The best Healthy Carrot Muffins with applesauce, oatmeal or oat bran, whole wheat flour and honey. Your family will love when you add them to your healthy muffin recipes!
Carrot baked goods always turn out so delicious and moist! Like my healthy carrot cake, healthy carrot cake bars, or almond flour carrot cake.
Table of contents
Healthy carrot muffins are naturally sweetened, moist and fluffy! With no added sugar plus loaded with nuts and raisins, these carrot muffins make for a healthy breakfast recipe or afternoon snack.
Carrots are amazing in baked goods; they make muffins sweet and moist with no need to add a cup of refined sugar and oil. Try them next in carrot cake baked oatmeal!
These oatmeal carrot muffins are a nutrition power house! Not to mention even my kids can make them for healthy snacks and then enjoy with a glass of cold milk.
What Makes These Oatmeal Carrot Muffins Healthy?
- Whole grain flour is not stripped of essential vitamins and nutrients like all purpose flour, plus the addition of oats or oat brans adds fiber!
- Applesauce is being used in place of oil resulting in a low fat muffin!
- Muffins are naturally sweetened without the use of white refined sugar.
- Carrots are known for being high in vitamin A, plus because of their sweet taste, these hearty muffins are similar in taste to carrot cake!
Ingredients for Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Carrots: You will need approximately 2-3 large carrots or 5-6 small/medium sized. I prefer to buy organic carrots. Use the small side of your grater or a vegetable peeler to shred carrots.
- Applesauce: Adds moisture instead of using oil, I prefer to use unsweetened to keep these healthy carrot muffins lower in sugar. Instead of applesauce you can use plain regular or Greek yogurt.
- Honey or maple syrup: This ingredient adds a bit of sweetness without refined sugar.
- Eggs: Adds lift and binding.
- Baking essentials and spices: Vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Whole wheat flour: I much prefer using whole wheat flour or spelt flour in baking. If you avoid gluten, check out these basic almond flour muffins made with almond flour.
- Oat bran or oats: Adds healthy fiber for aiding in digestion. I love using oats in these healthy strawberry muffins, too!
- Add-ins: I love to use raisins and walnuts for a healthy carrot cake muffin taste, but feel free to use your favorite dried fruit or nut.
How to Make Healthy Carrot Muffins
There is a full recipe card below.
1. Combine liquid and leavening agents: First, whisk eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then, add applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well to fully combine.
2. Add carrots: Stir in grated carrots. Please don’t squeeze shredded carrots. The wonderful juice will ensure your muffins are flavorful and moist.
3. Add dry ingredients: Now it’s time to incorporate dry ingredients one by one. First, add oat bran or oats. Then add whole wheat flour; gently mix until combined. Do not over mix!
4. Stir in raisins and nuts.
5. Bake for 25 minutes: Place batter evenly into a muffin tin. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool and enjoy: I always let my muffins cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Variations
Want to customize healthy carrot muffins to your tastes and what you have on hand? Feel free to try these options!
- Tropical muffins: Add 1/2 cup chopped (gently squeezed if from a can) pineapple chunks and 1/4 cup coconut flakes.
- Different warming spices: Use ground cloves or ground allspice vs. the normal carrot cake warming spices called for in this recipe.
- Sweeter muffins: Sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking!
- Topping: After muffins have cooled, use drizzle from healthy coffee cake to make take these from healthy carrot muffins to healthy carrot cake muffins!
- Frosting: Transform your muffins into dessert with healthy Greek yogurt frosting!
FAQs
I have not tried but I believe so. Muffins will rise less and will have more hearty chewy texture. Please do not confuse with steel cut oats though.
Baking is a science and gluten free flour like almond flour or coconut flour will not bake the same, so I do not recommend this substitution. Try these healthy strawberry oatmeal bars with an almond flour crust!
You can’t use liquid stevia because it will throw off dry and wet ingredients ratio and muffins will not turn out. The same goes for any dry sweetener.
You can bake bigger or smaller muffins but increase and decrease bake time accordingly for this healthy breakfast idea. Always do a toothpick test.
For a vegan egg free option learn how to make a flax egg or chia egg.
Yes! Just omit the nuts or add in some sunflower seeds.
I usually keep them on the counter for a few days. At that point, if any are left (happened only once here), I pop them into the fridge to prevent dry and stale carrot muffins. You can also freeze muffins up to 3 months. In fact, you can freeze any muffins like savory broccoli cheese egg muffins or sweet banana applesauce muffins!
More Healthy Muffins Recipes
- Healthy pumpkin muffins
- Cranberry orange muffins
- Healthy chocolate muffins
- Healthy chocolate chip muffins
- Healthy blueberry muffins
- Healthy morning glory muffins
Browse through all my favorite healthy muffin recipes!
Best Healthy Carrot Muffins with Applesauce
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots packed
- 1 cup oat bran or quick/rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat or spelt flour
- 1/3 cup raisins or chopped dates not packed
- 1/3 cup nuts coarsely chopped (walnuts (I used cheaper pieces rather than whole), pecans, hazelnuts)
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray non-stick 12 muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add eggs and whisk for 15 seconds. Add applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, salt and whisk well to combine.
- Add carrots and stir a few times. Add oat bran or oats and whole wheat flour; gently mix until combined. Do not over mix. Stir in raisins and nuts.
- Distribute batter evenly between 12 openings of a tin (I used a regular ice cream scoop) and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Let muffins cool for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool off completely.
Store: Refrigerate in a glass airtight container for up to 1 week.
Freeze: In an airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator or on counter for 3-4 hours.
Video
Notes
- Can I use quick cooking steel cut oats: I have not tried but I believe so. Muffins will rise less and will have more hearty chewy texture. Please do not confuse with steel cut oats though.
- Yogurt: Instead of applesauce you can use plain regular or Greek yogurt.
- Jumbo or mini muffins: You can bake bigger or smaller muffins but increase and decrease bake time accordingly. Always do a toothpick test.
- Can I use almond flour? Baking is a science and gluten free flour like almond flour or coconut flour will not bake the same, so I do not recommend this substitution.
- Can I use liquid stevia or erythritol? You can’t use liquid stevia because it will throw off dry and wet ingredients ratio and muffins will not turn out. The same goes for any dry sweetener.
- Egg free: Try how to make a flax egg or chia egg.
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes without permission. Nutritional info is approximate.
Hi! Can you help me? I made the muffins and basically ended up with dough balls that didn’t really rise or resemble a muffin. I have no idea what I did wrong!
Hi Crystal. Did you make any substitutions in the ingredients? Do you know how fresh your baking soda and baking powder are? Just some thoughts.
I am making a double batch of this recipe right now! We gobbled them up so fast last time I made them. They are delicious!! I love how versatile the recipe is. I added some mashed banana since I was short on apple sauce. I also added shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, pecans AND frozen blueberries! Yum!!
Love this! A double batch sounds like a must. And you can always freeze them too!
That sounds like putting a cherry on top. Can’t wait to try.
Please don’t be shy to write back and let me know how you liked the muffins!
Just made these! So yummy. I woke up at 4 and couldn’t sleep, so I bake! They were delicious and super moist. I didn’t have apple sauce so I cooked 2 apples with cinnamon and a bit of water then blended and it worked perfectly! Also didn’t have enough maple syrup so added brown sugar as an alternative and still great! Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes!
I am so happy you liked the muffins, Lauren! I can’t believe you baked them at 4 am!
Delicious. I even threw in some pineapple just because I had some in the pantry.
Pineapple and carrot muffins…yum!
If I want to make bigger muffins, let say 8 instead of 12 with this recipe I love, how would you recommend I bake them?
Thanks in advance!
I would add 5 mins and check with a toothpick after.
Thanks!
Hi I don’t have apple sauce in hand would I be able to substitute it with anything else like Greek yoghurt? Looks delicious and want to make it now instead of waiting to go to the store for Apple sauce ?
You can substitute oil for applesauce.
Carrot muffins were great . Looking forward to the Almond recipes
Absolutely loved this recipe! Moist, flavorful and healthy!
….And don’t you just hate when people deviate from the original recipe…
So here’s my changes ha-ha:
In my need to reduce the cholesterol,
I used only one egg and mixed 3 tab ground flax seed stirred with 3 tab water as the second egg substitute. This also added a little more nutrition and fiber. I also reduced the sugar to 1/4 cup, used date syrup which added a great sweet molasses taste with less added sugar.
Lastly, I added a handful of currents and pumpkin seeds for a nice fall taste, and crunch.
This recipe is a keeper. Thanks!
Absolutely love these, as I do the other recipes I have tried. Question: Do you have any recipes for a healthy savory biscuit or muffin? I would love a fresh baked partner for all these delicious soups I am making,
Hey Jeanne.
How about my cauliflower biscuits? Or Quinoa bread?
https://ifoodreal.com/cauliflower-biscuits/
https://ifoodreal.com/quinoa-bread/
I made these delicious muffins a couple of days ago and today my husband was complaining that there were only 2 left, lol. Thank you again for another amazing recipe!!!
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you and your husband enjoyed my recipe, Margie.