Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins

These gluten free carrot cake muffins have all the flavors you love from your favorite carrot cake but in muffin form. They are sweetened with maple syrup, moist and fluffy, and perfect for on the go!

Carrot cake is one of those either you love it or hate it type of desserts. I personally am not a fan of carrot cake, but I couldn't stop myself from snacking on these muffins! I had SO many carrots that I wanted to use up and wanted to come up with ways to use them with freezer-friendly recipes. I started off by making some cheesy carrot balls, which were a HIT with my boys, but still had some leftover carrots that I wanted to make into a sweet treat. Carrot cake is the first sweet treat that comes to mind when I think of carrots, so I turned them into these mini gluten free carrot cake muffins. They are sweetened with a little maple syrup and make the perfect breakfast or snack!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Here is what you’ll need to make these gluten free carrot cake muffins:

• Carrots: The star ingredient for these carrot cake muffins.
• Oat Flour: I love baking with rolled oats as they are packed with nutrition! Make sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats to make these muffins gluten-free. You can purchase oat flour as is, or make your own by grinding up rolled oats into a flour.
• Eggs: Used as a binder to help hold the muffins together.
• Greek Yogurt: Used to help the muffins obtain a fluffy texture.
• Milk: I use full fat whole milk, but any type of milk may be used.
• Maple Syrup: The main source of sweetness for these muffins.
• Vanilla Extract: To enhace the sweetness of the muffins.
• Cinnamon/Nutmeg: Warm spices for added flavor.
• Baking Powder: Leavening agents to help the muffins rise.

PROCESS

1. Whisk the eggs and yogurt together until smooth.
2. Add in the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla, and whisk together until combined.
3. Grate the carrot using the smallest size hole of a cheese grater. You should have about ½ cup of grated carrots.
4. Add in the grated carrots and mix until combined.
5. Add in the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg and mix until incorporated.
6. Pour the mixture into a mini muffin pan and bake the muffins at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If using a normal-sized muffin pan, bake a few minutes longer.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

Let the muffins completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag once cooled for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply microwave the muffins for 20-30 seconds, or until warmed through!

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Oat Flour: The gluten free oat flour may be replaced with all purpose flour or whole wheat flour, but keep in mind that the muffins will no longer be gluten free.
• Eggs: You may replace the eggs with flax eggs. To make a flax egg, combine 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes until it forms a gel-like texture.
• Greek yogurt: You may replace the Greek yogurt with a dairy free yogurt, like coconut milk yogurt.
• Milk: You may replace the milk with a dairy free alternative like coconut milk or oat milk.

RECIPE NOTES

• This recipe makes 24 mini muffins. You may make regular-sized muffins by adding a few more minutes to the total bake time.
• I used the smallest size hole on my cheese grater to grate the carrots, but you may use a larger size hole if you prefer larger carrot chunks in the muffins.
• I like to use a silicone muffin pan to bake these muffins as they pop out easily without any sticking. If using a regular mini muffin pan, be sure to coat with a cooking spray beforehand. 

Here are some other muffin recipes that you may like!

• Spinach Banana Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins
• Pumpkin Muffins

📖 Recipe