Gluten-free Carrot Cake Muffins

11 comments
gluten-free carrot cake muffins

These gluten-free Carrot Cake Muffins are the perfect little treat to keep around! They’re light & fluffy, and topped with a delicious dairy-free cream cheese icing. Bonus points that they’re made with veggies, right?

The muffins are so easy to make, and pack in so much flavor. You guys are going to love them!

gluten-free carrot cake muffins

Ever since sharing my spelt flour carrot cake, I became obsessed with all things carrot. I knew I had to create another dessert recipe that was carrot based, but wanted to make it gluten-free since I always get asked for substitutions.

These muffins came out absolutely perfect, and are a delicious meal prep food to keep around during the week. I love them with my morning coffee, or as an afternoon snack when I need something sweet to power me through my day.

What you’ll need to make gluten-free carrot cake muffins

Wet ingredients:

  • grated carrots
  • eggs
  • coconut sugar– I love to bake with coconut sugar for its rich, caramel-like taste. Light brown sugar would be a good substitute!
  • pure maple syrup– I added a touch of maple syrup for a little extra sweetness, but it can be left out if you wanted to cut back on the sugar
  • olive oil- olive oil is one of my favorite oils to bake muffins with! You can substitute any other liquid oil if needed
  • applesauce– the applesauce adds a touch of sweetness, and really helps give these muffins their moist texture
  • vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

  • almond flour- fine almond flour is best for this recipe
  • oat flourpre-made oat flour is ideal, but you can blend your own from rolled oats if needed!
  • cinnamon
  • ginger
  • nutmeg
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • salt

You combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl, and bake them in muffin tins until they’re firm to touch!

The simple cream cheese icing on top is made from only 3 ingredients. It’s completely optional, but I love the flavor it adds. I used a dairy-free cream cheese, but you can use your favorite kind!

These muffins are packed with healthy fats and whole-grains, making them a great healthier option for when you’re craving something sweet.

carrot cake muffins

I can’t wait for you guys to try this recipe! Be sure to leave a rating and review if you do 🙂

More baked goods you may like:

Healthy Blueberry Crumble Muffins

Gluten-free S’mores Blondies

Chocolate Chip Tahini Blondies

Gluten-free Carrot Cake Muffins

4 from 9 votes
Course: Baked goods, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • Wet Ingredients
  • 2 cups grated carrots, about 5-6 carrots

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

  • 1/2 cup applesauce

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Dry Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour

  • 1/2 cup oat flour

  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger

  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • Cream Cheese Icing
  • 1/3 cup dairy-free cream cheese, or sub regular cream cheese

  • 2 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 F
  • In a large bowl. whisk together all of the wet ingredients until smooth.
  • Pour in your dry ingredients, and whisk together until fully incorporated, and a thick batter forms.
  • Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into each muffin liner. The batter will make around 12-14 large muffins.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes, until its firm to touch and a toothpick comes out clean. My oven needed 27 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
  • Whisk the icing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. I suggest using a whisk for this to break up the clumps from the cream cheese.
  • Dip each muffin top into the icing to cover, or spread it over the top with a small spoon or knife. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
  • The muffins with cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated, and will be good for up to a week. If you leave some unfrosted, you can store them in an air tight container on the counter for up to 3-4 days.
  • To freeze, I suggest leaving them unfrosted. They will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer in a ziplock or airtight container.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @somethingnutritious on Instagram- I’d love to see your creations!

11 Comments

  1. HEATHER

    perfect texture, which is so hard when doing gluten and dairy free, love the clean ingredients, added chopped walnuts which was lovely and I might add some more spices next time. The flavor was great just a bit mild. My new fave muffin recipe hands down!

  2. Veronica

    I did really love the overall flavor of the recipe and followed it exactly as written but mine turned out just a little too wet. I wondered if maybe it had something to do with the amount of shredded carrots used. Would you be able to post the grams for future tries to make sure that shred size/how much you pack a cup is what it should be? I will definitely try again! Thanks!

    • Hey Veronica, I will make note of that the next time I make this recipe and try to update the grams. For reference, 2 cups will usually be about 5-6 carrots (regular sized, not the extra thick ones)

  3. I need these babies right now but i ran out of apple sauce. Can I sub it for mashed bananas? Already made this 3x and still can’t get over how yummy they are. Just hands down my favorite carrot cake muffin recipe. Thanks!

    • Hi Kari! I believe mashed banana should work in the same amount but it may give these a slight banana taste of course 🙂

  4. I’m craving for these now but I ran out of applesauce. Can I substitute mashed banana? I’ve made these 3x already and I can’t get over them. Perfect for busy mornings or anytime of day. Sooo good and addicting.

  5. Shella

    Hi my son is allergic to nuts , any options to substitute almond flour?

    • Hey Shella, unfortunately I haven’t tested this with any other flours. If you wanted a nut free version, you can bake my spelt flour carrot cake into muffins- just adjust the baking time to 25-30 minutes

  6. Natalia

    The texture of these muffins were absolutely amazing and tasted so good!!🤩

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