Carrot Cake Muffins
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If you love carrot cake, then you are going to love this carrot cake muffin recipe. These muffins are made with lots of shredded carrots, pecans, and sweetened coconut and they mix up in minutes! No mixer needed.
If you’re a carrot cake fan like I am then you are going to fall in love with these bakery style carrot cake muffins. I use lots of fresh carrots, warm spices, toasted pecans and sweetened coconut for the ultimate breakfast treat. These muffins have a tender, moist crumb and wonderfully easy to mix up.
And for bakery style muffins I recommend letting the batter rest before baking, filling the batter up to the top of the muffin liners, and baking only every other muffin well. These three tricks is what makes for a really tall muffin.
I love making these muffins for Easter when a fun, easy brunch treat is needed. They’re perfect to serve with a cup of coffee (maybe a chai coffee?) But you could make this delicious carrot muffin recipe any time you want!
Table of contents
Why this recipe works
- Quick to prep – This carrot cake muffin batter take about 15 minutes to mix up!
- No mixer needed – You only need a spatula and whisk to mix up the batter.
- Great to freeze – You can freeze these carrot muffins before they are baked, and after they are baked!
Ingredients Needed
- All purpose flour – Be sure to measure your flour correctly or you will end up with dry muffins.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Spices – I use a combination of ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own buttermilk using regular whole milk with a little bit of lemon juice! You can also use a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar. You could also use almond milk to make a homemade buttermilk to keep it dairy free. Check out my full tutorial on how to make homemade buttermilk.
- Egg – Use room temperature eggs. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before starting. Here is my full tutorial on how to bring eggs to room temperature fast.
- Oil – Use a neutral-tasting oil like vegetable oil or canola oil. You could also use melted butter but your muffins might a bit more dense. Read my full tutorial on oil vs. butter in quick breads.
- Vanilla extract
- Grated Carrots – You can shred the carrots by hand using a box grater or use a food processor if you want them more finely shredded. You will need about 4 large carrots. I don’t recommend using pre-shredded carrots as they can be too coarse and large.
- Pecans – I like to stir in toasted pecans. I toast the pecan halves then chop finely. You could also use toasted walnuts, or skip entirely if there is a nut allergy. Read my full tutorial on how to toast pecans.
- Coconut – You can use sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Coarse sugar – For sprinkling on top. I sprinkle on a little turbinado sugar on top of each muffin before baking.
How To Make Carrot Cake Muffins
Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon ginger, nutmeg and baking powder.
Combine wet ingredients. In a second large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.
Fold in carrots, coconut and walnuts.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until just combined.
Let the batter rest. For the best results I like to let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes (this results in a taller muffins).
Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 400oF (205oC). Line two muffin tins with alternately paper liners, or grease with non-stick cooking spray. I line the pan with only 6 liners each (skipping every other well). This makes for taller muffins.
Assemble. For each muffin, Spoon batter into prepared muffin filling up to the top.
Bake the muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool completely in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.
Recipe Tips
- Do not overmix. Mix the batter just until the dry ingredients are incorporated so you end up with a tender muffin. Yes there will be lumps left but thats ok. If you continue stirring you will create tough strands of gluten which result in a very chewy muffin.
- Fill the muffin cups up to the top. To get tall muffins with high muffin tops, you want to fill the paper liners up to the top so they have a domed top. This gives you that beautiful muffin top when it bakes!
- Skip every other muffin well. I like to line every other muffin well so each muffin tin only makes six. That way more heat gets to each muffin and makes for taller bakery-style muffins.
- Use a large ice cream scoop. This will ensure even scooping and same sized muffins.
Recipe Variations
- Add a streusel topping. You can sprinkle on a little brown sugar crumb topping before they bake. You can use my blueberry streusel muffins recipe for the streusel!
- Use gluten free flour. Swap the all purpose flour and use gluten free flour to make gluten free muffins.
- Make them whole wheat. You can swap some of the all purpose flour and use whole wheat flour.
- Add a cream cheese glaze. You could always make a cream cheese frosting and top each muffin with it! Or try my cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
- Serve with a warm butter! Try my cinnamon honey butter or my classic honey butter on top.
Storage Instructions
I store my muffins, on cooled at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days (but they usually can last a couple more) but I find they’re best if eaten within a couple days. Just make sure they are cooled and covered. I like to wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large freezer bag.
You can freeze any leftover muffins as well. I store them in a sealable plastic bag for 3 months and thaw at room temperature before enjoying. If unbaked, I scoop the muffins in to the liners and freeze solid then transfer and pop in a bag to freeze for up to 3 months. And bake frozen, do not thaw, as normal but add a few minutes more of baking time.
Recipe FAQs
You absolutely can skip using them if you want to. I used cupcake liners to make life a little easier. Just make sure to not only butter/grease the wells of the pan, but all around the top of the muffin pan as well. That way, when the muffins rise and create that beautiful top they don’t get stuck to the top of your muffin pan.
There are two reasons that your muffins may have fallen flat.
* Insufficient or expired leavening agent
* Underbaked
This recipe makes for a perfect 12 muffins. If you only have one 12-cup muffin pan, then you can just bake them next to each other. They may not bake up quite as high.
I wouldn’t say they are healthy as they are still made with white flour and sugars. But if you wanted to make them healthier you could try swapping half of the oil for applesauce. Use half whole wheat flour to make them a bit more nutritious.
More Recipes To Try
If you’re craving more carrot cake, then be sure to try my carrot cake oatmeal cookies topped with cream cheese frosting! Or this easy carrot cake loaf topped with a cream cheese glaze.
And of course you can’t go wrong with my carrot cake cupcakes for Easter!
Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (107 g) packd light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (120 mL) neutral-tasting oil (I used vegetable)
- 6 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups finely shredded carrots about 4 large
- ½ cup (57 g) toasted chopped pecans (or walnuts)
- ½ cup (43 g) shredded sweetened coconut
Instructions
- Combine dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon ginger, nutmeg and baking powder. 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar ½ cup (107 g) packd light brown sugar ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- Combine wet ingredients. In a second mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla. Fold in the carrots, pecans, and coconut just until moistened. 2 large eggs ½ cup (120 mL) neutral-tasting oil (I used vegetable) 6 tablespoons milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups finely shredded carrots ½ cup (57 g) toasted chopped pecans (or walnuts) ½ cup (43 g) shredded sweetened coconut
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula until just combined.
- Let the batter rest. For the best results I like to let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes (this results in a taller muffins).
- Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat oven to 400°F (205℃). Line two muffin tins with alternately paper liners, or grease with non-stick cooking spray. I line the pan with only 6 liners each (skipping every other well). This makes for taller muffins.
- Assemble. For each muffin, Spoon batter into prepared muffin filling up to the top.
- Bake the muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool completely in the pan for about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and continue cooling on a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Storage: I store my muffins, on cooled at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days (but they usually can last a couple more) but I find they’re best if eaten within a couple days. Just make sure they are cooled and covered. I like to wrap in plastic wrap and place in a large freezer bag.
- Freezing: You can freeze any leftover muffins as well. I store them in a sealable plastic bag for 3 months and thaw at room temperature before enjoying. If unbaked, I scoop the muffins in to the liners and freeze solid then transfer and pop in a bag to freeze for up to 3 months. And bake frozen, do not thaw, as normal but add a few minutes more of baking time.
- Oil – Use a neutral-tasting oil like vegetable oil or canola oil. You could also use melted butter but your muffins might a bit more dense.
- Grated Carrots – You can shred the carrots by hand using a box grater or use a food processor if you want them more finely shredded. You will need about 4 large carrots. I don’t recommend using pre-shredded carrots as they can be too coarse and large.
- Pecans – I like to stir in toasted pecans. I toast the pecan halves then chop finely. You could also use walnuts, or skip entirely if there is a nut allergy.
- Coconut – You can use sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut.
Wow. These were great. I decided I was saving the recipe after my first bite.
I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks for saving the recipe—I hope you make them again soon!