This Vegan Carrot Cake Banana Bread is a delicious bread recipe that combines two favorite classics: banana bread and carrot cake. It is also egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan-approved.
We love a classic vegan banana bread recipe, but we also love our vegan carrot cake. So here’s a combination of two of our favorite vegan baking recipes in one! Say hello to this moist banana bread filled with shredded carrots and delicious spices.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This carrot banana bread is basically banana bread with some of the most classic carrot cake ingredients.
- Ripe Bananas – or yellow bananas. The riper, the sweeter the bread will be.
- All-Purpose Flour or spelt flour. Feel free to try any all-purpose gluten-free flour blend containing gums for a gluten-free option. We didn’t test this recipe with gluten-free flour, but although it might work, it will give quite a different texture.
- Grated Carrots – I use my food processor to make this a breeze!
- Melted Coconut Oil or any vegetable oil you like, including canola oil, olive oil, or melted vegan butter.
- Coconut Sugar – or brown sugar, sugar, or maple syrup. Liquid sweeteners make the batter a bit denser and gummy.
- Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
- Walnuts – Walnuts bring a ton of benefits, including omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants (source). If you don’t like walnuts, you can use pecans or crushed hazelnuts instead.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg – for a classic fall flavor.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – to give the bread an airy crumb.
How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Let’s see how you can make this simple bread in one bowl.
- First, peel bananas and mash with a fork on a chopping board until smooth and almost no lumps form. You can also beat the bananas in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment.
- Measure the amount called by the recipe and set it aside in a large bowl.
- Add coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, and vanilla into the bowl with the mashed bananas.
- Meanwhile, peel and shred carrots using a hand grater on the thicker attachment. Set aside the amount required by the recipe.
- Stir until all wet ingredients are well combined with sugar.
- Then, stir in the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Fold in the carrots and chopped walnuts at the end and stir until just combined.
- Don’t over-mix the banana carrot batter, or the bread will be dense and heavy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper with oil spray and set it aside.
- Fill the loaf pan with the carrot banana bread batter and bake on the center rack of the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can add a piece of foil on top of the bread halfway if it browns too fast on top.
- Let it cool down for 5 minutes in the pan, then using the hanging part of parchment, pull out the bread and release it on a wire rack.
- Cool the bread down entirely before frosting.
Add-Ons
This carrot banana bread is amazing with walnuts as in the base recipe.
But, you can swap the nuts or add some of the below ingredients to the nuts. Fold in between 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of:
- Dried raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Shredded coconut
- Chocolate chips
Serving Ideas
This carrot banana bread is absolutely delicious on its own as it already contains a sweet, creamy cream cheese frosting.
But, you can add some of the toppings below onto each slice if desired.
- Peanut butter
- Almond butter
- Chia seed jam
- Date caramel
Frosting The Carrot Bread
A carrot bread without frosting is not as delicious, so we highly recommend picking one of the two vegan frosting options below to spread on top of your bread.
These frosting recipes are larger than the amount needed for this bread, so you will have leftovers to freeze or make half the recipe. The best frostings for carrot bread are:
Frost the cooled banana bread with some of the frosting above using a spatula.
Storage
This banana bread contains carrots, and therefore it’s best to store your banana bread in the fridge in an airtight box.
Also, avoid pre-slicing the bread to keep its crumbs ultra-moist. Store it for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw the day before in the fridge before serving.
Frequently Asked questions
Below I listed the most common answer to your questions about this vegan carrot banana bread.
Yes, you can make banana zucchini bread with this recipe. But, grated zucchini contains way more water than carrots. So first, grate and drain the zucchini in a towel to remove all excess water. Then, add to the recipe.
Alternatively, you can use my Zucchini Banana Bread recipe for perfect results.
All-purpose gluten-free flour that contains gums will most like work but will give a different bread texture.
We didn’t try the banana bread oil-free, but usually, you can replace the oil with the same amount of applesauce or homemade pumpkin puree or sweet potato puree.
Start by making one of my frostings and then sprinkle some toasted chopped walnuts, fresh banana slices, and toasted coconut chips on top of the bread.
More Vegan Quick Bread Recipes
I love to bake fruit bread, especially banana bread. Below are my other delicious baked goods recipes for you to try.
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Vegan Carrot Cake Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup Mashed Banana - about 4 large yellow/ripe bananas, peeled, mashed
- ⅓ cup Coconut Sugar - or sugar
- ⅓ cup Melted Coconut Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 ½ cup All-Purpose Flour - or white spelt flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Shredded Carrot
- ⅓ cup Chopped Walnuts
Frosting
- 1 batch Cashew Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Oil the paper and pan with coconut oil. Set aside.
- Peel, mash the bananas using a fork on a flat surface. Measure the exact amount required by the recipe 1 cup + 1/2 cup of mashed bananas.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, sugar, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
- Stir in all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until just combined, then fold in the shredded carrots and walnuts. Don't over mix or the bread can be gummy.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
- Let the bread cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift the parchment paper to release it onto a cooling rack.
Frosting
- Cool completely before frosting with cashew frosting. Decorate with toasted walnuts, coconut chips, and fresh banana slices.
- Store in an airtight cake box for 4 days in the fridge or freeze. Thaw the day before at room temperature.
So good and so easy. I’ve made it 3 times. This recipe is a keeper.
Thank yoU!!
Can you use another oil instead like olive?
Any vegetable oil would work!
Can I use oat flour instead?
No, it won’t work I am sorry.
Can I make it sugar free? Can I add blended dates instead of any sugar?
Yes, you can remove the sweetener or use date sugar. Blended dates will add more moisture and can turn the crumb very gummy.
Can I use applesauce instead of coconut oil?
I didn’t try this option, it could work I guess