- Cheese
- Nut or seed butter
- Fresh fruit
- A hard-boiled egg
For school, leave out the optional nuts and use raisins instead, or skip the mix-ins altogether. Be sure to follow your school or childcare facility’s individual allergen guidelines. You can find more practical inspiration in my list of easy and nutritious school lunch ideas.
Need another make-ahead lunchbox option? My lunchbox oatmeal muffins made with leftover oatmeal put extra oatmeal to good use and freeze beautifully.
And if it’s the cozy combination of carrots, cinnamon and ginger that you love, try my carrot cake breakfast cookies next. Because sometimes eating a cookie for breakfast is exactly the kind of energy a morning needs!
Apple Banana Carrot Muffins (Kid-Approved!)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup mashed banana
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
- ½ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup milk of choice
- ¼ cup neutral-tasting oil such as grapeseed or melted coconut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Optional mix-ins
- ⅓ cup raisins or chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C and line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper or silicone liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ginger).
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana and ensure you have about 1/2 cup/125 mL. Now, add the remaining ingredients (shredded carrots, applesauce, maple syrup or honey, milk, oil, egg and vanilla). Whisk until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined with no dry patches. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Sarah Remmer, RD, is a registered dietitian and mom of three, specializing in family and pediatric nutrition. She’s the founder of Centred Nutrition Collective and has nearly 20 years of experience helping families feel confident about feeding their kids.
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