To the devotees on the healthy muffin recipe side (a.k.a. the right side—I’m sorry, did I give myself away too quickly there?), these muffins are made of wholesome ingredients, and you’ll feel great starting your day with a warm plate of them. To those on the side of muffins-as-cake, this recipe lives up to its name, Carrot CAKE Muffins. Like these Zucchini Carrot Muffins, they’re moist and just the right amount of sweet, and if the tender crumb of the muffins doesn’t convince you, then the cream cheese frosting on top will.
Carrot Cake Muffins—A Recipe That’s Healthy and Delicious
On the healthy muffin front, here’s what you’ll love about these Carrot Cake Muffins:
Whole Grains. Mild whole wheat flour is my weapon of choice; whole wheat pastry flour works nicely too.Refined Sugar Free. Honey is the only sweetener.No Butter or Oil. Instead, I baked these moist Carrot Cake Muffins with applesauce and almond butter.Loads of Carrots. Two full cups! Go back for seconds and thirds.Healthy Mix-Ins. Classic carrot cake additions like walnuts and golden raisins make these muffins better for you and better tasting too.
NOW, before you get the idea I’m serving you a healthy carrot cake muffin that tastes overtly, well, healthy, please know that I will never suggest a recipe that sacrifices taste. Life is too short for dry, crumbly, bland muffins. That’s why, like my Healthy Blueberry Muffins, Applesauce Muffins, Healthy Banana Muffins, and all of these healthy muffin recipes, today’s carrot cake muffins are moist and sweet, and you’ll look forward to waking up to them in the morning.
Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give carrot cake its signature taste, so I included plenty of them here too!Cream Cheese Frosting. I simply could not, out of good faith and respect to carrot cake, give you a Carrot Cake Muffin recipe without cream cheese. Even if you aren’t usually a frosted muffin fan (I’m not), the cream cheese frosting makes these muffins truly special.Mega Moisture. Carrots, applesauce, and almond butter combined give these muffins a tender interior. They’re still sturdy (I like my carrot cake with a bit of a thud) but are not dry by any means.
(But if your heart truly lies with the “cake” side, try these Carrot Cake Muffins, which are unapologetically for the dessert aficionados.)
Tips for Faster Carrot Cake Muffin-Making
I streamlined this Carrot Cake Muffin recipe to make it as easy as possible. You don’t need a mixer to make them; just two bowls and a whisk. The only tedious part is grating the carrots, a step I managed to trim down to about 10 seconds thanks to the shredder blade on my food processor. Remember that contraption that came in the box with yours (it probably looks something like this)? You likely have it sitting in the back of your pantry right now. I know washing a food processor is the worst, but for grating large numbers of veggies like carrots (along with zucchini for these Healthy Zucchini Muffins and carrots and apples for these Apple Carrot Muffins), it is well worth the effort. A few of you watched the carrot shredding when I shared it on Instagram and are believers too!
Recipe Variations
Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins. I haven’t yet tested this recipe with flax eggs, but I think that swap would be worth experimenting on your own (and if you try, I’d love to hear how it goes). Use maple syrup for honey and a tofu or other dairy-free cream cheese substitute for the frosting.Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins. Swap the all-purpose and whole wheat flour for a gluten free 1:1 baking flour like this one.Mix-Ins. Not into nuts or golden raisins? You can simply omit them or add a different mix-in like toasted sunflower seeds and/or dried cranberries.
Recommended Tools to Make Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
My favorite muffin pans (Many of you have purchased these and love them too!)Latest favorite liquid measuring cups (especially awesome for sticky substances like honey).Food processor fitted with a shredding blade for super-speedy carrot grating.
Looking for the Best Ever Carrot Cake Recipe?
It’s in my upcoming cookbook! Stay tuned for more updates—it will be here in 2020. I’ll be sharing all of the details about its release here on my site and on Instagram.If you’d like to receive email updates so that you don’t miss any details, you can sign up here. It’s totally free, and I’ll send you an e-cookbook as a thank-you.
While we wait for my cookbook, these Carrot Cake Muffins are here to appease your carrot cake cravings. These Carrot Cake Muffins should be stored in the fridge and taste even better on Day 2, so they’re an ideal make-ahead option for a special brunch (Mother’s Day perhaps?). And on any day, they’re a wholesome breakfast that will start your morning with pizzazz. I hope you love them too!
