These simple and healthy carrot muffins are a healthier sweet treat that are great for both dessert and breakfast! Make these in under 30 minutes with minimal effort, and keep in the fridge for a grab-and-go snack.
You know what’s even better than dessert? Dessert for breakfast. But you really hit the jackpot when the sweet treat in question is secretly on the healthier side.
Like these homemade carrot muffins, which are made without any refined sugar, 100% dairy-free and totally vegan. Yet given how delicious they are, you would never know.
These carrot muffins are:
- Healthier than traditional muffins, made without any dairy, eggs or refined sugar. You won’t feel heavy after eating them.
- Great for serving either as breakfast or dessert.
- Super versatile! See my suggestions and substitutions above for some ideas.
- Effortlessly gluten-free.
- Perfect for meal prep and for lunch boxes. I love eating them as a quick snack on-the-go.
- Easy and beginner-friendly. This is not a baking recipe that’s complicated or easy to mess up.
Eat these healthy vegan muffins by themselves, or add your favorite frosting to turn them into carrot cake cupcakes. I love to slice them in half and smother each one in peanut butter, or eat them over top of a smoothie bowl. Yum!
Making Healthy Carrot Muffins (Step by Step)
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F.
STEP 2: Add the dry ingredients (oat flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda) to a large mixing bowl. Mix together well.
STEP 3: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (mashed banana, maple syrup, chia eggs, coconut oil).
STEP 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together really well, then fold in the grated carrot.
STEP 5: Distribute the batter evenly between muffin cases, arranging them on a baking tray. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean but they are still soft on the inside.
Tips & Tricks
Carrot greens. Don't waste them - they are edible! Check out all the ways to use carrot tops.
Oat flour. You can buy oat flour in most stores these days. But you can also make it yourself by simply adding gluten-free oats to a blender or food processor and pulsing a couple of times to form a flour.
Maple syrup. You can replace this with agave, if you prefer. But then the muffins won’t be refined sugar free.
Chia eggs. This works as an egg replacer in this recipe. Each chia egg is made from 1 tbsp chia seeds and 2.5 tbsp water, left to soak for around 5 minutes.
Coconut oil. To make these oil-free, replace the coconut oil with a nut or seed butter of your choice. You can leave it out altogether, but this will take away from the moistness of the muffins..
Add-Ins. If you want to add a little bit of crunch, throw in a handful of nuts or seeds of your choice. Try these with vegan chocolate chips for an extra layer of indulgence!
Chocolate muffins. To turn these into chocolate muffins, add a tablespoon of cacao powder.
Don't overbake. Be sure not to leave the muffins in the oven for too long, or bake at too high a temperature, as it will cause them to dry out.
Replace the carrots. If you’re not a fan of carrot, try these healthy muffins with grated apple instead.
Storing Carrot Muffins
- You can store these in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
- These vegan carrot cake muffins are also freezer-friendly. Store in the freezer for up to a month, defrosting at room temperature or in the microwave as needed.
More Healthy Treats
- Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
- Berry-Almond Polenta Cake
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- No-Bake Raw Vegan Cake Pops
Recipe
Equipment
- Conventional oven
- Mixing bowl x 2
- Whisk
- Muffin cases
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 large banana mashed
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 chia eggs see recipe notes
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted
- ⅔ cup carrot grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F.
- Add the dry ingredients (oat flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda) to a large mixing bowl. Mix together well.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (mashed banana, maple syrup, chia eggs, coconut oil).
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix together really well, then fold in the grated carrot.
- Distribute the batter evenly between muffin cases, arranging them on a baking tray. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean but they are still soft on the inside.
Maggie says
These are my new favorite - thank you!
Prakash Singh says
I will try this recipe !