Vegan Carrot Muffins

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

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!

Ingredients you need

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

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).

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).

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.

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.

FAQs

More vegan muffin recipes

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