Carrot Bread

This scrumptious and moist carrot bread combines freshly grated carrots, shredded apples, chopped pecans, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to make the best carrot loaf. It is one of my favorite quick-bread recipes and is so easy to make. If you love the flavor of carrot cake, this is a must-try recipe.

Are you looking for a tasty and simple carrot bread recipe? Look no further! This recipe uses basic ingredients and is easy to make, yielding a delicious, moist loaf of carrot bread. I am kind of a sucker for good homemade quick bread. They are quick and easy to get in the oven and taste much better than store-bought loaves. If you like this bread, try lemon poppy seed bread, banana nut bread, chocolate banana bread, and chocolate zucchini bread.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Spices: I use ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You can also add a pinch of ground cloves or allspice.
• Oil: Use vegetable, canola, or safflower oil.
• Apple: Granny Smith Apple, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Cosmic Crisp, and Pink Lady are great baking apples.
• Vanilla extract: Use pure stuff, please.
• Chopped Pecans: You can substitute chopped walnuts.

How to make Carrot Bread

This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set it aside. Stir the eggs, oil, shredded apple, grated carrots, brown sugar, vanilla, and chopped pecans in a larger bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Pour into a well-greased loaf pan.

Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a wire rack and gently rolling it over. Cool for several hours before slicing.

Preparation Tips

• Preheat the oven and place the loaf on the middle rack in the center of the oven.
• Grease the loaf pan well.
• Always bake the batter off after you mix it. The leavening agents start working as soon as they are combined with liquid ingredients.
• The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean. Start checking at 50 minutes to prevent overbaking.

Three Ways to Shred Carrots For Carrot Bread

• Box Grater: Start by washing and peeling the carrots. Then use the large or small (depending on how big you like your grate) side of a box grater. Pick up a carrot by its thick end and run its tip down the holes of the grater. Continue this downward shredding motion until about 1 inch of the carrot remains.
• Mandolin: Wash and peel the carrots. Then, attach the grating blade to the mandolin. Put on the glove that came with your set and run the carrot over the blade. Start with a freshly peeled carrot once it is too short to run over the blade safely.
• Food Processor: Start by washing, peeling, and cutting the carrots into 3-inch-long pieces. Attach the grater blade to your food processor. Then, fit the safety lid onto your food processor. Stick one of the carrot pieces into the feeding tube at the top of the lid. Use the cylinder to push down the carrot until it is fully grated. Repeat until all the carrots are grated.

More Carrot Recipes

Mom’s Carrot Bread Recipe

This delectable moist Carrot bread is ready for the oven in about 20 minutes and tastes just as good as any carrot cake with the perfect balance of spices.  It always gets rave reviews from family and friends.

4.96 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: breakfast/dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 338kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 1 medium apple peeled and grated
• 2 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and ground nutmeg in a medium bowl.  In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, vegetable oil, grated apple, grated carrots, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and chopped pecans.
• Stir the flour mixture into the carrot mixture just until combined.  Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
• Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5-7 minutes before carefully inverting it onto the wire rack and gently rolling it over.  Cool for 2-3 hours before slicing.

Notes

• Most sweet loaves taste even better the next day. Wrap well in plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 3 days.
• To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and place in a heavy-duty freezer bag.  Remove as much air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw on the counter overnight.  You can also flash-freeze individual slices, so they do not stick together.  

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 3636IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

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