Healthy Carrot Muffins (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

Enjoy healthy carrot muffins (or cupcakes) that are moist, soft, nutritious, and perfectly spiced. The muffins are made with unrefined sugars, are oil-free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and vegan (but don’t taste it!). Great for breakfast, a snack, or grab-and-go treat!

Moist and Tender One Bowl Carrot Muffins Recipe

With Easter approaching, it’s the perfect time to bake a batch of wonderfully moist and delicious carrot cake muffins. Even more so with a recipe like this one that ditches empty calories and excess sugar/fat for lighter and more wholesome ingredients.

I am using coconut sugar instead of refined sugar, gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose, coconut milk instead of dairy, wholesome almonds, and of course shredded carrots, to make nutritious and allergy-friendly carrot cake muffins.

The resulting healthy carrot muffins taste just as decadent, filled with texture and flavor, but are still a lighter option around the Easter holidays (and all the chocolate it brings!). In fact, they carry a pretty hefty dose of fiber, some plant-based protein, heart-healthy fats, and several vitamins and minerals.

Best of all, the recipe is really easy to prepare and made with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients. Just grate the carrots, mix the batter in one bowl, pour, and bake! Prefer cake? Check out my recipes for sugar-free layered carrot cake or gluten-free, vegan carrot loaf cake.

Optionally whip up some carrot cake doughnuts, no-bake chocolate salami, and/or peanut butter truffles for even more Easter-friendly treats you can enjoy year-round.

Ingredients for Carrot Cake Muffins

Dry Ingredients

• Flour: I used a homemade gluten-free blend of 80g rice flour and 60g potato starch. All-purpose gluten-free flour blends, like King Arthur’s or Bob’s Red Mill, work too. Alternatively, use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or spelt flour.
• Ground almonds: Almond flour carrot muffins are more flavorful, moist, and contain healthy fats for delicious breakfast muffins. Alternatively, ground walnuts or hazelnuts also work. For a nut-free version, try ground pumpkin seeds.
• Sugar: I love using unrefined coconut sugar, but regular sugar, brown sugar, or other sugars will work. Note the color and flavor of the muffins will vary.
• Leavening agents: You’ll need baking powder and baking soda to help with lift and a fluffier texture in the gluten-free, egg-free muffins.
• Spices: These healthy carrot muffins taste delicious with a simple, pantry-friendly combination of cinnamon, ginger powder, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt.

Wet Ingredients

• Carrot: Taste one from the batch to ensure they taste sweet and fresh. It’s best to prepare them fresh rather than purchase grated carrots.
• Dairy-free milk: I used canned coconut milk (which has about 20% fat content). If using any other dairy-free milk, replace 30-40 ml with vegetable oil for moister carrot muffins.
• Lemon juice: An acidic ingredient like lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) will react with the baking soda and provide leavening for the vegan muffins.
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla for the best flavor. Vanilla paste also works.

Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.

Optional Mix-Ins

Build extra flavor and/or texture into these delicious carrot cake muffins with the addition of:

• Orange zest: From one orange, for an extra bright, citrusy flavor.
• Coconut: 2-3 tbsp of unsweetened shredded coconut adds chew and subtle coconut flavor.
• Raisins: Regular or golden raisins work particularly well with this carrot muffin recipe. However, a few chopped dates or even apricots would also work.
• Chocolate chips: Sprinkle in some of your favorite dairy-free white, regular, or dark chocolate chips.

How to Make Healthy Carrot Muffins

For the most accurate results, measuring ingredients using gram weights rather than the cup measurement is important. Simply use a kitchen scale and bowl and zero it out in between adding ingredients.

• First, finely grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor disk and set them aside. Meanwhile, line a muffin tin with 9 regular-sized paper liners and preheat the oven to 360 °F/180 °C.
• Next, combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir/whisk.
• Then, pour in the wet ingredients (coconut milk, lemon juice, and vanilla), and mix with a spatula.
• Fold in the grated carrots, ensuring they’re properly dispersed.

• Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake the carrot muffins for between 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (or with a few crumbs, but not wet).

• Finally, leave the muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan to cool completely on the wire rack. Optionally ice/frost them and enjoy!

Enjoy a muffin alone, as a snack, or sliced in half and served (room temp or warm) with vegan cream cheese, nut butter, or chocolate spread, and a cup of tea/coffee.

Storage Instructions

Store: Once cooled, store any leftover carrot muffins loosely at room temperature for 2-3 days or in an airtight container in the fridge (best if lined with paper towels) for up to 5 days.

Freeze: Flash-freeze the healthy carrot cake muffins on a baking tray (with space between) until solid. Then transfer to an airtight freezer-safe container or Ziplock bag and store for up to 3 months.

Allow them to thaw at room temperature, or use a microwave or toaster oven for a quick thaw/ reheat.

FAQs

Can I use the batter to make mini or extra-large muffins?

That should be fine as long as you adjust the baking time until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check on mini muffins at around 15 minutes and extra-large ones at about 30. For a cake, check out my recipes for no-bake carrot cake or a gluten-free, vegan carrot loaf cake.

Can I make them into carrot cake cupcakes?

Sure! You can top the muffins with frosting (options below) to make vegan and gluten-free carrot cupcakes.

What could I use to top the carrot muffins?

There are several topping options to choose from if you want to add a little something extra to this easy carrot muffin recipe.

• Healthy cashew cream frosting
• Cream cheese frosting
• Simple sugar-free icing
• Cinnamon streusel
• Coarse cinnamon sugar (sprinkle before baking)

If you plan to frost the muffins, leave them to cool entirely first.

I made a sugar-free icing by using equal amounts of powdered Erythritol (you can use icing sugar) and powdered dairy-free milk (e.g. coconut, soy, rice), plus a little dairy-free milk to thin. I also like to decorate the muffins with homemade marzipan carrots.

Recipe Notes

• Use gram weights: Different sugar and flours can weigh differently. I.e. 1 Tbsp of coconut sugar weighs 9 grams vs. white sugar, which weighs 12 grams. For that reason, using my metric measurements is most accurate. Likewise, measuring flour with cups can lead to inaccurate amounts (especially if not using the spoon and level method).
• To save time: Use a shredding disk in a food processor to grate the carrots in practically seconds.
• Don’t over-mix the batter: This is especially important if using flour containing gluten, as over-mixed gluten can yield gummy and rubbery bakes.
• Sweeten to taste: Adjust the amount of sugar in the muffins if preferred. If attempting to use a sugar alternative, it may affect the texture/ moisture slightly.

More Vegan Bakes

• Chocolate zucchini cake
• Chocolate peanut butter cake
• Sweet potato brownies
• Vegan lemon cake
• Zucchini brownies
• Strawberry custard sheet cake

If you try this vegan carrot muffin recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan—I love seeing them.

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