Carrot Cake Muffins – Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free
These vegan, refined sugar free, and gluten free carrot cake muffins are so delicious! They are super moist and have a wonderful spice flavor. They are the perfect treat for Easter!
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Easter is this Sunday and I’m SO excited to be able to share this recipe for delicious Carrot Cake Muffins with you!
They are the perfect treat to bring to brunch!
It took me a couple of tries to get this recipe just right. My first attempt, I decided to start with my banana bread recipe as the base.
I thought it would work great since carrot cake is typically a more dense texture. So I subbed out the bananas for shredded carrots and added a bit more liquid.
The result was delicious, but a little too dense for a cake/muffin type recipe.
I think I might keep that recipe around and use it to make carrot cake bread in the future. It really was yummy!
So for my next attempt, I used my Chocolate Muffins recipe as the base. I added spices, shredded carrots, coconut sugar, and changed the amount of flour to account for the added moisture.
They were amazing! The texture was soft and moist and the flavor was exactly what I wanted for a carrot cake muffin.
My husband was the one that suggested adding a bit of citrus to the muffins. I thought a citrus glaze would be the perfect addition to them.
I used some orange juice in the glaze and it was amazing!
So let’s talk about how you make them!
VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE CARROT CAKE MUFFIN RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
To make the carrot cake muffins, you will need:
- Oat flour: Helps give the cake a great texture and provides additional nutrients.
- Almond flour: Low in carbohydrates, provides protein, fiber, and lots of other nutrients.
- Arrowroot flour: Helps lighten the texture of the muffins so they are less dense.
- Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground cloves, Salt
- Chopped pecans or walnuts: nuts are optional
- Shredded carrots: Carrots are an essential ingredient in this recipe and help add flavor and moisture to the muffins.
- Maple syrup: For additional sweetness and flavor. You may also use honey or agave if you prefer.
- Coconut sugar: Coconut sugar is a great healthy alternative to brown sugar. You can use brown sugar in it’s place if desired.
- Water
- Baking powder
- Vanilla
To make the glaze you will need:
- Powdered sugar/sweetener: I use “Swerve” brand powdered sweetener.
- Orange juice: Lemon, pineapple juice, or dairy free milk may also be used depending on your desired flavor.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE AND VEGAN CARROT CAKE MUFFINS:
To Make the Vegan and Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins:
- Preheat the oven: to 350°F.
- Mix together dry ingredients: Add all of the dry ingredients except the chopped nuts to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Squeeze excess moisture from carrots: Place shredded carrots on a paper towel or dish towel and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Mix together wet ingredients: In another large bowl, add all wet ingredients and mix well.
- Stir together all ingredients: Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Add nuts: Optionally mix in chopped nuts.
- Prepare and fill muffin tins: Add muffin liners to a muffin pan or grease a muffin pan generously. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
- Bake: for 20-25 min.
- Cool: Allow the muffins to cool a bit before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling all the way.
- Store: in an airtight container at room temperature. These muffins are usually good for about 4-5 days after baking.
To Make the Glaze:
- Mix together glaze ingredients: Add powdered sugar/sweetener and juice to a bowl and whisk until a glaze is formed. Drizzle over muffins.
♥ Don’t forget to leave a comment below if you give this recipe a try! ♥
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Carrot Cake Muffins – Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 35 min
- Yield: 12–15 muffins 1x
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cup
- 1 cup
- 3 tbsp
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tsp
- 1/2 tsp
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 3/4 cup
- 1/4 cup
- 2 tsp
Glaze Ingredients:
Instructions
To Make the Muffins:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
-
Add all of the dry ingredients except the chopped nuts to a large bowl and whisk until combined.
- Place shredded carrots on a paper towel or dish towel and squeeze out any excess moisture.
-
In another large bowl, add all wet ingredients and mix well.
-
Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Optionally mix in chopped nuts.
-
Add muffin liners to a muffin pan or grease a muffin pan generously.
- Fill muffin tins 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 min.
To Make the Glaze:
- Add powdered sugar/sweetener and juice to a bowl and whisk until a glaze is formed.
- Drizzle over muffins.
Notes
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Here are some of the items needed to make this recipe:
Mixing Bowls | Whisks | Muffin Pan | Measuring Cups/Spoons | Cuisinart Oven Mitts
How do you think it would turn out to sub coconut milk for the water? To coconut flavored?
Hi Jayme, I think you could use a coconut milk like “So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk” in this recipe instead of water without much change. I wouldn’t advise using a can of coconut milk because I think the high fat content will change the result of this recipe. I hope this helps!
Hi there,
Could you replace the almond flour with an alternative that us gluten free?
Thank you.
Hi Linda, I have not personally tried it, but you should be able to substitute the almond flour with a good gluten free all purpose flour like “Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour”. I would love to know how you like them if you give it a try. ☺