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    Home » Recipes » Breads and Muffins

    Vegan Carrot Muffins

    Published: Jan 7, 2015 · Modified: Apr 13, 2022 by Jenn Sebestyen

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Baked carrot muffins in a muffin tin.
    Three vegan carrot muffins stacked on top of each other.

    Soft and delicious Vegan Carrot Muffins with oats make a great breakfast, snack or dessert! Kid tested and approved! Ready in about 30 minutes!

    Three vegan carrot muffins stacked on top of each other.

    These delicious vegan carrot muffins are soft, fluffy and moist, yet hearty and filling. They’re quick and easy to make, oil-free, and can easily be made gluten-free, too!

    Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast, lunchbox treat, after school snack, or even a healthy dessert!

    Table of Contents hide
    1 Ingredients you need
    2 How to make the recipe
    3 Storage/Freezing
    4 Pro tips and tricks
    5 FAQs
    6 More vegan muffin recipes
    7 Vegan Carrot Muffins

    Ingredients you need

    Recipe ingredients arrayed in individual bowls.

    Ingredient notes and substitutions

    Flour ~ All-purpose or white whole wheat flour will produce the softest muffins. You could also use spelt flour, whole wheat flour, or a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend meant to replace wheat flour at a 1:1 ratio, like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour.

    Sugar ~ I like using coconut sugar, an unrefined sugar similar to brown sugar. Light brown sugar, white cane sugar, or even pure maple syrup may be used instead.

    If using pure maple syrup, reduce the amount of non-dairy milk by ¼ cup.

    Carrots ~ Shredded carrots are the way to go for these Vegan Carrot Muffins. Do you not use chopped or puréed carrots.

    I use the shredding blade on my food processor to make quick work of this step. You could also use a box grater. Either way, use the side with the smaller grates so the carrots incorporate well into the muffin batter.

    Do not use store-bought shredded carrots. They are very dry and tend to be on the larger side. They won’t incorporate well into the muffin batter.

    Love carrots? Don’t miss these other tasty vegan carrot recipes, like my Vegan Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Pancakes, Vegan Carrot Soup, Oven Roasted Rainbow Carrots, and Carrot Pineapple Salad!

    Spices ~ Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger make these muffins smell and taste amazing!

    Vinegar ~ A little vinegar helps these vegan carrot muffins to bake up fluffy. I use apple cider vinegar because it’s a pantry staple in our house, but plain white vinegar can also be used.

    Applesauce ~ Unsweetened applesauce takes the place of oil, making these baked goods a little healthier than traditional recipes. It provides moisture and added delicious flavor.

    Extras ~ I like adding a scoop of old-fashioned oats for extra nutrition and texture. You can leave them out or use chopped walnuts or raisins instead.

    How to make the recipe

    Four photo collage of whisking the dry and wet ingredients separately.

    Place all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl (1) and whisk together (2).

    In a separate large mixing bowl, pour all the wet ingredients (3) and whisk well until smooth (4).

    Four photo collage of mixing the dry and wet ingredients together to form the batter.

    Pour the dry ingredients into the wet (5) and whisk together just until combined and no white flour is visible (6).

    Add the shredded carrots (7) and mix to distribute the carrots evenly throughout the batter. (8).

    Two photo collage of raw batter in a muffin tin and baked muffins in the tin.

    Pour the batter into a muffin tin lined with foil liners (9). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (10).

    Storage/Freezing

    Counter – Store these vegan carrot muffins in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

    Fridge – They will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

    Freezer – You can also freeze them. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then foil. Transfer the wrapped muffins to a freezer-safe plastic bag. They should keep well for up to 3 months.

    Let the muffins come to room temperature before serving for best taste and texture.

    Several baked muffins lying on a blue background with a cup of coffee.

    Pro tips and tricks

    ~ Use the spoon and level method for measuring the flour. Gently spoon the flour into a measuring cup. Using the back of a knife, scrape across the top of the measuring cup removing any excess flour. Do not pack the flour into the measuring cup.

    ~ Old-fashioned rolled oats add a nice chewy texture. You can leave them out if you prefer. Or add chopped nuts or raisins instead.

    ~ Shred the carrots using the small holes on the grater. A food processor fit with the shredding blade works great for this! Do not buy pre-shedded carrots!

    ~ Foil liners in the cupcake tin work best for this carrot muffin recipe. Because they are so moist, the muffins tend to stick to paper liners.

    ~ Let the vegan carrot muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing the muffins and letting them continue to cool on a wire cooling rack. The liners will be easier to remove once the muffins are cool.

    ~ For a gluten-free option, use a gluten-free flour blend meant to replace wheat flour at a 1:1 ratio.

    Close up of the inside of a halved carrot muffin.

    FAQs

    Do I need to peel the carrots?

    Technically, you don’t have to peel carrots. If you buy organic and scrub them well, you can shred them with the peels on. Personally, I prefer to peel them first.

    Do you let muffins cool in the pan?

    I like to let the muffins cool in the pan on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes before removing the muffins and letting them continue to cool completely on the cooling rack.

    Will muffins stick to paper liners?

    These muffins have a tendency to stick to paper liners because they are oil-free, yet very moist. You can try lightly spraying the paper liners first if that’s all you have, but I highly recommend using foil liners instead. These vegan carrot muffins should right out of the foil liners with no problems.

    Child's hand grabbing a muffin off of the table.

    More vegan muffin recipes

    • Vegan Zucchini Muffins
    • Strawberry Protein Muffins
    • Vegan Blueberry Muffins
    • Banana Blueberry Muffins
    • Baked Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins
    • Pineapple Coconut Muffins

    I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.

    Be sure to sign up for my FREE Newsletter to be the first to get my NEW recipes! You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.


    For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!

    Three vegan carrot muffins stacked on top of each other.

    Vegan Carrot Muffins

    Soft and delicious Vegan Carrot Muffins with oats make a great breakfast, snack or dessert! Kid tested and approved!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Course: Breakfast and Brunch, Snacks
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 123kcal
    Author: Jenn Sebestyen

    Recommended Equipment

    • 12-cup muffin tin

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • ½ cup old fashioned oats
    • ½ cup coconut sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup unsweetened plain non-dairy milk
    • ½ cup applesauce
    • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups shredded carrots

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    • Line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil liners or gently spray it with cooking spary.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking sodea, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
    • In a large bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla.
    • Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined and there is no visible white flour.
    • Stir in the shredded carrots until evenly distributed throughout.
    • Pour batter into the muffin tin until each cavity is about ¾th full.
    • Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3600IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 0.9mg

    Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.

    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Veggie_Inspired or tag #VeggieInspired!

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    Comments

    1. genevieve y says

      August 21, 2015 at 4:50 pm

      These little carrot oat muffins are adorable! It’s like having carrot cake in my pocket. Your son is lucky that he gets to take them to school 😉

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        August 21, 2015 at 5:01 pm

        Oh, thank you so much! I love sending healthy muffins in his lunchbox instead of sandwiches sometimes. Gotta mix things up to keep it interesting!

        Reply
    2. Layla says

      July 21, 2015 at 7:15 am

      These muffins are WONDERFUL!!! The term “picky eater” doesn’t accurately describe the depth of his eating issues but, he will gobble these down! He even likes to help me make them.

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        July 21, 2015 at 8:28 am

        I’m so happy to hear this, Layla! Glad your little guy loves them! And, how cute that he likes to help you in the kitchen. Love it!! Thanks for sharing your success!!

        Reply

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    Jenn Sebestyen of Veggie Inspired

    Hi, I'm Jenn! This is where I share delicious plant based recipes for the whole family. I love to cook; I can read cookbooks like novels; and I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen by making standard American favorites healthier.

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