Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just getting started, these easy Carrot Muffins are sure to become a staple in your kitchen! Even the pickiest of eaters won’t taste the hidden veggies with the fusion of sweet flavors and aromatic spices. They have a fluffy crumb filled with chopped walnuts for a satisfying crunch, and raisins for a burst of sweet chewiness.
These tasty muffins make the perfect indulgent snack or comforting breakfast and are ready in less than 30 minutes! Whip up a batch to enjoy throughout the week or make them for a brunch get-together. They are also great to add to kid’s school lunches! If you’re looking for more breakfast recipes, then try my breakfast potatoes recipe, homemade monte cristo, or blueberry muffins.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Carrots – you will need 2 cups of grated carrots, which is about 3 large carrots, or 6 small/medium carrots. Large carrots are the easiest to grate. I don’t recommend buying pre-shredded carrots as they are often too hard and dry to use in baked goods.
Spices – a combination of warming spices, including ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, add a delicious spiced aroma and flavor to the carrot muffins.
Sugar – white granulated sugar makes these muffins soft and moist. You can sub granulated sugar with brown sugar or a deeper molasses flavor if you are out of granulated sugar.
Eggs – use large eggs and bring them to room temperature before adding them to the recipe for a smoother, fluffier batter.
Oil – vegetable oil has a neutral flavor and makes this carrot muffins recipe extra moist.
Milk – whole milk adds flavor and makes the muffin crumb nice and tender. Alternatively, you can substitute it with 2% milk.
Walnuts – chop raw walnut halves into smaller pieces so they are evenly distributed in the batter. Or, for added flavor, toast the walnuts before chopping them.
Raisins – use regular raisins, golden raisins, or a mix of both to add sweetness and tasty texture to these carrot raisin muffins.
How to Make Carrot Muffins
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners or muffin cups. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and whisk together.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk and whisk well.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together until the flour mixture is just combined, making sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
4. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the carrots, walnuts, and raisins into the batter.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners and fill until each one is almost full.
6. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with more sugar, if desired. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the muffin tops are springy and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the carrot muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Accurately measure the flour. You want the exact amount of flour so the batter is not too dense. The best way to measure flour when baking is to weigh it on a food scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff and spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the flat edge of a butter knife.
- Use fresh spices. Fresh spices have a more vibrant flavor than preground spices. Be sure to use spices with a good expiration date. I typically buy preground cinnamon and ginger, but I always freshly grate the nutmeg when adding it to baked goods. Jarred ground nutmeg has significantly less flavor than fresh.
- Mix the batter gently. Overmixing the batter can lead to tough and dense muffins. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined, and then gently fold in the grated carrots, chopped walnuts, and raisins. Do not use a mixer.
- Don’t overfill the muffin cups. It is important to leave room for the muffin batter to rise. Avoid filling the muffin liners to the top; leave a bit of space so they are only about ⅔ full. The muffins will rise when baking and come out at the perfect height in the liner.
- Garnish with sugar. These muffins are extra delicious topped with sugar for a crunchy, sweet muffin top. Sprinkle with sanding sugar or coarse turbinado sugar for a sparkling finish if desired!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days for the best texture. They will also keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to slightly warm if desired. These carrot muffins also freeze well. Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the microwave for 30 seconds or until thawed through.
Top carrot cake muffins with a simple spread of salted butter or honey butter and enjoy with a warm mug of coffee, tea, or a cold glass of milk for breakfast. They also make a great sweet addition to a brunch spread topped with a homemade fruit compote such as apple, pear, or mixed berry for a fancy twist.
Grate cleaned carrots using the large holes of a hand-held grater, like a box grater, or quickly grate carrots in the food processor. Many food processors have a grating attachment, or you can slowly pulse the carrots in the food processor until they are just shredded.
There are several ways to mix up this homemade carrot muffin recipe. You can use any dried fruit or a combination of dried fruits, including craisins or chopped dried apricots. Or add fresh fruit like diced apple pieces for carrot apple muffins or drained crushed pineapple for a tropical flavor. If you’re a chocolate lover, this recipe is also fantastic with chocolate chips added! Additionally, you can swap the walnuts for chopped pecans, add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the batter, and swap the vegetable oil for a light-tasting olive oil.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Carrot Muffins recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Carrot Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ¾ cup vegetable oil (180ml)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 cups grated carrots (210g)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (60g)
- ½ cup raisins (90g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and whisk together.
- In another large bowl, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk and whisk well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Fold the carrots, walnuts, and raisins into the batter.
- Divide the batter among the paper liners (they will be almost full). Sprinkle the tops with more sugar, if you like.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are springy and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Accurately measure the flour. You want the exact amount of flour so the batter is not too dense. The best way to measure flour when baking is to weigh it on a food scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff and spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off with the flat edge of a butter knife.
- Use fresh spices. Fresh spices have a more vibrant flavor than preground spices. Be sure to use spices with a good expiration date. I typically buy preground cinnamon and ginger, but I always freshly grate the nutmeg when adding it to baked goods. Jarred ground nutmeg has significantly less flavor than fresh.
- Mix the batter gently. Overmixing the batter can lead to tough and dense muffins. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined, and then gently fold in the grated carrots, chopped walnuts, and raisins. Do not use a mixer.
- Don’t overfill the muffin cups. It is important to leave room for the muffin batter to rise. Avoid filling the muffin liners to the top; leave a bit of space so they are only about ⅔ full. The muffins will rise when baking and come out at the perfect height in the liner.
- Garnish with sugar. These muffins are extra delicious topped with sugar for a crunchy, sweet muffin top. Sprinkle with sanding sugar or coarse turbinado sugar for a sparkling finish if desired!
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