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Bake up a batch of these delicious carrot cake muffins for one delicious treat. Made with no artificial sugar, these carrot cake muffins are a healthier option to traditional carrot cake that the whole family will love. Filled with raisins and walnuts, they are one tasty treat!
Table of Contents
- Recipe at a glance
- Ingredients you’ll need to make carrot cake muffins
- Popular substitutions & additions
- How to make carrot cake muffins
- Tips for making the best carrot cake muffins
- What to serve with carrot cake muffins
- How to store & reheat carrot muffins
- Frequently asked questions
- More muffin recipes:
- Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe
Perfect for those seeking a healthier treat, these carrot muffins capture the taste of traditional carrot cake in a bite-sized muffin. Packed with the natural sweetness of carrots, honey, and orange juice, you won’t even miss the sugar! These carrot cake muffins are perfect for kids lunches, meal prep, desserts or a healthy snack option.
“I tried yesterday! the recipe is very easy to make, all in one bowl. My 3.6 year old who is a picky eater loved it. I just drizzled a bit of war honey on the top. Thank you for the lovely recipe 🙂” – Maryse
Recipe at a glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Sweet and Spicy (Cinnamon)
Skill Level: Easy
Summary
- Wholesome Ingredients: These carrot cake muffins are a healthier treat with natural sweeteners like honey, orange juice, and the tartness of Greek yogurt.
- Customizable Add-ins: Raisins and walnuts are our favorite, but you can easily swap them or omit them for different nuts or dried fruits.
- Easy to Make: Whip up carrot muffins easily with step-by-step instructions. No fancy techniques or ingredients to mess around with.
- Family-Friendly: Loved by all, carrot cake muffins are a great way to sneak in some veggies and offer a healthier snack choice. Even picky eaters love these!
Ingredients you’ll need to make carrot cake muffins
- Carrots: Best to use freshly shredded carrots.
- Greek yogurt: As well as offering a boost of protein, the Greek yogurt adds moistness and flavor to each bite. For more traditional moisture, you can swap with butter or vegetable oil at a 1:1 ratio.
- Honey: To naturally sweeten the muffins so there is no need to add processed sugar. Use raw natural honey if you can.
- Eggs: To bind the ingredients together. You can make this using a flax egg.
- Orange juice and orange zest: For a burst of orange flavor that works so well with the carrots. It’s best to use fresh if possible.
- Raisins and walnuts: For an added layer of flavor and texture.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour for this recipe. You can also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix.
- Baking powder and soda: So that your muffins rise and get nice and fluffy when they are baked.
- Salt and cinnamon: For flavor. Try adding other warm spices, too, like nutmeg powder or ginger powder.
Popular substitutions & additions
- Spices: Besides cinnamon, you can enhance the ‘spicy’ flavor by adding nutmeg, ginger, or allspice. The warm spices make these a great fall muffin too!
- Yogurt Substitutes: Use applesauce or a mashed banana to replace the Greek yogurt for a different source of moisture.
- Add Ins: Include shredded coconut, chocolate chips, or dried cranberries for added texture and flavor.
- Nuts: Swap walnuts with chopped pecans or almonds, or omit them entirely for a nut-free option. For more flavor, toast the nuts first.
How to make carrot cake muffins
- Add the honey and yogurt to a bowl.
- Whisk together until smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs, orange juice and zest.
- Add in the carrots, raisins and walnuts.
- Stir to combine.
- Fold in the dry ingredients.
- Place the carrot cake batter into prepared muffin tins and bake.
- You’ll know they’re done when they are risen and firm, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
“Love this recipe!!! The texture, the flavor, the smell – everything is amazing! I would add a little bit more honey though or sugar, but it’s great to eat with honey and tea just the way it is! ♥️” – Alex
Tips for making the best carrot cake muffins
- Do not allow mixture to sit after the dry ingredients have been added. The baking soda will begin to react immediately and you want that reaction happening in the oven.
- Skip the raisins if you prefer. They are optional, but the carrot cake muffins are definitely better with them. If you are not using raisins, use ½ cup of honey instead of ⅓ to get the right balance of sweetness.
- Don’t use pre-shredded carrots. The packaged shredded carrots that normally come in a plastic bag are great for salads and stir-fry. However they can be too thick for this carrot cake muffin recipe. For best texture and moisture, shred the carrots on your own.
- Don’t overmix the batter when you add the flour. Over mixing can cause the gluten to develop and your muffins will be chewy instead of light and fluffy. The flour should be folded in so no dry is left, but it’s fine if there are still lumps in the batter.
What to serve with carrot cake muffins
How to store & reheat carrot muffins
These carrot cake muffins are best enjoyed on the day you’ve baked them, warm out of the oven is best! But, they will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, just make sure you let them cool completely before transferring to an air tight container or bag.
How long will carrot cake muffins last in the fridge?
Carrot cake muffins will last and stay fresh in the fridge for up to a week when stored in an airtight container.
Can I freeze carrot cake muffins?
Yes! If you make a big batch that you won’t get through, then freezing is a great option. Let the muffins cool completely before freezing solid on a baking sheet and then placing in a freezer bag or safe container. They will keep well for up to 3 months and can be thawed at room temperature before being heated through.
Reheating muffins: To reheat Carrot Cake Muffins, you can either use an oven or a microwave. For the oven, preheat to 350°F, place the muffins on a baking sheet, and warm for about 5-10 minutes. If using a microwave, put a muffin on a microwave-safe plate and heat it for 15-20 seconds. Both methods will warm the muffins effectively while maintaining their moist texture and delicious flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Check the expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda. It’s important that they are not expired as this will affect the rise, or lack there of. Another reason your muffins didn’t rise is because the mixture was overmixed after the dry ingredients were added. Like most batters, mix it until it’s just combined.
Dry or crumbly muffins could be due to overbaking or using too little yogurt or honey. Oftentimes an older oven will cook at a different temperature than expected. Using an in-oven thermometer will give you the most accurate temperature reading. Sometimes measuring sticky ingredients makes it difficult to know how much actually made it into the dessert. Using a small rubber spatula to scoop out the yogurt and honey is ideal for getting every bit into the bowl.
Not frosting these carrot cake muffins keeps them a bit healthier and great for breakfast. If you want to add some cream cheese frosting or buttercream on top though, it will work great! Just let the muffins cool completely before frosting.
These carrot cake muffins are so perfectly moist, and because they are made with natural ingredients, they are a great treat for the whole family. Perfect light and fluffy, be sure to make a double batch as they’ll disappear quickly!
More muffin recipes:
- Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Walnut Muffins
- Chai Spiced Vegan Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
- Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Zucchini Bread Muffins
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Carrot Cake Muffins recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it on Instagram so we can repost on stories!
Carrot Cake Muffins
Video
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 cups shredded carrots about 3 carrots
- ⅓ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin pan with muffin papers.
- In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt and honey. Add eggs, orange juice, and orange zest, whisking until smooth.
- Stir in shredded carrots, raisins, and chopped walnuts.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Gently fold into the wet ingredients and mix until mostly incorporated – a few lumps are ok.
- Immediately scoop into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean or with just a couple small crumbs.
- Allow to cool in pan for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Can I make this into a loaf cake instead of muffins?
I have not tested this recipe in a loaf pan, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would just follow the same baking time and temp as my zucchini bread. Just watch it though – just in case.
Thank you! It came out great 🙂
So glad to hear that!
These are lovely! 🙂
Ours got a little stuck to the aluminum tins; I wonder if we overlooked them slightly (we cooked them a little longer)? We also used 1:1 GF flour. Just wondering what to modify. We’d love to make these again. 🙂