Whole Grain Carrot Cake Muffins With Walnuts

Published 2/11/2021 If you’re a muffin lover like us, you’ll find many great healthy muffin recipes to choose from here on Fit Foodie Finds. From cinnamon pear muffins to super fluffy blueberry muffins to healthy chocolate muffins and everything in between.

Amazing Carrot Cake Muffins (that are healthy!)

These carrot cake muffins remind me a lot of our morning glory muffins in that they’re made with whole grains, fruit, veggies, and nuts. They taste just like carrot cake, but are a better for you version…in muffin form! Our carrot cake muffins taste just like carrot cake but in muffin form. And, because it’s Fit Foodie Finds, these muffins are jam-packed with the good stuff. Texture: first and foremost, there is something about a perfectly fluffy and moist muffin that you just can’t beat! These are just that. Real ingredients: Freshly grated carrot, mashed banana, maple syrup, the list goes on! Real food rules. Taste: If you LOVE carrot cake, you’re going to swoon over these muffins because they taste like the real deal.

What You Need

Flour: the flour you need is white whole wheat flour. We love the King Arthur Brand. Fat: this recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of added fat (coconut oil) because we utilize both mashed banana and Greek yogurt for extra moisture. Sweetener: To sweeten things up a bit, we’re using a combination of maple syrup and mashed banana, both all-natural sweeteners. Add-Ins: the add-ins are really what make these healthy muffins –> carrot cake muffins! check it out:

grated carrots: you need a whole cup of grated carrots. Make sure to remove as much moisture as possible after grating. Also, a cheese grater works great for grating carrots. We like to grate them medium so you can see them in the muffins.chopped walnuts: feel free to use either walnuts or pecans for this recipe.carrot cake spices: last but not least, the spices! To get that amazing warm, spicy carrot cake flavor you need ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom, and salt.

How to Make Healthy Carrot Muffins

Here is a quick run down of how to make these carrot cake muffins recipe. For the full recipe, make sure to scroll down the recipe card!

6 Healthy Muffin Recipes – 1 Base Batter

Are you a muffin queen just like us? Here’s our favorite base recipe for healthy muffins + 6 different healthy muffin recipes you can make with it! Get all 6 healthy muffin recipes HERE!

All About the Glaze

To glaze or not to glaze? We say, when in doubt make the glaze. It’s fun and fancy and truly does tie everything together. You only need 2 simple ingredients: powdered sugar and water. Simply mix them together in a bowl until smooth. If you feel like you want a thicker glaze, add a little bit more powdered sugar. If you want things thinner, add a little bit more water.

Top Tips for Perfect Healthy Muffins

Don’t over bake: our number 1 tip with all baked goods is don’t over bake! If you bake your muffins too long, they will dry out and be really cakey and hard to chew. Don’t over mix: It’s easy to over mix, but don’t do it! You risk deflating the leavening agent and over scrambling the eggs. Don’t use a different flour: whatever you do, do not swap for a different flour…especially coconut or almond! We’ve only tested this recipe with white whole wheat!

Storage

Let muffins cool completely and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 3 days. Or, store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can you freeze these muffins?

Freezing these muffins is super simple. We recommend holding off on glazing them until after you’ve frozen and thawed them, but otherwise follow the directions below.