Healthy Applesauce Carrot Muffins {a.k.a. Carrot Cake Muffins}
These healthy applesauce carrot muffins are like a better-for-you bite of carrot cake in muffin form. So delicious and easy!
Sorry to be one-dimensional with the healthy muffin recipes lately but I couldn’t wait. I had to share these with you immediately.
Maybe because I just shoved three of these in my mouth, but I have to say, they are my favorites of the latest muffin bunch.
They smell fantastic, they look pretty (those orange flecks are beauty), and they taste amazing.
It’s like a healthy bite of carrot cake. In muffin form.
They are low in fat, low in refined sugar and packed with applesauce and carrots.
But the real high point of these applesauce carrot muffins are they don’t taste healthy. Like, they don’t scream: HEALTH FOOD ALERT!
Yes, they are far healthier than many muffin recipes on the market, but they are subtly so, which means you can eat them and bask in the deliciousness without having to choke it down with a glass of, I don’t know, chocolate milk or something.
Get your little self into the kitchen and make these.
Another whole grain, healthy muffin to add to your life.
And it can be yours in 30 minutes or less (however, like all good muffins, these actually taste better once they are cooled, so dig deep for some self-control; you’ll be happier for it).
I hope these rock your world like they rocked mine.
One Year Ago: Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Pie
Two Years Ago: Brazilian Feijoada {Slow Cooked Pork and Black Bean Stew}
Three Years Ago: Roasted Fruit with Streusel Topping
Healthy Applesauce Carrot Muffins {a.k.a. Carrot Cake Muffins}
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, melted
- ½ cup honey
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup finely shredded carrots, about 2-3 medium carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
- Make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, honey, egg, vanilla, and applesauce.
- Stir ingredients together until just combined and there are still some spots of flour remaining.
- Fold in the shredded carrots just until combined (don’t overmix or the muffins will be dense).
- Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins freeze wonderfully and keep well if covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from 100 Days of Real Food after being referred to the recipe by a long-time reader, Laura G. (decreased ginger, added nutmeg, decreased butter from 8 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons, etc.) – thank you, Miss Laura!
268 Comments on “Healthy Applesauce Carrot Muffins {a.k.a. Carrot Cake Muffins}”
Can I freeze them?
I did make this recipe into a loaf pan and baked it for 1 hour and it turned out great! Didn’t sub anything but added raisins. Yummy!! :-}
Excellent muffins for all ages.
Would this recipe be adaptable to make it a loaf instead of muffins?
Definitely worth a try! I haven’t tried it myself so I don’t know what size pan, but I’d probably try an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch pan and fill 2/3 full.
The muffins were moist and delicious and healthy. What a great combination will definitely make again. I substituted Keto whole wheat flour blend.
Can almond flour be used in place of whole wheat flour?
I haven’t tried that, sorry!
These are yummy! Had some carrots to use up, so I doubled the batch. Did half brown sugar/half honey because honey is $$$. Also subbed out a portion of the flour with ground up oatmeal. So yummy – made for a play date tomorrow, and the kids are gonna love it!
Really great, moist, tasty muffins!! Will definitely make again, however will probably cut the honey down, abit too sweet for me and my little one.. but still delish!!
This is my favorite carrot muffin recipe. I substitute applesauce for the oil and add 1/2 cup raisins, coconut and walnuts. Delicious!
My muffins came out very syrupy/moist. I subbed almond meal for whole wheat flour and added some chia seeds and pecans, so maybe that had an effect. A little too sweet for me.
Making a substantial ingredient substitution (like almond meal for the flour) in a baking recipe can definitely affect results…I’m guessing that is why the muffins turned out more moist than they would if using whole wheat flour per the recipe.
These were so good! However, I used white flour, a dash of sugar since I didn’t have enough honey to fill the 1 cup needed and added raisins.
Absolutely delicious! I added craisins!
Can you tell me the estimated nutritional value for one muffin? Thank you.
Hi Kristen, I currently don’t calculate that info, but I’ll be adding nutritional info to my recipes this summer.
These muffins are delicious and my grandkids love them. Could I substitute gluten free flour for the called for wheat flour?
Hi April, I haven’t tried them with gluten free flour but you could definitely experiment!
I cut the honey in half, but I see I could have even cut it down to 1/8 cup. I feel 1/2 a cup would’ve been way too much.
Also I added
– 1 ripe banana
– 5 tablespoons of almond powder
– 1/3 cup of chia seeds
– 1/3 cup of milk
I blended the carrots (because I only had chips, not shredded) with the banana, applesauce and milk. Then I added it in the middle of the dry ingredients with the other wet ingredients.
Also, I used coconut oil instead of butter.
This was intended to be a healthy snack for my toddler, but it was so flavorful and delicious that I will be eating it on a regular basis, too. I put some peanut butter on it and had it for breakfast!
Also, I didn’t bother with making muffins, the pouring and measuring is kind of time-consuming, especially since I will end up cutting it into small pieces for him, anyway. I just baked it in a rectangular baking pan and cut into squares. Much easier!).
Very yum 🙂
I used olive oil instead of butter and left out the honey & they still rose well! Thanks
I made these this morning and they were a huge hit with my super picky daughter! She couldn’t even tell there were carrots in them. She even asked for another one. This is going in the permanent rotation!
Yummy! Toddler loved them! Didn’t have the ginger, but came out tasty. Maybe more carrots and more cinnamon next time. I used silicone liners and two paper ones, the paper ones just made the muffins stick….Silicone for sure.
YUCK indeed. Kids (and those who raise them) deserve better!
Hahaha, you’re funny!
You must have made it wrong. Then again, I added milk, I figured it was the right thing to do since I added almond powder and chia seeds. So maybe that made it more moist.
Another amazing recipe! So so good. Followed the recipe except used fresh ginger instead of ground
I made healthy applesauce carrot muffins. YUCK. And I used homemade no sugar applesauce and fresh carrots from my garden! They have no taste and do scream Health Food Cardboard. Sorry Mel, you’re off my list.
Boy you feel pretty passionately about muffins
Didn’t have any applesauce so I just processed 3 apples and stuck them in the microwave for a minute. Added some raisins and walnuts on top, but followed everything else = delicious breakfast on the go !!
These were delicious. My daughter made these for 4-H and she received a Champion and was selected to compete at the State Fair.
That’s amazing!
These muffins are delicious! Such a treat for my kids, but something I feel good about them eating. Will make again and again. Thank you for the recipe!
They were delicious! Changes I made were-instead of butter I used 2 Tablespoons of melted Coconut Oil plus 1 teaspoon of water. I added 1/3 cup each of chopped raisins & chopped walnuts.
My kids and I gobbled these up fast! Delicious way to use carrots. Yum!
These were delicious! Plenty moist, not overly sweet, and quick to put together. I made a double batch, but the way my kids have been eyeing them, I’m thinking these won’t make it until morning…
I wish there was nutrition information for this recipe. It’s frustrating to find a “healthy” recipe that has no nutrition info. :/
Lots of free websites allow you to input your ingredients and calculate the info you’re wanting. 😉 Mel’s recipes are fantastic, and definitely worth trying out. 🙂
These were delicious! A great base for modifications if needed as well (mostly because I didn’t have all the ingredients needed for this recipe); I used leftover carrot rine from juicing earlier in the day, I added walnuts, I swapped the honey for maple syrup, and I added 1/4 tsp of pumpkin spice instead of ginger and nutmeg. I will be bookmarking this for the future!
I made these yesterday and they are so good! Husband approved! I like that it uses things you have on hand during these times. Also, we have cut sugar usage in our house so I think I could cut the sugar down to 3-4 TBSPS and not feel the taste has suffered. I might try taking out a couple TBSP of flour and adding some ground flax. My husband always says- “You don’t have to mess with a good thing.” Ha!
These muffins are so good!! I don’t like honey so instead I’ve put maple sirup.
These turned out great. Not for the sweet tooth though. I happe. To like my sweets ‘not to sweet’
I made these and LOVED every bite with not one shred of guilt. I swapped the honey for agave. So so good. Thanks for sharing!
These were great! Tasty, rose nicely like a coffee shop muffin. I added nuts and topped with some streusel I had left over from something else. 5 stars!
These ended up super dense and did not rise at all. Sad.
Made these exactly as recipe calls for and they are ok taste more like apple than carrot
These are so yummy! I used a scant 1.5 C Oat Flour and 1 C almond yogurt + 1/2 C goat milk. I’d call it a forgiving recipe. Definitely delicious!
Oops! That comment was for the double chocolate muffins. These are next to try 🙂
The flavour of these muffins was pretty good, but mine stuck to the liners WAAY too much – I swear, 1/3 of the muffin was lost to the liner!
Try using parchment paper muffin tin liners – nothing will stick to them.
I had never used applesauce when baking, but will make these again. They were delicious!
These are great! I popped 2 carrots (chopped roughly) into the food processor so I didn’t have to shred by hand and it worked really well!
My 14 month old is being super picky about food recently, and she loves these! Thanks!
I found this recipe may be 3 weeks ago and they are in high demand!!! I just doubled the quantity of carrots. It is both easy and delicious.As of verifying if you can keep them 2/3 days, it has not been possible . Just one word: thanks!!!
Thanks, Patricia!
I’m thinking of doubling the carrots too. Did you omit anything else then?
Was hesitant with any new recipe, but have to say these muffins were excellent!! So moist and flavorful, thank you!!
Made these with Pam’s GF baking flour, turned out great!
These were so delicious! I was looking for a healthy breakfast that could travel if needed for my 12 month old, and they were a big hit with her, and my husband and me as well!
Made these for my Grandson and they are delicious!! Replaced the butter with a good olive oil.
Love these muffins! Do you know the nutrition facts for these? Trying to calculate carbs and fiber. Any help would be appreciated!
I don’t; sorry!
Hi Mel, love your muffin recipes. We love so many of them!
I have a question for you about doubling. I’m assuming your family probably eats through muffins and baked goods as fast as mine does, and I’m wondering if you have a rule of thumb you follow for doubling ingredients in baked goods. Do you double everything or make adjustments in the baking soda and powder? I’ve read somewhere that you are supposed to adjust those ingredient amounts. Do you?
Since we’re talking about doubling–if you’ve got a minute: when you are thickening something with flour (like a creamy sauce or a soup) do you find that you have to more than double the flour in order to thicken the final product? I’ve found that my dishes don’t thicken appropriately unless I add more flour than just the doubled amount. Have you found that to be true? If so, do you have a rule of thumb you follow on that?
Thank you for every. single. recipe you post. Love to try them all…and have now since you started out. So grateful!
Yum! These are really moist and tasty. Delicious with Earl Grey tea! I didn’t have a full 1/2 cup of honey, so I used 1/4 C honey and subbed in 1/4C brown sugar. I also added a handful of raisins and a few spoonfuls of crystalized ginger left over from holiday baking 🙂
These are amazing!! I used coconut oil + 1t water instead of butter and added golden raisins and finely chopped pecans, stunning results. Toddler approved as well!
I made these today using the homemade applesauce I made in the slow cooker yesterday. I would say “Healthy Applesauce Carrot Muffins” is accurate but “Carrot Cake Muffins” is a stretch!
I just made these muffins and they are delicious! They are very moist and flavorful (although I did decrease the ginger to 1/8 a tsp). Also, I used white whole wheat flour. This recipe is a keeper!
BEST CARROT MUFFINS EVER! Super moist, and bursting with flavor! The second time I made them I added pecans for a bit of a crunch, so good. Thanks for sharing this recipe. ❤️
I added some chopped walnuts and golden raisins.
Ymmm.should of added raisins or nuts.
so good. light, fluffy.my family loves it and I was able to make it at the age of 9.
Can you sub egg by making a flax egg and make it vegan?
I haven’t tried that but you could experiment!
I just tried it! This recipe is perfection! I substituted butter with coconut oil but still great!
So far this is the best muffin I’ve tried!
Will it be possible to use the same muffin batter for a different flavour? Like double chocolate or blueberry?
I haven’t tried that but you could experiment! Good luck!
I’ve made this recipe before and they are delicious!! I am out of whole wheat flour though, can I sub with white flour 1:1??
Yes you can sub white flour for the wheat flour (same amount).
Best thing about these besides being delicious is the fact that they stay fresh tasting for days, yum!
Came out really good! I subbed bobs red mill gluten free flour, coconut oil, and flax egg 🙂 Easy, healthy, and yummy <3. Will definitely make again! good base recipe to get creative with subs and add ins! Oh and baked for 16 minutes 🙂
Thanks for letting us know it worked out with those changes!
Just made these and they taste amazing!! Had to modify a few things since I didn’t have them on hand. I replaced the applesauce with homemade pear sauce and added a bit of chocolate chips. So good!! I’m totally going to make more for the kids when they go to camp!
These were wonderful!! I love cinnamon, so I doubled it and added walnuts and raisins. Thank you for another great recipe!
Can I make this into a cake instead of muffins? What would I need to do differently?
I’m not sure – I haven’t tried it. I don’t know how the quantity of batter translates into cake pan size. Good luck if you experiment!
These turned out fantastic! My daughter has an egg allergy so we substituted the gg for 1/4 cup of yogurt which worked perfectly. I will definitely be making these again.
Was looking for a healthy mini muffin for backstage at 5 dance shows – had to be no peanut and no berries or chocolate to stain costumes -THESE ARE AMAZING! We will be making these again before the end of the show run for sure and they worked perfectly as mini muffins! THANKS MEL!
These turned out great. Not for the sweet tooth though. I happe. To like my sweets ‘not to sweet’
Without exaggeration, these are the best muffins I’ve ever made!
I made them exactly as posted except I did half brown sugar and half honey because I doubled it and I’m too cheap
Absolutely LOVE these! I use a microplane for the carrots (it’s an arm workout, but worth it), and I always end up doubling the recipe so I can’t eat them all in 24hrs. I’d like to make a gluten free version for a get together, but have never baked anything gluten free. Do you have any gluten-free flour suggestions? Thanks!
I’m not super familiar with gluten free flour…but usually the cup for cup blends work decently well in recipes like this.
These muffins are so delicious!! My daughter who can’t have refined sugar looooooves them!!! Thank you!!
This recipe is easy and delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed it and so did everyone else. I’m making these for the second time and look forward to eating them again.
ok. I am terrible at making muffins. They are dry/ dense/ too soggy/ just plain gross. But I didn’t want to give up! I came across this recipe after a google search for carrot muffins, as I had some to use up. They are AWESOME! I am SO PROUD of myself! I finally made a delicious, moist and fluffy muffin! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is a keeper 🙂
Turned out delicious! Would make again.
Excellent muffins! Just made them and tasted one already! I did 1/4 c honey 1/4 pure organic maple syrup.
Thank you!
These are so great!I love that they are made with no granulated sugar, just honey. (I may try maple syrup next time just for variety) I used 1/2 cup sprouted whole wheat flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. I made 18 mini muffins and baked them for 13 minutes.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hey, Mel!
My 11 month old, husband and I loved these muffins! Second time I made them, I replaced applesauce (had no more) with two bananas and carrots with raisins and cranberries. Both times, they were terrific.
Thanks’ for sharing!
Doesn’t specify how much egg to use.
Use the whole egg.
They are so good even my kids went nuts for them
These are great! I’m always trying creative ways to get veggies into my picky 2-year-old. I added a cup of ground walnuts, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My little guy (and my husband and I) loved them. It’s nice to have muffins I know are sweetened with just some honey and apple sauce.
Do you use self raising flour or plain flour? (I know its wholemeal) How do the muffins rise up if not SR flour?
I do not use self-rising flour – there is leavening in the recipe ingredients so you can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
Just made these.. delicious!!!
Do you know what the nutritional value is – if I am watching my calorie intake, I know all kind of healthy food. I liked them.
You should be able to input the recipe into a site like myfitness pal and it will calculate how many calories are in each muffin for you. 🙂
Good easy recipe and it works!
I steamed whole carrots, then mashed them, instead of using shredded carrots. I also didn’t have nutmeg or ginger, but these still turned out great!
How many did this recipe make? Looking to make them for preschool snacks.
12 large or about 16 smaller.
The yield is right above the recipe title. It makes about 12 muffins. 🙂
Had carrots that needed to be used! This recipe was quick and easy. I used these items: almond flour and coconut butter instead of what the recipe called for. Turned out good anyways!
Just to clarify: you used almond flour instead of the wheat flour?
Can you substitute maple syrup for the honey? I want to make these for my 10 month old but honey is a no-go until they are 1 year old.
I doubled this recipe and used 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour. I used my own homemade applesauce and added raisins.
I glazed these with and orange glaze and orange rind.
Perhaps not as healthy. But delicious!!!
Delicious muffins! I used baking spray instead of liners. I also added 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup raisins.
So far out of the oven they’re perfect. Probably the second recipe I’ve followed nearly exactly in my life of 58 years
These were very delicious. Not too sweet but still flavorful. Moist. I will make these again.
I love this recipe and so does my one-year old daughter! Thank you!!
Just made these muffins and they are very tasty! I don’t normally like carrots in cakes/muffins but thought I would give these a try as I had some carrots that needed using up. Will leave a couple out for tomorrow and will freeze the rest for a quick workday breakfast. I’m currently not eating Gluten or dairy so I replaced the whole wheat flour with GF All Purpose and used Vegan butter in place of the regular butter.
Wow great muffins, My daughter downed 5 of them saying mommy they were just so good!
At first I was worried that there was too much honey and they would be too sweet but they are not.
Awesome and so easy! My 13 month old loves them as well! I also did 1/4c of raw honey and a 1/4c of pure maple syrup instead of the 1/2c of raw honey and they are amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Def making them again.
Could you use coconut flour instead of whole wheat flour?
I’ve never tried – I don’t know how coconut flour “behaves” in baked goods, like it how it absorbs moisture, etc.
Just made them…..I think for the second time. Love this recipe. My 3 and 5 year old are begging me for more. Both have requested them in their lunch for tomorrow. Thanks for a great recipe!
These muffins were delicious. I added some raisins. I will definitely make these again. Thank you!!
Delicious muffins. I actually used 1/2 maple syrup and 1/2 molasses (as baby is under 1 year old and didn’t want to use honey) and they turned out great. Slightly different taste but baby loves them and so do I! Good for baby with extra calcium and iron that the molasses provides.
These were absolutely delicious….our entire family, including our somewhat picky toddler asked for these daily:) Not dry at all, which has been our biggest issue with healthier muffins. Thanks for the yummy recipe.
Hi!
Found this recipe on Pinterest! Made these yesterday and they were sooooo good!
I brushed my muffin tin with coconut oil and had no trouble getting these out of the tin.
I also used the half honey/half maple syrup as another commentator suggested and they were perfect.
Light fluffy delicious. I am muffin obsessed and these are a keeper. Thank you for sharing! X
Glad you loved them, Jenny! Thanks for the comment.
What’s the calories?
OMG…thought I would never find this recipe again..lol!! Made them last week …used maple syrup instead of honey and 1/2 cup of instant oatmeal instead of all flour. Delicious…we ate them all. Now going to make again with raisins, walnuts then another batch with dates. Great for taking to work for a mid afternoon snack or with a hot cup of tea for dessert. Thanks for sharing this winner!
These are great!! I made them into mini muffin, that’s what my toddler and husband prefer, they work out to 1 point each on WW!! My changes were a 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup instead of the honey as my honey is unpasteurized and hard, wouldn’t have worked to mix it in! Also I grated fresh all spice in addition to the other spices as we love lots of spice!!
Thanks so much!!!
Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe! My toddler refuses most veggies, and these muffins are a perfect way to sneak some in. These turned out so light, fluffy, and moist. Even my husband loved them, and he is just as bad as our child when it comes to eating vegetables. I can’t wait to make a couple more batches. I count calories and calculated these to be 126 calories each, so I can feel good about eating them, too!
My muffins are always so unbelievably dense! Not just this recipe but all my recipes. Looks nothing like your fluffy muffins. The flavour was great though and my toddler loves them! Could it really be me muxing them to much or could it be something else?
Mixing muffin batter beyond just combining is the biggest culprit (in my opinion) of dense muffins.
These are so good! I used coconut oil instead of butter! Even my 12 year old loved them!
I just made these and they are fabulous! I had open applesauce that I needed to use so I doubled the recipe and made half large and half mini muffins. Next time I’ll try adding raisins or walnuts to give them a little extra texture. Beautiful, healthy recipe! Thank you!!
So, just FYI, don’t answer the phone in the middle of making these and forget to add the baking soda.
These were amazing. I made them last night, and woke up this morning to moldy muffins. Very disappointing, but I still ate a couple and threw the rest away. I knew I should have put them in the fridge. They were at room temperature too.
I love this recipe. I love it made exactly as described, and I love varying it.
Today’s variation: summer squash instead of carrots, double the ginger, cut to 3/4 of the honey, and a generous handful of walnuts. Baked longer, ~22 minutes.
Thank you also for your YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtl0QIjDaK8) on how to squeeze water out of zucchini – I used the tea towel method. Your caption at the 1:30 mark made me laugh a lot. 🙂
Great recipe! After trying your original recipe (which I loved!) I reduced the honey by half and threw in some raisins, shredded coconut, and chopped walnuts. They were an even bigger hit with my kids.
I have never posted a comment before but these are so amazing I have to. I made them as a healthy treat for my two toddlers but I’ve eaten 4 of them in the last 4 hours. I used half maple syrup and half molasses instead of honey because my son is just 1. The flavor is amazing and they’re so moist. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi Mel, I’m a juicer. Do you think the pulp left behind if I juiced some carrots would work just as well as grated carrots?
Hi Jennifer – I’m not a juicer so I can’t say for sure but I think it’s definitely worth a try!
I used white flour after discovering my whole wheat flour smelled rancid (yuck) and these turned out deliciously moist. You could even stand to decrease a bit of the honey as they were almost too good! They definitely stuck to the liners, but who cares. Made these as a healthy option to send along to daycare for my 2 year old’s bday, and now going to make them again with frosting for his party on the weekend! Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks! Looks healthy and tasty. Trying to eat healthy for the New Year!
can you use white flour?
Sure.
I just made these yesterday and they are HEAVENLY.
Thank you so much for this recipe! 🙂
Hi! How many calories per muffin?
Thanks.
Try googling for nutrition info/calorie count – I don’t calculate it for my recipes. 🙂
I know this post is quite old, but I wanted to thank you for a great recipe. I just took out a freshly baked batch from the oven and it’s a hit! Thank you for sharing. It was easy to follow and the results were very moist and tasty muffins!
Moist & delicious! Will make these yummy muffins again…added 1/2 cup ground flax with 1 cup ww flour. Cut honey to 1/3 cup. They were a big hit!!
I make a lot of healthy muffins around here. Several are from your site. Of my three kids one of them always eats them but the other two are hit or miss. All three and dad and I loved these. I used shredded sweet potato because I had it let over from a breakfast casserole and it worked great. We liked them best with a little bit of cream cheese. I also only added a bit of ginger and nutmeg I don’t like my carrot cake heavy on the spices. Next time I will cut the honey some too. I thought they were almost too sweet of course this is why the kids loved them so much. 🙂 Thanks for another healthier muffin recipe.
I made these last night and they turned out good. Can I freeze the muffins? If so how long and what’s the best way to do so? Container, ziplock bags?!!
Thank you for a great recipe
Yes, they freeze well. I usually put them in a single layer in a gallon-size ziploc bag – if well-sealed, they should keep for up to a month.
Made these many times and love them. Today my honey came a little faster than planned. They’re already really moist and I was worried that would push it over the edge. So I added about 1/3 -1/2 cup quick oats. Turned out awesome! I think il always add a little from here on out.
I’m guessing the carrots that you can buy pre-shredded would be too big for these muffins?
Yes, I think they might be too thick.
I have some presbredded from the store. Do you think it would work if I just cut them up so the pieces are smaller?
Could certainly try – the texture might be a bit different, but it’s worth a shot.
hi, Mel, love you so much for this receipe . I made it today and in no time my kids finished 1/2of the cake . i only made few variations. added Zuchinni instead of carrot and instead of honey i added molasses, which i have in loads of amount lying at my place. it turned out really good. everyone liked it. thanks for such a healthy cake receipe ones again
These muffins are moist and delicious. My 2 year old loves them and it is one of the few ways I can get veggies in him. Thank you!
Can I use yogurt in place of the applesauce?
I haven’t tried it but I believe someone in the comments did if you read through the thread.
I add in some fresh diced pineapple in it’s juice to give it a little zing
Wow! Can you use pear sauce?
Haven’t tried that but I’m guessing it would work just fine.
Amazing. When looking for a healthy carrot muffin recipe, I was kind of surprised what came up. I don’t think 3/4 cup of oil or a 1/2 cup of butter for 12 muffins is particularly healthy. So this recipe was an easy choice. They were easy to make and so delicious, just like a carrot cake really, and in the ingredients I really don’t see anything objectionable. I used fresh grated ginger and I loved the flavor of that. Next time will definitely add walnuts. I don’t like to bake with honey so used brown sugar and it was sweeter even than it needed to be, so next time I’ll reduce that and they’ll be even healthier. Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi Mel, I just stumbled across this recipe looking for carrot recipes. I just wanted to let you know that I have been buying Bunny Love organic baby carrots & I haven’t found any bitter ones yet. I hope you can find them in your local grocery store. I buy mine from Kroger.
I made these today for my daughter and grandson. I replaced 1/2 flour with old fashioned oatmeal to reduce flour it was delicious and my grandson loves them. so easy to make. Great recipe
Do you know how many calories and/or fat are in these muffins?
I don’t provide the nutritional facts currently but there are a lot of online calculators that provide that information. Good luck!
Just threw in a batch of these! My toddler and I can’t wait to get them out of the oven. Great recipe 🙂
I just made these for my grandson and we both loved them!! Healthy and
The only problem I had is with liners, a good part of it stayed stuck to the liner, any advise for this?
ooops … healthy and delicious 🙂
Maddy – You could definitely try lightly greasing the muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray – that may help.
Hi Mel! I really like these muffins! Sometimes when I make them I get a bitter carrot after-taste. Is there something I should be looking for when it comes to choosing carrots?
Hey Danielle – there must be a secret out there but I’m with you, sometimes the carrots I buy are sweet and crisp and other times they are bitter. Since I just moved, I’m looking at all new brands of carrots. Back in Minnesota I didn’t have many options but I’m hoping to get a brand that is consistently non-bitter – if I do, I’ll share!
I used 1 cup grated carrots using the smaller grate on my hand grater. I also substituted canned crushed pineapple (1 cup) in place of applesauce. I didn’t have ginger either so I used pumpkin pie spice (1/4 tsp) as a last resort even though they aren’t very close. Other then that I did the recipe exactly (which is kind of rare for me – I usually like to wing it)
I didn’t use muffin liners or grease (fingers crossed) but i sprinkled a small amount of oats on the bottom of the tin (which is new and non-stick) *** I don’t recommend this haha use liners if you have ’em
Calories per muffin (assuming 12 muffins) with these adjustments is 136 calories per muffin. Which is excellent!! This is very easy to do if you have a MyFitnessPal account using their recipe section.
The muffins just came out of the oven and the verdict is….. Very good, moist and tasty. Doesn’t necessarily taste like carrot cake without the frosting lol but they are very good and I would probably make them again.
I forgot to mention I did like it with the pineapple addition – but next time I will try it with applesauce as directed or less pineapple I felt like the pineapple kind of took over the carrot flavour a bit
If i wanted to make this into a round 9 inch cake what will the measurments & baking time be ?
Please help making a birthday cake for my mom
Nadelle – Quite honestly, I don’t know – and I’m not sure this muffin recipe will transition well into a cake. Definitely have to experiment as I haven’t tried it – good luck!
Would you happen to know about how many calories would be in one of these muffins?
Viktoriya – No. There are a lot of online nutrition calculators that you could try though.
I’ve been juicing a lot so I’m trying it with the pulp of the carrots ? any thoughts or comments ?
Rejeanne Johnson – I don’t know the texture or consistency of the carrot pulp so I can’t say for sure but I think these muffins are pretty forgiveable so its worth a try. Good luck.
My family and I loved these! I made my own applesauce and used whole grain spelt flour, which tasted great! I also omitted the ginger and nutmeg.
Hi Mel! I was wondering how I can accommodate your muffin recipe (this one and the other delicious ones) to fit a mini muffin tin (24). I would follow the recipe – but can you tell me the approximate timing for the minis and anything else I should be aware of? Thanks Mel – I would like to make these for my 2 year old and just bought the mini tray yesterday.
Melissa – When I bake mini muffins/cupcakes I always check them after 6-7 minutes. This recipe will probably make more than 24 mini muffins so you might need to do a second batch in the oven.
Hey Mel, just made a double batch of these for the freezer for summer snacks. My boys love them! Have you ever tried 100% Maple Syrup instead of honey? It’s much healthier than refined sugar, like honey, but doesn’t have the strong taste honey can have in baked goods. Anyway, I almost always replace half the sugar in a recipe with maple syrup and it’s delicious in these muffins. It can be pricey though, which is the downside. Thanks again for another awesome recipe! Sincerely, one of your biggest fans.
Hi Karen – thanks for the suggestion! I haven’t made these with maple syrup but I have subbed the honey out for agave nectar (it has a mild taste too).
Made these a couple times written. Yummy! This last time I went crazy with changes and ended up liking them even better: subbed the butter for melted coconut oil, added 3/4 c Craisins and a small, peeled and diced apple. Thanks!
You don’t use any sugar only honey????
Alice – Yep, just the honey and the applesauce to sweeten them.
I am making these right now for my sweetie. He loves carrot cake and has been craving it. I am hoping that these healthier muffins with fat free cream cheese frosting will do the trick. He has lost close to 100lbs in the past 2-3 years so I want to make healthy treats for us. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
I dont have ground ginger. Is there any other spice I can subsitute? Thanks!
J – You can use an additional 1/4 tsp. cinnamon instead of the ginger.
I have never baked with Apple sauce but have a bug jar of sweetend apple sauce in the pantry. Will that work of be too sweet? Thanks!
Erica – Sure, but I’d probably cut down the sugar a bit in the recipe.
These are amazing! My toddler (she’s almost 2) just gobbled down 2 of them for breakfast. Thanks for a fantastic solution to a suddenly picky toddler 🙂
HEY!! i wondered across your page recipe hunting and found these! made them today! may be the best muffins i’ve ever made!!! i really appreciate how you instructed on how to mix the ingredients – it really makes a big difference! thank you!! ps..any chance you have any idea of calories per muffin??
Jolene – Sorry, I don’t post the nutritional information, but if you read through the comment thread another reader posted the calories, etc. for this recipe.
I’m loving all your healthy muffin recipes. I’ve been on a muffin kick lately trying different ones of yours. Just made these carrot muffins. My picky 3 year old just downed 3 of them and it doesn’t even matter because they are totally healthy! So happy I found your blog!
These were excellent! As a vegan, no fat or sugar, a few changes were necessary but wowzy, these were so good, I ate three too. The rest hit the freezers.
Hey! I’m looking into making these for my boyfriend for Valentines Day. I was wondering though.. What could I use as a super healthy frosting to add to the top? Would like vanilla yogurt work?
Marina – I don’t have a “healthy” frosting recipe, but you could to Google a yogurt frosting or even try using a thick Greek yogurt. Good luck!
I really enjoyed these muffins! Nice and healthy- great for breakfast when I’m heading to school and need to be ready to go for my students at 7:00 am. I am a lover of the whole wheat flour taste, but some might not enjoy the difference in flavor- in comparison to just regular unbleached flour- its got a more nutty/dry taste. I made these exactly like the recipe but added 2/3 cup walnuts. Love them and the picky fiancé loved them too! Thank you.
Hi Mel, thanks for your response. I tried the recipe and they were much better this time. I used a cheese grater instead of my blender, and just to be extra sure, I squeezed out the carrot shredds out with a couple paper towels first, and the recipe tuned out even a touch on the dry side! lol. I think I was just being paranoid becuase of the watery first batch. Next time I’ll just shed the carrots like a normal person and toss them in! ha ha
Great muffin!!! My daughter loved it!! I will defeneatly make it again, and again!!!
Just made these with my 2.5 year old son. We used coconut oil instead of the butter for a diary free recipe. They turned out yummy and leaving my son wanting to eat 2 in a row!
Hey Ari, I just made these, and mine turned out super wet too! They tasted ok, but seemed really wet, mushy and sticky and i had to cook them for a full 25 minutes before I even sort of got a clean-ish tooth pick. I live in germany…so maybe european carrots have a higher moisture content? ha ha, who knows. Maybe next time I’ll try squeezing out the moisture with a paper towel first. Also, I finely chopped my carrots in our vitamix instead of shredding them by hand on a cheese grater, could that be the difference? I’d love some tips/feedback/advice from anyone else who’s had a similar problem.
Jennifer SZ – not sure what went wrong for you but my guess is that the grated carrots you used were processed more finely than how I shred mine. Because carrots do have a high water content, the finer they are chopped (especially in a blender) the more liquid that will be released from them. Good luck if you try the recipe again (try grating the carrots more coarsely).
Unfortunately these turned out horribl…I think its all due to the whole wheat flour. That really changes the flavor, shouldve just used regular flour.
I just made these and they taste like dog biscuits. Yuck.
I just got a juicer for Christmas and wanted to throw the pulp from apples and carrots in a muffin so they wouldn’t go to waste and these turned out perfect. I added extra butter and egg because I didn’t have applesauce. I need to get some applesauce and these will be super healthy 🙂
I used cinnamon apple sauce (it was all I had) and cut the teaspoon of cinnamon in half, and substituted agave nectar for the honey, because I’m diabetic. They are baking right now.
Just re-tried using Laurie’s modifications and got slightly better results, though the insides are still a bit wet. I think it’s a combination of factors. One is that my oven might be slightly miscalibrated, but the other is British carrots. Since I moved to the UK I find the produce has a much higher water content – maybe I should try to ‘dry off’ the shredded carrot?
love these! I added chopped walnuts and some currants.
I don’t know what I did wrong, but mine have been in the oven for about an hour and the outsides are turning rock hard while the insides are still liquid!
your heat is too high, next time, tent with foil and use a lower heat
These are delicious! I made a few changes (and blogged them here), and they were really delicious, full of flavor, great texture, and awesome for breakfast. Thank you!
I’ve made these twice now – the first time I followed the recipe exactly, and they were awesome. The second time I added a few things – cup of shredded zucchini, raisins, 1/2 cup or so of peanut butter and some butterscotch chips. Mmm Mmm! I was able to make the additions without changing any of the ingredients you had included. I love how “branny” (that’s an adjective that means “tastes healthy, like bran” 🙂 these are and I just wanted to let other readers know how alterable they are!
My whole family LOVES these! I’ve made them several times and they are hit with everyone!
I made these last week and they were awesome! I went overboard on the carrots, but that didn’t seem to matter. For the applesauce, I diced and peeled a few apples and briefly cooked them in a little water and cinnamon. I think I ended up adding a little milk for moisture, but all in all, they were good!
Made these for my toddler and she loved them! I substituted vanilla Greek yogurt for the butter because we didn’t have any butter left on hand (!) and they still turned out great. I made mini muffins and adjusted the cooking time to about 12 minutes. They’re perfect! Even I couldn’t resist popping a few in my mouth 🙂
Making these right now! I added raisins, but otherwise followed your directions. Love that you decreased the butter!
Wow! I made these this morning and they were spectacular. So yummy. And they made my home smell wonderful. Thanks Mel!
We made your perfect chocolate cupcakes last night. They ARE perfect! Neighbors loved them:) But, because we made them, and I ATE them, I had better go make these healthy muffins now:) We love your recipes around here, Mel!
Ooooh…I will have to try these! I just made three pots worth of applesauce yesterday so I wanted to find something to bake with – perfecto!
I’m on a healthy muffin kick and these did not disappoint. I love freezing them for a grab and go breakfast. I made these for the first time tonight and threw in a handful of walnuts – delicious!
nothin but lovin from the oven. now get this- my food processor grater is broken, so i tried a tricky little ditty that worked quite well…i peeled and cut the carrots into chunks, then cooked them in the microwave for a few mins, just til slightly soft. then i tossed them into the blender with the other wet ingredients. worked like a charm. we love you mel!!
I remember the last time I made muffins and I told Tomasz, that he can take half of them to work. He answered that there’s no need, he’ll manage to eat all of them 😀 I am so happy this ones are healthy 😀
My little family has LOVED these! I made two batches. The first as the recipe states and the second I changed it up a tiny. I used coconut oil instead of the butter and I used maple syrup instead of the honey. Both batches tasted wonderfully!
These are tasty! They earned approval from both the picky toddler and the picky husband. So thanks!
In case anyone else is wondering, I put the recipe in Calorie Counter (I subbed the whole wheat flour for kamut flour because that’s what I had on hand) and the nutritional info per muffin was:
Calories: 144, Fat: 3 (Saturated Fat: 1). Carb: 27g, Fiber: 3, Protein: 3.
That’s 4 PointsPlus on Weight Watchers.
This comment is a little older, but could you tell me where you found Calorie Counter? Is it from http://caloriecount.about.com ?
Thanks!
These look like my kind of muffins! I adore carrot cake and I love that these are healthy!
Thinking about possibly substituting some homemade apple butter for the applesauce (but my apple butter is sweetened, of course), Because of this, I’m thinking I would use about half as much honey. Do you think this would work?
We love muffins for breakfast! One of my little guys has an egg allergy so we substitute 1 TBS ground Flax seed mixed with 3 TBS water for each egg. It’s a great way to make any recipe a bit healthier and no one has ever noticed a taste difference. Thanks for all the yumminess, Mel!
These look great, but I only keep All-Purpose Flour in my pantry. Would I use the same amount as the Wheat Flour or would it change?
These will most certainly be breakfast tomorrow!
How finely are the carrots grated? I have two settings on my food processor…one is pretty little, really little and fine, but the other is almost an 1/8 inch thick, still grated, but bigger. I use that for zucchini bread, but would that work here or am I better with smaller? Thanks!
Brianna – I used the fine side of my box grater. Do you have a box grater to compare with your food processor? I would say it’s probably the bigger size you described.
It’s Friday night and after a long work week I decided supper was going to be Mel’s delicious pumpkin muffins — and no they do not have the word healthy before them. With my coffee and 3 muffins in front of me, I turned on the computer and went immediately to Mel’s blog. Ouch, ouch, ouch! I immediately suffered a major guilt trip. 🙁 Sure wish I had viewed these “healthy” applesauce carrot muffins a little earlier like right after work. Sigh. Although all this refined sugar is slowly lifting my spirits! Thanks for another great recipe.
I’ll have to try these. Just FYI, in the recipe source, it’s “100” days, not “101”. 🙂
Thanks for these! It’s been so long since I had carrot cake anything. I can’t wait to make these.
I’m going to have to make these in a few minutes!
Tracey, just thought I’d let you know that I NEVER use liners…I always grease the cups. We are way too impatient around here for liners. You can’t inhale one directly out of the oven with the liners, unless they’re cooled. Hope that helps:)
Do you think they would work if you just greased the pan and didn’t use liners? Or would they fall apart when trying to get them out? They look yummy! I love carrot cake, so these must be good! 😀
I am loving these healthy muffins! I’ve made the banana chocolate chip 3 X’s now. We will be eating this new muffin this weekend for sure. I wonder if I can sub pumpkin puree for applessauce for a nice fall flavor?
I am loving these healthy muffins for my kids school lunches! It’s so nice to pull them out of the freezer every day.
I make a recipe very similar to this. I add 1 shredded apple and some craisins to mine. Woo! So super delicious!!
Yum! Carrot cake is my favorite. I like the idea another commenter had about freezing for a quick breakfast.
These look great! My mom is in town and LOVES carrot cake – this is amazing! Healthy breakfast carrot cake muffins. Just amazing! Just to clarify: 18-20 mins?
These look great! Can’t wait to make them. Do they cook for 18 – 20 mins or 8 – 10?
Sienna (and others) – it’s 18-20 minutes.
Totally adding these to my To Make from Mel’s list. They’d be great to freeze and thaw for Lucy Goose’s breakfasts!! She LOVES muffins!!
These look AMAZING!! Could I use White Whole Wheat Flour, ya think?
can i use a white flour gluten free instead of the whole wheat
I haven’t tried that but you could certainly experiment.
You would probably add the apple sauce when you add the wet ingredients (egg, vanilla, etc). This recipe looks awesome! Just need to buy flour and we’re making this!
What about the applesauce? When do you add that?
V – sorry, just added it – it goes in with the other wet ingredients (before the carrots).
Yes, you can definitely make these just by greasing the muffin tin – liners optional (but less messy for cleanup).
Hope you don’t mind me asking, but how much is a cup in grams??
Would love to try the recipe – sounds amazing.
Anita Tang – I am not sure, but you could google an online calculator to figure out the equivalents. Good luck!
I made these this morning ,very good ,I did not put in the honey since I have 2 little grandsons,I just added more applesauce and brown sugar ,2 tbsp ,I liked them that way also .I also added pumkinspice instead of the ginger since I did not have that in my spice cabinet .
how many calories are in one serving?
I am not sure Denise, but there are a lot of online calorie counters that you can plug the recipe into.