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Home » Muffins & Bread » Carrot Muffins

Carrot Muffins

Published: Mar 23, 2022 by Allison · 63 Comments

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Tender and moist Carrot Muffins are the perfect way to start the day. They are filled with grated carrots, applesauce, and cinnamon, and they can be topped with a smear of cream cheese frosting or served plain – either way, they’re delicious!

Our carrot cake obsession continues. We’ve shared Carrot Cake Cookies, Pumpkin Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, and Healthy Carrot Cake. But, it’s time we have carrot cake for breakfast. Don’t you agree? Carrot Muffins it is!

Carrot muffin topped with frosting and chopped walnuts.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Ease: The muffin batter comes together in under 20 minutes without an electric mixer.

Flavor: The classic flavors of carrot cake! Sweet muffins with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Options to add walnuts or orange zest.

Texture: Grated carrots and applesauce help to make these muffins soft and moist.

Versatility: Looking for a slightly healthier muffin? Try the ingredient swaps mentioned below. Want them a bit more indulgent? Top wit our small batch of cream cheese frosting.

Carrot muffin in a brown cupcake wrapper.

Recipe overview

Muffins:

Combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, leavening, and salt.

Whisk the wet ingredients: oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and applesauce.

Sugar, eggs, applesauce in a glass bowl

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Flour, cinnamon, eggs, sugar, in a glass bowl.

Add grated carrots and stir until combined.

Carrot muffin batter in a glass bowl.

Scoop the batter into muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Carrot muffin batter in a muffin tin

Cream cheese frosting (optional):

This small batch of frosting makes just enough for a smear of frosting on top of each muffin. If you’d prefer a more generous amount of frosting, feel free to double the frosting portion of the recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Cream cheese
  • Butter
  • Powdered sugar
  • Flavorings: vanilla, cinnamon, or orange zest

Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and the flavoring of your choice and beat until smooth and combined. Spread the frosting onto the tops of each muffin using a butter knife or small offset spatula.

Carrot muffin with a large bite taken out of it.

Recipe tips

  • Grate the carrots using the small holes of a box grater. Grating the carrots fine allows them to soften and almost melt into the cake while it’s baking.
  • To properly measure flour: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, scoop a heaping portion, and level it off with the back of a knife.
  • For a more prominent cinnamon flavor, add extra cinnamon (up to 2 teaspoons total) or use cinnamon flavored applesauce in the muffin batter.
  • Flavor your cream cheese frosting with either vanilla, cinnamon, or orange zest. All three flavors pair great with the muffins.

Healthier options

If you’d like to make a few ingredient swaps to make these muffins “healthier” you can do any of the following:

  • Reduce the sugar to ½ cup
  • Use a heart healthy oil (like olive oil)
  • Swap half of the all purpose flour for white whole wheat flour
  • Omit the frosting
  • Add ¼ cup chopped walnuts into the muffin batter

More muffin recipes

  • Pumpkin Muffins
  • Lemon Blueberry Muffins
  • Banana Nut Muffins
  • Raspberry Muffins

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Carrot muffin in a brown wrapper on a wire rack

Carrot Muffins

These tender and moist Carrot Muffins are the perfect way to start the day. Top them with cream cheese frosting or enjoy them plain – either way, they're delicious!
4.95 from 35 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 10 – 12
Calories: 214kcal
Author: Allison – Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Muffins:

  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour , see note*
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon , increase to 2 teaspoons, if desired
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1-½ cups FINELY grated carrots, loosely measured, not packed (about 2 medium-large carrots)

Frosting:

  • 2 ounces cream cheese , softened to cool room temp
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened to cool room temp
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more, if needed
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or finely grated zest of ½ a small orange
  • ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts, optional garnish

Instructions

Cupcakes:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 10-12 paper liners or grease the muffin cups. Set aside.
  • Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk oil, applesauce, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until almost fully combined. Stir in carrots.
  • Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about ⅔ full (depending on how large your muffin cups are you will fill between 10 and 12 muffin cups). Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and salt until combined. Add powdered sugar and flavoring of choice and beat until well combined (starting the mixer slow then increasing the speed). Add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken, if necessary. This frosting can also be placed in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to thicken up.
    Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to frost the top of each muffin. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if desired.

Notes

*To properly measure flour: Fluff the flour with your measuring cup, then scoop a heaping cup and level it off with the back of a knife.
Nutrition facts include frosting.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 2834IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
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Comments

  1. Carol

    June 25, 2021 at 7:10 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is the bomb, first time I made them they were fantastic! I am making them right now as I’m typing this…love them! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Allison

      June 25, 2021 at 10:13 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      Reply
    • Farrah

      September 11, 2022 at 1:30 pm

      5 stars
      Love these, they turned out super yummy. My whole life i wasnt much of a cream cheese frosting person, but last couple of months ive been eating it. And now i made this frosting. Im happy with outcome. I used grated orange zest,so good. Thank you for the recipe. I love it❤️

      Reply
      • Allison

        September 16, 2022 at 11:57 am

        Great idea to add orange zest! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂

  2. Jan

    October 19, 2021 at 1:15 am

    5 stars
    Have tried this recipe three times and each has turned out nice and moist and light. I get eleven largish muffins out of this recipe. The last batch I added a half tspn of ginger and a quater tspn nutmeg and a handful of chopped walnuts. These haven’t cooled enought to try yet but they feel nice and light .

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 19, 2021 at 10:26 am

      Thanks for the kind review. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Cara Lisica

    October 30, 2021 at 6:57 am

    5 stars
    Made the carrot muffins for my family. What a hit! Moist and tasty. Delicious!

    Reply
    • Allison

      November 01, 2021 at 8:31 am

      Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Joanne Morrison

    January 26, 2022 at 4:59 pm

    5 stars
    These are excellent moist muffins. I made mini muffins and they were a great hit with the grandkids. Recipe makes 30 minis. Very good!

    Reply
    • Allison

      February 01, 2022 at 10:19 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment.

      Reply
  5. Erin

    March 24, 2022 at 8:21 am

    5 stars
    These were moist and delicious! Will definitely be making again.

    Reply
  6. Natalie

    March 24, 2022 at 9:37 am

    5 stars
    It’s carrot season, and I can’t wait to make these carrot muffins. They look fantastic. Love added applesauce for moist texture. Thanks. I will bake them tomorrow.

    Reply
  7. Wendy

    August 22, 2022 at 10:06 am

    Just made these muffins with the grandkids and the smell delectable and look very fluffy! Kids said thumbs up!!! That means they are delicious! 😊

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 23, 2022 at 9:49 am

      I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  8. Audrey-Anne E

    September 19, 2022 at 8:37 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!! Instead of the frosting, I add almonds on top.

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 23, 2022 at 1:41 pm

      Yum! Glad you enjoyed them. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Jenny

    October 17, 2022 at 9:30 am

    Absolutely love these muffins, I have been making these muffins for the past few months using fresh carrots from my garden. They are SO GOOD 😊

    Reply
  10. Barbara

    January 14, 2023 at 6:00 pm

    5 stars
    Love the recipe for carrot cake muffins especially the batter.

    Reply
    • Allison

      January 16, 2023 at 9:07 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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