Carrot Cake Muffins (With a Gluten-Free Option!)

My Carrot Cake Muffins (With a Gluten-Free Option!) are the most moist and delicious muffins you could ask for and they have all the flavor of a carrot cake that you know and love! They are perfect all year round, but something about early Spring makes me want carrot cake and carrot muffins. So, get out your baking gear, and let’s make this carrot muffin recipe! 

While we are talking about making these muffins, it should be said that with one simple swap of the type of flour you are using you can make these muffins completely gluten-free. And I would argue the gluten-free version is even BETTER than the regular version of these muffins! And that can’t be said about a lot of recipes that get made and adjusted to be gluten-free. My son has Celiac Disease, so finding recipes that are gluten-free and delicious is always a big win for our family. 

If you love this muffin recipe, you have to try out our Jumbo Blueberry Muffin recipe. It’s from a local restaurant in town that used to serve them in the bread basket for lunch and they are to die for! And if you need more Spring recipes, make sure you try this Spring-themed meal of Blackberry Pork Tenderloin, Summer Green Apple Coleslaw and top it off with our most popular dessert, our Lemon Pound Cake. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Delicious and Versatile – These muffins are so delicious and you can definitely substitute the ingredients for things you have on hand! Don’t have raisins? No problem, use dried cranberries instead. Don’t want a crunch? Omit the walnuts! Or add in a different nut! Want gluten-free carrot cake muffins? No problem at all – just substitute your flour!
• Easy recipe, simple ingredients! All the ingredients are at your local grocery store and you could be eating warm carrot cake muffins in well less than an hour!
• Freezer Friendly – These muffins freeze beautifully and that is why they are some of my favorite muffins! I love putting some in the freezer for another day!
• Any Time of Day – A delicious carrot cake muffin is perfect for breakfast, it’s a great afternoon snack, and it’s even sweet enough to be dessert!

Equipment Recommendations

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• Muffin Pan – Standard Size – This is a standard-size muffin pan and it makes 12 at a time. It’s Wilton brand, and I LOVE mine. It’s so sturdy and well-made!
• Jumbo Muffin Pan – These are also the Wilton brand. And they come in a set of 2, for a total of 12 jumbo muffins. I adore these pans!
• Paper Muffin Liners – I like paper muffin liners. I have the silicone ones, and to be honest, they are straight up a huge pain to wash and clean, in my opinion. So I opt for paper muffin liners when I need them!
• Paper Baking Cups – These are my favorite kitchen discoveries in a long while. They act just like a muffin liner, except you don’t need the pan. This means no washing a muffin pan, which is a giant win in my world! And you can get them in such nice prints and colors! And you can make a BUNCH at one time on a cookie/baking sheet too!
• Cooling Rack – These are nice and sturdy cooling racks for all your baking needs!
• Box Grater – Quick secret? I hate grating cheese. But freshly grated cheese is SO good. And I really don’t like washing a cheese grater. HOWEVER, I have found the solution to this dilemma! I do love this cheese grater. It folds flat, comes apart and is dishwasher safe. Oxo Good Grips for the win!
• Glass Mixing Bowls – This is a nesting set of glass bowls. I find I can’t have enough glass bowls in my kitchen!

Ingredients

Yield:8 cupcakes 

• All-Purpose Flour – I like all-purpose flour for this recipe, but whole wheat flour will also be delicious as well. And oat flour is an awesome alternative if you want to make these muffins gluten-free! (For oat flour use the ratio of 1 cup of all-purpose flour to 1 1/4 cup of oat flour. Oat flour isn’t as dense as all-purpose flour and it takes more.)
• Baking Powder – This makes the muffins rise and be all fluffy!
• Baking Soda – Also a levening agent for your muffins!
• Cinnamon – The warm cinnamon gives these muffins a delicious taste that just makes them feel like a giant hug. They smell absolutely divine, too!
• Allspice – Allspice is one of the warm spices that is kind of like cinnamon, clove, pepper and nutmeg all in one. (It’s not, it’s just from an allspice tree, but it tastes like that combination!)
• Grated Carrots – I don’t get the pre-shredded carrots, they are too crunchy and not usually all that fresh. I grate the fresh carrots by hand with a box grater so they are nice and soft and fresh. 
• Chopped Walnuts – Walnuts add a nice crunch to these muffins. If walnuts aren’t your thing, try pecans or almonds! All are delicious with the muffins!
• Raisins – Raisins give these muffins a little extra texture and bite. They plump up in the batter while the muffins bake and they are so good! If you don’t have raisins on hand dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries work just fine, too!
• Brown Sugar – The smoky rich flavor of brown sugar gives these muffins a little extra depth of flavor and adds such a sweetness to the mixture, too. 
• Vegetable Oil – You need a little oil to keep the muffins moist! It’s the secret to keeping these muffins nice and fluffy and moist but not dense. I only use vegetable oil for this recipe. Olive oil just doesn’t work as well with baked goods. 
• Eggs – I use large eggs for this recipe. Extra large eggs work just fine, too.
• Vanilla Extract – The vanilla extract gives the muffins a little extra kick of sweetness and flavor. I love the addition of vanilla extract in just about anything.

Baking Instructions

Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners or parchment paper. 

Mix: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice.

Mix:  In a separate bowl, mix grated carrots, walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Pour: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. No need to let the batter rest, it’s ready to go immediately!

Fill: Divide batter evenly among muffin tin, filling each about 3/4 full.

Bake: Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool: Allow muffins to cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. Sprinkle them with chopped walnuts or drizzle with maple syrup.

Serve & Enjoy: Enjoy your delicious carrot cake muffins!

 Substitutions, Modifications, and Additions

There are so many ways to tweak these delicious Carrot Cake Muffins (With a Gluten-Free Option!).

Substitutions

• Allspice – The flavor of allspice isn’t for everyone. I like it in this recipe, but if it’s not your cup of tea, feel free to omit the seasoning. You can add extra cinnamon if you want!
• Nuts – You can use whatever kind of nuts you have on hand! I’ve tried pecans, pistachios, and almonds and they are all amazing!
• Butter – You can use melted butter in place of the vegetable oil if you want a little more decadence in your muffins!

Modifications

• Gluten-Free – This recipe works BEAUTIFULLY with oat flour. Double-check your ingredients, as always, but the Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour that I use is gluten-free and it tastes as good, if not better, than the original recipe. I’d up the amount of oat flour to 1 3/4 cup of oat flour because oat flour is more fine than all-purpose flour. If the muffin batter still seems too runny, you could go up to 2 cups of oat flour. The rule of thumb is for every one cup of all-purpose flour you use, you would need 1 1/4 cup of oat flour as a substitute.
• Dairy-Free – The only dairy in the recipe is the eggs, so feel free to substitute applesauce for the eggs. Use 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg, for a total of 1/2 cup of applesauce in the recipe. The applesauce gives the muffins a great flavor!

Additions

• Cream Cheese Glaze – I LOVE a cream cheese glaze drizzled over these muffins. If you want, you can make this cream cheese glaze to drizzle over the muffins! This is the recipe I use every time I need a cream cheese glaze!
• Pineapple Bits – Drain them well and add them to the batter. They are a DELIGHTFUL addition. It makes the muffins a tad sweeter and they are so, SO good and give such a moist crumb with the pineapple!

Tips and Notes

• Room Temperature – Generally in baking you want all the ingredients to be room temperature so it bakes well, but this recipe is not fussy at all. I pull my eggs out of the fridge and put them directly into the muffin mix! It’s a time saver for sure because I rarely remember to take my ingredients out to room temperature!
• Freezer Friendly – These muffins freeze beautifully. I’d encourage you to make a double batch and put some in the freezer for breakfast in a few weeks!
• Muffin Liners – You definitely want to use either muffin liners or parchment paper for this recipe. The muffins can get a little sticky and you don’t want to lose any of it in the pan! If you don’t have muffin liners on hand, here’s an Instagram tutorial on how to make them with parchment paper!

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Storage

• Refrigerator – No refrigeration is needed on these muffins (unless you put a cream cheese glaze on them!). Store at room temperature in an airtight container. 
• Freezer – I like to wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and then store them all in a freezer bag. That way each muffin doesn’t get any freezer burn and stays fresh. 

Reheating

• Microwave – I warm my muffin up in the microwave. 30 seconds will do you!
• From Frozen – If still frozen, I still use the microwave, but it will take about 90 seconds!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Wrap-Up – Carrot Cake Muffins (With a Gluten-Free Option!)

I hope you love this carrot cake muffin recipe! It’s so delicious and has all the flavors of carrot cake but in muffin form! The flavors of this recipe are a good mix of sweetness and health and deliciousness! It’s based on my favorite carrot cake recipe and I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! We have these every couple of months for breakfast! Let me know what you think once you’ve made them! Until then, happy baking, and as always… Just Keep Shuffling!

Printable Recipe – Carrot Cake Muffins (With a Gluten-Free Option!)

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