Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

These are the BEST Carrot Cake Muffins. This healthy carrot cake muffin recipe is naturally sweetened and made with 100% whole grains but still tastes 100% delicious! Modifications included egg free/vegan carrot cake muffins if needed. 

Serve these Carrot Cake Muffins with Ham and Cheese Quiche or an Asparagus Frittata for a fabulous Easter Brunch or causal brunch for your friends.

I am not really a cake person. But I do love carrot cake.

But since cake, even with a healthy dose of veggies, isn’t exactly acceptable on a daily basis, I opt for these Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins.

Carrot Cake Muffins

These Carrot Cake Muffins are full of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, natural sugars, and healthy fats. They will provide your family with a healthy treat that feels indulgent.

They are light and tender, despite being made with 100% whole wheat flour. And every pocket of the muffin is filled with a delicious nugget of raisins, carrots, or nuts.

Healthy Ingredients for Carrot Cake Muffins

• Coconut oil and applesauce keep the muffins tender and moist, even while still being 100% whole grain.
• Raisins, honey and applesauce keep these carrot cake muffins naturally sweet.
• Whole wheat flour, carrots, and fruit give you a healthy dose of fiber–not to mention vitamins A and B and iron.
• Coconut oil and walnuts provide you with healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids.

How to Make Carrot Cake Muffins

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with silicone muffin liners.
• Mix together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
• Add in carrots, raisins, and nuts and toss well to coat with flour.
  • This step helps all those goodies to not sink to the bottom of the muffins.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
• Add wet ingredients to flour mixture.
• Stir until just combined–do not over mix or you will have a tough and dense muffin! 
• Scoop about 1/4 cup batter into each muffin tin.
• Bake until muffins are set and toothpick inserted into center comes out dry.

How to Freeze Carrot Cake Muffins

• When baking with whole grain products, it is best to refrigerate or freeze whole wheat muffins, or any whole wheat products if not consuming within 2 days.
• To freeze muffins
  •  Place muffins on a cookie sheet and freeze for 30-60 minutes until solid–this process helps muffins not stick together when placed in container in freezer.
  • Then place in freezer safe bag and pull one muffin out at time.
  • Defrost in fridge overnight, or warm in microwave for 1-2 minutes to heat before serving.

Modifications on Carrot Cake Muffins

• Whole white wheat, ivory wheat, and whole wheat flour all work perfectly for these carrot cake muffins. Even all purpose flour will work in this recipe.
• Be sure to just combine wet and dry ingredients until combined in your carrot cake muffin batter. Over mixing the muffins, will cause for tough muffins.
• Golden or regular raisins both work in this recipe.
• To make Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins: use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of whole wheat flour.
• To make Egg Free Carrot Cake Muffins: replace egg with 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water.
• Omit nuts for a nut free carrot cake muffin.
• Feel free to use canola oil in place of coconut oil. I prefer the taste of coconut oil to canola oil in baked muffins, but either oil will work.
• Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce to keep these muffins low in added sugar.
• To make Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins: use maple syrup in place of honey and a flax egg in place of the egg.
• For more traditional Carrot Cake recipes, check out Mom on Timeout’s To Die For Carrot Cake or Crazy for Crust’s Carrot Cake Roll.

Muffin Recipes

• Blueberry Muffins
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
• Skinny Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Gluten Free Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

An easy carrot cake muffin recipe has been given a healthy update by being naturally sweetened and made with 100% whole wheat. Gluten Free/Egg Free Modifications

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Carrot Cake Muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 201kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 3/4 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil measure and then heat to melt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup applesauce

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with liners or grease well.
• Mix the dry ingredients until well combined. Mix in the carrots, raisins, and nuts into the dry ingredients to coat with flour (this prevents the goodies from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.)
• Mix together the oil, vanilla, egg, honey and applesauce and add to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined--the batter will be thick!
• Scoop with an ice scream scoop into the muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Notes

• To make Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins: use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of whole wheat flour.
• To make Egg Free Carrot Cake Muffins: replace egg with 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water.
• Omit nuts for a nut free carrot cake muffin.

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

Amount Per Serving

Calories 201 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11g 17%

Saturated Fat 8g 40%

Cholesterol 13mg 4%

Sodium 215mg 9%

Potassium 134mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 24g 8%

Dietary Fiber 2g 8%

Sugars 10g

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 22.6%

Vitamin C 0.7%

Calcium 1.5%

Iron 5.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

To Make Carrot Cake Muffins You May Need

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