Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting 🥕

This delicious bread combines your love for carrot cake and banana bread into one amazing carrot cake banana bread that will knock your socks off. You’ve probably never thought to combine these two delicious cakes, but here we are, and we’ve done something I think you’re really going to love.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake Banana Bread

• Quick Prep: Prep this carrot cake banana bread recipe in 20 minutes and let your oven do the rest of the work.
• Tasty: I love the combo of the spice of a carrot cake and the classic banana bread.
• Easy: Made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
• Versatile: Customize with raisins, coconut, or pineapple to make it your own.

🍲 Ingredients

Vanilla Extract – Make sure to buy pure vanilla extract for the best flavor in this banana carrot cake. There are so many artificial extracts out there that just don’t have the same delicious flavor. It should say right on the bottle if it’s pure or not, and this small detail makes a big difference in the final taste.

Pecans – These add a wonderful crunch and nutty flavor to this carrot cake banana bread. If you don’t love the crunch of nuts in your baking, you can 100% omit the pecans. You can also swap them for other nuts like walnuts, or leave them out entirely for a nut-free version that’s perfect for school lunches or those with allergies.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Carrot Cake Banana Bread

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a large loaf pan with parchment paper width-wise.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
3. In a large bowl, and using a hand mixer to break apart the ripe bananas until slightly smooth.
4. Add the brown sugar, egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter until combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl, whisk the ingredients together on medium speed until ¾ fully combined.
6. Scrape the edges with a spatula, and add the grated carrots.
7. Fold in the chopped pecans.
8. Now, using a spatula, fold in the carrots until perfectly combined in the batter.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
10. Bake for 40 minutes. Test the doneness by inserting a toothpick and it comes out clean.
11. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, then use a knife along the edges of the pan to release and lift it out of the pan using the overhanging parchment.
12. Cool on a wire rack.
13. For the cream cheese icing, melt the butter in the microwave or over low heat in a small pot.
14. In a medium sized bowl, whip the cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium/high speed for 1-2 minutes until soft.
15. Add the icing sugar, milk, and vanilla, whipping until light and airy.
16. Slowly stream in the melted butter, continuing to whip until smooth.
17. Set in the fridge until the loaf is completely cooled.
18. Once the loaf is cooled, scoop the cream cheese icing on top and use a spoon to lather it all over the top. Add swirls within the icing.
19. Arrange the chopped pecans onto the cream cheese icing.
20. Cut immediately OR store in the fridge until ready to eat!!!
21. Use a serrated knife to cut it into 1-inch-wide pieces.

🧩 Troubleshooting

• Loaf Sunk in Middle: Underbaked, oven temp off, or too much moisture from very wet carrots/bananas.
• Dry/Crumbly: Overbaked, overmixed, or too much flour – use the spoon and level method.
• Gummy Center: Slicing too soon or cutting while warm. Allow to cool completely.
• Frosting Sliding Off: Loaf wasn’t fully cooled – remind to cool completely before frosting.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Mixing: Do not overmix the batter for a tender crumb – mix just until combined.
• Doneness: The loaf should have a domed top, deep golden-brown edges, and spring back when gently pressed.
• Cooling: Cool for 10-15 minutes in pan, then move to a rack and fully cool before frosting to avoid melting.
• Customization: Add ½-¾ cup of raisins, coconut, or even chopped pineapple to make it your own.

🗒 Substitutions

• Gluten-Free: Use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour to make this gluten-free.
• Dairy-Free: Use vegan cream cheese and butter in the loaf and icing. Make or buy coconut whipped cream for top instead.
• Egg-Free: Substitute with 1:1 Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacement.
• Nut-Free: Omit pecans entirely or substitute with extra oats or a few tablespoons of shredded coconut for texture.

🍽️ Best served with

• Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cup Stuffed Oreos
• Vegan Oatmeal Fudge Bars
• Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
• How to Make Edible Cookie Dough

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store the carrot cake banana bread in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for 1 month. For freezing, wrap slices or the full loaf well and store for 1-2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

🤔 Common Questions

Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting 🥕

5 from 1 vote

🥕 Why choose between carrot cake and banana bread when you can have both? This carrot cake banana bread combines the best of both worlds with warm spices, cream cheese frosting, and crunchy pecans – ready in about an hour!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Vegetarian

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 1 large loaf

Calories 407 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 2 ripe bananas
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp. plant-based milk
• 2 tbsp. butter melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla paste
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ginger
• 1 ½ cups carrots grated
• ½ cup pecans chopped
• Cream Cheese Icing
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 4 ½ tbsp. butter melted
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp. icing sugar
• 3 tbsp. plant-based milk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• To Garnish
• 1 cup pecans chopped

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a large loaf pan with parchment paper width-wise.
• In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
• In a large bowl, and using a hand mixer to break apart the the ripe bananas until slightly smooth.
• Add the brown sugar, egg, milk, vanilla, and melted butter until combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl, whisk the ingredients together on medium speed until ¾ fully combined.
• Scrape the edges with a spatula, and add the grated carrots.
• Fold in the chopped pecans.
• Now, using a spatula, fold in the carrots until perfectly combined in the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 40 minutes. Test the doneness by inserting a toothpick and it comes out clean.
• Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, the use a knife along the edges of the pan to release and life it out of the pan using the overhanging parchment.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• For the cream cheese icing, melt the butter in the microwave or over low heat in a small pot.
• In a medium sized bowl, whip the cream cheese with a hand mixer on medium/high speed for 1 – 2 minutes until soft.
• Add the icing sugar, milk, and vanilla, whipping until light and airy.
• Slowly stream in the melted butter, continuing to whip until smooth.
• Set in the fridge until the loaf is completely cooled.
• Once the loaf is cooled, scoop the cream cheese icing on top and use a spoon to lather it all over the top. Add swirls within the icing.
• Arrange the chopped pecans onto the cream cheese icing.
• Cut immediately OR store in the fridge until ready to eat!!!
• Use a serrated knife to cut it into 1 in width pieces.

Enjoy!!

Video

Notes

Add ½ -3/4 cup of raisins, coconut, or even chopped pineapple to your cake- customize your cake to make it deliciously perfect for you!

Make this gluten free by using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour!

To make this dairy free, use vegan cream cheese and butter in the loaf and icing.

Make or buy coconut whipped cream to use for top of your cake instead- also delicious!

For an egg-free option, substitute for 1:1 Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacement.

Store the cake in the fridge for 4 – 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 10 | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 52.2g | Protein: 5.6g | Fat: 20.3g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 61.9mg | Sodium: 292.5mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 30.1g

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