ABC Muffins (Avocado, Banana Carrot)

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Quick and delicious ABC muffins, made from scratch. Made with juicy bananas, fresh avocado and grated carrot, they are soft and fluffy, with a delicious cinnamon and honey flavour. They are easy to make, healthier for you and perfect for morning or afternoon tea, breakfast on-the-go or a handy lunchbox treat.

muffins on a white plate with slices of banana

Why you’ll love this recipe

The ABC in these muffins stands for avocado, banana and carrot. Loads of juicy fruits and vegetables makes for super-moist muffins that all ages will love!

Quick and easy – 10 minutes of prep time and a handful of simple fridge and pantry ingredients.
Convenient – they are great for a quick snack, portable breakfast or lunchbox treat.
Freezer friendly – make a batch (or two) and freeze them to keep on hand whenever you need a quick, healthy treat.
Satisfying – like these chocolate zucchini muffins, banana muffins and choc avocado muffins, they will satisfy your sweet tooth while still being a healthier choice!
Good for you – delicious and full of sneaky fruits and vegetables. They are also naturally dairy-free and nut-free.
No waste – the perfect recipe to use up those sad, brown spotty bananas and soft avocados in your fruit bowl!

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

all ingredients for abc muffins, laid out on a table.

Ripe bananas – the browner and spottier they are, they sweeter the muffins will be.

Avocado – a great baking substitution for butter and oils, avocado provides moisture and structure to the muffins.

Not only are there less calories and fat per tablespoon in avocado (compared to butter or oil), but you’ll also add extra vitamins, minerals and good fats to your muffins without losing the soft and creamy texture! In baking, the avocado flavour is so mild, you won’t taste it in the final result. Choose an avocado that is soft and yields to a gentle squeeze, with a soft green flesh. Avocados that are too firm won’t blend nicely into the muffin mixture.

Carrots – shredded carrots are added to the muffin batter for additional nutrients and texture. Keep them finely grated so that they cook through and blend nicely into the mixture. You can keep the peel on or take it off, depending on preference.

Flour – one cup of plain, all-purpose flour is used for the structure of the muffins. Use white or wholemeal flour, depending on preference. I recommend weighing the flour, for best results. Too much flour will make dry and dense muffins.

Baking powder – is used to give the muffins a rise. Check the expiry of your baking powder and make sure that it is in-date.

Rolled oats – add fibre, protein and texture to the muffins, as well as reducing the flour content. Choose rolled oats rather than quick oats.

Egg – one large egg, at room temperature.

Honey – thanks to the sweetness from the bananas, only ¼ cup of honey is used to sweeten the muffins. Add more or less to taste, or swap for your preferred liquid sweetener of choice like brown rice syrup or maple syrup.

Chocolate chips – dark chocolate baking chips are added to the batter for a lovely, gooey chocolate hit and a little sweetness. If preferred, swap them for sultanas, blueberries or finely chopped dates.

Step by step instructions

Step 1 – Blend the banana avocado mixture;

Place the bananas, avocado, honey, egg, vanilla and cinnamon in a food processor and blend until smooth.

If you don’t have a food processor, mash the avocado and bananas as finely as possible and mix in the other ingredients.

banana, avocado and muffin ingredients in a food processor.

a smooth, blended banana and avocado mixture in a food processor.

Step 2 – Add the dry ingredients;

Add the blended banana avocado mixture to a mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, oats and chocolate chips) and the grated carrot.

Gently stir until just combined.

Step 3 – Bake;

Divide the mixture evenly into prepared muffin or cupcake trays and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the muffins are completely cooked through in the middle.

To test, insert a wooden skewer into the centre of one muffin. If it comes out clean with a few sticky crumbs, the muffins are ready. Immediately transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Tip; an ice cream scoop will help to divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes and also create muffins with lovely, rounded tops.

a hand using an ice cream scoop to add muffin batter to a muffin tray.

Expert tips

Don’t overmix the batter –Mix the dry ingredients into the banana-avocado mixture until just combined. A few pockets of flour are ok, but overmixing will push air out of the batter and result in dense, heavy muffins.
Measure the flour. Adding too much flour will dry out the muffins. For best results, weigh the flour using kitchen scales. Alternatively, fluff the flour and add it to a measuring cup before levelling it with the back of a knife.
If you don’t want to use paper cases, silicone muffin trays are best for easy removal of the muffins when done. But be sure to grease the holes with an oil spray to prevent sticking!
This recipe is easy to multiply if you want a double or triple batch for the freezer. Just hit the 1x, 2x or 3x button in the recipe card below to increase the quantities needed.
When hot, the sides of the muffins can stick slightly to the paper cases. They are easier to remove when cooled.
While I love to add dark chocolate chips for a delicious, chocolatey flavour. But you could swap them for your favourite add-ins like berries, chopped dates or sultanas.
This recipe makes 12 medium-sized muffins. If you want to make them bigger, make them into 10 large muffins instead (or make mini muffins). The cooking times will vary if you make them larger or smaller.
They are perfect for kids and adults of all ages. For smaller toddlers, make sure the carrot is finely grated and swap the chocolate chips for strawberries or blueberries, if preferred.

FAQs

Can you freeze them?

Yes! To freeze, allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire-rack. Place them in an airtight, freezer-safe container with a layer of paper towel over the top and freeze them for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave them in a container in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for 1-2 hours. They are fine to add to lunchboxes in the morning straight from the freezer; they will thaw before snack time.

How to store them;

While these muffins are best eaten fresh in the first 1-2 days, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen to enjoy later. If they aren’t as fresh after a few days, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften them up again.

How do you know when they are ready?

Check the muffins at the 15-minute mark. They are done when a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs sticking. If there is raw batter on the skewer, they need a few more minutes.

abc muffins topped with melted chocolate chips on a plate with sliced bananas.

More healthy muffin recipes

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Update notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2020, but was re-published with new information and photos in October 2022.

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