A simple recipe for breakfast spiced carrot bread made with real food ingredients like carrots, walnuts, and raisins – naturally sweetened with maple syrup. You can make a double batch and freeze some for later too!
My family really likes many types of breakfast bread and muffins and that makes me very happy.
It makes mornings much, MUCH, MUCH easier to have something ready when both kids come down the stairs with growling stomachs, saying “I’m HUNGRY!” to a mom who hasn’t even poured water into the coffee pot yet.
Banana chocolate chip muffins are everyone’s favorite – hands-down – but the peanut butter chocolate chip muffins are a close second place. The kids even love moist cranberry orange scones, which tend to be a grown-up only pastry.
My only breakfast failures have come from one culprit – vegetables. I’ve tried several breakfast recipes that use vegetables, but one bite and they’ve all gotten the thumbs down.
When I happened to see a recipe for spiced carrot bread, I was skeptical yet hopeful. Could it be a recipe with vegetables that the kids actually ate? This would be a wonderful answer to the “What do I do with the remaining 8 pounds of carrots I just bought?” question that goes through my head when I’m at Costco.
The taste-test results were unanimous – empty plates and a “can I get more” from The Boy! Mr. Crumbs, The Girl, and I loved it too! Of course, I made it with less sweetener and a bit more spice, which makes for a healthier and more flavorful breakfast bread! Served warm with a pat of butter, this spiced carrot bread is a winner!
Spiced Carrot Bread
Besides the fact that it’s the best carrot bread I’ve ever tasted, it’s also:
- Healthy. Packed with nutritious carrots, raisins, nuts, yogurt, and spices, breakfast doesn’t get any better than this!
- Naturally and lightly sweetened. Without refined sugar, this recipe allows for your family to enjoy the natural sweetness of wholesome real food ingredients.
- Convenient. Plan to double or triple the recipe so you’ll always have a healthy snack or breakfast ready to go right from your freezer.
Ingredients for Breakfast Carrot Bread
With simple ingredients, you can throw this recipe together easily with ingredients that are already in the pantry…
- Walnuts
- Raisins
- Carrots
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Whole wheat flour
- Vanilla (here’s how to make it homemade)
- Baking powder & baking soda
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- Salt
Note: Some people like to dust the top of the carrot bread with powdered sugar. Of course, there is no refined sugar in this recipe, but here’s how to make homemade powdered sugar.
Should I use regular yogurt or Greek yogurt for this carrot bread recipe?
I prefer to use Greek yogurt in this carrot bread recipe because it gives a better rise than regular yogurt.
Can I substitute brown sugar for maple syrup in carrot breakfast bread?
I prefer to use a natural sweetener like maple syrup rather than granulated sugar or brown sugar. Of course, if you cannot use maple syrup, you can sub in brown sugar. About 1 cup for the ½ cup of maple syrup.
How to Make Carrot Bread
- Preheat the oven. Prepare baking cups or loaf pans.
- In a large bowl, combine the raisins, walnuts, and 1 Tbsp flour. Add dry ingredients.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Scoop ¼ cup batter into each muffin cup or pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake 15-18 min (mine took exactly 16 min) for muffins, and 30 mins for loaves.
Can I make both carrot bread and carrot bread muffins?
Yes! Just follow the recipe the same way for both versions. For muffins, you will scoop ¼ cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
For loaves, pour the batter into your pan(s) – dividing evenly if you’ve used more than one – and bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. This is about 1 hour for an 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan and 30 minutes for mini-loaves. Since every oven is different, check often to ensure the bread isn’t over-baked! Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
More Breakfast Bread Recipes
- 5-Ingredient Banana Bread Muffins
- Molasses Breakfast Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chips Muffins
- Banana Nut Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Zucchini Muffins with Apples and Carrots
Freezer Cooking: Breakfasts
Sign up to get instant access to my Freezer Cooking: Breakfasts Plan, complete with recipes, supply list, and shopping list!
Spiced Carrot Bread
A simple recipe for breakfast spiced carrot bread made with real food ingredients like carrots, walnuts, and raisins – naturally sweetened with maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 16 mins
- Total Time: 26 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
-
¾ c walnuts, chopped (measure first, then chop)
-
½ cup raisins
-
2 cups shredded carrots (you can use a food processor for grated carrots)
-
½ cup maple syrup
-
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
-
2 eggs
-
1 cup Greek yogurt
-
1 tsp vanilla (here’s how to make it homemade)
-
1 ¾ c + 1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
-
1 ½ tsp baking powder
-
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
-
¾ tsp ginger
-
½ tsp baking soda
-
½ tsp salt
-
¼ tsp + ⅛ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare baking cups (for muffins) or loaf pans with cooking spray.
-
In a large bowl, combine the raisins, walnuts, and 1 Tbsp flour. Mix well so the raisins don’t clump together. Add the rest of the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg and stir together well. Set aside.
-
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the shredded carrots, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, Greek yogurt, and vanilla. Whisk until the wet ingredients are combined well.
-
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
-
Scoop ¼ cup batter into each muffin cup or pour batter into the prepared pan.
-
Bake 15-18 min (mine took exactly 16 min) until the center comes out clean on an inserted toothpick
Continue Reading…Spiced Carrot Bread
