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These carrot cake muffins are made in one bowl and feature a simple cream cheese frosting! They have a moist crumb and require very little prep time.
Adding vegetables to desserts is seriously trendy and delicious.
You are missing out if you’ve never added zucchini to brownies, chocolate cake, or some pumpkin puree to muffins.
The easiest and most common way to sneak vegetables into baked goods is by adding carrots to some cake, and these carrot cake muffins are a surefire win.
Table of Contents
The best carrot muffins
I absolutely adore this recipe for carrot cake muffins – it’s my go-to whenever I want something sweet and comforting. The combination of warm spices, grated carrots, and cream cheese frosting is simply divine.
Perfect for a healthy dessert or even a wholesome breakfast, you have no excuses not to make them.
- Naturally gluten-free. No grains, flour, or refined sugar are needed, but you’d never tell.
- Perfect every time. The texture is moist, fluffy, and full of shredded carrots. The flavor is subtly sweet without being overpowering.
- No fancy ingredients or kitchen mixers are needed.
How to make carrot cake muffins
Like any good muffin recipe, this one has a very simple batter and quick prep time. Honestly, this muffin isn’t just perfect for Easter but anytime you want some carrot cake!
- Almond flour– You must use blanched or superfine almond flour, NOT almond meal. While all of them are essentially almonds, the almond meal still contains their skins of them. This yields a dense muffin instead of a fluffy one.
- Baking soda– Gives the muffins some rise and fluffiness. If you don’t have baking soda, you can add half the amount of baking powder.
- Cinnamon and allspice– Essential spices for any good carrot muffin recipe. The extra cinnamon gives it that added oomph!
- Coconut oil OR butter– melted coconut oil or butter. I prefer using coconut oil, but either can be used.
- Eggs– Room temperature eggs.
- Maple syrup– gives the muffins a subtle sweetness and adds moisture. You can also use honey or agave nectar.
- Shredded carrots– What is carrot cake without shredded carrots? You’ll use a full cup for these muffins.
- Walnuts– Optional, but it gives the muffins some added crunch and texture.
- Raisins– Another optional ingredient that can really add some delicious texture and flavor throughout.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good muffin.
For the frosting
- Cream cheese– I like to use lower fat cream cheese to keep things lighter.
- Greek yogurt– Non-fat and plain flavored.
- Maple syrup– Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the tart flavors.
The Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, whisk your dry ingredients and mix well. Next, add the rest of your ingredients, except for the carrots and walnuts. Once the batter is made, fold through your carrots and walnuts if using them.
Distribute the batter amongst a 12-count muffin pan lined with paper liners. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the tins completely before spreading some frosting.
To make the cream cheese frosting, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat on low speed until light and fluffy.
- Do not overbake the muffins, as they continue to cook while they are cooling down.
- If you’d like to make mini muffins, distribute the batter amongst 20 mini muffin liners in a muffin tin. Reduce the bake time to 14-16 minutes.
- If you’d like a thinner frosting, you can drizzle it on instead of pipping it on.
Storage instructions
To store: Carrot muffins should always be stored in the refrigerator to ensure they don’t spoil. Keep them covered, and they will keep well for up to 1 week.
To freeze: Place leftover muffins in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Carrot cake muffins can be a healthier option than traditional cake or muffins, as they often contain grated carrots, a great fiber, and vitamin source. However, they can still be high in sugar and calories, especially with added frosting. Enjoying these muffins in moderation is always a good idea as part of a balanced diet.
To make muffins from a carrot cake mix, simply distribute the batter amongst a 12-count muffin tin and bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Yes, you can substitute the oil with unsweetened applesauce for a lower-fat option. The texture of the muffins will be a little dense but still delicious.
This recipe works best with eggs but an egg substitute will also work.
More delicious ways to enjoy carrot cake
Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 3 large eggs
- 4 tablespoon coconut oil softened (can use butter)
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1/4 cup walnuts optional
Cream cheese frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 12-count muffin tin and fill with muffin tins and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together your dry ingredients and mix well. Next, add your wet ingredients, except for your carrots and walnuts, and mix until combined. Fold through your carrots and walnuts.
- Distribute the batter amongst the 12 muffin tins. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan completely, before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt and maple syryp until fluffy.
Very easy recipe. I doubled the anount of egg and tripled the amount of cinnamon. The muffins were much smoother and muffin’like with 6 eggs.
These are great! I replaced the almond flour with coconut flour (1/2, the amount), I was afraid these would turn out dry but they didn’t. I probably could have used a smidge more bicarb to make them a smidge lighter, but I wouldn’t say they were dense at all!
What can I substitute for maple syrup? I use sugar free syrup because I am diabetic.
You can try that!
This is a great recipe, lots of flavour. I have exchanged the walnuts with pumpkin seeds and added 1/2 cup of desiccated coconut to the recipe. I love the maple syrup flavour too. Delicious and have been a hit with my work mates.
Delicious! I made six muffins instead of twelve and cooked them a bit longer. I’m telling ya these are so good and don’t taste gluten free at all! We had them with frosting and the next day made them and just ate with butter. Either way we love them! We get our “bread” craving eased by eating these!
Absolutely the best muffin recipe I’ve ever made! Soooo good!! From The muffin to the frosting! My whole family loved them!
Just made these exactly as written and like all your other recipes, it was delicious and so very moist!! Thank you!!
Excellent easy recipe, thanks a lot.
Best Carrot muffins I’ve ever made and I new at this almond flour stuff.
If I use the butter instead of coconut oil, should it be melted?
Yes 🙂
Carrot cake for breakfast? COUNT ME IN! This was super delicious and easy to make – and hey, another excuse to eat more carrot cake? yes please!
Great to hear it!
How many are carrots in grams please, makes one cup of cooker pureed carrots?
I haven’t calculated in grams, unfortunately!
I made thesense muffins. They are dryer than I expected. In the list for the paleo version u don’t have milk in the ingrediet list. Should I have added the milk mentioned in the first version?
I used 1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour and 1/2 cup of rice flour. I use these flours weekly for the muffins I regularly. And those muffins are moist unlike the ones I made today.
They don’t generally need milk, unless your particular brand of coconut flour is considerably thicker. Perhaps they were cooked too long?
I’ll try again and let you no how it goes
Hello, I want to start trying some of your recipes, but I had a question for the protein powder. The one you link to is always the vanilla flavor. Do you use that flavor in everything or do you use the chocolate flavor for say…your flourless brownie recipe (link on page is to the vanilla)? I’d like to try both this recipe and the flourless brownies so I’m not sure if I should buy 1 protein powder flavor or two. This is for the growing naturals rice protein powder that is vegan. Thank you.
Hi there! Definitely use chocolate for chocolate-esque recipes 🙂
Do you not recommend doing the grain free version?
I prefer the flourless version 🙂
Can you do all coconut flour? I’m starting a low oxalate diet for health reasons and can’t have nut products, but I can’t have oats either!
I haven’t tried that, sorry!
I am not finding a link to the protein powder frosting – only to the protein powder itself.
Hi Sandy- Here is where the frosting recipe is- https://thebigmansworld.com/2016/02/25/healthy-flourless-cinnamon-bun-breakfast-cake/
I don’t understand what needs to be done for the grain free option
Angela, the grain free option is directly under the flourless option.
Carrot cake is my favourite. I’m definitely going to make these!
Carrot cake is Riley’s favorite! I just eat it for the cream cheese frosting. I think you know how I roll when it comes to brunch. Give me eggs, home fries, and a mimosa and the rest is optional!
This is like the reverse version of my birthday plans. Because I’ll first eat carrot cake at home and then go out for a savory brunch later 🙂
P.S. if your chest is still not ripped in a month we shall consider plan b 😉
Hmmm…savory or sweet for brunch? That’s a good question, mate. We don’t brunch all that often (mainly since we’re up at the crack of dawn with Robbie…and I couldn’t make it all the way to brunch!), but I usually do sweet over savory. Check that, I do sweet at home and savory when we go out. I guess it’s because I don’t do savory breakfast at home all that often. And I’m not likely to start anytime soon now that you’ve posted these muffins! Carrot cake is one of my favorite things about Easter…watch out breakfast, carrot cake is coming!!
These make me think of spring!
May I have a copy of the coconut butter frosting or protein frosting please?
Hi Susan! For sure, it has been linked in the recipe, simply click on them 🙂