Deliciously spiced and perfectly tender, this easy recipe for Carrot Cake Muffins allows you to enjoy the warming flavors of classic carrot cake in muffin form!
Looking for more muffin recipes that taste as decadent as dessert? Don’t miss my recipes for Cranberry Orange Muffins, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
Kristen’s Key Takeaways
- Carrot cake without the sugar crash. Naturally sweetened with honey, pineapple, and applesauce, and full of whole grains, these perfectly sweet muffins feel decadent (like say, carrot cake cheesecake), yet are filled with wholesome ingredients.
- Grate the carrots yourself. Store-bought grated carrots are much thicker and will not blend into the muffin as well as freshly grated carrots.
- Crushed pineapple is the secret to incredible carrot cake muffins. It sweetens the muffins and keeps them light, fluffy, and moist–even when using whole wheat flour.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes On Ingredients
You will find the full list of ingredients, along with quantities in the recipe card. Below is a quick glance at what you need and tips to help you make the right selection.
- Flour: I recommend using whole white wheat flour, which yields a muffin that is still 100% whole grain, yet light and tender. You can also opt to use all-purpose flour if that is what you have on hand.
- Crushed Pineapple: Use canned crushed pineapple that has been canned in 100% juice. There is no need to drain the pineapple, as the moisture will help keep the muffins tender and moist.
- Coconut Oil: Melted coconut oil adds a rich, nutty undertone to the muffin, but canola oil or melted butter can be used in its place.
- Unsweetened applesauce: The applesauce keeps the muffin tender and light and allows you to use less oil in the muffin recipe.
- Optional Additions: Chopped walnuts and/or raisins are delicious, yet optional.
How to Make Carrot Cake Muffins
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Combine dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together until well combined.
- Toss carrot and nuts with flour mixture. By coating these additions in flour, you will help to ensure that those goodies don’t sink to the bottom of your muffins.
- Whisk together wet ingredients. To ensure not overworking the muffin batter, use a separate bowl to whisk the eggs, applesauce, oil, pineapple, honey, and vanilla together before adding them to the flour mixture.
- Gently combine batter. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until just combined, or until the flour is fully moistened. If you mix the batter too vigorously, the muffins will become tough and dense.
- Divide batter evenly. Use an ice cream scoop or quarter cup measuring cup to keep the muffins even in size and bake evenly.
- Bake. Check on your muffins 5 minutes before the suggested cooking time, as all ovens bake differently and you don’t want to overbake the muffins. They will be done when the tops of the carrot cake muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten-Free: Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of the flour. I have done this many times with success.
- Egg-Free: Replace the egg with a flax egg. Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes, then use in place of the egg.
- Ice the Muffins: Add a cream cheese frosting to the muffins to really replicate a classic carrot cake–icing and all!
Storage Instructions
- To Store: Once the muffins have cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Place the cooled carrot cake muffins on a cookie sheet and freeze for 30-60 minutes until solid. That process helps prevent the muffins from sticking together when frozen. Once the muffins are frozen solid, place them in a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, or warm in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to heat before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃ and line a muffin pan with liners or grease well.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1½ cups whole white flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon ground ginger until well combined. Add in the ¾ cup grated carrots, ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional) and ¼ cup raisins (optional) and toss to coat with flour.
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In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together ½ cup melted coconut oil (cooled) ⅓ cup honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, and ½ cup canned crushed pineapple (not drained).
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Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and the flour is moistened fully, being careful to not overmix. The batter will be thick!
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Scoop with an ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup into the prepared muffin tin.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
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Cool muffins for 10 minutes on a cooling rack in the muffin tin and then remove muffins and cool completely on the rack.
Egg Free: Replace the egg with a flax egg. Mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 5 minutes, then use in place of the egg.
Nutmeg: If using grated nutmeg from a dried bulb verses ground nutmeg, increase it to 1/2 teaspoon.
Coconut Oil: Feel free to use canola oil in place of coconut oil. I prefer the taste of coconut oil to canola oil in baked muffins, but either oil will work.
Storage: Carrot cake muffins can be stored at room temperature for 24 hours in a sealed container or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze muffins for up to 3 months.
Calories: 201kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 215mgPotassium: 134mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1130IUVitamin C: 0.6mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.9mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2025.
