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!
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.