Healthy Oatmeal Carrot Muffins Recipe:- Carrot muffins made with whole grain oats rather of flour, and sweetened with fruit, are a healthy alternative to traditional muffins. This recipe for healthful muffins is wonderful for eating first thing in the morning or as a nutritious snack.
Healthy Oatmeal Carrot Muffins Recipe
For a healthy muffin recipe that you will want to have on regular rotation for weekday snacks or grab-and-go breakfasts, these flourless carrot muffins are loaded with fresh ingredients. You will want to keep them on rotation.
Despite the fact that I am a fan of muffins that have a flavor similar to that of actual cake, I make an effort to avoid giving in to temptation when it comes to my baked products.
This is exactly what we are going to do with these nutritious carrot muffins.
These muffins made with whole grains contain all of the traditional ingredients for carrot cake, but we have reduced the amount of sugar and fat in addition to the carrot cake ingredients.
In spite of the fact that these muffins are not intended to taste like actual cake, they are a wonderful and healthful treat that are perfect for those individuals who take pleasure in cooking and baking using whole ingredients.
In spite of the fact that the muffins’ sweetness is totally derived from fruit, I have given an additional sweetener choice for those individuals who prefer muffins that are higher in sweetness.
My Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins, which are made with almond flour, are a great option for those who adhere to a diet that does not include grains.
If you are interested in consuming baked products that are created with oats and are concerned of your health, you can also check out my Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins.
Ingredients for Healthy Carrot Muffins:
Quick Oats: Rather than using regular all purpose flour, we infuse these healthier muffins with complex carbs from oats. Use quick cooking oats, instant oats or old fashioned rolled oats. They get pulverized in a blender to make flour.
Unsweetened Applesauce or Ripe Bananas: Used to add natural sweetness and moisture to the muffins, we need either unsweetened applesauce or ripe bananas.
I have a slight preference for the banana version because the muffins turn out sweeter. If you use apple sauce, I recommend also adding some sweetener.
Carrots: The all star ingredient! Fresh carrots get grated up and mixed into these muffins for added texture, sweetness, and fiber.
Because we need two cups of grated carrots, I recommend buying a bag of pre-shredded carrots if you want to save time.
Eggs: We need a couple chicken eggs to help the muffins rise for a fluffy texture.
I haven’t tested the recipe using an egg replacer like flax eggs but I suspect the muffins would turn out very dense unless other changes are made.
If possible, bring the eggs to room temperature prior to starting the recipe.
Avocado Oil: A little avocado oil gives these muffins a moist crumb. You can replace it with melted butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, or coconut oil if you’d prefer.
Brown Sugar (Optional): Used to sweeten the muffins a touch. Use your favorite granulated sugar, including regular white sugar, coconut sugar, maple sugar, brown sugar, or sugar-free sweetener like monk fruit sweetener.
I make the muffins without any added sweetener, but I have included a sweetener option in the recipe card because I believe most people prefer their muffins sweeter than I do.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent here. Baking powder helps the muffin batter rise and ensures the muffins bake evenly.
Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Sea Salt: Cinnamon and ginger are warming spices that bring lovely flavor to the muffins. Sea salt enhances all of the flavors. Be sure to include it!
Shredded Coconut, Chopped Walnuts, Raisins: Additional carrot cake goodies that make this treat lots of fun!
If you aren’t into one of these ingredients, feel free to skip it. You won’t need to make any other changes to the recipe. I love the sweet and nutty flavor these three ingredients bring.
Note that leaving out the juicy raisins will decrease the sweetness of the muffins so I’d recommend adding the optional sweetener if you omit the raisins.
Recipe Customizations:
- For sweeter muffins, use 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of avocado oil.
- Frost the muffins with your favorite store bought or homemade cream cheese frosting. Make my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting for a plant-based option. As an alternative, you can make a powdered sugar glaze.
- Use 1 3/4 cups of a gluten-free flour blend or regular oat flour rather than using oats.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for this healthy muffin recipe, let’s make it!
How to Make Healthy Oatmeal Carrot Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tin with paper liners. You can also spray the muffin holes with cooking spray.
Transfer the oats to a high powered blender and blend for 60 seconds, or until a flour forms.