Are you a fan of carrot cake? Then you will be a fan of spiced carrot muffins! I’ve lightened up the recipe (and left off the heavy cream cheese frosting) to bring you a warm, spice-filled muffin that will satisfy even your strongest cravings. They’re light, chewy, and obviously full of carrots which means your breakfast this week is kind of sort of healthy! 🙂
What are in Spiced Carrot Cake Muffins?
- all-purpose flour - adds substance
- baking powder and baking soda - adds lift
- cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt - adds flavour and balances the sweetness
- eggs - adds flavour, lift and structure
- vegetable oil - keeps the muffins moist
- vanilla extract - adds flavour
- brown sugar - adds flavour and texture
- buttermilk - thins out the batter (can substitute this with 1 cup heavy cream + juice of ¼ of a lemon)
- grated carrots - adds flavour. Note that you can grate the carrots manually or in a food processor, or make your life even easier by buying a bag at the store. Use up any remaining carrots from the bag into a weeknight salad or soup, but honestly you might be better off DOUBLING this recipe because the muffins are that good!
You will also need a 12-tin muffin pan, cupcake liners, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a cookie scoop (or a spoon) for scooping out the batter, and a wire cooling rack.
How to Make the Best Spiced Carrot Cake Muffins
Carrot muffins are super easy and straightforward to make. You sift the dry ingredients together, then whisk the wet ingredients together. Then, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones and stir. Fold in the grated carrots. Scoop the batter into a muffin tray, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. So so easy!
These muffins are so satisfying and just perfect fresh from the oven. But if I’m not eating them until the next day, I like to slice them in half, throw them on a griddle to heat them up, and serve with a little slab of butter. So incredibly delicious. A must make!
More Muffin Recipes
- Spiced Apple Oatmeal Muffins with Crumb Topping
- Blueberry Yogurt Muffins
- Gingerbread Muffins with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins with Oat Streusel Topping
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Did you make this recipe? I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @aheadofthyme or share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.
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Spiced Carrot Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 muffins
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Are you a fan of carrot cake? Then you will be a fan of these warm, lightened up, spiced carrot muffins which will satisfy even your strongest cravings!
Ingredients
- 2 + ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 + ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 + ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature (or 1 cup heavy cream + juice of ¼ of a lemon)
- 1 + ½ cups carrots, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla, brown sugar, and buttermilk (or heavy cream with lemon juice). Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until most of the flour is mixed in. Add grated carrots and fold in until just combined.
- Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray the inside with nonstick baking spray. Spoon enough batter into each mold so they are 90% full. Bake on a rack in the top third of your oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Notes
Equipment used: 12-tin muffin pan, cupcake liners, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a cookie scoop (or a spoon) for scooping out the batter, and a wire cooling rack.
You can also add raisins or chopped walnuts (¼ cup each) at the same time as carrots if desired.
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: carrot muffins, carrot cake muffins, carrot cake, spiced carrot muffins, healthy carrot muffins
Jessica F says
Made the recipe as is, loved the outcome! Will make again...
★★★★★
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
That is so great to hear, thank you!
Natalie Dinsdale says
I used melted butter and heavy cream+lemon juice. Plus 1/2 tsp of cardamom! The texture is EXCELLENT - super light and fluffy. Great flavour too. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much Natalie! And thank you for sharing your substitutions. I am glad they worked!
Natasha says
I made these using just 1 XL egg as that’s all I had and 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and they turned out amazing so moist.
My daughter has a dairy allergy and will LOVE these!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you for sharing! So happy you liked the recipe.
Lily says
Hi,
These look delicous, bu the only spice I have for this recipe is cinnamon. Could I perhaps add more cinnamon if I left out the allspice and nutmeg, and would the results be okay?
Thank you!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Yes, the results will be great. The muffins would just have a slightly different taste, but still good.
Lyndsey says
Loved these. Instead of buttermilk, I used 1 cup of almond milk mixed with 2 tblspn of apple cider vinegar as a substitute (let sit 5min.) I also didn't have vegetable oil so used 1/3 cup melted butter instead. One batch was made with regular flour and one with gluten-free flour. Both turned out delicious!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks! And thanks for sharing the tweaks you made to the recipe. I will have to try it with almond milk next time (since we always have that readily on hand!)
Susanne says
Made these today. Turned out great. Lovely fall recipe.