Carrot Cake Muffins

Last updated on March 25th, 2019 at 06:00 pm

This incredible healthy Carrot Cake Muffins recipe come complete with a delicious streusel topping and pepitas for an extra crunch. 

Carrot Cake Muffins

Who doesn’t love fresh muffins right out of the oven? Smelling so incredible, your mouth watering and you just can’t wait to sink your teeth in them. I thought so! But you don’t have to go to your bakery to get them or use store bought mixes, you can make them from scratch because nothing tastes better than homemade freshly baked muffins.

These carrot cake muffins really are so quick to make and they are perfectly spiced with ginger, cinnamon and allspice then topped with an easy streusel topping and some pepitas for extra crunch. Muffin batters really are easy to make! Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, then the wet ingredients, then you put them together. Nothing to it.

What Ingredients Are In Carrot Cake Muffins

These muffins are so basic! What sets them apart from the rest is the perfect blend of spices, and a few secret ingredients to make these healthy muffins taste sinful.

For the streusel topping you’ll need:

• Flour
• Brown sugar
• Butter
• Pepitas aka pumpkin seeds (optional)

For the dry ingredients you’ll need:

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Allspice
• Salt

For the wet ingredients you’ll need:

• Eggs
• Applesauce
• Buttermilk
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Vanilla
• Grated carrots

How To Make Carrot Cake Muffins

Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and give each liner a quick spray with cooking oil to help them come off easier. If you don’t want to use muffin liners, you can just spray the muffin tin directly with cooking oil.

Prepare the streusel topping by mixing the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl using either a fork or a small whisk. Add the butter and mix until crumbly.

Start the batter by mixing the dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until the sugar begins to dissolve. Using a spatula, gently mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until everything is cohesive and fully mixed in.

Using a large ice cream or cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly among the 12 cups of your muffin tin. Sprinkle each muffin with the streusel, and top with pepitas. Bake for 20 minutes, or until your muffins are fully cooked. Let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then they are ready to serve!

What Else Can I Put In My Carrot Cake Muffins?

I kept these nice and basic, but you are free to add some fun mix-ins!

• Try dried fruits like raisins, cranberries, and chopped apricot.
• You can also use nuts! I love to use soft varieties like pecans and walnuts. These are also great substitutions for the pepitas used as a topping. Try out sliced almonds on top for a bit more crunch.
• Do you have a bit of a sweet tooth? Try out some chocolate chips. But, if you want to keep these healthier, you can add some diced apples for a bit of a sweet bite.

How To Tell When My Muffins Are Done Baking

Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of one of the muffins in the tin. If the toothpick comes out clean, your muffins are done baking. If there is any batter sticking to the toothpick, bak fro another 5-10 minutes at a time until the toothpick comes out clean. Use a new toothpick for each test.

Tips For Making The Perfect Carrot Cake Muffins

• Don’t over-mix because we want these muffins to be nice and light, rather than dense and chewy.
• Don’t worry about the batter being thick – it’s supposed to be.
• The applesauce in this recipe is used to replace oil. It’s a much healthier alternative, and I promise you won’t be able to tell the difference!
• No buttermilk handy in your fridge? That’s okay! Make your own with 1/2 cup of milk and two teaspoons of either lemon juice or white vinegar.
• You can replace the granulated sugar in this recipe with 3/8 cup maple syrup.

How To Store Carrot Cake Muffins

Store these muffins in either a plastic bag, plastic wrap, or an airtight container. They will last at room temperature for 3 days or in your fridge for 1 week. These are extra delicious if you reheat them for about 30 seconds in the microwave before digging in!

How To Freeze Carrot Cake Muffins

Wrap these muffins individually with either plastic wrap or foil, or you can place them all in a large freezer bag or airtight container. Reheat by putting them in the microwave for 1 minute, or until heated through.

DID YOU LOVE THESE MUFFINS? TRY THESE RECIPES!

• The Perfect Banana Muffins
• Apple Coffee Cake Muffins
• Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Jumbo Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins

Carrot Cake Muffins

This incredible healthy Carrot Cake Muffins recipe come complete with a delicious streusel topping and pepitas for an extra crunch.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot cake muffins, muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 138kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

For Streusel Topping

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
• 2 tsp butter unsalted, melted

For Muffins

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
• 1/4 tsp ginger ground
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups carrots grated
• 2 tbsp pepitas optional *

US Customary - Metric

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Instructions

• Prepare oven and muffin pan: Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and spray each liner with cooking spray. This will ensure paper liners come off smoothly from muffins.
• Prepare streusel topping: First prepare the streusel topping by combining the 2 tbsp of flour with the tbsp of brown sugar, breaking the sugar with a fork. Add the butter and stir in with a fork, or use your fingers to crumble up the mixture. Set aside.
• Prepare muffin batter: To prepare the muffin batter, first combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine properly.
• In another bowl add the eggs, applesauce, buttermilk, the sugars, vanilla extract and whisk well or use your mixer to mix properly. Using a spatula stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the grated carrots.
• Fill muffin cups with batter: Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter equally among the 12 cups.
• Top muffins with streusel: Sprinkle each muffin with some of the streusel topping and the pepitas.
• Bake: Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are done. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin and if it comes out clean the muffins are baked.
• Cool and serve: Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then remove and serve.

Watch How To Make It

Notes

* Pepitas is a Spanish culinary term for pumpkin seeds.

I used applesauce in this recipe to make the muffins low fat and a bit healthier but you can substitute the applesauce with equal amount vegetable oil.

To make these muffins even healthier you could substitute pure maple syrup for the sugars in equal amount.

Feel free to add nuts or raisins to these muffins as well.

To store muffins for a few days, line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels. Line up your muffins in the container, then top with another layer of paper towels, then seal with the lid. The paper towels will absorb the extra moisture and your muffins will retain their texture and flavor for up to 4 days.

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.42g | Protein: 3.87g | Fat: 2.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.839g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.519g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.676g | Trans Fat: 0.033g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 8.57g | Vitamin A: 134% | Vitamin C: 2% | Calcium: 6% | Iron: 8%

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