Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread
This easy banana bread recipe is a fun combination of two treats in one. It has the same iconic flavors as carrot cake, like plenty of cozy spices and sweet carrots, but it’s healthy enough for breakfast and snacks! Leftovers will keep for at least four days if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. (This is my favorite plastic wrap because it seals tighter than other brands!) Individual slices will freeze and reheat really well too!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium – and see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (160g) freshly grated carrot (about 2 medium – peeled first!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Mix in the mashed banana and maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the carrots.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour with this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will make your banana bread dry.
IMPORTANT BANANA NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you have! (See my photo in the blog post above for reference!) The ones that are purely brown are ideal. They have a stronger and sweeter banana flavor than purely yellow bananas. They also yield a moister texture in your banana bread.
Measure the bananas by cups or grams, not by “two medium bananas.” Not all “medium” bananas are the same size!
The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.
IMPORTANT CARROTS NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots! (They're also called "matchstick" carrots.) They’re too thick and dry, and they don’t soften properly while baking.
IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For a sweeter-tasting banana bread, substitute additional pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add an extra 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons.)
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the regular whole wheat flour.
EGG WHITE NOTES: This banana bread requires 2 egg whites. The protein in the whites helps prevent it from collapsing while cooling. If you'd prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs and reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will also work, if measured like this.
STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO TUTORIAL: To see how this banana bread is made, watch my video here (← it's a slightly different recipe, but the process is the same!).
HOW TO STORE: Store leftover banana bread in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in plastic wrap (I love this one because it seals more tightly than other brands!) or inside of an airtight container. It should keep for at least four days, if not a week or longer.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.