Carrot Cake Muffins

These Carrot Cake Muffins are full of delicious carrot cake flavors and topped off with whipped cream! They’re perfect for breakfast, snacks, and 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 can also make this recipe into a bread, but I like the muffins because they take less time to bake and are perfect for little hands!

Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe

I have to admit that these are not low-sugar muffins. I usually sweeten my muffins with some coconut sugar or maple syrup, but this recipe calls 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 can 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 can also use 100-percent whole wheat, a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat, or a good all-purpose gluten-free flour mix. If making gluten-free, ensure the flour mix has xantham gum.
• Carrots – I use fresh carrots and grate them on the large side of a box grater. I usually chop them up into small pieces because I find they’re easier for the kids to eat.
• Sugar – I use a combination of cane sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. You can 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 or regular milk will work.
• Coconut Oil – I use coconut oil instead of vegetable oil or butter in recipes. For this recipe, you want the coconut oil to be softened to room temperature but not melted. If you don’t want any coconut taste in your muffins, make sure to use refined coconut oil.
• Eggs – I use a regular egg for these carrot cake muffins, but a vegan egg substitute can also be used.
• Spices – I use cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to flavor these carrot cake muffins. They’re 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 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 find the coconut flavor goes well with carrot cake. I also had 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 it can be made vegan using a good vegan egg substitute.
• Is this recipe gluten-free? No, I use regular AP flour here, but you can 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 them until ready to use or store them in an airtight container on the counter or the 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 batter’s consistency to ensure it hasn’t changed too much.
• Can I make this into a loaf instead of muffins? Yes! Use a loaf pan and double the 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!

Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

Coconut Kale Green Muffins

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Carrot Cake Muffins

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 14 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

These Carrot Cake Muffins are a perfect mix between a muffin and a cupcake and they’re a great easter treat!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 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

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. 1. 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.
   2. In another large bowl, cream the sugars and oil. Add the vanilla, egg and milk, and mix again.
   3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until everything is combined. Fold the grated carrots into the batter.
   4. 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.
   5. 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