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.
I bought two Wilton donut baking pans. Do you think this recipe might be ok for that?
It has not been tested that way, but could work and sounds like a fun idea! I would keep an eye on the timer, let us know how it turns out.
Hi Olena! I tried this recipe, and it worked perfectly 🙂 I have 3 kids and a wife, they all loved the quick and easy HEALTHY muffins. Although my first batch turned out a bit runny, do you have any tips for when that occurs?
Thanks Olena!
Hm. The only thing I can think of not correctly measured ingredients or did you make any substitutions?
Very good. I really like how moist they are.
So happy to read this! My pleasure.
Pretty darn delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I don’t have oats or oat flour; can I make these without it? Would I need to increase the WWF or add something else to replace oats? Thanks! P.S. LOVE your apple bread!
Baking is a science and not sure that would work to just add additional whole wheat flour, may lead to a dense muffin. I would try morning glory muffins or healthy carrot cake instead. So glad you love the apple bread!
Hi Olena! I love your website and recipes! I’ve been making quite a few recipes from the website. Made these yesterday, they turned out great! My husband loves your banana muffins as well. The only minor flaw is that they turn out flat every time (my baking powder and soda are fresh). But it really doesn’t matter as long as they are healthy and yummy.
I have another question. Do you cook/bake with buckwheat flour? I didn’t see any buckwheat flour recipes on the website.
Thanky ou for your work!
Hi Nina! So happy to hear that you are enjoying my recipes. I don’t bake with buckwheat flour. I do have a couple of buckwheat recipes like soup and a stir fry.
https://ifoodreal.com/buckwheat-soup-leftover-turkey/
https://ifoodreal.com/buckwheat-stir-fry/
Hi i baked these and they came out a bit wet. I had decided to make it into an entire cake, not by muffins. I used the metric recipe, replaced the eggs with chia eggs, applesauce with mashed banana (1:1 ratio using ml) and used rolled oats. Did the rolled oats have to be grinded down into a flour? Other than that, tasted great! Thank you soo much! Would love some help on this.
No, you don’t have to grind the rolled oats. I am not exactly sure why this turned out wet. You made some substitutions to the recipe and baked them in a cake pan. Perhaps it needed more baking time as muffins bake much quicker than a cake.
I have a well tested carrot cake recipe for you to try next time!
https://ifoodreal.com/healthy-carrot-cake/
Hi, I would like to make sure. Is 1 cup equivalent to 240 or 250ml here?
Hi Fia! It is best to use the metric converter found at the bottom of each ingredient list on the recipe card. Highlighted in pink you will see US Customary – Metric. Just click on metric and all the measurements will be converted for you!
Thank you so much!
So excited to make these next. Love you bran muffins! Do you think chia seed instead of nuts would work? Want to add more fiber and my mom can’t have nuts right now making some for her too. 😀
A few tablespoons but not more to avoid dry muffins.
Hi can I leave out the nuts and raisins? Will the muffins still be moist and good?
Yes!
Would the quick steel cut oat work as well as the quick rolled oat? Difference?
Thanks
I think they would. Just more hearty chewy texture.