These vegan carrot muffins are bursting with spices, and studded with sweet raisins and crunchy walnuts! They're super easy to whip up and perfect for a sweet snack or an indulgent breakfast.
Spring is in the air, isn't it? Okay, spring has been in the air all winter long, at least where I live. It's been super warm and we haven't had one real snow day. I know some folks will disagree with me, but I find this to be a bit of a downer. It feels like we never got a real winter. And I love winter!
Now that spring is almost officially here I suppose I'll have to make the best of it.
I'm doing that by baking up a batch of these delightfully springy vegan carrot muffins.
Carrots, are, after all, a delicious veggie that we love to associate with spring. But they're readily available year round, so you can make these vegan carrot muffins any day of the year that you'd like! If you're a fan of my vegan carrot cake I think you'll love these. They have the same flavors and spices, but are on the lighter side and socially acceptable to eat for breakfast.
In addition to being delicious and comforting, these muffins are super easy to make!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Non-dairy milk. Just about any variety that's unflavored and unsweetened will work, the only exception being canned coconut milk. Soy milk, almond milk, oat milk and cashew milk will all work. Check out my guide to dairy-free milks for more guidance!
- Coconut oil. Feel free to substitute your favorite baking oil. Vegetable oil, canola oil, or even olive oil will work just fine.
- Vanilla extract.
- Apple cider vinegar. See my guide to apple cider vinegar substitutes if you need one.
- Flour. I've tested this recipe with all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flours. Spelt flour tends to work well in muffin recipes, so I think it will be fine here. I can't say for sure what kind of results you'll get with any other varieties.
- Brown sugar. Make sure it's organic in order to keep the recipe vegan.
- Spices. We're using cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Carrots.
- Walnuts. Feel free to skip these if you're not into nuts, or substitute another type of nut like pecans or hazelnuts.
- Raisins. These can also be omitted if you prefer, of you can use another variety of dried fruit like cranberries or cherries.
How They're Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Start by grating your carrots. Grate them finely. Most box graters have two grating surfaces for grating different sizes — use the smaller one. Alternatively, food processor with a shredding dish can be used.
- Mix your wet ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup: non-dairy milk, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
- Now mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Use a spoon to make a little well in the middle of your dry mixture, then pour in the wet ingredients. Stir everything just until combined.
- Now fold in your grated carrot, along with some raisins and walnuts.
Tip: As with all muffin and quick bread recipes, avoid overmixing the batter. Stop once the ingredients are combined, even if there are some lumps. This will give your muffins the best possible texture.
Spoon the mixture into muffins tins and bake!
Variation: Try sprinkling the tops of your vegan carrot muffins with oats, brown sugar, or coconut before baking.
Shelf-Life & Storage
Vegan carrot muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, in the fridge for about 5 days, or in the freezer for about a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unsweetened applesauce might work as a substitute for the oil, but I haven't tested it, so I can't say for sure.
I'm not sure. I think your best bet would be to substitute an all-purpose gluten-free blend like those made by Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur if you'd like to try it.
More Vegan Muffin Recipes
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Vegan Carrot Muffins
These vegan carrot muffins are bursting with spices, and studded with sweet raisins and crunchy walnuts! They're super easy to whip up and perfect for a sweet snack or an indulgent breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup raisins
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin liners.
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Stir the milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar together in small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
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Stir the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
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Use a spoon to form a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the milk mixture. Stir just until the wet and dry ingredients are fully mixed.
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Fold in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
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Divide the batter among the muffin cups.
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Bake the muffins for about 22 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed on with a finger.
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Transfer the muffin tin to a cooling rack and allow the muffins to cool before removing them from the tins.
They are delicious
Yum! Super easy and tasty. I didn’t have coconut oil so I used olive oil—delicious!
I also love these! I use lemon juice instead of apple vinegar, it works really well and has a bit more fresh flavor :)
Tasty! I added about 2 tsp of flax seed meal, substituted cranberries for raisins and almonds instead of walnuts. I did go oil-free and used apple sauce instead. Taste perfect! Will be great for breakfast.
I have made these lots of times. I keep a batch in the freezer and warm in the microwave when I fancy a sweet treat! Great recipe!
I made exactly as stated and they are delicious! Will make this recipe over and over again. Thank you!