Healthy Carrot Muffins
Healthy carrot muffins made with whole wheat flour, coconut oil and maple syrup! They taste amazing, too. These muffins make a great, quick breakfast!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
My dog Cookie always comes running when I pull out the vegetable peeler. I swear, she can hear it slice through the air before it even touches a carrot. Then she starts jumping up and down for carrot scraps. She can be very demanding. I’ve created an entitled little carrot beast, and I’m not sorry in the slightest.
Cookie loved the development process for this carrot muffin recipe. It took me five tries to get them just right, so she got a lot of carrot scraps in the process. They’re based on one of my cookbook recipes (so good!!!).
These hearty muffins are packed with grated carrots, walnuts and raisins. They have lots of texture, yet they’re still light and fluffy.
Thanks to the nuts and whole grains, these muffins make a good grab-and-go breakfast! They also freeze and defrost well. I just microwave individual muffins for 30 to 60 seconds, until they’re gently warmed throughout.
Watch How to Make Carrot Muffins
What makes these carrot muffins healthy?
Granted, “healthy” is a subjective term, but here are a few reasons why I consider these muffins to be more nutritionally redeeming than most:
- Unlike standard carrot muffins made with refined all-purpose flour, these are made with white whole wheat flour. That means they’re made entirely with whole grains, but you can’t taste them because white whole wheat flour has such a mild flavor.
- Protein-rich Greek yogurt replaces sour cream.
- Coconut oil or olive oil replace butter (olive oil is composed of more monounsaturated fat, and is considered to be more heart-healthy)
- Real maple syrup replaces refined sugar, so these muffins are naturally sweetened.
- Combined, you end up with hearty muffins that taste like carrot cake. You can eat carrot cake for breakfast with these babies!
These muffins are easily adapted to vegan and gluten-free diets, too! See my recipe notes for details.
Please let me know how these muffins turn out for you in the comments! I’m always so eager for your feedback.
Craving more wholesome muffins? Here are a few more favorite muffin recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Healthy Apple Muffins
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Raspberry Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins
If you’re baking for a special occasion, you’ll love my carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (it’s also naturally sweetened and made with whole wheat flour).
Healthy Carrot Muffins
Healthy carrot muffins made with whole wheat flour, coconut oil and maple syrup! They taste fantastic, too, of course. These muffins make a great, quick breakfast! Recipe yields 12 muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups peeled and grated carrots* (from ¾ pound carrots—about 3 large or up to 6 small/medium)
- ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins (I like golden raisins), tossed in 1 teaspoon flour
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil**
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt***
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg. Blend well with a whisk. In a separate, small bowl, toss the raisins with 1 teaspoon flour so they don’t stick together. Add the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and floured raisins to the other ingredients and stir to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt and vanilla and mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.)
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake muffins for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
Notes
*Carrot grating tips: You can grate the carrots by hand, or for an easier option, use the grating attachment on your food processor.
**A note on oils: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil will lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that. Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
***Note on Greek yogurt: I’ve used a variety of fat percentages and the muffins have always turned out well. Higher fat yogurt will yield a somewhat more rich muffin. You can also substitute plain (not Greek) yogurt, but your muffins might not rise quite as high.
Make it vegan: You can replace the eggs with flax “eggs.” Replace the yogurt with a smaller amount of vegan buttermilk—just mix ⅔ cup non-dairy milk with 2 teaspoons vinegar. Let it rest for 5 minutes before adding it to the other liquid ingredients. Or, use 1 cup vegan yogurt.
Make it dairy free: See buttermilk option above.
Make it egg free: Substitute flax eggs for the regular eggs.
Make it gluten free: Substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes a GF blend that works well.
Make it nut free: Skip the walnuts!
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
We make these every week. Everybody loves them. We use coconut oil as well, and honey as the sweetener. We leave out the nuts and raisins but put pumpkin seeds on top before baking!
Such a great recipe. Thank you!
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Paul.
Tried this recipe yesterday. It was delicious.
Kate have you tried this with coconut flour? I just bought a bag and am trying it for the first time. But I’ve never used coconut flour before so this is new to me! 1/4 to 1 ratio !
Hi Paul, Coconut flour doesn’t work as it just soaks up all the moisture. I don’t recommend using it.
Yes you are right they were horrible.
But the good news is … they are always otherwise EXCELLENT
Am I able to use this recipe in a cake tin rather than to make muffins?
Hi Sarah! I haven’t tried this in a cake, but try my Favorite Carrot Cake recipe instead. Let me know what you think!
Made these as they seemed like a healthy recipe for my daughter. They came out so incredibly wet and sticky, actually pretty gross. I’m guessing this is because I didn’t add hard nuts as my daughter is a toddler. Also think cooking at 425 was too hot. Was really disappointed.
Hi Victoria, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you sure you didn’t add too much liquid? How long did you cook them for?
I learned to grate the carrots early, and then pat then down with paper towels. I have also put the carrots in the oven on a baking tray at a drying temp. For 10 minutes or or the oven is warming up. I prefer using dried raisins or dried dates, as that will help absorb some moisture, and when using applesauce I make it fresh and not as smooth as the commercial sauce again this reduces moisture. Great fab or maple syrup and honey but usually substitute granulated dark brown sugar for a better texture. Experiment with the above and you’ll get a mix fluffy texture.
I had the exact same experience. They were burnt on top and uncooked inside. I used nuts and followed all the recipe. My oven has never been an issue with any other recipe.
Hi Magali, I’m sorry to hear that. How full did you fill your tins?
I had a similar experience. Bottoms are tough and dark brown, while the middle is uncooked after 20 minutes. I followed the recipe but used the small grater and am wondering if that maybe caused the issue? I want to try again with the other size of grater I have (I have the Ikea container style one with the two sizes of grater). I’ve been making your healthy banana and pumpkin muffins and they’re delicious so I’m hoping to nail this one down as well!
Hi Man, the smaller grater could impact it if you are actually using more carrots. Or, your carrots have a lot of moisture. I hope you try them again and let me know!
I LOVE these carrot cake muffins! So moist and soft and fluffy! Definitely saving this recipe. Thank you for sharing it.
Jeannie
Alberta, Canada
I’m glad you loved them, Jeannie! Thank you for your review.
made these today – they turned out perfect! so easy and totally delicious!
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Audrea.
LOVE! I will never go back to the unhealthy recipes I usually was using. Thank you do much for what you do.
You’re welcome, Carmen! Thank you for your review.
These are my new favorite muffins. I used dried cranberries & toasted chopped pecans, only because they were already in my pantry. The maple syrup makes this recipe over-the-top. Thanks Kate!!
You’re welcome, Cheri!
I never comment. I rarely follow a recipe more than once. I’ve made these muffins three times now with the ‘vegan buttermilk’ substitution you suggest using almond milk. I’m not vegan or dairy free, its just the ingredients I had on hand the first time. Worked out so well I’ve used it everytime and feel the need to thank you so very much for sharing this recipe! Family loves them!
I love it! Thank you for your review, Rhi.
These didn’t turn out the best. Did absolutely everything asked and cooked per the instructions and the temperature was very high I think for these. Can’t taste the carrots to much but added exactly as it says.. I won’t be making these again.
I’m sorry to hear that! How old were your carrots?
Hey, I love your recipes! But when each time I have to figure out that cup to grams thing it’s just drives me nuts… would be really handy if you could just add grams next to cups measures as you’ve done in some of your recipes xx
I made it vegan with flax eggs and vegan yogurt. Very moist and delicious!
i just made these and added just a handful of coconut to your recipe. I also subbed hazelnuts for walnuts and they were delish. thanks for the recipe!
Hi Kate,
I tried these yesterday, and they came out as a huge success! I used flax eggs and the vegan buttermilk option (soy milk) and left out the walnuts due to my nut allergy. I was a little nervous at how thin the batter was, but they cooked up wonderfully. Very soft and fluffy, with great flavour.
I also totally missed your instruction to heat the oven at 425, and put it at 350 just by default. They ended up taking 25-27 min, but the result was great. Maybe that could be something to try for others who had a problem with burning/undercooked insides.
Thanks again!
Unbelievably delicious and easy to follow recipe! Will definitely be making these often!
I’ve made these muffins several times. Very good and filling. Can plain yogurt be substituted with vanilla yogurt? Sometimes I don’t have plain handy.
Hi! You can substitute, but likely adjust the vanilla so it’s not too much.
Loved this carrot muffin recipe. Very flavorful and filling. Will add this to my regular “go to” file. I am new to Vegetarian foods and am enjoying learning as I go.
Thank you for your review! This is a great recipe to have in your go to file.
Absolutely gorgeous, I’ve passed this link on to my family. WE can’t get enough now enough them, so moist and tasty and filling.
The best muffins I’ve ever made! Thank you
That’s great! I’m happy you loved it, Michelle.
Love this recipe I like to make this with my toddler because it doesn’t take too long to cook although I have to mix some of the ingredients before hand to make it less messy. Fluffy and delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe
That’s great to hear, Tamara! Thank you for your review.
I have never bothered to rate a recipe before but THIS recipe is worth it! These muffins are delicious! Moist and dense and my daughter and husband love them. Usually muffins are so hit and miss with my 4yo. She has a dairy allergy so we substituted the Greek yoghurt for Mango flavoured Almond-milk yoghurt and it worked very well. These will be getting cooked for a long time yet. Thank you! X
I’m happy you loved these, Sarah! Thank you for sharing.
Great recipe! Made these for my 9 month old with a few swaps. Left out the nuts, swapped the maple/honey for apple puree, and used currants instead of raisins — big hit! (PS Mom likes them too, hehe)
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Hannah.
Made these this morning , very good , will make again soon , next time I will not put them in a muffin paper cup because they don’t come out very easily , but great recipe Thanks
Can I use sugar instead of syrup or honey?
Hi Sandra, This recipe was designed to use a liquid sweetener so you won’t likely have the same results.
I made these today, and even though the oven temp seemed very high to me compared to when I bake other muffins, I tried them at 425 degrees like the recipe calls for, and they were burnt around the edges and bottom! Was thinking the 425 degrees was a misprint?
Hi Elaine, I’m sorry you had issues. I tested these several times and didn’t have that issue. Some ovens can vary with temperature, so maybe try a little less time next time.
I just made these and they are delicious, I used coconut manna and ran a little short on my plain Greek yogurt, so added a little Chobani lemon yogurt. The hint of lemon is really nice. Great texture and flavor!
The best carrot muffin I’ve ever had! Thank you for the recipe. QUESTION – is it okay to use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt? What effect would it have on the muffin? Just that yogurt is not something I generally have around.
Hi! I haven’t tried it, and it may work. Let me know!
These were wonderful! Neither sweet nor bland, but flavorful! I do think it tastes better with nuts than without, and seemed to rise higher whenever I included nuts.
I used King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat flour, maple syrup, and olive oil. I omitted the dried fruit and added a smattering on semi-sweet chocolate chips to appease my toddler.
Thank you so much for developing and sharing this recipe.
Thanks for your feedback about the nuts! I’m happy you enjoyed them so much, Anna. I appreciate your review.
I tried these and they were yummy!
Instead of turbinado sugar, I made a lowfat dairy topping. I mixed 1.5 C of nonfat plain greek yogurt with 2 T of maple syrup and 1 t of vanilla. Use a yogur that is a little firmer will do the best. Make sure everything is cool to minimize runniness. Kinda turns these from finger to fork food, but very tasty if you want to eat carrot cake without all the sat fat.
Made these the other day and they were delish! I did do a few things different. I used melted butter instead of oil, and I put it 1/2 cup of grated apple, then I totally forgot the yogurt! By force of habit I ended up baking them at 350 for 30 minutes and they still turned out yummy!! Wish I can put my pictures on here!! Thank you
Thank you for sharing, Aura! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
Am I able to make these in a mini muffin tin? If so, what would the adjustments to time/temp be?
Hi Jenna! Temp should be the same. You will want to cut your time in half and keep an eye on it. Let me know what you think!
Love love love these! I’m such a sucker and put dark chocolate chips in. So good.
Can I sub unbleached white flour?
Hi, that should be ok. I haven’t tried it to say for certain.
These were delicious and moist. Used vegan coconut yoghurt, doubled the cinnamon because I didnt have ginger, used hazelnuts and added some shredded coconut. A great alternative to your banana muffins, since I didnt have any! Thank you =)
Would almond flour work as a gluten free alternative? Or half gluten free all purpose flour/half almond flour?
Hi, almond flour isn’t a great substitute You could try a gluten free flour like Bob’s Red Mill or oat flour
I just made these last night and they turned out great!
I left out the walnuts and raisins and used a 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, instead, like I saw some people suggesting in the comments, which is a really fun add-in! Might add even more next time. I used a mixture of plain yogurt (3%) and sour cream (15%), which seemed to work well. I baked these as instructed for approx. 15 mins and I was a bit concerned about the browning around the edges, but they seem to have baked really well (I filled them right to the top, so they peaked a little, which I don’t mind!) and turned out super moist and fluffy!
I froze most of the muffins because there are only two of us – how would you recommend warming them up from frozen?
Thanks for the great recipe!
These are some of the best carrot muffins I have made. The only changes were subbing craisins for raisins, 1 3/4 tsp Penseys Pie spice for the cinnamon & nutmeg. I used a gluten free 1:1 flour and the option of honey over maple syrup. I left out the walnuts. I made mini muffins cooking in a 425° for 12 minutes. This recipe made 3 dozen mini muffins. They were fully cooked, moist and light. Full of flavor and will be using this again shortly. Thanks Kate for posting this recipe. It’s a keeper!
Thank you, Kelly! I’m happy you enjoyed them.
Muffins turned out great and will be added to my weekend breakfast-making regimen! I was concerned they would be dense because of how wet my carrots were, but they turned out fluffy and balanced. We left out nuts and used maple syrup to sweeten. One thing I won’t do next time is hand grate the carrots… talk about time consuming!
These muffins are great! I followed the recipe exactly, minus the nuts, and made mini muffins for my toddler. She loves them! Perfect way to sneak veggies in. However, I found they have a baking soda aftertaste. Any idea what could cause that? Thanks!
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use fresh baking soda and ensure you used the indicated amount? I’m glad you toddler enjoys them, Jen!
Hi I made them today I used olive oil hope it came good ..I will let you hnow how they come…from malta.
Hi,
I’m wondering for the vegan buttermilk option, which kind of vinegar to mix with non dairy milk. Could I mix almond milk with apple cider vinegar or what would you recommend?
Thanks!
Hi, My How to Make Buttermilk should help!
I actually combined this with another recipe on your site (healthy zucchini muffins). Essentially I used this recipe but I did 1.5 cups zucchini and 1/2 cup carrots, plus raisins and 1/3 oats in place of the nuts. I went with the lower cooking time (400).I did use less sweetener–2 tbsp, so added 1/4 applesauce–and they were really good! I actually think I might add more carrots next time just for the extra flavor, but they rose beautifully and were really moist and tasty.
Hello
I have made your carrot as well as your apple muffins. They were both a hit.
Blueberry muffins next
Have a great week
These muffins are delicious, but I’ve made them twice and used Almond Flour. I reduced the amt by 1/4 as recommended when I google substitutions, but the batter was extremely runny before I added the yogurt. I ended up adding at least another cup of almond flour and only half the yogurt and it was still too runny to scoop. I poured the batter in and they baked alright but didn’t rise. Are you sure all the ingredient amounts are correct?
Hi Marilee, Almond flour isn’t the best substitute for wheat flour. It doesn’t quite interact the same as to why your results were like that. A gluten free flour mix as noted in the substitutions could work, or oat flour could be a good option here. How to Make Oat Flour
Made these today. Simply awesome . Super moist. Thanks much for sharing this recipe with us.
You’re wlcome, Melanie! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely delightful! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Maude! I’m glad you loved it.
Picked a few too many carrots from my garden and wasn’t sure what to do with them. I ended up finding this recipe and the muffins turned out great! I couldn’t, for whatever reason, find plain greek yogurt but did find plain Icelandic Skyr and that seemed to work just as well in it’s place. Sprinkled the walnuts on top of the muffin rather than mix in (it looked nice lol) and added some grated apple to the carrots. Bookmarked and will make again!
Wonderful, Dan! Thank you for your review.
Hi how many calories per muffin. I made them and I’m obsessed
Thank u
Hi Nicci, the nutritional information is below the notes section of the recipe.
Wow the carrot muffins are sooo tasty. I have made them twice and I used dried mixed fruit instead of raisins. When I took them out of the oven I tasted one and I ended up eating 2. Made some for my friends at work and they cant have enough of them. Thank you so much. Will be making them for ever
These are amazing! I’ve just taken mine out of the oven and couldn’t resist eating one right away. I am in Australia, and so used wholemeal self raising flour and left out the baking powder. Also left out the walnuts as making for a 1 year old. Mix made 24 mini muffins with some left over for cake bars. Filled them to the brim and got lovely tops on them. Baked at 200C (not fan forced) for 13 minutes and just perfect! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes thank you so much xx
Yummy soft muffins. Even my hubby praised this recipe.
Thank you, Jean! I’m glad they were a hit with you and your husband.
These are the best carrot muffins we ever had! My kids love them and they’re gonna be a great addition to their lunch boxes. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Lana! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
I made these tonight and they are so delicious!!! Exceeded my expectations! I used maple syrup as the sweetener. No sugar on top and it didn’t need it!
I’m glad you loved them, Jody! Thank you for your review.
Love these! Thanks for the great recipe!
I preparado this muffins and they are just AMAZING light, fluffy and with just the right amount of spices every one loved them and they are soo easy thank you very much
That’s great, Veronica! I appreciate you making this recipe and for your review.
The “more nutritious” description caught my attention. I made them for my granddaughter. But everyone loves them. I used olive oil, golden raisins, finely chopped walnuts, & honey. I made them in my toaster oven, 6 at a time. The second batch which sat in fridge for about an hour got a much higher rise than the first. Next time, I’ll chill before baking. I also baked them for 20 minutes. Love them!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad your granddaughter enjoyed them.