The Best Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

Anne Beth

says:

suggestions/recommendations if I was to use coconut or quinoa flour?

I think you could use 1 1/2 cups quinoa flour and they would come out fine, but not 100% positive. If you go with coconut flour, try using 1/2-3/4 cup and increasing the eggs to 2. I’m really not positive if coconut flour would work at all.
- Annette
  
  replied:
  
  I’m with you on the coconut flour – I haven’t had great success with Coconut flour and I find it usually requires a great number of eggs.
  As for Quinoa flour I have used it 1 for 1 in many recipes and all went well. Yap 1 1/2 cups flour – quinoa works 🙂

A healthy muffin that looks this good sounds incredible!! I’m all in!

Anne Beth

says:

Thanks so much. Will try the quinoa flour and let you know!

OMG! I was just creating a healthy carrot cake cupcake recipe and this came up! Wow, that’s so cool <3 Anyways this looks super tasty and I’ll try it sometime!

Could a combination of sorghum, rice, and almond flours and tapioca starch be used as another (other than the suggested almond flour alone) gluten-free substitute for the wheat flour? Would it be recommended to also add xanthan gum? (I use these ingredients quite frequently in all of my GF baking/cooking.)

In addition, would substituting stevia or maple syrup for the powdered sugar work in forming the glaze?

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[comment_content] => This is a bit late, but for others looking at this wonderful recipe…! We are dairy and wheat-free due to food allergies and I mix up a big batch of 1-to-1 gluten-free flour using a recipe I found online for “self-rising gluten free flour”. I actually just omit the baking powder so that I can add that in when I make individual recipes. The ingredients are sorghum, rice, almond and tapioca as you’ve asked about and the recipe also has xanthan gum. It works wonderfully for all kinds of cakes and muffins and I like it better than any store-bought 1-to-1 GF flour I’ve tried! Side note though- maple syrup will not work for the glaze! I tried this before – also tried with agave – and you’ll end up with a drippy mess! Never tried Stevia…
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DBai

replied:

This is a bit late, but for others looking at this wonderful recipe…! We are dairy and wheat-free due to food allergies and I mix up a big batch of 1-to-1 gluten-free flour using a recipe I found online for “self-rising gluten free flour”. I actually just omit the baking powder so that I can add that in when I make individual recipes. The ingredients are sorghum, rice, almond and tapioca as you’ve asked about and the recipe also has xanthan gum. It works wonderfully for all kinds of cakes and muffins and I like it better than any store-bought 1-to-1 GF flour I’ve tried! Side note though- maple syrup will not work for the glaze! I tried this before – also tried with agave – and you’ll end up with a drippy mess! Never tried Stevia…

Is whole wheat pastry flour different from just regular whole wheat flour? That’s all I have on hand so just wondering! Thanks!

Hi there! Yes, it is different however you can still use regular whole wheat flour, I would just use a bit more applesauce or milk in the muffins. Whole wheat pastry flour is a lighter form of whole wheat flour.

Valerie Pierce

says:

I’ve been thinking about this recipe all day! Got all my ingredients together, time to get baking!
Val P

These look so decadent, I can’t believe that they are healthy!!! Yay!!!

I love these muffins! They look so amazing, and that almond coconut milk has been my favorite for a while. It’s so delicious! Pinned this.

I’ve got to try your version of carrot cake muffins! Your recipes are always so healthy! I was super excited when I saw these on Instagram awhile back! Oh, what plug-in do you use for your related posts and share buttons at the bottom of your posts?

These look so good, Monique. I love carrot cake! Already pinned.

myfitterlife

says:

I’m definitely repeating myself here, but this just looks so good……………..again!

These look wonderful, bookmarking and will be using GF substitutions.

krissy

says:

Do you think this might work if I replace the applesauce w Greek yogurt? Only ingredient I’m missing but can’t wait to make these they look great!

I think you should replace the applesauce with banana. You’ll probably get better results. Greek yogurt may also work, I just haven’t tested it.
- Kamalakshi Kannan
  
  replied:
  
  How much banana can we use? Same amount as applesauce? Love your recipes!

These muffins look amazing! Thanks!

Michelle

says:

I will be making these today for desert! Can’t wait!

Michelle

says:

I made these yesterday and my family loved them! I left some without frosting and prefer them that way. They are so flavorful they don’t need the frosting in my option. Great recipe, thanks for this healthy recipe. I will be making them again.

Phoebe

says:

Could I use spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour?

Janice

says:

Made these yesterday… they’re the best carrot muffins I’ve ever tasted! Super moist, flavourful and healthy, love it!

Thanks for stopping by to leave a comment! 🙂

sally

says:

newbie cook here, if the frosting is too runny should i just add more confectioner sugar? what is the desired consistency (slightly gooey, stiff – like the store bought kind?) thanks! I don’t know i fi can wait for a reply, i’m too eager to dive in and eat these! 🙂

Yes just add a little more confectioner sugar!

boomer

says:

Made with the walnuts and coconut, and no icing. The teens loved them. Great ‘healthy cake’ recipe

boomer

replied:

ps- regular whole wheat flour worked just fine…. wasn’t gummy

Carole

says:

Absolutely delicious! I decided to replace a 1/2 cup of the flour with 1/2 cup of oatmeal. The family raved about them. The next time I replaced the egg with 1tblsp flaxseed soaked in 3 tablespoon water for 10 minutes. They were still amazing.

Danni

says:

These turned out great. I replaced the maple syrup with honey and used a little under 1/2 cup. They still turned out wonderful. Made a wonderful breakfast paired with fruit and cottage cheese.

Made these for Easter brunch and let’s just say, I’m handing out this recipe to just about everyone who was present. I made it in the form of a cake (doubled the recipe, stacked the cakes). SO moist and while I did use a classic cream cheese frosting recipe, I will be trying to glaze on muffins for the office this weekend/next week. YUM! I can’t stop craving this this week.

Rachel

says:

Hi, tried your cake today with a few alterations. Came out very well!!! Thank you for the amazing recipe. I Used 1 cup oat flour and 1/2 cup all purpose flour. 1 flax egg , 1/2 cup honey instead of maple syrup and 1/4 cup olive oil instead of apple sauce. Omitted nutmeg, instead added 1tsp each of powdered Cinnamon, Cardamom and dried ginger. Made as a cake and came out flavorful, moist and needless to say delicious. Keep sharing such great recipes!!! Thank You !!!!

Grace

says:

This recipe sounds great! Do you know if rice flour could be used instead of the wheat flour? Would anything else in the recipe need to be altered in that case?

Penny

says:

Hi!
This receipe is AMAZING!
Love it and taste DELICIOUS!
I switched the apple sauce with pinnaple and wow! Addeded a quater of a cup of mapple syrup less than suggested, almonds and coconut (no raisins) and really good too!
My question is how many calories withouth the glace?
Thanks!

rosy

replied:

How did you replace the applesauce with pineapple? Did you get the chunks or tidbits and just mash them up? I’m going to try this recipe tonight as is but would love to add the pineapple – so excited!!

Penny

says:

Also! I use rolled oats instead and I blended into flour!
Steel oats for next time as I like it crunchy 😛

Rachel

says:

What would the nutrition information be for the muffin without any glaze?
Thanks!

Odra

says:

Hi there! Looking to try this recipe out for Thanksgiving! Would you recommend making them the same day or would they still taste fine if I baked them the night before and glazed them the day of? I’ll be cooking all day so a dish I can prepare the night before would be less time in the kitchen!

They will be fabulous either day. I do recommend frosting them the day of though.

Kelly M.

says:

Do you have any suggestions for alternatives to the wheat flours? Me and wheat do not agree with one another.

Thanks!

Jennifer

says:

I made these last week and they were delicious! I used regular milk and sugar because I didn’t have almond milk or maple syrup on hand but the texture was great, very moist, and they had nice flavor. My husband loved them too! I used my mini muffin tin and got about 36 muffins. It took us about a week to eat them but I stored them covered in the fridge and they tasted just as good on the last day as they did on the first day. Thanks for the recipe. I will make them again this weekend!

melissa

says:

Hi Monique,
Im wondering whether it would be ok to substitute plain flour with baking soda +/- baking powder with self raising flour??

Amy McCutchan

says:

Hi Monique, I was wondering if this would work as one large cake? if so, would you know what sized pan to use or how long I should cook it for?

That could definitely work! 🙂 Try baking for 20-30 min.

amy

says:

What would the sugar amount be without the glaze/topping? My husband is about to undergo Weight Loss Surgery and sugar is a big no no, but he loves carrot cake and I thought these might be a nice bite-size treat after (without the glaze, perhaps).

Tammy

says:

These were perfect! Perfect enough that I didn’t even need the cream cheese frosting. I finally have fond a recipe that works and is delicious, thanks!

Ari Belari

says:

There are great gluten free flour blends that have a 1:1 ratio with all purpose flour – I’ve had great success using those in recipes that call for flour. That’s what I’m going to do with this recipe, and I’ll report back how it turns out. Otherwise, I like using a blend of sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, oat flour, and ground chia seed to make my own gluten free blend. Bojon Gourmet’s blog taught me that combo, and it works so well. I hope this helps the gluten free folks!

MaryRose

says:

I recently made these using whole wheat flour, since that is what I had on hand. They are incredible. I decided to skip the glaze as a way of limiting the calories. I didn’t miss it one bit. Thanks for a great, delicious, healthy muffin. I’m sure to make them again and again.

Wonderful recipe. I used whole wheat white flour, substituted coconut oil for the applesauce and used pumpkin spice coconut milk. Added walnuts and raisins.

Brooka8

says:

Followed recipe as written and it is awesome! Moist, flavourful low calorie muffin. Looks pretty with a sprinkle of shredded carrot on top of icing. Thank you for this recipe I will make it over and over again.

Blue

says:

Thanks so much!!! This is a fantastic recipe, and I can’t believe how guilt-free it is!!

May I substitute honey for the maple syrup? If so, how much would you recommend?

Excited and can’t wait to make this again!!!

Yes you can use honey. I would recommend the same amount or even 1/4 cup.

These are delicious and moist! I used coconut oil.

These were so amazing, I can’t believe they’re even remotely healthy. Great job and thanks for sharing!

Sarah Klein

says:

Love them! Cut maple syrup to just under 1/4 cup and used 1/2 c. white flour, 1/2 c. whole wheat, 1/2 c. oats. I didn’t have nutmeg, but I put a dash of cloves. I didn’t use the glaze and they are still in the dessert category in my opinion. Thanks for the recipe.

I’m always on the hunt for healthy recipes! Thanks so much for sharing.

Bettianne

says:

Next Tuesday is my birthday. Since I am doing the Healthy Glow I wanted to make a healthy birthday cake. (I never pass up birthday cake.) This recipe looks perfect! Thanks again Monica!

Lauren

says:

I found your recipe while searching for a way to use up leftover juice pulp. Made these yesterday and holy moly they are so delicious! I left off the frosting. The juice pulp I had was a mix of carrot, pineapple, apple, orange, ginger, celery, and cucumber. So so good. I will definitely make these again, and never feel guilty about wasting perfectly good pulp again!

chris

says:

this was so delicious! i sub’ed maple syrup with honey (i didn’t have any syrup), so might have been higher in calories but holy moistness, it was a hit! i forgot to spray the muffin liner with oil so family complained that so much of the “best carrot cake you’ve ever made” was lost on the liner. was also out of powder sugar, so i melted regular sugar with almond milk and speed-whisked it into the cc, made the frosting extra glisten-y (not a word?) and made it look even tastier. your recipe is my go-to cc recipe now, thank you!

Dorian

says:

These were INCREDIBLE. Holy cannoli. SO moist and delicious. I was able to make 15 muffins, and ate probably 10 of them. That is after licking the leftover batter out of the bowl (whoops).

What do you think about using pumpkin puree instead of applesauce?? Can’t wait to try these for Easter! Yum!

Lina Di Marco

says:

Hi, I would love to make these but I only have sweetened almond milk, should I alter something or follow recipe as follows?

Geetha Venkataswamy

says:

Hi! I love your recipes 🙂 I have really been wanting to make a carrot cake muffin with pineapple in it (almost like a hummingbird cake)! To add pineapple to the recipe– do you happen to have any recommendations on type and amount. Canned? Fresh? ~1/2 cup? Thanks for the great recipes!

Hi Geetha! That sounds delicious. I haven’t tried adding pineapple to this recipe, so I’m not entirely sure how it will affect the ratios here (pineapple is very water-heavy, so you’ll likely need to add more dry ingredients).

That looks great!! I’ll try to make them for my daughter for school snack. By the way, how did you make the icing??

Amanda

says:

Just made these. Used whole wheat flour and whole oat flour. Stuffed them with hemp seeds, walnuts and chia seeds. Plus couldn’t help but add some ginger and cloves too as I love the gingerbread flavours.
I also swapped the maple syrup for dark molasses as its what I had on hand. So so so so so good! Will slather them in nut butter I think. Perfect as a snack or breakfast… Thank you for the inspiration!

Perfect!! Ginger + cloves sound amazing in here. Best snack or breakfast!

Carin

says:

Wonderful recipe…my husband was blown away! We’re trying to get away from breads more, so I’ve been looking for breakfast ideas to send to work with him. Awesome!! I used 1 cup of unbleached flour and 1/2 cup of brown rice flour. I’m a bit cinnamon sensitive, so I did 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp ginger. I also used honey in the frosting in place of powdered sugar. Seriously….amazing!!!

Love these for a quick & easy breakfast!! I’m glad those swaps worked out, too 🙂

Lakshmi

says:

These came out really nice! I added 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup pecans and used regular milk. Not too sweet, but perfect to be paired with a nut butter and coffee for a healthy and wholesome breakfast!

That sounds fabulous! Love that breakfast 🙂

Heather

says:

Oh my, soo yummy! That glaze is the cherry on top! Now to pace myself and not eat too many in one setting!

Gretta

says:

Could I use AP flour as a sub? Thanks!

Gretta

replied:

I made these with 1:1 gluten free flour and they cooked on the outside and were raw on the inside. Just a warning!

Gretta

says:

I made these with 1:1 gluten free flour and they cooked on the outside and were raw on the inside. Just a warning!

Noted! I suggest a gluten free sub in the recipe notes if you want to give that a try, too.

Maraelys

says:

Could you recommend another healthy milk? Because we are allergic to the almonds.

Regular coconut milk from the carton would also work, or any dairy milk!

Love these carrot cake muffins so much!

Chanel

says:

Smell delish! Haven’t tried yet, but wanting to know how they are best kept? Refrigerate or table top etc?

These can stay at room temp for 1-2 days and then I’d recommend storing them in the fridge 🙂 Enjoy!

Becky

says:

Love this recipe! Have made these several times and are my go to for a sweet, healthy snack.

Jenn

says:

Can I freeze these with the frosting on?

Yes, however I recommend frosting right before serving.

Mia A Montgomery

says:

For Chickpea flour, is it a 1:1 swap? Any other alt flour recs for this one? Thank you, I can’t wait to try these!

It should be 1:1 or you can try using an all purpose GF flour. Let me know if you give it a try!

Lindsay

says:

My icing was chunky. How do I fix it?

Was your cream cheese at room temp before you used it? If not let the cream cheese sit at room temp for an hour, then try mixing again. also try using an electric mixer if you have one; it blends everything more smoothly!

Laurie

says:

So I baked these with what I had in the pantry. I replaced the olive oil with coconut oil and the maple syrup with agave nectar. We used shredded coconut and white chocolate chips. The texture really is amazing! Monique, you are the queen of muffins, bread and cookies in my book! Your blog is my go-to for snacks, desserts and healthy meals. 😁

Sheliza Dharshi

says:

Love these! Super easy and delicious
One question I have is – I left the muffins out in an air tight container. The next morning I went to have one and transfer to the fridge and there was small bits of mold on one of them. Any ideas ? Should I put them straight in the fridge next time ? Thanks !

Oh wow! Is it humid where you live? That’s crazy it happened so quickly. I would definitely recommend storing them in the fridge.

Danielle Damiano Medeiros

says:

These were so easy to make and my whole family loved them – even those that normally hate carrot cake. They are light and delicious and healthy to boot!

Anna

says:

Came out both dry and very wet at same time. Added chocolate chips and raisins and walnuts. Frosting very thin.

Guess I was looking for cupcakes.

Thanks, though!

Sorry to hear that! I’m not sure how they could turn out both dry and wet – wish I could help troubleshoot for you!

Jessie

says:

These are amazing! I didn’t use coconut or raisins but added pecans to all of them and chocolate chips in half. I skipped on the icing because they were sweet enough with the chocolate chips. These are so easy and SO good! I asked my mom what she wanted for Mother’s Day and she requested these! I may try to make it into a cake this time to make it a bit fancier. Do yourself a favor and make these, you’ll love them!

Perfect! So happy to hear that 🙂

Denise

says:

Thank you!! These were perfect!! We were craving carrot cake, but wanted something lighter. These were quick, easy to make, and delicious. Perfect for breakfast or desert.

So glad you found these ones! The perfect treat or breakfast 🙂

Jess

says:

I can’t believe no one has commented on these yet bc thayeads me to believe no one has baked them yet??? Well, I have. Just now. And they are so tasty and filling! I used the flax egg as we are out of eggs and it worked great! I also added roasted chopped pecans and golden raisins. Two thumbs up from my kids and carrot baked goods hating husband.

So happy everyone loved them! If you click “show comments” you’ll see the rest of the comments 🙂

Shanta

says:

Hi there,
It’s not easy to get applesauce or maple syrup where I live. Can I substitute with yoghurt n molasses?
Tks.

Hi! You could sub banana for applesauce and honey for maple syrup!

Jenn

says:

Amazing!!! This will stay in my muffin rotation for sure! The only changes I made was I reduced the maple syrup to a 1/3 cup and only used 1/4 cup of applesauce (I had pre frozen portions in this amount); then I made up the difference in liquid with extra whole milk (instead of the almond). I also added golden raisens and piped the glaze in a zigzag pattern over the top. They are moist, rich and taste deceivingly indulgent. Thank you!

I’m glad that worked out well! Love the idea of golden raisins (and a little glaze design!)

Mary

says:

22 grams of sugar per muffin is not healthy.

Everyone’s definition of healthy is different 🙂 these muffins are made mostly with unrefined sugars like pure maple syrup, but if you’d like to reduce the sugar feel free to leave the glaze off!

Jessica

says:

Would oat flour work?

I haven’t tried it, but I think it might! 🙂 Let me know if you give it a shot!

Christine

says:

Fantastic recipe! Muffins were so moist & delicious! Only changes I made was using 1% milk & added a 1/4 cup each of diced pineapple & raisins. Will definitely make again.
Can this recipe be used to make a loaf or cake?

So glad you liked these! And Yes, absolutely!

Amanda

says:

I just made these muffins for the first time and they are perfect. The flavour, the density, the glaze – everything. So so good.

Noemie

says:

The best carrot muffins! The texture, the taste, the flavors! Everything about them is perfect! Another recipe from here that doesn’t disappoint!

Michelle

says:

Made these beauties vegan by using a flax egg, and used orange infused olive oil to add a bit of citrus – delicious!

GS

says:

Good muffins and straightforward recipe. Totally worth making.

Marisel

says:

Love them and a hit with the kids also! Made them with oat flour and included 1/2 cup shredded coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. So good!

I’m glad that worked out well! So delicious 🙂

Kait

says:

Another stellar recipe Monique! Tastes just as good as a cake without being overly sweet. Will definitely make again.

Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!

Amazing! So glad you love them 🙂

Rebecca

says:

Delicious- definitely add the coconut and raisins (or craisins)! They are even great without the icing

Absolutely! Perfect snack 🙂

Just made these today, Gluten & Vegan Free. Absolutely love them 🙂 I did use all purpose gluten free flour and flax egg. I only had 1/4 cup of maple syrup on hand used that with 1 cup home made with cinnamon & a touch of lemon (no sugar). (NO icing)

Brittany

says:

Taste amazing! We might of put too much applesauce in ours as they came out gooey in the middle after 20 mins in the oven. The fork came out clear, but a bit gooey. Unsure it’s from the extra water with the carrots? Regardless, they taste super yummy and my toddler is obsessed.

So glad they were a hit! Hmmm yes double check those wet ingredients and maybe just bake for a few extra minutes next time 🙂

Victoria Sørensen

says:

Can I use oat or rice flour? And I don’t have fruit, can I put yogurt instead of apple sauce or just omit it?

the swaps within the post are the only ones we suggest and can be confident with, though yogurt instead of applesauce could likely work fine!

HULO Viviane

says:

Bonjour je voudrais savoir ce que vous entendez par fromage à la crème dans vos glaçages. Merci.

Christina

says:

Do you think this would work as a loaf? I don’t have a muffin pan but it might be worth buying one if not!

Sandra

says:

Newbie at baking healthy here! I’d love to make this treat today, but only have almond flour, coconut flour, and oat flour on hand. Would either of those work in replacement of the wheat flour?

Hi! Unfortunately I haven’t tested this recipe with any of those flours. I think a chickpea flour or all purpose gluten free flour would work out well if you’d like to make these gluten free. Check the full blog post for all of my substitutions suggestions 🙂

Claire

says:

Per usual, another great Ambitious Kitchen muffin – can’t wait to have these for breakfast/snacks the rest of the week!

Manjot

says:

Muffins smelled delicious. But mine came out browned on the outside and slightly undercooked near the top.

Not sure what I did wrong?

Any help would be appreciated!

Strange, I’ve never had that happen for anyone. Do you happen to have an oven thermometer? It sounds like your oven may run hot? Also, just to be sure, did you follow the recipe exactly as written?

Amy

says:

These muffins were so good! We made them for Easter brunch and every thought they were so good!! We will definitely make again!!

Love it! So glad they were a hit!

Sara

says:

Can i substitute the milk for yogurt?

I think that should work but you’ll want to use slightly less milk!

MacleannNash

says:

These are delicious – even without the frosting!
The crunch of pecans, the texture of the coconut and sweetness of the raisins are so lovely and the perfect accompaniment to my morning smoothie!
It is also nice to know that using a banana in lieu of applesauce- which I so rarely have on hand – works so well.
Thank you for another amazing recipe!

The best combo! So glad you loved them 🙂

Jamie Hanselman

says:

Hi! What if I don’t want to use 1/2 c of maple syrup or honey? Could I drop it down to 1/4 c or omit it all together? Thank you!

Hi! You could probably use 1/4 cup and be fine, but I would suggest adding a few extra tablespoons of milk to replace the moisture lost.

Melissa

says:

Have made these 3 times,, my kids and I love them – ended up using the applesauce AND a small mashed banana for a bit of extra sweetness and moisture. Sometimes we skip the frosting but it is so easy and delicious

So happy to hear that! Perfect snack 🙂

Larissa Altamirano

says:

THE ABSOLUTE BEST CARROT CAKE! I feel like I different person after eating all 12 of these in 2 days. lol im exaggerating a bit but holy cow, these are fantastic! Look no further, this is the best carrot cake Ive ever had. Knowing I can make this makes me so happy. Thanks Monique for making such amazing recipes! Ambitious Kitchen will forever hands down be my go to website for every meal inspo.

Haha love that!! So glad you enjoyed!

I love these muffins and make them all the time! I follow them to the T (except I use flax egg). BUT why do my muffins never look smooth on the top like your pics, (they just look chunky).

I’m so glad! Hmmm it could be a slightly different texture from the flax egg, or try smoothing out the tops a bit before baking!

Lydia

says:

I used pecans and omitted raisins. So good! Made these for my breakfast meal prep. Excited to start my day with these!!

Love it! Best way to wake up 🙂

Diane

says:

I did not know carrots and coconut can work so well together! I left out raisins and cream cheese frosting and the muffins still tasted really good. The perfect simple and healthy breakfast!

Love it! Such a great breakfast or snack 🙂

Kiana

says:

These muffins are amazing! I made without the glaze and they still were so good! They make a great healthy snack!! I highly recommend this recipe!!!

Leonard S

says:

Is there sny chance you could convert the Cup measurements inro metric volume as those of us who live on the other side of the Pond have a problem understanding USA Cup measurements. Also our ovens use deg C not F….many thanks.
Leonard

Hi! Unfortunately I don’t weigh my ingredients, so I’d suggest using an online conversion calculator to help. Let me know how it goes!

Tugce

says:

Thank you for the recipe! I loved it!
I baked it with all purpose GF flour and banana instead of applesauce. The texture is so good, so yummy. Will try again!

You’re welcome! I’m glad those swaps worked out well 🙂

Johanna

says:

Made this yesterday with a few substitutes as I didn’t have a bunch of things. I was a bit worried but they turned out to be the best damn muffins. Like easily accessible perfect bites of carrot cake.

I Swapped the applesauce for mashed banana. Swapped the milk for homemade Greek honey yoghurt. Added the sultanas and toasted coconut.

For sugar, I used about a tablespoon of maple syrup (last of the bottle) and 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar. With the mashed, ripe banana and the honey in the yoghurt it was plenty sweet enough!

I also used a mix of wholewheat and white flour (approx ratio whole:white is 40:60).

Final change I made was adding a bunch of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the cream cheese glazing (and omitting the vanilla extract here). I only used 1 tsp of milk then thought about adding lemon juice.

Next time we agreed it could do with even stronger lemon flavour so we will try adding lemon zest as well.

I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Perfect snack 🙂

Jade

says:

I just spent the whole evening making these, followed recipe to a T. They are so moist, they taste raw in a way. Terrible. Quite disappointed. Had to throw them all away.

Hi, Jade. So sorry to hear that they didn’t turn out well. I’ve never had that happen! Mine are always a normal fluffy muffin texture. Do you think they were fully cooked?

Catherine

says:

These are very good. I used canned apricots and pureed for the applesauce. I had a partial can and needed to use. Added 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp Chinese 5spice. Used 60 grams raisins. I also added 1/4 cup sugar. Great texture. Used 2egg whites in place of whole egg

This all sounds DELICIOUS! So happy you enjoyed them, Catherine!

Jillian

says:

Tripled the recipe to use up some carrots and ended up with 36 beautiful muffins, sure to last me months in the freezer! Moist, flavorful, and not too sweet.

Yay! I’m so happy it turned out well and that you’re enjoying them, Jillian! 🙂

Meredith

says:

These turned out perfectly, Will be using this recipe all the time!

Yay!! So glad to hear that 🙂

Veronica

says:

Every fall I make these and every fall I am reminded how absolutely delicious they are! LOVE this recipe!

Torrie

says:

I made these for our Valentine’s Day dessert. These are delicious! I think I prefer these over the full fat and calorie cake. Definitely will be making this recipe again.

Happy you loved them, Torrie! 🙂

Sigríður

says:

These came out really good, super moist and wonderfully flavourful. Will make again and again!

I’m so glad! Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂

Estefany

says:

Such an amazing recipe! I baked this in a 8×8 pan for about 30 min rather than making muffins and it turned out perfect! Only swap I made was honey instead of maple syrup, turned out delicious. Everyone loved it!!

I have made this so many times and they are the best muffin recipe!

I was just studying about the nutmeg today and found the same in your lovely recipe. I hope it’ll impart a good flavor. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

Lisa

says:

Made these today with the gf alternatives and it was delicious and my kids both loved!

Amy

says:

Delicious & healthier variation to other carrot cake recipes. I made these for my son’s 1st birthday & Easter. Plus just for a sweet treat when I have carrots to use up.

10/10

Thanks so much, Amy! I’m thrilled to hear you loved them. Such a fun birthday treat for little ones!

Kimberly

says:

Great recipe! The muffins are delicious and perfectly moist. Had to add about 5 min to the baking time – perhaps because I used silpat muffin pan (my fave kitchen product ever). Thanks for sharing a yummy guilt-free recipe!

So happy you loved these!!

Tammie

says:

Just made these and just modified it ever so slightly with adding the toppings into the batter (raisins, nuts and coconut) and used vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract. Turned out beautifully and taste great! I love that it is not too sweet and the glaze was the perfect touch to top these and balance the spices out. A wonderful recipe, I can’t recommend it enough!

Hi, Tammie! So happy you loved these. They are actually supposed to be mixed in, so what you did was correct! 🙂 Thanks so much for the review.

Julie

says:

I used honey and about a half teaspoon of maple extract. Also added a little ginger and allspice along with the other spices. I used skim milk and cup 4 cup gluten free flour. I didn’t ice them. They were really yummy.
Made another batch with part white, part whole wheat flour. Used brown sugar, because I was out of honey. Added more applesauce to make up for the liquid. Again, used skim milk and added the extra spices and maple extract. I had a little bit of finely shredded unsweetened coconut, so added that as well. I didn’t ice these either. They were delicious!! This is a keeper!

Julie

replied:

This is actually Julie again! I forgot to mention— I made 24 muffins out of each batch instead of 12 so didn’t need to bake them as long. They came out like muffin tops! Yum!
- Hi! So happy they came out well with those substitutions! Thanks so much for the review 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them!

I made these with my 3 year old daughter for Easter and they were SOOO GOOD that we made them again today! We used Trader Joes all purpose gluten-free flour blend and they came out AMAZING!! Thank you for this amazing recipe! 🙂

Carrot cake is the absolute best. If you want to spruce them up a bit but still stay healthy, https://www.thesugarart.com/ has vegan options! An a pumpkin cocoa bomb tutorial that I LOVE for Fall/Autumn.

Mo

says:

These carrot muffins are sooooo delicious .. they hardly seem healthy at all! I’m trying to bake healthy treats for my neighbors with health concerns and these are great! I added raisins and pecans, used an egg white and half of a flax egg, skipped the cream cheese icing and just used a little simple powdered sugar and lemon glaze on half of them. Even my hubby who HATES anything healthy thought they were very good. Monique, thank you for such a delicious and healthy recipe!

Sierra

says:

This recipe is wonderful!! I usually don’t even make the frosting and they’re still delicious. My toddler absolutely loves them! The only change I make is using brown sugar instead of maple syrup, due to how expensive maple syrup is. I’d definitely recommend this recipe if you’re a carrot cake fan!

Kate

says:

So delicious that they don’t need the glaze! Only had organic whole wheat flour on hand and it worked beautifully (maybe add a smidge more milk to balance it). Used raw honey instead of maple syrup, and avocado oil as my chosen oil. Added raisins (plumped in hot water) and chopped pecans. Whole family loved them. Will make again!

Glad to hear that all worked well and that you loved them! Thanks so much for the review 🥰

Absolutely delicious. Moist and not too sweet!

SO glad you love them, Catherine!

Leonard

says:

Any chance of metric measures and oven temp in centigrade please?

I’d recommend using an online conversion as I don’t have the metric measurements on hand – sorry!

These are delicious! We skipped the glaze and they were still a hit. My toddler just devoured one – he especially loves the raisins. 🙂 Thank you!

Yay!! So glad you both loved them 🙂

2023-01-01 21:51:41WP_Comment Object
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[comment_content] => I’ve made these twice already and they are amazing! It’s hard to find a recipe that is healthy and actually tastes good so this recipe is a keeper!! The texture is nice and light but with the add-ins like nuts, coconut or dried fruit they are great, hearty snack. I used banana instead of the apple sauce but you can’t taste the banana which is a bonus. Also not too sweet, just perfect with the raisins. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!!!
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Joanne

says:

I’ve made these twice already and they are amazing! It’s hard to find a recipe that is healthy and actually tastes good so this recipe is a keeper!! The texture is nice and light but with the add-ins like nuts, coconut or dried fruit they are great, hearty snack. I used banana instead of the apple sauce but you can’t taste the banana which is a bonus. Also not too sweet, just perfect with the raisins. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!!!

Nancy

says:

Making this weekend, with the very ripe banana I have, trying the flax egg option, and adding 1/2 t ground mace in my dear Mom’s memory. If I still have mini cinnamon chips, I may add some of those too. I’ll post on the AK community FB page how they turned out.

Vilma

says:

I’m always searching for muffin recipes without a lot of sugar and butter or oil so this recipe is perfect. The muffins are light and naturally sweet.

Lisa

says:

Made these with my kids tonight and they turned out great! We added a little diced pineapple and walnuts to the mix. I wanted to skip the frosting at first, but my kids were persistent, and I’m so glad we did It. It came together so easily without having to lug my KitchenAid out. Thanks!!

Ah yum! So glad these muffins are a hit and everyone is enjoying them ❤️🙂

2023-04-17 14:38:40WP_Comment Object
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[comment_content] => These are so delicious!!! I actually used your frosting recipe from your carrot cake to top these and they’re divine! Thank you!
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Tabitha

says:

These are so delicious!!! I actually used your frosting recipe from your carrot cake to top these and they’re divine! Thank you!

Aubree

says:

These were delicious! I used gluten free 1:1 flour. I also skipped the mix ins and used some cream cheese frosting I had leftover from something else (basically the same recipe). My picky toddler and I loved them!! New go-to recipe!

Hannah

says:

Delicious!!!! Added dried apricots and walnuts and these were fantastic! The cream cheese glaze is phenomenal!

Sounds delicious! Glad you loved these!

Grainne

says:

I’ve made these a couple of times. They’re a lovely little treat and 1 of your five a day 😉

I wanted to give them a five star rating but the site wouldn’t let me

annie

says:

These turned out really delicious! I made them vegan, so I used a flax egg and coconut milk. I also used a mashed banana instead of the apple sauce and added in crushed pecans and shredded coconut but left out the glaze. I was really pleased with the results, so thank you for sharing the recipe!

Yay! I am so glad these turned out great for you, Annie! Thanks so much for your review, I appreciate it!

Anne M.

says:

Super muffins, delicious broiled next day in toaster oven also!

YUM! Glad to hear you gave this recipe a try and are loving them!

Anonymous

says:

Delicious! Added all the optional items – raisins, coconut and pecans and its perfection. Don’t skip the cream cheese topping!

NEVER skip the cream cheese! Glad to hear you are loving these ❤️

Anne VaWekls

says:

can you use oat flour? If so would that change the texture?

can i use oat flour? would that change the texture? could add some greek yogurt in with the milk?

Hi, Anne! I haven’t tried these with oat flour or Greek yogurt so I’m not sure how they’d turn out. Let me know if you do!

nikki

says:

I made these with lots of tweaks… yummy!

Ria

says:

Thank you for the fantastic recipe. I used regular white flour and white skim milk, but otherwise followed the recipe. They turned out delicious!

Perfect! I am so glad this recipe turns out great for you and you enjoyed it 🙂

Liala

says:

Fantastic recipe, whenever I make a “healthy recipe” my kids are always disappointed. Not this time!!! I used coconut this time, next time I’ll try pineapple. Thank you for a great recipe

Amazing! Glad they loved these!

Cheryl

says:

These are as close to perfect as you could want. Love them!!

So happy they were a hit!

Sheila

says:

My son is a total health nut and with his kids. This recipe is the one they want me to make everytime I see them!! My grandson age 5 and little baby girl 9 mo.s ! I use the GF flour,, thinly sliced almonds, pure organic maple syrup, throw in some chia seeds and a little bit of raisins. top with little bit shredded coconut and put in oven. Sometimes when done I brush on a touch of organic maple syrup on top.

Sheila

replied:

BTW!!! I do not use the frosting… still is sweet enough!

Love that! I’m glad those little swaps work out well!

Maria Constantine

says:

Gluten free is easy! I used a cup of Amy’s Pancake mix, half a cup of Bob’s GF flour and the tsp baking soda. Extra walnuts because we love them. No need for icing. Came out great!

I’m glad those swaps worked out well!

Anonymous

says:

These are some of the fluffiest muffins I’ve made in a long time! Didn’t have apple sauce, so used a mashed banana. Used the suggested add-ins of shredded coconut and nuts (I used pecans, because that’s what I had on hand). Also added in a few tablespoons of hemp-based protein powder. Didn’t even get around to the frosting because they’re so good without it! Can’t wait for a week of healthy breakfasts!

Amazing! Such a great breakfast or snack 🙂

DEVIN

says:

Listen, let me start off by saying that I don’t recall ever writing a review for anything in my life, let alone a recipe… These things just genuinely SLAPPED! I mean, beyond impressed! Ingredients were easily attainable, instructions were clear and detailed, and the results were just insanely delicious. The first bite was everything I wanted it to be. DENSE, but light and airy. MOIST, but not soggy. SWEET, but not enough to make your teeth hurt. BOTTOM LINE, I will absolutely be making these again, and again, and again. As a matter of fact, I’m going to print out the recipe right now! Keep cranking out these banger recipes!!!! And thanks!!!!!

Thank you SO much for your review! Thrilled to hear that you loved these 🙂 And I hope you keep finding recipes here to try!

Anonymous

says:

This recipe was perfect! I mixed in raisins, coconut, and walnuts. Curious if it would be good with pineapple too. I think we found our new favorite carrot cake recipe! We used regular flour because that is what we had, but would like to try with whole wheat too.

Love those mix-ins! Glad you enjoyed 🙂

Tess

says:

These muffins were so good! Not too sweet but with tons of flavor! I did add more powdered sugar to the cream cheese frosting because I wanted more sweetness as I was gifting half of the muffins. Overall, this is an amazing recipe and I’ll definitely make this again!

Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!

Lulu

says:

I made these with plain wheat flour. Though the flavour was really lovely, the texture was dense, heavy and dry. I didn’t overmix, so not sure what happened! Maybe it’s better with gluten free flours.

Hi! If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour I’d suggest using regular all-purpose flour. Wheat flour on its own will make these much denser.

Veronica

says:

question! have you ever added protein powder to the baking? If yes – how much do you add in, or do you use less flour, and sub some protein powder for it? 🙂

I haven’t tested it in this recipe so I’m not 100% sure what the ratios would be! If you try it, I’d suggest reducing the flour.

Stevie

says:

Can I use matchstick carrots and chop finely?

2024-09-20 07:00:06WP_Comment Object
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[comment_content] => my kids loved these!! will be making them again – thanks!
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Abigail

says:

my kids loved these!! will be making them again – thanks!

Anonymous

says:

I made these and they completely stuck to the papers, and I used everything as in the recipe… Don’t know where it went wrong…

So strange! Did you spray the inside of the muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray as I mentioned in Step 1?

Adrienne

says:

So good and not overly sweet!

Maria

says:

These turned out amazing! I ended up making a second batch the same day because they were that good and so easy to make also! New go to recipe❤️ thank you!

Will

says:

Used GF all purpose flour and worked great. Thank you!

Perfect! Glad you enjoyed 🙂

Emily

says:

Wow. I just made these and they are DELICIOUS! Another perfect AK recipe. Love a healthy baked good that can be a treat or breakfast. These came together so easily too!

Kelly T

says:

These were wonderful. I made them into mini muffins making 30 minis. Soft, moist and full of flavor! The only changes I made were as follows … 1/4 cup honey for the 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1 over ripe banana for the 1/3 cup apple sauce, and 1/2 cup craisens. I also used almond milk I made earlier today. The changes I made were because I didn’t have the ingredients in the recipe otherwise I would have made as written. I didn’t make the frosting because they were great without it. Thanks for sharing this recipe. They were yummy and went fast. Need to make another batch shortly!

Perfect! Great idea to make mini muffins!

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