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These healthy carrot cake muffins are made in a blender with rolled oats, apple, carrots, and maple syrup: no flour, just cozy wholesome flavor! They’re naturally gluten-free and perfect to meal prep for healthy breakfast and snacks.
A reader recently told me, “I love your healthy oatmeal muffins and I make them every week!” It inspired me to make a new flavor, and it turned out that this one is might be my new favorite: healthy carrot cake muffins!
The warm spices combined with sweet pops from raisins and moisture from the carrots makes them absolutely irresistible! This version of my muffins also uses a real, whole apple, skin and all, which adds natural sweetness and moisture without added dairy or banana. Like all my healthy muffins recipes, these carrot muffins have no flour at all: just oats whizzed up in a blender!
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Made these last night. They turned out perfectly. Very moist. Will definitely be making these again. And bonus, they are school safe as well!” -Wendy
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Made these today and they are very tasty. I made 12 and cooked for 30 minutes. Next time I will add some nuts. Grandkids just picked them off!” -Cindy
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Muffins
These healthy muffins taste delicious and every ingredient is doing real nutritional work. There’s no all-purpose flour, no refined sugar, and no dairy, but the texture is moist and the flavor is spiced and satisfying. Here’s why I think you’ll love them:
- Blender-easy: They’re made in a blender: no bowls, no stand mixer.
- Naturally gluten-free and naturally sweet: Oats become oat flour in the blender, the only sweeteners are fruit and maple syrup! It’s truly magic.
- Cozy delicious flavor: They taste sweetly satisfying but you don’t have a sugar crash afterwards like a normal muffin.
- Meal-prep friendly: They keep up to 10 days refrigerated and freeze well.
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: Blending oats on high speed transforms them into a fine oat flour. Don’t substitute other types of oats (though you could substitute quick oats in a pinch).
- Fresh apple: One medium apple blended with the oats and eggs adds natural pectin, subtle sweetness, and body. I always use Pink Lady apples for their sweet tart flavor, but Honey Crisp or something similar works too.
- Shredded carrots: Use the large holes on a box grater. Carrots get folded in after blending so you can see the texture. (If you’ve made my carrot cake cupcakes or carrot cake cookies, you know how much texture those shreds add.)
- Pure maple syrup: I always reach for Grade A: Dark Color and Robust Flavor for the deepest maple taste.
- Eggs: These form the binder and structure of the muffin: do not leave them out!
- Warming spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg): This trio replicates the flavor profile of carrot cake.
- Raisins: These add little pockets of sweetness throughout. Chopped walnuts or pecans also work as mix-ins if you prefer some crunch.
Tips for Perfect Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
The healthy blender muffin concept is a bit different than a standard muffin, so are a few things I’ve found make a difference when making these carrot muffins:
- Let the batter rest. After blending, let the batter sit for 5 minutes. This lets the batter thicken slightly before pouring into the muffin cups.
- Grate your carrots while you wait. The 5-minute rest is the perfect time to grate those carrots! I like using the large holes on a box grater so that you can see the carrot shreds (though you can grate smaller if preferred). You can also blend the carrots into the muffin if you have carrot averse kids like I do (just chop and add with the apple).
- Fill the cups generously. This recipe makes 10 tall muffins (or 12 shorter ones). I fill the cups almost to the rim to make them look bakery style (I don’t like a stubby muffins).
- Cool before tasting. The spices intensify as the muffins cool and the texture solidifies. If you taste one warm from the oven, the flavor will seem mild.
Variations and Mix-Ins
Of course, you can change up the mix ins here: especially if you love nuts in your carrot cake! Here are a few ideas:
- Add nuts: Fold in ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Swap the raisins: Dried cranberries or chopped dates work well here.
- Make it banana oat: Swap the apple for one ripe banana: it has a different flavor but the same moist texture (like my healthy banana muffins).
- Add “frosting”: If you’re trying to keep these healthy, you could try my “Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting”– see the topping for my Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal.
Ways to Serve Them
I am personally obsessed with this flavor of healthy muffins; here are a few ways I like to serve them:
- Breakfast: Warmed with a smear of almond butter
- Lunchbox: My kids eat one every day, either in their lunch or for breakfast or snack
- Afternoon snack: Grab them straight from the fridge.
- With yogurt: For a more substantial breakfast, add lightly sweetened Greek yogurt alongside
- On a brunch spread: Serve alongside fluffy scrambled eggs or a easy smoothie bowl.
- Dessert: Top with cream cheese frosting for a dessert version that’s still gluten-free and wholesome in the cake area.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. The muffins actually get better after a day or two as the flavors settle.
For longer storage, you can freeze the cooled muffins in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or microwave straight from frozen.
Dietary Notes
These healthy carrot cake muffins are vegetarian and gluten free (with certified gluten free oats).
Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins (Fan Favorite!)
These healthy carrot cake muffins are made in a blender with rolled oats, apple, carrots, and maple syrup: no flour, just cozy wholesome flavor! They’re naturally gluten-free and perfect to meal prep for healthy breakfast and snacks.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Baked Good, Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups diced apples, skin on
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup pure maple syrup (see Notes)
- 1 teaspoon each baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded carrots (large grate)
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To the blender, add the apples, eggs, oats, olive oil, maple syrup, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and kosher salt. Blend everything on high for a minute or two until a smooth batter forms.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes (I use this time to grate the carrots), then fold in grated carrots and raisins.
- Place 10 muffin cups into a muffin tin and pour the batter divided evenly between the cups (see Notes). Sprinkle tops with a few oats.
- Bake for 28 to 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the muffin tin and allow them to cool a few minutes before serving. Store airtight at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, refrigerated for up to 10 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Muffin size: You can also make 12 shorter muffins, but I like to make them tall. If you make 12 start checking the bake time earlier, around 25 minutes.
- Maple syrup: I always use syrup labeled Grade A: Dark Color Robust Taste. I find it adds the most nuanced flavor.
I like the recipe, changed a few things, used honey, instead of maple syrup. and added walnut crushed.
I like the recipe, changed a few things,
Love these, have made them twice. My guests loved them too. I had to bake them for 32 minutes. I guess my oven is different to yours. 😝. Thanks for the recipe. I am already subscribed to your email list.
Ahhh hooray! So glad these are a hit for you! I am love them too. Glad you’re following along!!
Texture and rise are great. I will make this for years to come.
I made a few minor adjustments with what I had available. Used chopped prunes which have more surface area and tasted sweeter than raisins. Swapped the maple syrup for date syrup which is less sweet but has a lower glycemic index. Also added chopped pecans to resemble carrot cake more.
Thanks for making them!
making these today. wondering if you have ever tried adding protein powder to the recipe for the added protein?
We haven’t tried it. Let us know if you do!
The best muffins! I ate two before they were completely cool! If I could post a picture I would … but they are almost all gone!
Haha!
Sonja, these muffins are so amazing!! The flavor is incredible, plain or with frosting. I said to my husband, “Aren’t these great for muffins made with 100% oats, no flour?” He replied, “These are just great muffins. Period.” We love all your blender muffins, and it pleases me that they are so healthy. Carrot cake with no regrets. Thank you :)
What a kind comment Sandra — thank you so much! This makes me so happy to hear :) Please tell your husband we’re so glad he enjoyed them and thank YOU for making them!!!
Will this recipe work in a food processor? I don’t have a blender and am not sure that the consistency will be right.
I’m not sure, but as long as it’s large enough to hold the liquid it should work ok.
Do these need to be refrigerated for safety or just for freshness? Thanks! These were amazing!! And so easy 🙂
Great question! You can also store at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days — I’ll add that to the recipe! I just like refrigerating for max freshness. Thanks for asking!
Your Healthy Oatmeal Muffins-blender- a go-to in our house. Sometimes I feel the preponderance of bananas can make them a bit heavy/dense but we love them anyway. BTW- the blender is a great idea, only downside being the impossibility of scraping every last bit of the batter from the bottom of it which seems wasteful if not sad (LOL).
SO today I plan to make this version which sounds scrumptious ! It’s just as easy & simple – perhaps being a bit less dense as well.
Thanks for the recipes!
This is great Suzan! I agree it’s hard to get all the batter out of the blender since the consistency is rather sticky. But I use a large spatula and just keep scraping and it works great. I hope that you love this version and it should taste a little lighter than the banana version. Let me know what you think!
Hi Alex and Sonja
I am a big fan of your vegetarian recipes. I made your your “Healthy Carrot Cakes Muffins” yesterday and they were delicious. I would give them a 5/5. However I did have a slight problem. When I tried to mix in the raisins and carrot into the mixture, it was so thick that I had trouble mixing them into the bottom part of my blender due to the blades. Thus, when filling the muffin cups several of the muffins had hardly any carrots or raisins. Do you have a solution for this?
I would appreciate hearing from you as I of plan on making them again.
Cheers,
Patricia
Hi Patricia great question! I just made these a few minutes ago so can weigh in. First of all, make sure to fully blend your batter before it’s smooth. After the rest, you can fold in the carrots with a large spatula and try to reach all the way to the bottom! Mine easily reached to the bottom and I have a very large blender. You should be able to incorporate everything nicely if you give it several stirs with a very large spatula. Let me know if you try it!
Made these today and they are very tasty. I made 12 and cooked for 30 minutes. Next time I will add some nuts, and omit the oats on top. Grandkids just picked them off!
Hooray! I’m SO excited to hear this! :)
So glad you all loved them!
Made these last night. They turned out perfectly. Very moist. The only change I made was using dried cranberries instead of raisins. Will definitely be making these again. And bonus, they are school safe as well! Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed!q
Let us know if you have any questions!
Could you use honey in place of maple syrup?
Yes, that will work!