Vegan Spiced Carrot Muffins

One of the most popular posts on my blog is a recipe for Hearty Spiced Carrot Muffins. I love these things, and — yay! — readers do, too. A nice dose of vitamin-rich veggies to kick-start your day? That’s a win right there.

But can I leave well enough alone? Of course not! The original recipe contains milk and eggs, and because I’ve really been enjoying vegan baking lately, I decided to create a vegan version.

“Vegan-izing” a muffin recipe is actually easier — and the results are tastier — than you might imagine. Dry, tasteless hockey pucks these are not. Just a few simple swaps, and you’ve still got a moist, tender, delicious muffin on your hands.

The swaps I make when I adapt a muffin recipe to make it vegan are pretty simple.

• Eggs: Instead of chicken eggs, I use flax “eggs” — flax meal mixed with water and allowed to sit for a few minutes to create a slightly gel-like consistency
• Milk: If a recipe calls for cow’s milk, I generally opt for almond milk.
• Oil/butter: The original recipe called for already-vegan vegetable oil, but I’ve happily jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon, so these muffins have coconut oil instead. (Coconut oil also makes a fine substitute for butter.)
• Banana/applesauce: And although I didn’t include either of these in this particular recipe, I might also add a mashed banana or some applesauce (or both!) for moistness and sweetness without added sugar.

Really, the only significant difference I’ve found between vegan muffins and non-vegan is that the vegan version tends to be more dense. But when we’re talking about a hearty muffin to begin with, I find I like that. One of these Vegan Spiced Carrot Muffins — along with a fresh, hot mug of coffee — makes for a nice, satisfying little breakfast.

So go ahead — go forth and vegan-ize! I’d be willing to bet you (and your taste buds) will be pleasantly surprised.

Vegan Spiced Carrot Muffins

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

The perfect way to enjoy veggies for breakfast. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger complement the carrot in these hearty, satisfying vegan muffins. Adapted from Kitchen Treaty.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats + 2 tablespoons for topping
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease the cups of a 12-cup, standard-size muffin tin.
2. In a small bowl, add the flaxseed meal and water. Stir to combine. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 cup oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
4. Place the coconut oil in a microwave-safe, medium-size bowl. Microwave at 50% power in 20-second increments until just melted. Remove from the microwave and stir in the carrots, almond, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the flaxseed mix; stir to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined.
6. Divide the batter between muffin tins; just over 1/3 cup per tin (I use a trigger-handle ice cream scoop). Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons oats.
7. Bake the muffins until the tops bounce back when lightly poked and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove them from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin