I absolutely adore this gluten-free Honey Banana Carrot Bread. It’s a fan favorite at my house any day of the week. We slather almond butter on top of the slices and enjoy it as a special treat or a sleepy Sunday brunch bite. This bread is so delicious but avoids the pitfalls of common baked goods—it’s refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and contains zero industrial seed oils, such as canola, vegetable, soybean, or others. Instead, the fat is a delicious Vanilla Bean Ghee from a brand called Fourth & Heart. It’s such a fun way to flavor the loaf and get the perfect texture. The extra slices of banana on top, alongside the swirl of pecan butter, make the crust so crunchy and sweet.
This Honey Banana Carrot Bread is also a fantastic baked gift for a loved one. You can be comforted to know you’re giving them something far more nutritionally sound than common grocery store treats, but it will still make their tastebuds sing. I hope you love this as much as my family and I do. Enjoy!
Honey Banana Carrot Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium-large bananas 2 for mashing (1 cup mashed) and 1 for topping
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1/4 cup Fourth and Heart Vanilla Bean Ghee, melted (or butter or coconut oil)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 cup King Arthur gluten-free flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp pecan butter
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F and line a loaf pan with tin foil, spray with coconut oil, and dust each side with a small amount of gluten-free flour.
- Place the shredded carrots in a steam basket in a small pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and steam for 10 minutes. This will cook the carrots to tenderize them but does not remove any nutrients, whereas boiling would. Remove the now cooked carrots and place them in a large mixing bowl.
- To that mixing bowl, add 2 mashed bananas, 1/4 cup melted butter/ghee/oil, and 1/3 cup honey. Mix thoroughly until everything is well-mashed. Then add eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, spices, and baking powder. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl, and fold everything together with a gentle hand until they’re thoroughly combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top using a knife so that it’s evenly distributed and swirled. Distribute 1 tablespoon of pecan butter along the top. Using a small knife or toothpick, swirl the nut butter into the top of the batter.
- Take the third banana and lay it on a cutting board. Slice it into 1/2-inch rounds down the whole length of the banana. Then, using your hands or a knife, transfer the slices to the center of the loaf. Press the slices into the batter until they’re even with the top of the rest of the loaf.
- Drizzle the final tablespoon of honey or maple syrup all over the top of the batter.
- Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, depending on your oven. Every oven is a little different, so watch it closely. It should be very golden brown on top and when you insert a toothpick into the center and remove it, there should be moist crumbs on it. If there’s wet batter on the toothpick, it’s not done.
- Once baked, remove the loaf pan from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool. Let it cool in the pan for about an hour, until it's not hot. Then remove the loaf from the pan and let it cool a little further—about 15 minutes or more. Slice and serve warm. Enjoy!