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.
Made these twice already and my husband and I love them. They are the perfect amount of sweet and moist. It’s great to have something like this to snack on throughout the week.
Thanks! Have been looking for a good breakfast muffin that’s healthy and this was really good (made as directed)! I will definitely be trying the other recipes that you have links for…1 request would be to provide the nutritional information, please. THANK YOU!!
Hi Carol, I’m glad you enjoyed it. The nutritional information is below the recipe notes. You just need to click to expand. I hope that helps!
I’m so glad I found your website. I made these without yogurt because I didn’t have any at home and they still came out divine. Used a mix of honey and maple syrup. Perfect amount of sweetness, it’s everything I’ve been looking for. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to trying the other recipes.
I’m glad to hear that, Sakia! I appreciate your review.
Could I substitute wheat bran for the flour? If so, how much?
Thanks!
Hi Liz, since I haven’t tried it I can’t say for sure.
Do you squeeze the moisture out of the carrot or leave it in?
I didn’t find the need to remove the moisture. Let me know what you think, Eve!
Sooo delicious! Just made these for my kids and hope I save some for them before they cool off :) Thank you for so many great recipes!
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Katie! I appreciate your review.
Just made these and like others have mentioned they were not cooked through in the middle and burnt on the outside. What went wrong?! So sad to have to toss these.
Hi Phil, I’m sorry to hear that. How long did you bake them for?
Hi Kate, I love your recipes but wish you included grams for those of us who prefer to use a kitchen scale when baking! I head to other sites because of that. Are you planning to update recipes anytime soon? Thanks so much!
Hi Ruth, I don’t have a great plug-in option for the blog at the moment. Maybe in the future!
Just made these. I’ve been meaning to for ages. They are lovely. Full of yummy things and not overloaded with sugar.
Great recipe, thank you.
These are the best carrot muffins I have ever tasted! They are so tasty and I love the slight slight coconut oil flavor that comes through. I had an overabundance of carrots at home and found this recipe when I searched, and I’m so glad I decided to give them a shot. All the spices, golden raisins and walnut are so very yummy together. And of course the carrots as well! For sweetener I used maple syrup. I will definitely make these muffins again next when I have a lot of carrots on hand again.
That’s wonderful to hear, Annika.
These were delicious! I used whole wheat flour and fat-free Greek yogurt, and subbed out 1/2 c. brown sugar for the maple syrup. I also skipped the walnuts and raisins – just didn’t have any on hand. Even with all of this, they still turned out amazing! Moist and just the right amount of sweet and spice. Will definitely be making this versatile recipe again.
The carrot muffin video making process keeps cutting out -do you happen to have a direct link for it? Thank you
Hi Renee, I’m sorry that was your experience. It is available on my You Tube channel
Hi Kate, I’m planning on baking this in a loaf tin. How long would you recommend baking it for?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. It will need more time, but without trying it I don’t have specifics.
Hi Nicole,
I baked (minus the nuts) in a parchment paper lined loaf tin at 350 for 55 mins. Came out perfect!
I love these muffins but they always come out flat. They look like they are rising in the oven but when I take them out they just drop. I must be doing something wrong????
Hi Claire, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you cooking at an elevation?
I have made these several times and love them but….everytime I make them they come out flat. They looked they are rising in the oven but then deflate when the come out. I even bought a new tin of baking powder thinking that was the problem but still the same. I must be doing something wrong??? I use coconut oil and maple syrup as the recipe calls for. Help….
Hi Claire, I’m sorry to hear that. Are you baking at an elevation?
Quite disappointed as I followed to recipe to the letter ever batch turned out burned on the outside and uncooked inside any longer and they would have just burned more.You have to have honey at a lower temp about 325 or it will burn I would go with a cooking temp of lower than 350 definatly Because again of the hone. Wasted 4 hours of work and a lot of ingredients to waste. Carrots bought yesterday just to have burned muffins on the outside and not cooked on the inside.
Hi Naomi, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out great for you. I have made these several times without issue. How did you grease your muffin tin? Too much could cause them to bake unevenly.
Tried these yesterday. Made two batches and very little left. Everyone loved them. It needs a bit more sweetening (I used sugar free maple syrup- probably that’s why)
Will definitely save this recipe and make it often. Very easy to make.
My husband’s diabetic and his sugar didn’t go up after eating 3 of these and he didn’t have to put extra insulin as he does for any flour baked item.
I’m glad you are going to save this recipe to make again, Sam! I appreciate your review.
Turned out perfectly!! Always a bit hit and miss with whether online recipes actually work but this is the best healthy muffins recipes I’ve found!! Brilliant! I also added dates and sunflower seeds
Just made these for my kids who are home from school with colds. Made them in mini trays for 10mins and they came out perfect! Used regular whole wheat flour and the kids couldn’t tell. Amazing recipe! Thanks.
These muffins are delicious (even my g/f version with almond flour and cornmeal) but baking them without paper cupcake cups was an utter disaster! I guess my muffin tins are not non-stick!
Thank you, I’m a huge fan.
Have tried your healthy banana muffins and blueberry muffins and now wanting to try these.
Can you suggest should I do fine carrot shredding or medium carrot shredding if I am using a food processor?
Hi Sana, You don’t want them pulverized, but you want them more fine (see the process images). I hope you love them!
I have been making these for my son’s preschool lunchbox but the whole family loves them. Found them slightly too sweet for our small person so halved the maple syrup and have been throwing in a ripe banana instead (just to use it up!). We also leave out the nuts but sprinkle a few pumpkin seeds on top with the sugar. Yum, thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for sharing, Chantelle! I appreciate your review.
My muffins came out practicaly wet on the inside. I cooked them for way longer than I should have since I saw they were still soft inside. I followed the recipe but used Bobs 1:1 to make it gf. Not sure if that was the problem.
Hi Daniella, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you carrots seem extra moist?
Made this exactly as recipe, except left out nuts and raisins, baked at 425 for 13 minutes as directed and they were perfect!!! Used maple syrup and egg whites. Moist, delicious and healthy. Will definitely make these muffins regularly! Thanks, Kate.
I’m glad you enjoyed these muffins, Lynda! I appreciate your review.
Made these carrot muffins last night & they are absolutely delicious! I always replace the oil with 3T of unsweetened apple sauce & 2T avocado oil with great success. It lowers the fat and the muffins come out great. Used regular organic raisins instead of golden as that’s what I had. I also always use Blueberry Greek yogurt to add a little extra sweetness – yum. Finally, I added 6 packets of stevia to the dry ingredients bec I don’t use turbinado sugar. Another healthy & delicious muffin recipe Kate, thanks so much!!!!
Amazing! Just what I was looking for. I used avocado oil, honey, and Bob’s Red Mill whole wheat pastry flour. I was worried about the temp, so I baked at 400 for 24 minutes. I checked at 19 minutes and added 5 minutes. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you enjoyed these carrot muffins, Sue! I appreciate your review.
WoW so so so good!!! Loved them
I’m a muffin fan and I make some all the time and I have to say these are the best carrot muffins I ever had
I’m glad you loved them, Romy! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Hello,
I just made these using the leftover pulp from my juicer: carrots, beets, and peeled apples. I baked them at 425F for about 10 minutes, then after reading the comments I lowered the heat and baked them for about 16 more minutes, testing for doneness after 20. Best “carrot” muffins I ever made. Quite funky looking too: the beets turned them purple.
Can I sub dates for maple syrup?
Hi Simeen, I don’t think that will work well here. Sorry! I hope you try this recipe.
We ABSOLUTELY LOVE these muffins. Also, I so appreciate all of your alternatives!!! We just found out our daughter can’t have eggs. I love these muffins as a breakfast option… still healthy and getting some veggies in! :) These are so delicious! Thank you Cookie … And Kate!! :)
oOoOO delicious! Thank you, Kate. I used Einkorn flour and oatmilk with vinegar for yogurt. The rise was beautiful. I made a double recipe and put half in a muffin tin and the other half in a loaf pan.
do I have to put baking soda?
Hi, you need all the ingredients this recipe calls for in order to get them to turn out. I hope you try it!
These are absolutely fantastic! A big hit with everyone who tried them. Next time I would probably add more spices but that’s just a personal preference. Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe will be using this one over and over and over!
Thank you for sharing, Jessica!
Another winner. I loved them, my toddler loved them, and my husband loved them. Baked exactly as written. I was a little nervous about the baking since others mentioned some burning, but mine came out perfect!
Wonderful, Jamie!
Can i put this in a loaf pan and bake?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.
Fantastic recipe – thank you!
You’re welcome, Gisele! I’m glad you loved it.
These turned out lightly sweet and fluffy! I used maple syrup and EVOO. I have a two year old I call the “muffin man” and he likes them, too. It’s an easy food to keep in the fridge for a few days for breakfast or snacks.
I’m glad these muffins were a hit, Sarah!
I followed this recipe but subbed cranberries for nuts and and a bit of brown sugar instead of maple syrup . Fantastic flavor.
Thank you for sharing how you made these muffins!
always add my touches- used healthy dried fruit mix and chocolate bits and it was wonderful. now make them regularly- always with variations..
Thank you for sharing how you made these muffins, Janice!
I just loved these! So delicious! I substituted the raisins with chopped dried apricot as they are less sugary. I used a liquid form of Splenda brown sugar blend instead of maple syrup or honey to further reduce sugar. Sprinkled the tops with Splenda brown sugar blend. Turned out so well! Love that they are made with yoghurt. Great flavour! Even my kids love them. Thanks for sharing the recipe
Hi Kate, any suggestions for making this more orange in color? What about adding some mashed or pureed carrots (and if so, what other modifications to the other ingredients would you guesstimate off the top of your head)? Thanks so much!
Hi A, I’m not sure why you want to make them more orange? You could try a natural food coloring, I guess? I prefer this recipe as is.
I made these last night and they turned out amazing! This is the only recipe I use for carrot muffins. I used sour cream instead of yogurt because I didn’t have any. I had them in at 425 for 15 minutes and took them out of the pan right away. They turned out perfect, just like the photos.
Hi Kate, any suggestions on how I could make this look more orange for a toddler? If I were to use some pureed carrots, any ideas off the top of your head to experiment with in adjusting the other ingredients? Thanks so much!
Hi A, I don’t have great guidance for you without changing the recipe. Sorry!
Delicious, easy to make muffins, thank you! Will bake again. I used plain flour (all I had in pantry), 2heaped tsp of bicarbonate soda (didn’t have baking powder), 3 mini carrots, vegetable oil as substitutes/options.
These weren’t a hit in my house. I’ve recently cut sugar out of my diet and am looking for healthier baking options. I made the banana muffins a few weeks ago and they were fantastic! I’m not sure what went wrong with these.
I mostly followed the recipe. I used equal parts whole wheat, white whole wheat and oat flours. I also added a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds. I used half and half maple syrup and honey (I didn’t have enough of either). I also added 1/4 cup coconut, chopped walnuts and a few tablespoons of applesauce for sweetness. I increased the amount of cinnamon to give them more spice.
They actually baked just fine. The texture was perfect. But something about the flavor was off. I can’t quite figure out what. At first they just tasted bland. The next day the flavor was better but slightly off. I made a cream cheese frosting for my kids and they ate them without complaint.
My biggest problem, however, is that for some reason they tasted terrible two days after I made them. I mean so bad I had to rinse my mouth several times to get the taste out. My son said they tasted like burnt molasses. I agree it was a definite bitter or sour taste. But not sweet at all. Anyone else have a similar experience? Did the yogurt spoil? Was it the taste of carrot mixing with something else? I threw out half a batch because no one would eat them after they went bad, even my husband who eats anything.
I’ve cooked a lot with whole wheat flours, flaxseeds, coconut and nuts. I’ve never had anything like this happen. I’m new to baking with oat flour, coconut oil and alternative sweeteners. Do those go bad after a few days? Should I have stored them in the refrigerator? Any other ideas?
I really wanted to like these but I’m pretty discouraged to try them again! I’m giving them three stars because they baked fine. And maybe I did something wrong that caused the bitter flavor–just can’t figure out what!
Hi, I’m sorry you didn’t love these. Unfortunately, the changes you made likely impacted your results. How did you store the muffins? Since I didn’t use those specific ingredients (flax, applesauce, coconut) I can’t speak to why the taste may have changed a few days later. Sounds like they spoiled.
These are edible, but 425 is much too hot for muffins. I get that you want them to rise quickly, but I should have gone with my gut and lowered the temperature. I am an experienced baker, so I should have known better. In less time than your instructions state, they were burnt. And my oven is perfectly calibrated. And I followed your ingredients and instructions to a T. So this can’t be blamed on anything else. I see that many other people in the comments had this problem too. This is an older recipe, but it ranks high in searches, so at the very least I think you should note a lower cooking temp option and adjusted time, because it’s a shame to waste ingredients.
Hi Lauren, I’m sorry you had issues. I have made this recipe several times without concerns. I appreciate you sharing your experience and feedback.
I made these today with coconut oil and maple syrup. I put the carrots in a food processor vs grating them and omitted the raisins. They came out perfectly cooked and taste delicious!
That’s great, Lindsay! I’m glad you enjoy these muffins.
Just made a batch of these muffins and I can’t believe how horrible they are. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out wet and sticky. I left them in the oven for more 20 minutes and they were still raw inside. They are going straight to the garbage . Waste of ingredients .
Hi Ivetta, I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like the measuring wasn’t quite correct or maybe there weren’t eggs added?
I just made this recipe with oat flour instead of regular flour and currants instead of raisins. It’s delicious!
That’s great to hear, Nickie!
I usually don’t comment on recipes but I am very impressed with this one. I made a few substitutions for what I had on hand and they were delicious!! I used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt, I used fresh chopped cherries instead of carrots, and I used shredded coconut instead of raisins or Walnuts. I also used sugar free Maple syrup. I will definitely make these again!!
I’m glad you did, Alana! Thank you for your review.