Home » Desserts » Super Moist and Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
These Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins are made with less sugar than your average muffin recipe and more tender than any you’ve ever had before! These are also loaded with tons of shredded carrots, coconut, and juicy raisins. So easy, healthy, and delicious!
HEALTHY carrot cake muffins!?
Muffins like these healthy carrot cake muffins have a special place in my heart. Especially for breakfast. Am I the only one that rolls out of bed and wants something desserty as part of my breakfast to wake up my tastebuds? My husband is completely the opposite. He won’t even think about anything sweet until he’s had his savory breakfast + coffee. And then he’ll proceed to ‘breakfast dessert’ as he calls it.
I absolutely love the smell of something warm and cinnamon-y wafting from the kitchen in the morning. The sweet scent of bread, muffins, or pancakes just puts a spring in my step. The way the heat radiates out of the muffin liners from a warm banana nut or carrot muffin just makes my whole day better.
The carrots are the star of the show but we also have a ton of supporting actors – enter raisins, crunchy walnuts, and shredded coconut to add lots of flavor and texture (!!!) One thing I love doing is sprinkling a handful of rolled oats on the bottom of my muffin pan before pouring in the batter and then topping them with another pinch of oats. This provides a nice added crunch to the muffin tops plus it makes them look so much prettier. And let’s face it, this is practically carrot cake in muffin form, minus the cream cheese frosting.
What I love most about these muffins is that you don’t have to use any special equipment to make them. Sometimes you just want to grab a whisk and do it the old-fashioned way while you’re standing there lost in thought or in my case, binge-listening to podcasts.
Is that a thing, binge listening?
Ingredients for homemade carrot cake muffins
- Flour:You’ll need all-purpose flour for this recipe and you can replace some of it with whole wheat flour as well. I haven’t tested the recipe with all whole wheat but I do think the muffins may be too dense if you made them with all whole wheat.
- Baking Soda:It may seem like a whole lot of baking soda! 2 Tsp!
- Spices:You’ll need kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger to add warmth. You’ll also need two heaping teaspoons of cinnamon.
- Oil:I love using melted coconut oil for these muffins because it enhances the shredded coconut flavor and makes the muffins much lighter than if you were to use butter. You can also use canola oil or vegetable oil if this is typically what you have on hand at home.
- Brown Sugar:Brown sugar is partially responsible for adding sweetness to the recipe as well as moisture.
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce:Apple sauce provides a deeper flavor and cuts out some of the added sugar.
- Greek yogurt:adds protein and reacts with the baking soda to help the muffins rise a bit. To make these dairy-free I suggest using coconut yogurt or something similar.
- Eggs:Adds structure and stability to baked goods.
- Vanilla:2 teaspoons vanilla extract is the perfect amount of vanilla. It shines beautifully in the recipe.
- Shredded carrots:You’ll need two whole cups of shredded carrots for this recipe. The carrots and moisture to the muffins and they’ll shrink into teeny tiny bits in the muffins so you won’t even know they’re there.
- Add-ins:I use shredded sweetened coconut, raisins, and walnuts. These add, color, and texture to the muffins. They pair beautifully with the cinnamon and ginger in the recipe. The other ingredient that you won’t find in other carrot cake muffin recipes – oats! The rolled oats – not oat flour. I sprinkle them in the muffin tin and on top of the muffins to add a nutty taste and some texture.
How to make the best carrot cake muffins
- Prep things.Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. You’ll want to line a cupcake pan with paper liners or just spray it with cooking spray. I sprinkle the bottom of the liners or the muffin tins with half the oats. Save the other half for the topping!
- Sift the dry ingredients.In a bowl sift the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- Mix the wet ingredients.Add the brown sugar and oil and mix them together with a whisk, a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer until they’re combined. Add the yogurt and apple sauce until they’re fully mixed. Don’t worry if the mixture is a bit gritty, it’ll all work out! Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each one is incorporated. Then stir in the vanilla.
- Make batter.Manually stir or fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Taking care to make sure you work out all the flour pockets but don’t over-mix. Add your add-ins and then divide the batter into the prepared pans. Don’t forget to sprinkle the remaining oats over top and shaved coconut too if you’d like.
- Bake the muffins.Until they’re golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out mostly clean. Moist crumbs are fine, you just don’t want wet batter! The serving size is a muffin, but don’t be surprised when you find yourself going back for more!
FAQs about this recipe
Can I use honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar?
I know a lot ofrecipescall forhoneyormaple syrup. The truth is, I’ve never tested thisrecipewith a liquid sweetener to I’m unsure if that will work.
Can I swap the spices?
Some people like using ground cloves or a little grating of nutmeg, feel free to spruce these as you’d like!
How do you store the muffins?
I keep them in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. If it’s particularly warm where you live, I’d store them in the refrigerator and then reheat a muffin for a few seconds in the microwave or just bring it to room temperature on the counter before enjoying!
If you like this recipe, you might also like these muffins:
- Outrageous Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free or Not!)
- Warm Lemon Zucchini Muffins
- Spiced Chai Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
- Lighter Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- French Toast Cups with Coconut Almond Streusel
Original recipe posted Jan 2014, updated March 2023.
Yield: ~16 muffins
Super Moist and Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
These Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins are made with less sugar than your average muffin recipe and more tender than any you’ve ever had before! These are also loaded with tons of shredded carrots, coconut, and juicy raisins. So easy, healthy, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (I use 50% whole wheat and 50% AP)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon EACHsalt and ground ginger
- 2 teaspoonsground cinnamon
- ⅔cup melted coconut oil (see notes)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cupunsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups carrots, finely shredded
- 1/2 cup EACH shredded sweetened coconut, raisins, AND walnuts
- 1/4 cup oats, divided
Instructions
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. If you want, you can line your cupcake pan with paper liners. Or spray the insides with cooking spray. Sprinkle half the oats on the liners, set aside.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour(s), baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt, set aside.
- WET INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl with a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer, on medium speed, combine the brown sugar and oil. Beat in the yogurt and apple sauce until fully combined - about 1 minute. Mixture will be gritty and thin. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
- BATTER: With a spatula, manually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and all flour pockets are gone - do not overmix. Fold in the finely shredded carrots, shredded coconut, raisins, and walnuts. The muffin mixture will be thick. Pour into prepared cupcake pans. Sprinkle the remaining oats on top and shaved coconut too if you'd like.
- BAKE: Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Let cool for several minutes before devouring!
Notes
- After making these muffins more than a dozen times after originally posting the recipe back in 2014, i've found that I prefer them with ⅔ cup of oil rather than the originally stated amount of '¾ cup'. However either amount will work.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1/16th of recipe
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 236Total Fat: 11gCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gProtein: 4g
The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.
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Cakes Desserts Sweet Treats Vegetarianbreakfast breakfast muffins carrot carrot cake coconut healthy muffins muffins walnuts
published on Mar 9, 2023
151 comments Leave a comment »
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151 comments on “Super Moist and Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins”
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Adrianne — Reply
This looks awesome Mar. Love the oats on the bottom…. Never thought of that. Also, love the use of coconut oil. I’m obsessed. Will def make these 🙂
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Marzia — Reply
Thanks Adrianne! Yeah the oats add a great crunch. I do the same for banana bread muffins! Wouldn’t make another muffin without it! I love coconut oil too! I add a teaspoon – tablespoon to smoothies as well =)
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Rachel — Reply
These look perfect for this time of year, and for my non New Years Resolution (I’ll never keep actual resolutions!) to eat more creative breakfasts, because I’m usually terrible at feeding myself something real!
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Marzia — Reply
Rachel, these muffins keep well in the freezer too! You can make a batch and store it. Simply defrost overnight on a plate or pop in the micro for about 20 -30 seconds!That way you’ve got them whenever you’d like! Happy baking!
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Helene — Reply
mmm, I made these yesterday to check if i wanted to have them for my birthday party on sunday! They are delicious and my family liked them a lot 🙂 I did change it up a bit though, i changed the sugar with natural raw honey and i changed half the coconut oil for apple sauce and for the the rest of the oil i used normal vegetable oil since i didn’t have coconut. Thanks for this recipe, it is delicious 😀 I am definitely making this for my birthday!
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Marzia — Reply
Helene I’m so glad that you liked the muffins and that you’ll be making them again! These are great ideas for others to try too. Let me know if you experiment with other ingredients. Hope they turn out even more scrumptious for your birthday!! Oh and of course, Happy early birthday!! =)
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brown — Reply
Just made these, awesome recipe…live how light they are. thanks.
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Marzia — Reply
So glad you loved them! =)
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Andrea — Reply
These are so delicious! I just made them and they are so light and sweet! 10 out of 10!
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Marzia — Reply
Thank you! I’m so glad you love them! Thanks for taking the time to comment and letting me know about your success!
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Lisa — Reply
These are awesome! I used pecans because it was what I had and separated my eggs, using only the whites but, other than that, I stayed true to the recipe. I love that they are lightly sweet and so very moist. I’ve shared on my Pinterest account and with several friends. Bravo!
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Marzia — Reply
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Lisa! The pecans sound delicious! I am definitely going to try that out. And the egg whites are a great idea as well. That makes it so much healthier! Thanks for sharing and all your kind words!
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Debra — Reply
if I was to make these using a mini muffin pan, what would be the cooking time?
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Debra,
The cooking time should be between 11-15 minutes. Start checking at 9 minutes. Insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. There should be a few crumbs on the toothpick but it shouldn’t have any wet batter on it. Hope this helps!
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Anne Swiderski — Reply
When you are blending the coconut oil with the sugar, is the coconut oil at room temperature and therefore hard? From Canada where room temperature is definitely solid coconut oil!
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Anne,
The coconut oil should be in a liquid state. If it’s solid just measure out the 3/4 cup and zap it in the microwave for a few seconds until it becomes liquid. Remeasure the liquid oil and make sure to only use 3/4 cup before mixing with sugar!
Hope that helps! -
Lisa — Reply
To Anne: I keep a smaller jar of coconut oil available which I can drop into a bowl of hot water to make it liquid. That’s what I did for these muffins. I live in Michigan so I know what you mean!
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Marzia — Reply
That’s a great idea! I didn’t even think of that.
Thanks Lisa!
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Katie — Reply
If I dont have a mixer can I still make these?
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Katie,
Of course you can! You can use a whisk where ever an electric mixer is called for. You will have to beat the ingredients for longer than the directions say but the results should be just the same! Happy baking!
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Michelle — Reply
DELICIOUS!!
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Marzia — Reply
Thank you!
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Loreto — Reply
Very good! I made them even healthier!. Replaced the all purpose flour with grounded oats and almond meal 70/30. Used olive oil instead of coconut (didnt have any). Sugar: 1/2 a cup and 1/4 of honey and took away 1 yolk. Sooooo good! I´ll be making these again today because my daughter has to bring bake good to school. Kids loved them! You are the best.
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Jesaka brown — Reply
when you make this again get the coconut oil!! I promise you wont be disappointed! it makes the whole recipe taste that much better 🙂
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Kathleen M Smith — Reply
Wonderful, delicious healthy muffins, thanks so much for posting! I am eating more cocount oil, whole grains and veggies, so this is perfect! I substituted 1/2 cup 0-calorie sweetner and a few tablespoons of mollasses for the brown sugar and added more grated carrots instead of coconut. The oats are a nice touch, I like the crunch. Glad to hear they freeze well.
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Marzia — Reply
Thanks Kathleen!
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Natalia — Reply
Made these today and used 2/3 c red palm oil and 1/3 coconut oil. I added banana and nuts with some extra oatmeal in the mix. Sooooooo yummy! I will be posting this on my blog tomorrow. 🙂 I’ll give a shout out to ya!
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Marzia — Reply
Thanks Natalia!
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CHERYL COFFIN — Reply
I brought my dear friend and neighbor, Jacy, Macadamia nuts from my recent trip to Hawaii. The next morning, she brought me these amazing muffins, straight from the oven…..using Macadamia nuts instead of walnuts. She also substituted garbanzo flour (yes, she has a grinder), which increased the protein, as well as made it a little less “gluten-ey” for those that have to watch such things. The two muffins I had were all I needed to eat for the rest of the afternoon! Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much! Did I miss where you share the nutrition information (I saw that one muffin is the serving size, but I’m looking for calorie count)?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! (It brought me to your website and now I’m eager to try those chicken rolls!)-
Marzia — Reply
Hi Cheryl,
Wow, macadamia nuts sound like they would be absolutely amazing in these muffins!
I hadn’t mentioned the nutritional fact for these muffins in the blog post, but i’ll list them for you below!
I’m soo glad you enjoyed the muffins and that it brought you by the blog! 🙂
225 calories per muffin
34 grams of carbs
9 grams of fiber
5 grams of protein
7.5 grams of fat
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Jagoda — Reply
They are so good! I am glad I found this recipe. I substituted 1cup of flour with milled oats, yummy!
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Amiee — Reply
Hi, I made these and they are delicious!!!! Can I please have the nutritional information please 😀 Thankyou x
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Amiee,
The nutritional information is as follows:
225 calories per muffin
34 grams of carbs
9 grams of fiber
5 grams of protein
7.5 grams of fat-
Danielle — Reply
HI,
Seriously love this recipe. all time fav.
whats the amount of sugar per muffin?
thnks
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Danielle. Glad you enjoyed the muffins. You can plug the recipe into myfitnesspal.com to get the sugar content per muffin. 🙂
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Kirstyn — Reply
I don’t have Greek yogurt only strawberry what could I replace the yogurt with?
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Kirstyn,
I usually suggest regular yogurt in place of greek but since it’s strawberry flavored that you’ve got on hand, i’m not too sure how that would taste.
You can use sour cream if you’ve got that on hand. You could also use 1/4 cup ripe mashed up avocado – I haven’t tried this myself but the yogurt is there to cut the oil back and the avocado serves the same purpose. I think it should work out just right.
Let me know how it goes! =)
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Carolina Walz — Reply
The best carrot muffins ever, thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
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Marzia — Reply
Yay! That just makes me so happy!
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maria — Reply
These muffins were amazing! All 5 of my kids devoured them during after-school snack.
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Marzia — Reply
Yay! So glad they’re kids approved! Thanks Maria!
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Michelle — Reply
Can I make without the ginger powder? Don’t have any but really want to make this!
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Michelle,
Yes absolutely! These muffins can be made without the ginger powder! 🙂 no worries go right ahead and make ’em!-
Michelle — Reply
These are AMAZING!! Making my 3rd batch now in 2 weeks. My littles love them. I have made a batch in muffin top only pans so they think they are cookies 😉 Just baked at less time. THANK YOU!!
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Marzia — Reply
That’s such a good idea! Love that the muffin top pan makes healthy ‘cookies’ for the kiddos! Thanks for commenting!
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Lisa Caruso — Reply
Instead of 1c all purpose flour, can I just use 2 cups whole wheat flour??
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Marzia — Reply
Hi lisa,
If you would like to use all whole wheat flour for this recipe, I suggest replacing the 1 cup of all purpose with 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour. So use a total of 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour. In addition to this increase the applesauce with an additional 2 tablespoons. That should ensure moist muffins that are completely whole wheat. I haven’t tried this myself, but the general rule of thumb is that 1 cup of all purpose is replaced by 3/4 cup whole wheat with the addition of 2 tablespoons of liquid. Let me know how it goes! =)
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janet — Reply
These muffins are fantastic! I doubled the recipe and used 1 cup coconut flour and pumpkin seeds instead of nuts for my 4 year old daughter to take to school. I also added 1/2 cup of powdered buttermilk and 2 tablespoons of flax/chia seed mix,and the greek yogurt was vanilla flavour. I will definitely be making these again!!! Mmmmm.
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Carol — Reply
What a blessing the moist, healthy carrot cake muffins have been to our family! I can serve them to my 96 year old mother and know she’s getting good nutrition. They are perfect for my 32 year old daughter who “hates breakfast” but desperately needs to eat it. And my husband and I can put them along side our health drink for a breakfast that’s fast and healthy. Plus they are scrumptious. All good ingredients in an easy to take form.
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Marzia — Reply
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this carrot cake muffin recipe, Carol! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! =)
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Christina Hawke — Reply
I have just seen this recipe. And I absolutely love, going to try it out tomorrow!!! I am crazy with this idea of adding almond milk and using only whole-wheat flower. Any advise?
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Marzia — Reply
Hi Christina,
You can use all whole wheat flour if you like but instead of using the 2 cups total flour the recipe calls for, use 1 3/4 cups flour (in total). Also, Add in about 3 tablespoons almond milk along with the rest of the ingredients. The almond milk will help keep the muffins moist since you’re using all whole-wheat flour. Let me know how it goes! Good luck! =)
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Delia — Reply
May I check whether the muffins will taste good without the sweetened coconut? I am unable to find shredded sweetened coconut. I was thinking is there anything i can substitute in place of the coconut.
Thanks in advance.-
Marzia — Reply
Hi Delia,
The muffins should taste fine without the sweetened coconut flakes. If you can find unsweetened coconut flakes, that should work just the same. If not, just simply omit it. It shouldn’t make a huge difference in taste.
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jenesalyn — Reply
I happened across your recipe today while searching for “carrot breakfast muffins”. Happy find 🙂 Turned out perfectly and we have some for later this week … I think. (I left the kiddos alone in the kitchen with them!) Thank you for sharing, made our day!
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Marzia — Reply
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed these muffins. Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment! 🙂
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Sarah — Reply
Thanks so much for taking the time to post this recipe, it turned out really great! I’ve used it twice so far, the first time I only had fat free vanilla yogurt and it tasted amazing anyway, they were really moist, and I only use that word when I really need to because I hate the word “moist”, haha.
I also didn’t have ginger powder so I had to leave that out.
I used 1/2 cup raw sugar and 1/4 cup honey, again partly because that’s what I had, and I also like baking that’s on the less sweet side.
I particularly loved your tip of putting the oats on the bottom of the muffin tray and on the top, great idea that I’ve never seen before. I can’t remember where I saw this, but I read a great tip for melting coconut oil (I live in Canada so it’s liquid form in the jar in the summer months, but solidifies the rest of the year) – put the coconut oil in a glass jar and place it in a bowl of hot water, it turns into a liquid in just a few minutes. I’d always used the microwave before to turn it into liquid form, but I prefer not to use microwaves so I’ll be doing that from now on instead. As we know it’s always good to make sure your ingredients are room temperature when you’re baking, but especially so when you’re using coconut oil in a colder climate, I learned the hard way in the past by putting liquid coconut oil into cold ingredients and having it seize up right away, making it harder to blend.
Anyway for the second batch I used 2% plain yogurt but left everything else the same, and I used half the batter for a cake and the other half for muffins, but then I gave them all away without trying that batch so can’t compare it to the first, oops. The cake got glowing reviews, though!
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Marzia — Reply
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! Thanks for taking the time to come back and comment. So glad you like the little crunch from the rolled oats on the top and bottom. That’s one of my favorite parts <3 That's a great tip for melting coconut oil! I'm so happy to hear that that cake got great views 🙂
Thanks again!
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Shelley — Reply
Just made the muffins & they are very good, the only problem is that they seem to be very greasy at the bottom. I used paper liners & when I took them out of the muffin tin there was alot of oil at the bottom. I put them on a paper towel to absorb some of it. Is that the way they are supposed to be?
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Marzia — Reply
Hmm. I haven’t had that issue before. Did you use melted coconut oil?
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Shelley — Reply
Thanks for replying, yes I melted the coconut oil in the microwave. Could it be that I didn’t put enough oatmeal at the bottom? Maybe that’s what normally absorbs the oil.
Other than the oil issue, they taste great!-
Marzia — Reply
It may be the oats. If you’d like, you can cut the coconut oil back by 2 tablespoons for next time. Use 10 tablespoons instead of the 3/4 cup. Hope that helps! 🙂
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