Carrot Cake Banana Bread

This carrot cake banana bread is the best of both worlds. It combines everything we love about classic carrot cake with the sweet, familiar taste of banana bread. Enjoy it with or without the luscious cream cheese frosting for a delightful breakfast, snack, or anytime treat!

You’re going to swoon over this irresistible mashup of carrot cake and banana bread. I use applesauce in place of some of the oil, which keeps the loaf light while still making it perfectly moist, warmly spiced, and full of sweet banana flavor.

It’s ideal for grabbing on the go or making ahead for brunch or a picnic. In the photos, I’ve topped it with cream cheese frosting, which turns it into more of a cake—but if you’re aiming for breakfast, it’s just as good without. You can easily make it with or without nuts and raisins, and any leftovers freeze beautifully for up to three months.

Make ahead and store

Can I make this ahead of time? Absolutely! The loaf can be made up to 3 days in advance (or longer if you want to store it in the freezer). Because of the cream cheese, I recommend frosting it just before serving.

How long does carrot cake banana bread last? Unfrosted, the loaf will stay fresh at room temperature for 3 days. If you’re not planning to eat it right away, store the loaf in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once frosted, store leftovers in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2 days.

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Carrot Cake Banana Bread Recipe

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr

Total: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

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This carrot cake banana bread is the best of both worlds. It combines everything we love about classic carrot cake with the sweet, familiar taste of banana bread. Enjoy it with or without the luscious cream cheese frosting for a delightful breakfast, snack, or anytime treat!

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Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¾ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1 teapoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teapoon sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wet Ingredients

• ▢ 3 large ripe bananas
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots
• ▢ ¾ cup apple sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup cooking oil
• ▢ ½ cup EACH: chopped walnuts and raisins (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

• ▢ 6 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter (softened)
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 5"x9" loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
  2 cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teapoon ground ginger, ½ teapoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  
• Mash the bananas in a large bowl then whisk in the eggs, grated carrots, apple sauce, and cooking oil.
  3 large ripe bananas, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ cups finely grated carrots, ¾ cup apple sauce, ¼ cup cooking oil
  
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold the batter until only a few streaks of flour remain. Add the raisins and walnuts, if using, and stir a few more times.
  ½ cup EACH: chopped walnuts and raisins
  
• Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Check the banana bread after 45 minutes and if the top is browning too quickly, tent it loosely with foil. Let the banana bread cool completely before removing it from the pan.
  
• Once the banana bread is completely cool, beat the cream cheese frosting ingredients with electric beaters until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
  6 ounces cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 cup powdered sugar
  
• Remove the cooled banana bread from the loaf pan and cover the top with the frosting. If you'd like, decorate the top with a few chopped walnuts and a few pieces of shredded carrot.
  

Video

Notes

Don’t worry if you don’t have all the baking spices, simply use the ones that you have. The most important one is cinnamon, so try not to skip that. You can also use 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices that are listed. 

If you have a smaller-sized loaf pan, only fill it ¾ full then bake a few carrot cake banana bread cupcakes with extra batter. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 slice, Calories: 250kcal (13%), Carbohydrates: 39g (13%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 31mg (10%), Sodium: 145mg (6%), Potassium: 222mg (6%), Fiber: 2g (8%), Sugar: 23g (26%), Vitamin A: 2140IU (43%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 41mg (4%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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