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Image of a vegan carrot muffin on marble chopping board with more muffins in background, and carrots and almonds scattered around.
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5 from 8 votes

Vegan Carrot Muffins

These moist and fluffy vegan carrot muffins are the perfect breakfast treat, but they double up nicely for dessert too. Or add them to your kids' lunchboxes and sneak in a serving of veggies and nuts. ;) They are scented with cardamom and nutmeg and you can even make them wholegrain if you have a mind to. The recipe is one-bowl and takes under 15 minutes to put together. It is soy-free and you can make it nut-free by skipping the almonds.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time23 minutes
Total Time38 minutes
Course: Breakfast/Brunch/Snack
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 320kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour (or use a half-half mix of all purpose and whole wheat flour, or sub entirely with two cups whole wheat pastry flour)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sliced almonds (or use walnuts or pecans)

Wet ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.
  • Place the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk.
  • Add the remaining ingredients--sugar, carrots, almonds (save some almonds for decorating the top, if you like), oil, applesauce, vegan yogurt, vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Use a spatula to mix, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there is no dry flour. Don't overmix. The batter will look quite thick.
  • Let the batter stand five minutes. This will give the carrots a little time to express their juices and it will be easier to scoop into the muffin tins.
  • Mix the batter quickly one last time, then scoop into a muffin tin lined with paper liners or sprayed with oil. If you saved some almonds for the top sprinkle them on now.
  • Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake five minutes, then, without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C and bake 18 minutes more or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with crumbs sticking to it.
  • Let the pan stand on a rack for 5-10 minutes, then unmold the muffins and place them on a rack to cool.

Notes

  • You can replace the cardamom with cinnamon for a different flavor. Or add ginger for a lovely warmth.
  • For a natural sweetener, use maple syrup instead of sugar. If you use maple syrup your batter will be more loose but it will bake up just fine.
  • You can replace apple cider vinegar with white vinegar.
  • You can substitute the almonds with pecans or walnuts. Toast the pecans or walnuts lightly before chopping them. You don't need to toast the sliced almonds. You can also use pumpkin seeds if you are nut-free.
  • You can add the zest of an orange into the batter. Orange and carrots go together nicely and this will add another layer of flavor to the muffins.
  • You can also stir in a half a cup of raisins into the batter. Reduce sugar by ¼ cup if you do this.
  • Scatter some oats on top of the batter in the muffin tins before baking, instead of almonds, for a different look and even more healthfulness.
  • I don't use flax eggs here because I find they sometimes turn muffins gummy. But if you want a health boost from flax sub the applesauce with a tablespoon of flax stirred into three tablespons of water.
  • The muffins will keep nicely in the fridge for up to four days.
  • To freeze the muffins cool them completely and place in freezer bags or an airtight container. Freeze for up to three months.
  • Before eating frozen muffins thaw them completely. You can also reheat in the microwave. Unwrap the muffins, then place on a microwave safe plate and heat 30 seconds for each frozen muffin.

Nutrition

Serving: 1vegan carrot muffin | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1700IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg