Fluffy Vegan Carrot Muffins

Name: Fluffy Vegan Carrot Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (165g); ⅓ cup light brown sugar (85g); 1 ½ tsp baking soda (9g); 2 tsp ground cinnamon (6g); ½ tsp ground ginger (1g); ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (0.5g); ⅓ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (22g - optional); ⅛ tsp table salt; 1 tbsp vanilla extract (10g); 1 cup freshly grated carrot (115g); ¼ cup salted vegan butter (56g - melted (or vegetable oil)); ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce (140g); ½ cup unsweetened dairy free milk (100g); ½ cup dark raisins (optional)

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If you’re looking for a healthier take on the classic flavor of carrot cake, these fluffy vegan carrot muffins are going to be your go-to treat for breakfast and snacks. They’re fast and easy- but they’re not your typical dry, unappealing healthy muffin. These vegan carrot cake muffins are so moist, sweet, and packed with freshly grated carrot.

And if you love baking muffins, be sure to try these Vegan Coffee Cake Muffins next. They’re fluffy, cinnamon-swirled, and finished with a cozy crumb topping.

vegan carrot muffins stacked on a marble tray.

Why You’ll Love These Vegan Carrot Muffins

Do you know what my favorite kind of cake is? Carrot cake, for sure, all the way. While I could totally eat actual carrot cake for breakfast, these muffins definitely make me feel lighter and more energized than cake would.

Here are a few more reasons why I love these muffins and you will too!

Emily’s Recipe Notes:

1 Bowl Recipe: They can be made with just 1 bowl- so easy!
Packed with Veggies: But no one will know!
Fluffy & Moist: With just the right amount of sweetness.
Ready in 30 Minutes: Quick and easy, perfect for when you’re craving a healthy snack.

Ingredients You’ll Need

the muffin ingredients on a light surface. — the ingredients for the muffins

The first step in making these fluffy vegan carrot muffins is gathering your ingredients. Luckily, you only need a few items and they are:

freshly grated carrot
all purpose flour
baking soda
brown sugar, or coconut sugar
shredded coconut
vegan butter, or melted coconut oil
unsweetened applesauce, you can also sub banana
almond milk, or another dairy-free milk like soy milk or coconut milk
pure vanilla extract
spices! (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger)

Vegan Ingredient Substitutions & Notes

Unsweetened Applesauce: I’m using applesauce in this recipe. The applesauce has two purposes: the first is to help cut back on the amount of vegan butter we need to use (to add moisture), and the second is to also help bind the muffins since they are made without eggs! I also use applesauce in my banana blueberry oat muffins.

If you don’t have applesauce on hand, you can substitute the same amount of mashed banana. This will also add some sweetness to the muffins, but please note that bananas will make the muffins more dense.

a hand grabbing a muffin and the vegan carrot muffin texture. — the vegan carrot muffins

How to Make Vegan Carrot Muffins

🎥 Video Tutorial is Above the Recipe Card!

STEP 1: To make the vegan batter, first, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

STEP 2: We’re only using one bowl in this recipe, so next make a well in the center and add the vegan butter, applesauce, almond milk, and vanilla. You’ll want to stir the wet ingredients and dry ingredients until just combined. The goal is to create a nice, thick batter like in the image above.

STEP 3: Once the batter is mixed, you can fold in the grated carrots, and if you’re using them, add in the raisins and coconut.

the vegan carrot muffin batter. — the vegan carrot muffin batter

the filled carrot muffin tin. — the vegan carrot muffin batter

Baking the Vegan Carrot Muffins

STEP 4: Go ahead and prep your muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin liners or muffin cups. If you’re not using liners, be sure to spray your pan well with non-stick spray.

STEP 5: Next, spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the muffin batter into each cup, so they’re filled about ¾ of the way full with the batter. If you’d like, sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each muffin for a nice crunchy muffin top after baking!

STEP 6: Then you’ll pop them in the preheated oven, and bake them up at 375F for about 18 minutes. The tops should be nice and golden brown when done, but the insides should be moist and fluffy!

Serving

Dairy Free Cream Cheese Glaze

To top off these fluffy vegan carrot muffins, I’m drizzling them with a dairy-free cream cheese glaze. For this glaze, I’m using vegan cream cheese from the brand GoVeggie.

I also recommend using Trader Joe’s vegan cream cheese if it’s accessible to you. I prefer both of these brands because of their mild flavor which pairs well with sweet treats like these muffins.

These easy carrot muffins are delicious on their own or with a drizzle of the vegan cream cheese glaze mentioned above. (The glaze really makes them taste like a carrot cake muffin!)

They’re also SO good with a smear of vegan butter while they’re still warm from the oven.

Storage

These muffins will stay fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days.

After that, I recommend freezing them. This will help them stay moist and fresh! Place them in an airtight container or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

top view of the fluffy vegan carrot muffin. — vegan carrot muffins

FAQ

Can these vegan muffins be made with no oil?

I haven’t tried making these muffins with no oil, so I can’t recommend doing this. I suspect they won’t be as moist, or they won’t be as fluffy without the vegan butter.

Can I add other flavorings to the muffins?

You can definitely add in other flavors to these muffins, so long as you’re not adding any additional liquid to the batter. Chopped walnuts or pecans, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, raisins, or even dairy-free white chocolate chips would taste lovely in these muffins.

Can I freeze the muffins?

Yes, absolutely. Be sure to tightly wrap the muffins to prevent freezer burn.

What can I top the muffins with?

I chose to top with a cream cheese glaze and coarse sugar. You can also sprinkle oats, grated carrot, cinnamon, or shredded coconut on top!

Can I use pre-shredded (store-bought) carrots?

I recommend shredding your carrots yourself since they tend to give the muffins a better texture. If you have a food processor, you can quickly grate your carrots with the grating blade.