These Carrot Cake Muffins are full of delicious carrot cake flavors and topped off with whipped cream! They’re perfect for breakfast, snacks or dessert.
It’s no secret that we love our muffins around here! My kids gobble them up and I have a hard time staying away from them too 🙂 I always love a muffin recipe that gives me an excuse to sneak in extra veggies and these Carrot Cake Muffins are perfect for that!
You could also make this recipe into a bread, but I like the muffins because they take less time to bake and they’re perfect for little hands!
Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe
I have to admit that these are not a low sugar muffin. I usually just sweeten my muffins with a little bit of coconut sugar or maple syrup, but this recipe does call for cane sugar and brown sugar. I adapted it from one of my old carrot cake recipes and the extra sweetness makes them seem a little more cake like to me. However, you could always reduce the sweetness, or use other sweeteners, to meet your needs.
Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – I used all purpose flour but you could also use 100% whole wheat, a mixture between all purpose and whole wheat or a good all purpose gluten free flour mix. If making gluten free, just make sure that flour mix has xantham gum in it.
- Carrots – I use fresh carrots and grate them on the large side of a box grater. I usually then chop them up into small bit size pieces because I find that they’re easier for the kids to eat if they’re cut up small.
- Sugar – I use a combination of cane sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. You could use substitute coconut sugar for the brown sugar if you prefer. I also add some vanilla extract for great flavor!
- Almond Milk – I like to use plain, unsweetened almond milk in this recipe but any kind of plant based milk, or regular milk will work.
- Coconut Oil – I usually use coconut oil in recipes instead of vegetable oil or butter. For this recipe you want the coconut oil to be softened to room temperature, not melted. If you don’t want any coconut taste in your muffins make sure to use refined coconut oil.
- Eggs – I do use a regular egg for these carrot cake muffins, but a vegan egg substitute could also be used.
- Spices – I use cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg the flavor these carrot cake muffins. They are classic carrot cake spices and add a nice warmth to these muffins.
- Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt
Topping Your Carrot Cakes
I like to think of these as mini carrot cakes! A traditional carrot cake is topped with a cream cheese frosting and walnuts. I decided to go with a simple coconut whipped cream because that’s what I had on hand and I think the coconut flavor goes so well with carrot cake. I also happened to have some cute Easter sprinkles that my 3 year old convinced me to buy a month ago and those went perfectly on these muffins!
You can be as plain or as creative as you like! Surprisingly, my 3 year old was more interested in the muffins that I left plain than the ones with the whipped cream on them 🙂
Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this recipe vegan? No, it does use a regular egg, but can easily be made vegan by using a good vegan egg substitute.
- Is this recipe gluten free? No, I use regular AP flour here, but you could easily make them gluten free by using a good quality all purpose gluten free flour.
- Can I make these ahead of time? Yes, you can either make them ahead of time and freeze until ready to use, or store in an airtight container on the counter or in refrigerator until ready to use. They will stay good for 3-4 days.
- Can I reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe? Reducing ingredients can alter the batter so you can experiment with using less sugar and just watch the consistency of the batter to make sure it hasn’t changed too much.
- Can I make this into a loaf instead of muffins? Yes! Just use a loaf pan and you’ll want to double to baking time (make sure to check on it as baking times can vary).
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Delicious Muffin Recipes?
Healthy Banana Muffins – No Sugar Added!
Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins
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Carrot Cake Muffins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Carrot Cake Muffins are a perfect mix between a muffin and a cupcake and they’re a great easter treat!
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose or whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup softened coconut oil, or butter
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 cups grated carrots, I like to chop mine up finely
- Optional toppings: whipped cream, cream cheese frosting, sprinkles
Instructions
-
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a muffin tin with liners and set aside. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, cream the sugars and oil. Add the vanilla, egg and milk, and mix again.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined. Fold the grated carrots into the batter.
- Use a 1/4 scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin tray, don’t overfill. Bake muffins until firm and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before eating.
- Cool muffins completely if topping with whipped cream or icing.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
What is the Potassium and Phosphorus content of the Carrot Cake Muffins?
I don’t have that information right now but there are lots of websites you can use to input the ingredients and get that info!