This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Delicious Carrot Cake Muffins are healthy, tender, moist, and perfectly sweet. They are easy to make with whole wheat flour, oats, cream cheese, and carrots and are naturally sweetened with honey. A great on-the-go breakfast or snack with the flavor of carrot cake!
Carrot Muffins are a two-in-one breakfast treat – a combination of carrot cake and oatmeal muffins! The carrot cake muffin batter is made with cream cheese and filled with finely grated carrots, which makes these super moist and soft. Prepare these in about 30 minutes the night before and then have a ready-to-go option for breakfast!
Reasons to make this recipe
- Simple to make: This carrot muffin recipe is really easy to throw together in just a few steps, without the need for an electric mixer. You just need two bowls and about 10 minutes of prep time and 25 minutes to bake.
- Satisfying: These are made with healthier ingredients, like whole wheat flour, oats, carrots, and just a touch of oil and they’re naturally sweetened with honey. They’re a hearty, filling snack or breakfast.
- So delicious: These have a tender, moist texture and they’re full of carrot cake flavor!
- Great for meal prep: Carrot cake muffins are great to make ahead of time! They last for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or up to 5 days stored in the fridge. They also freeze really well.
Ingredients needed for these healthy muffins
This carrot cake oatmeal muffins recipe is made with simple ingredients for muffins that are just so incredibly tasty with a flavor reminiscent of carrot cake. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Flour: This recipe calls for whole wheat flour, which makes these hearty & satisfying and gives them a nice nutty taste. Feel free to sub with all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour, if preferred.
- Instant oats: these Add texture, fiber, and nutrition to the muffins.
- Baking powder: Helps these rise as they bake.
- Salt: Brings the flavors together.
- Cinnamon & vanilla extract: For delicious, cozy flavor.
- Eggs: Two large eggs help with binding the ingredients and ensure proper baking.
- Oil: Just 2 tbsp of vegetable oil adds extra moisture. You can really use any light oil you’d like – olive oil, canola oil, melted coconut oil, or even melted butter will work.
- Honey: For delicious natural sweetness. Use maple syrup, if preferred, but note the flavor will be a bit different and they may be less sweet.
- Cream cheese: To reduce the oil needed in these, we’re adding cream cheese, which keeps these tender and moist, and gives them a subtle tang.
- Carrots: You’ll need to finely shred about 3 medium carrots for major carrot cake goodness!
How to make this carrot cake muffin recipe
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line your muffin tin with paper liners.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, honey, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth.
- Combine the wet & dry ingredients: Add the flour mixture to the liquid ingredients and stir to incorporate. Fold in the grated carrots.
- Add batter to muffin pan: Divide the batter among your prepared muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool & enjoy: Allow the muffins to cool on a cooling rack, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Too much flour can cause muffins to be dry and crumbly. For the perfect texture, be sure to measure the flour correctly. Whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the top (without shaking the cup). Do NOT scoop the flour into the measuring cup.
- Stir the wet and dry ingredients together by gently folding them with a large spoon or spatula, just until mixed. You want to avoid over-mixing the batter, which can produce tough, overly dense muffins.
- To guarantee flavor and moisture, shred the carrots yourself instead of buying pre-shredded carrots. Use either a box grater or a food processor with a grating attachment to grate the carrots.
- Avoid dry, over-baked muffins by checking for doneness at about the 22-minute mark of baking. You can test them by inserting a toothpick or butter knife into the center and if it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, the muffins are done.
Frequently asked questions
To ensure these carrot muffins are plenty moist, we’re using a good ratio of liquid to dry ingredients. Using honey, a touch of oil, cream cheese, and freshly grated carrots all help to keep these moist and tender.
For light and fluffy muffins, we recommend making sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you start making the batter. Having eggs, oil, and cream cheese at room temperature helps to form a smooth mixture that traps air and expands when heated in the oven. That expansion makes your muffins fluffy and light.
To avoid dry muffins, be sure to measure the flour correctly (see tip above), don’t over-mix the batter, do not over-bake, and follow the recipe provided.
Storage recommendations
- Storing leftovers: These stay fresh at room temperature for up to about 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. If you need to store them for a longer period of time, I’d recommend keeping them in the fridge or the freezer. You can microwave refrigerated muffins for about 10-15 seconds to make them taste like they were freshly baked.
- Freezing: To freeze, simply place the muffins into a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can either thaw them at room temperature or warm them up in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.
More easy muffin recipes
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
- Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Baked Oatmeal Protein Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Strawberry Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave us some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it! We would love it if you shared it with friends and family.
Finally, please use our hashtag #healthyfitnessmeals on INSTAGRAM for a chance to be featured!
FOLLOW Healthy Fitness Meals on FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER for all of our latest blog posts and recipes.
Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour, white flour
- 1 cup instant oats
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, at room temp
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup honey, at room temp
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 medium carrots, finely grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line your muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients.
- In a second bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, honey, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and stir to incorporate. Fold in the grated carrots.
- Divide the batter among your prepared muffin cups and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Allow the muffins to cool on a cooling rack.
Notes
- Storing leftovers: These stay fresh at room temperature for up to about 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. If you need to store them for a longer period of time, I’d recommend keeping them in the fridge or the freezer. You can microwave refrigerated muffins for about 10-15 seconds to make them taste like they were freshly baked.
- Freezing: To freeze, simply place the muffins into a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can either thaw them at room temperature or warm them up in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
