With ripe bananas, shredded carrots and pineapple all topped with a rich cream cheese frosting and chopped walnuts, this carrot cake banana bread is simply dreamy! So completely satisfying with your favourite cup of tea or coffee. It’s a quick bread recipe you’ll want to make again and again!
If you’re in need of a little sweet, have I got the thing for you!
Carrot cake meets banana bread in this super easy, moist and delicious carrot cake banana bread (with cream cheese frosting, may I add!)
I just love making flavoured banana bread. I mean, banana bread is delicious on its own, but it’s always fun to mix in other flavours. Why not, right?
This loaf cake or quick bread is not overly banana-y or overly sweet. What it is, though, is downright delicious.
And, if you’re like me (and my mother-in-law), you always have a few bananas that are quite ripe sitting on your counter.
My mother-in-law is particularly funny. She’s not a huge fan of eating bananas as they are, but always has to have them in her home. For guests, maybe? Or perhaps it’s for a yummy carrot banana cake, like this one.
Fan of carrot cake? Check out these carrot cake donuts!
Why We Love This Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Banana bread is a great way to use overripe bananas.
- This loaf is the best of both worlds: carrot cake and banana bread (no deciding which one to make).
- No big mixer is required to make the bread itself (just a couple of bowls).
- It’s prepped in about 10 minutes and the hardest part is waiting for it to bake.
- This carrot cake banana bread tastes incredible!
How To Make It
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- Start by mixing your dry ingredients together in one bowl.
- In another bowl, mash your ripe bananas.
- To mashed bananas, mix in sugar, shredded carrots, oil, pineapple, yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Combine the flour mixture with your banana mixture.
- Pour into a prepared loaf pan.
- Bake, then let your loaf cool a little before removing from the pan and fully cooling on a cooling rack.
- Prepare your cream cheese frosting.
- Spread frosting over cooled bread and add some walnuts (if you like).
- Slice and enjoy!
Should I Refrigerate This Bread?
Yes. Because of the cream cheese frosting, store the loaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Do I Have To Use Frosting?
Not at all!
You can enjoy this carrot banana bread as is. It’ll still taste delicious.
The cream cheese frosting is just the icing on the cake or, um, banana bread.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
If you make this carrot cake banana bread, be sure to leave a comment below!
Carrot Cake Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Baking spray, to grease loaf pan
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon into measuring cup and level off with a butter knife
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup mashed bananas, from about 2 small ripe bananas
- ¾ to 1 cup granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you want the bread (see "Notes" below)
- 1 ¼ cup shredded carrots, from about 2 carrots
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup chopped canned pineapple (chopped into small cubes)
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting and Optional Garnish
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened (¾ of a 250-gram package)
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Spray a 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan with baking spray, then line with some parchment paper (the parchment paper should cover the bottom and two longest sides of the loaf pan, with some parchment paper slightly overhanging the longest sides — this makes for easy removal of the carrot cake banana bread after it's baked). Then spray the parchment paper with baking spray. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In another bowl, mash bananas.
- To bananas, add sugar, shredded carrots, vegetable oil, pineapple, Greek yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.
- Combine dry ingredients (flour mixture) with wet ingredients (banana mixture), mixing until there's no dry flour left (but don't overmix).
- Pour banana bread mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted in the centre of the bread comes out clean.Note: Because pans and ovens can vary, check on at the 55-minute mark. If it's not done, continue baking until it is.
- Allow the bread to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then remove the bread from the pan and allow it to fully cool on a cooling rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Once the carrot cake banana bread is cool, make the cream cheese frosting. Combine cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and blend with a hand mixer (on medium-high speed) until combined and fluffy.
Frost the Carrot Cake Banana Bread
- Spread the cream cheese frosting over the carrot cake banana bread and garnish with walnuts. Slice and enjoy! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Notes
- I usually make this carrot cake banana bread with just ¾ cup of sugar and find that it’s just right for me and not too sweet. If you prefer things a little sweeter (but still not too sweet), use the full 1 cup of sugar.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Chris Dean
A very forgiving recipe. I followed it, except that I used whole wheat pastry flour, added a few leftover mandarin oranges (they pretty much disappeared), used melted butter instead of oil and coconut sugar instead of white. I also added toasted roughly chopped pecans and made into muffins. (non stick pan sprayed with oil) Baked for 25 plus minutes. They were fantastic! No need for frosting. Rave reviews. I loved what the cinnamon and the nutmeg added. I will definitely be making these again.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
That’s so wonderful to hear, Chris! Thank you very much!
Dana
So yummy and easy to make. I used buttermilk and not Greek yoghurt ( I was out ) it’s a good substitute. . No icing.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Dana! That’s wonderful to hear!
Sheila King
Great recipe! I made muffins-baked at 350 for 25 minutes. Didn’t use the icing on them-thanks for a great recipe!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Sheila! What a fun twist making muffins – yum! 🙂
T
I baked this last night and it’s amazing. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I used gluten free self raising flour and only 4 tablespoons of sugar since that’s about as much as my body can tolerate. I love lots of cinnamon so I added a lot more but it didn’t drown the banana flavour…it actually enhanced it. I could smell the bananas as it was baking as well. For the frosting I mixed olive oil spread with icing sugar, vanilla and a teaspoon of cinnamon….so good 😊
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much!! Don’t you just love the smell of banana bread as it bakes? So lovely!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Loving the combination of carrot with banana! Looks perfect and love the frosting 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Jennifer. It’s a yummy one for sure!
Michelle | Sift & Simmer
This is such an incredible mashup, Dawn! Best of both worlds, and I’m here for it! 🙂 Delicious!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Happy to hear it! Thanks Michelle!
Cyndi Morton
It’s still in the oven, but if it tastes as good as my house smells right now, we’ve got a winner!
Valentina
Oh yes, I will certainly have this with my morning coffee. Such a delicious blend of flavors — like two cakes in one! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
For sure! Thanks so much!
David @ Spiced
This recipe combines two of my favorites – banana bread and carrot cake. Growing up, we always had a loaf of banana bread on the counter, and I still have fond memories of the smell of freshly baked loaves in the oven. Now I’m going to have to see what the smell of a freshly baked carrot cake banana bread smells like!!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thanks David! Hope you love it as much as we do!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
This would fly off the table at our house Dawn! Looks similar to a hummingbird cake we make. I can’t wait to give your recipe a try!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Mary Ann! Hope you enjoy!
Marissa
This recipe is pure genius, Dawn! I saw this on Instagram and had to come straight over to check out the recipe. Such a perfect bread for weekend and holiday breakfasts!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks a bunch, Marissa!! It sure is!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Can I just say you’re brilliant! Carrot cake and banana bread all in one! Two of my favorites and since it’s a bread, it’s totally okay for breakfast! 😉
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Aww, you’re too kind!! Thanks Kathy…and I love the way you think!