Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
These healthy, delicious whole wheat carrot cake muffins are a delicious whole-grain snack for when you’re on the go. They’re great for breakfast, too.
There’s nothing like the smell of cinnamon coming from the oven. No matter what challenges I’m dealing with on a given day, this smell always boosts my spirits.
Everyone in my family likes raw carrots, so I don’t feel the need to sneak this vegetable into a muffin to get my children to eat it. However, this classic muffin is such a delicious treat that I like to occasionally dip into my carrot supply and make a batch.
Whole Wheat Carrot Muffin Tips
These whole wheat carrot cake muffins are made with white whole wheat flour, but you can substitute gluten-free flour with equally delicious results. Be sure to take these muffins out of the oven as soon as they’re done cooking so they don’t get dry. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze for later.
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots about 3 medium carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 12-muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (everything except the carrots) until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the carrots.
- Transfer the batter to the muffin pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Approximate Nutrition Info
This recipe may contain affiliate links. A purchase or click through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no additional cost to you.
Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins Price Breakdown
This batch of muffins costs $3.97 to make, or $.33 per muffin. These delicious, fragrant carrot cake muffins are the perfect grab-and-go snack for a busy day.
Do you have to add coconut oil? Or can you use olive or veggie oil?
Another oil (or melted butter) would be fine, too.
I’m making these today and am curious about the maple syrup. (Some of my family doesn’t like the taste) Does this make the muffin taste to maplely or is it just a sweet taste?
It’s just a sweet taste. I don’t think you’ll notice the maple syrup flavor. If you’d prefer, you can substitute white sugar and add an extra tablespoon of liquid. I like to use maple syrup because it’s less processed than white sugar, but the muffins will taste great either way!
Do you think substituting honey for the syrup would work?
Yes, Baylee, that will definitely work in any of my baking recipes. Enjoy the muffins!
I’ve made these muffins three or four times now and they are hands down the best homemade muffins I’ve ever come across. Carrot flavor is present but still subtle. I’ll eat one in the morning for breakfast or after dinner with a little bit of cream cheese as a dessert. Either way they are amazing! thanks for an awesome recipe.
Thanks so much, Liz! I’m happy to hear the feedback. I just ate one of these out of the freezer for a snack this morning (okay, maybe it was two). I agree that they’re a yummy treat. 🙂
What are the calories
Kerri, I don’t do calorie breakdowns for my recipes. I find that eating a variety of real, unprocessed food puts me at a healthy weight. If you’re interested in learning the calorie count for any of my recipes, I believe there are online tools where you can plug in the ingredients and get the nutritional information.
Made these today and they are great! My 2-year-old loves them! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thanks for letting me know, Nicole! I’m so glad they were a hit.
These look tasty. I love carrot cake.
Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday. Hope to see you there again tonight/tomorrow.
Those look super yummy!! Thanks for linking up to Snacktime Saturday!
Yum! These look great. I definitely want to give this one a try 🙂 I hope you’ll come link-up to our healthy recipe party! http://www.youngnesters.net/2012/09/snacktime-saturday-week-1.html
I love the smell of cinnamon too, so homey and comforting! These look great and so healthy!
Thanks, Maura!
Yum – and I like that they are sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce!
They’re not too sweet but just sweet enough. That’s my favorite kind of snack.
This sounds and looks delicious. Thanks for sharing this with us. Mr.CBB
Thank you!
Yum! I really enjoy carrot anything– muffins, bread, cookies. These look great!
I haven’t tried carrot cookies before. I’ll have to add that to my to-do list.
I’m always looking for a healthy idea for the girl’s lunchpails. Thanks for this one. I haven’t done much baking yet with coconut oil – does it always work as a substitute for any oil in baking?
It’s a good substitution for other oils. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, I usually put in 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup applesauce or mashed banana. Some coconut oils add a coconut flavor to recipes, and some don’t. I love coconut so it doesn’t bother me, but if you don’t like the taste of coconut you may have to experiment with different brands.
If I don’t have coconut oil, what can I substitute? These look really good, and I love carrots baked into anything.
Melted butter or ghee would be another real food fat option in these. Alternately, you could do an additional 1/2 cup of applesauce or 1/2 cup mashed banana.
Thanks!