Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

Get your carrot cake fix with this healthy and delicious Carrot Muffins recipe. These muffins are the perfect spring recipe for breakfast on the go!

This recipe makes twelve muffins and costs about $7.96 to make. That’s just $0.66 per muffin.

Once Springtime hits, I am all about the carrot recipes. This Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake Copycat, Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies, Easy Carrot Cake, and these Carrot Muffins are at the top of my baking list every Spring.

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe – get your carrot cake fix with this healthy and delicious muffins recipe. This is the perfect spring breakfast recipe! (1)

Table of Contents

Healthy Carrot Muffins

I LOVE CARROT CAKE, and I can’t get enough of it. I love everything about it carrot cake: the spice cake, the bits of delicious carrot, the nuts, and of course, the cream cheese frosting!

Of course, carrot cake isn’t the healthiest choice, but it’s just so good! And this is where my Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe comes in.

I came up with this healthy muffin recipe to satisfy my constant carrot cake craving. My family loves these so much; I’ve made them every week this month!

These Carrot Muffins are packed full of flavor and nutrients. They have the perfect amount of spice and crunch without being too sweet.

Muffins make a fabulous breakfast on the go or an afternoon snack. The moist, light, fluffy, and cake-like texture of each Carrot Muffin is tough to resist.

INGREDIENTS AND COST

Per Serving Cost: $0.66

Recipe Cost: $7.96

2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour – $1.50
¼ cup cornstarch – $0.01
2 teaspoons baking powder – $0.08
1 teaspoon baking soda – $0.01
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice – $0.52
½ teaspoon salt – $0.01
2 large eggs – $0.20
⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons turbinado sugar – $0.29
⅓ cup canola oil – $0.16
1 ⅓ cup buttermilk – $0.77
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract – $1.36
1 ½ cups carrots – $0.21
½ cup golden raisins – $0.59
⅔ cup pecans – $2.16

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

HOW TO MAKE CARROT MUFFINS

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line the muffin tin with paper liners.
Next, using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, ⅓ cup of sugar, canola oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract.
After making a well in the middle of the flour mixture, pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk just until combined.
Next, fold in the carrots, raisins, and pecans.
Fill the muffin tin with the batter, filling them ⅘ of the way full. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining raw sugar.
Finally, bake for 22-25 minutes or until lightly browned.

***For full recipe details see the recipe card below.

RECIPE VARIATIONS

My recipe uses pecans, but you can either leave them out or use walnuts instead–whatever your preference.
Please make sure you use nothing but whole wheat pastry flour. Any other type of flour will weigh the muffins down and the texture will be off.

STORAGE TIPS

SERVE: You can serve these plain, with a little bit of cream cheese, or with some of my whipped butter.

STORE: These muffins will keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

FREEZE: Once the muffins are cooled, place them in a freezer safe container. Freeze for 4-5 months.

DEFROST: Defrost at room temperature for 2-4 hours.

COOK’S TOOLS AND INGREDIENTS

box grater
mixing bowls
whisk
muffin tin
paper liners
wire rack
whole wheat pastry flour
sugar in the raw
golden raisins

RECIPE FAQ’S

How can I make my muffins lighter and fluffy?

First, do not overbeat the batter when mixing the dry and wet ingredients. Doing so will make the muffins tough. It can also help to use room temperature ingredients, as they tend to create a smoother batter that traps air and expands while baking, thus making a lighter and fluffier muffin.

How many calories are in a small Carrot Muffin?

Using this recipe has about 279 calories per muffin.

Are muffins better with oil or butter?

Recipes typically call for butter to add more taste to the recipe. We know that butter makes most things taste better! However, it is also a less healthy option than oil. For example, using oil in a muffin recipe typically results in a lighter muffin that stays tender and moist longer than a muffin made with butter.

MORE BREADS

Banana Cinnamon Muffins
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Best Bran Muffins
Apple Muffins
Almond Coffee Cake Ring
Pumpkin Honey Muffins
Mom’s Zucchini Bread
Cranberry Bread

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4.60 from 15 votes

Author Jillian – a Food, Folks and Fun original!

Recipe Cost $ $7.96

Serving Cost $ $0.66

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Equipment

box grater
mixing bowls
whisk
muffintin
paper liners
wire rack

Ingredients

▢ 2 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▢ 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw brown sugar, turbinado sugar divided
▢ ⅓ cup canola oil
▢ 1 ⅓ cup buttermilk
▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
▢ 1 ½ cup peeled and grated carrots grated on small holes of box grater
▢ ½ cup golden raisins
▢ ⅔ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

PREP OVEN AND MUFFIN TIN:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with the oven rack in the middle position. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

MIX MUFFIN BATTER:

Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl or large measuring cup, add the eggs, ⅓ cup of sugar, canola oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients.
Whisk until combined, but don't overbeat (that will make the muffins tough!).
Next, fold in the carrots, raisins, and pecans.

FILL MUFFIN TINS AND BAKE:

Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling them about ⅘ of the way full. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining raw brown sugar.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out with just a couple of moist crumbs.

COOL AND SERVE:

Cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Video

Notes

Over-mixing will make these muffins tough. Just mix until no more flour streaks remain, a few little lumps are okay.

Nutrition

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Do you love Carrot Cake? Then, check out more of my Carrot Cake recipes!

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies with Toasted Coconut
Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake – a Cheesecake Factory Copycat
Emergency Carrot Cake
Carrot Cake Cookie Bars

Irresistible Pumpkin Muffins

Bran Muffin Recipe With Molasses and Raisins

Homemade English Muffins

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Jillian

I’m Jillian, the creator behind Food Folks and Fun. I have over 30 years of experience cooking for others. There’s nothing I love more than cooking for my family. Food is love, and cooking isn’t just putting a meal on a plate: It’s putting a little part of myself into that meal.

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe – get your carrot cake fix with this healthy and delicious muffins recipe. This is the perfect spring breakfast recipe! (2024)