This One Bowl Carrot Cake Banana Bread is made without butter or oil, but so tender and flavourful that you’d never be able to tell it’s healthy! Greek yogurt, bananas, and shredded carrots keep it moist, while a sweetened cream cheese frosting makes it feel extra decadent.
We’re doing some spring cleaning on the blog today! Or just cleaning since winter decided to make a second third appearance and dump a whole lot of snow on us. One day I’ll be able to go outside again. One day.
But not today! Today we’re hiding from the snow (read: self-isolating) and sprucing up old recipes… starting with this carrot cake banana bread from a couple of years ago. I figured it was a good recipe to bring back into the spotlight seeing as carrot-y things are perfect for spring and Easter is right around the corner. That and it’s just straight up delicious.
It’s funny because there was a time in my life where I wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of putting vegetables in my desserts. Carrot cake was a definite no-go. Chocolate zucchini anything was fine as long as you left out the zucchini part. And something like sweet potato brownies would have had me crying blasphemy until I got a real dessert.
But these days? I love a good carrot cake. And while I know today’s carrot cake banana bread isn’t exactly carrot cake, it’s got carrots and cream cheese frosting, so it’s sort of the same thing. I’d argue it’s even better because you get the best of both worlds – banana flavour, subtle spice, a suuuuuuuuuuuper tender crumb, and, of course, cream cheese frosting.
How To Make Carrot Cake Banana Bread
It’s super easy! All you need is one bowl and four basic steps:
- Mix the wet ingredients
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients (and carrots)
- Bake
- Frost
Not much more to it than that! But here are some tips to help you get the best carrot cake banana bread:
- Mix your wet ingredients well and make sure the oats, carrots, and spices are fully incorporated into the wet ingredients before you add the flour.
- Add the flour by spoonfuls and gently mix it into the batter. You want to avoid overmixing otherwise you’ll get a tougher loaf.
- I like to use bananas that are spotty but not completely black. Bananas that are too ripe can cause this loaf to be a little gummier.
- The recipe calls for maple syrup, but you can definitely use honey if that’s what you have on hand.
- The same thing goes for the quick oats – use regular oats if that’s what you have.
- I like to use Greek yogurt since it’s less liquid-y, but regular yogurt works as well. You can also use a vanilla flavoured one if you want more sweetness.
- All-purpose flour will work if you don’t have whole wheat pastry. You can also use a mix of 3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose and 1/2 cup (60 g) of whole wheat.
- Wait until the loaf is completely cool before you frost it. If it’s still warm, the frosting will just melt right off it.
- Feel free to add raisins or nuts to the loaf, or sprinkle some chopped walnuts over the top!
Okay, But What’s It Like?
Tender, moist, and packed with flavour. The banana is definitely what shines through the most, but it’s complimented really nicely by the subtle spice that you find in carrot cake.
The bread itself is on the lighter side, as it’s naturally sweetened and made without any oil, but the addition of cream cheese frosting makes it feel extra decadent. The texture is going to be a little different than a quick bread made with oil, but it’s still nice and moist. Basically, it’s a really nice hybrid between banana bread and carrot cake.
Happy eating!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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One Bowl Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
Ingredients
For the bread:
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (115 g) plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 medium-size, ripe bananas, mashed (200 g or 1 cup)
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) maple syrup*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (60 g) quick oats
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup (150 g) whole wheat pastry flour**
- 1 cup (85 g) shredded carrots, about 2 medium
For the frosting:
- 4 oz (112 g) low fat cream cheese
- 1/3 cup (40 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC), and lightly grease a 9 x 5 (23cm x 13cm) bread pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the egg just until the yolk breaks apart. Whisk in the yogurt, bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Stir in the oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Spoon in the flour and gently fold it in until just combined. Gently stir in the shredded carrots, taking care not to overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the bread is cool, prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl. Spread it on top of the cooled cake prior to slicing. Store the bread in a covered container in the fridge for up to 7 days, or freeze it (unfrosted) for up to 3 months.
Notes
* You can also use honey.
** You can also use all purpose flour or a mix of 3/4 cup (90 g) all purpose and 1/2 cup (60 g) of whole wheat flour.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
Post originally published in March 2018. Text was updated but recipe remained unchanged.
Looking for more healthy banana bread recipes? Try one of these!
Greek Yogurt Banana Oat Bread
Healthy Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Flourless Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Flourless Chocolate Banana Bread
Double Chocolate Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you so much for helping support Spoons!
I love the healthiness of this recipe and chose it for our Schools Breakfast Club.
Only issue I had is I didn’t read your blog since I was rushing to get several loaves made. In your blog before you post the recipe you state: “ Mix your wet ingredients well and make sure the oats, carrots, and spices are fully incorporated into the wet ingredients before you add the flour.” In your recipe it says to add the spices to the dry ingredients and. carrots after the flour. I must tell I made 2 Double batches and I was tempted to add the carrots to the wet but I am really working on following recipes. I wish you could change your recipe to match your notes since I prepared the wet ingredients in my food processor and adding the carrots would have been so nice. Then mixed in by hand the dry ingredients. Sorry to ‘write a book”. I hope that it is a hit with the kids especially once a little frosting is added..
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I just made this as I wanted a change fromy my usual banana bread. Also to use up a surplus of carrots. Not only was it not cooked after 80 minutes (I had to cover it after 50 mins), it also tasted bad. Waste of ingredients!
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I love this One Bowl Carrot Cake Banana Bread , seems amazing . Super excited to try this one, thanks for sharing with us.
It is an honor for me to participate in the discussion with everyone here, thank you for sharing the useful information.
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Hi, yea, honey can be used instead of maple syrup, I have even used stevia packets and disolve in a little almond milk, I have done banana bread in an 8×8 pan, it will be less thick and you will need less time to bake it ( check it at 35min)…I do this because I prefer to cut in squares and wrap and take for lunch, I often add 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder to the flour mix..or stir it in with the yogurt…I make my own oat flour..(.just put old fashioned oats in a blender…and blend to a flour consistencey)…I get the Oatmeal marked gluten free…and do 1/2 of oat flour and 1/2 nongluten flour… this makes it gluten free….or if not concerned about gluten 1/2 oatmeal flour and 1/2 white wheat or other…spelt etc…I love quick breads…I often throw a heaping tablespoon of ground flax….also….raisins would be great in this recipe…if you like….Because quick breads are not fussy…they can be a health food…this recipe is already quit healthy…but cutting out the sugar…stevia or monkfruit and upping the protien…you have a great healthy snack….I have not yet doubled the recipe to make a 9×13 !! I would make and freeze some for later….I use the recipe as a base…it is a great recipe just as it is…
Awful. Worst recipe I ever used. Not good. Didn’t even cook. Literally almost hours nothing. I’ve been a baker a long time. This is not a good recipe. 😕
Mine has been in for an hour and still not cooked 🙁
Won’t make again
Soooo fast, easy and delish! A rare combo! Will totes make again! Thanks for this great recipe!!
I do not know what to say really what you share very well and useful to the community, I feel that it makes our community much more developed, thanks
When do you add the ginger?
You should be able to tell even if it’s not stated in the instructions/method. Most good recipes action an ingredient in the order it appears in the recipe. Surely you could have figured out to add the ginger along with the other spices?
So good! We made this as our breakfast meal prep and the only thing we did different was add a full bag of shredded carrots (3.5 cups). I was nervous about adding that many carrots but we wanted to pack in as much nutrition as possible, it turned out perfect. We did have to bake it about 30 mins longer because of the addition about 1hr20mins, but so worth it! We paired it with a 50/50 cottage cheese/vanilla greek yogurt mix and it was the perfect breakfast!
Love the extra nutrition! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely review and share your modifications.
This receipe is fantastic. I love all the flavor combinations. I made it with gluten free flour which made it not rise too much. Do you have any suggestions on how to make it gluten free?
Thank you.
I don’t for this particular recipe, Mary, but I do have some flourless muffin recipes that incorporate the same flavours but are gluten-free. There’s these morning glory muffins – https://www.runningwithspoons.com/easy-morning-glory-muffins/ and these carrot cake muffins – https://www.runningwithspoons.com/flourless-carrot-cake-muffins/. I hope those help!
Hi Could I use Wholemeal spelt flour for this recipe please
Yes that should be okay!
Look yummy! One of my favorite One Bowl Carrot Cake Banana Bread, nice to see your guide, easy to follow, will cook this for family this weekend. Thanks you!
Made this recipe as stated except I used all purpose flour. The banana flavor comes through nicely and the cream cheese frosting adds the carrot cake touch. I don’t usually use maple syrup in quick breads because of the cost, but I did use it here. The result was a less sweeter than usual banana bread even with the sweetness of carrots added in. Not a bad thing, but just to let others know. I make quick breads quite often, so I know to be gentle when mixing. I didn’t care for the texture of this bread…it was a tad chewy. Perhaps the difference is in the flour?
I thought this was really delicious banana bread. It has a pleasant sweet flavor and nearly possesses a flavor like a blend between carrot cake and banana bread, however unquestionably still a banana bread in general flavor and surface. I was befuddled by the 2 portions recommendation.
One Bowl Carrot Cake Banana Bread is great! To be honest, I’m not good at cooking but I like them, they give me joy and excitement every time I finish the dishes, which is a great thing. With your recipe, I just need to follow the instructions and the rest is simple. Thanks for your recipe.
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This carrot cake looks amazing! It is my favorite kind of cake.
wondering if honey could be substituted for maple syrup. I have made this SO many times ..my husband loves it and I do too. Very healthy – but sometimes I have honey and not the maple syrup. Do you think that would work? I have added raisin and we love that – and I use the Truvia brown sugar for topping instead of the cream cheese (which in general I am not a fan of). Let me know your thoughts about the honey
I added 1/2 cup currants, 1/2 cup walnuts and 1/8th tsp cloves and used regular oats, not instant. Came out great.
Loved the recipe!
Can I sub the Greek yogurt for plain unsweetened yogurt? And can the wheat flour be replaced with spelt flour? Thank you😊
Again an awesomely successful recipe. My son also loves your cakes.
Never made this combination ! Keeper it is ! Thank you !
Oh my goodness woman, you are legit killing me. I’m swooning, and drooling and dreaming [and all the other ING words 😉 ]
You’re the best. LOVE!
Your Greek yogurt banana bread recipe is my go to, so I know I’ll love this one too. That and I’d lick cream cheese frosting off the floor if need be. Thankfully I don’t need to here.
I feel the same way about cream cheese frosting… Its the only instance where I’ll take frosting over cake <3
I LOVE your blog! I started with the brownie recipe and slowly got addicted, cannot wait to try this one :). I have a bit of a silly question – if I increase the quantities (let’s say double) – would it be possible to use it as a cake recipe, in a round cake tin? Mine is 21.5×21.5cm. I want to make it as a surprise for someone special who is slightly obssesed with carrot cake.
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, Alexandra! And oh man… I want to say that it will work, but I can’t say 100% for sure because I haven’t tried it myself. I’m also not really sure what the cook time would be in that case. But if you do end up trying it, I’d love to know!
Amanda and Alexandra, this is one of those “$64,000 questions” in baking. I’ve searched the answer for such questions but my additional concern has to do with baking time and oven temperature as noted by Amanda most importantly when the pan change involves a batter depth change. anyway, I found that the following search may get you started though I realize this post is a couple of years old and you may have already realized success: do a keyword/phrase search for “cake pan dimension baking conversions”. I didnt find it but I’m certain I once found a discussion delving into temperature changes when there is a batter depth change.
This looks good! I am a big carrot cake fan myself and I like the idea of adding banana to make it denser. Fun recipe as always!
Thank you Hollie <3