This recipe is by far the new favorite muffin in our house. Move over blueberry, zucchini, and even pumpkin – these are so deeelicious and could be eaten with breakfast, lunch, or even dinner (maybe as a side to some fall soup?)! Plus for those who are looking for cupcakes for little ones (i.e. smash cake) I would totally top one of these off with some homemade unsweetened whipped cream and call it a day. This would be perfect for your baby! And if you prefer to avoid honey for your really little ones I think 100% pure maple syrup would work just fine as a substitute.
Whole-Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (but not melted), 1 stick
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 3/4 cup carrot, shredded
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper, foil, or silicone liners, and set aside.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
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In a large bowl fitted with an electric whisk (or beaters), mix the butter, honey, egg and vanilla together on medium speed. Turn the speed down and slowly add in the flour mixture until well combined. The batter will be fairly thick at this point.
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Using a spatula, carefully fold in the applesauce and carrots (I used a cheese grater to shred the carrots). Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick comes and muffins are beginning to turn golden brown on top. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Connie Anglin
March 18, 2016 at 9:11 pmI have made these twice this week. Both times they bake up beautiful but once I pull them out to cool they sink in. The only adjustments I made were (1st batch I cut the butter in half and did whole fat yogurt and adjusted the spices) (2nd batch I just adjusted the spices). My applesauce and vanilla are homemade, I used King Arthur whole wheat white flour. I just don’t understand. The flavor is fine but they seem under cooked in the middle. I even baked them an extra 6-7 minutes. Any thoughts? My baking soda is not expired.
Thanks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
March 30, 2016 at 8:50 amHi. Mine often sink just a little, too, and I typically cut the butter. :) I think any adjustment in the ingredients can have a slightly different outcome.
Connie
April 5, 2016 at 12:50 amAfter doing some research I discovered that my baking powder (which I had used by accident) had gone bad. It doesn’t expire until July but I tested it and sure enough it was bad. So my next batch turned out great…along with some the banana -pumpkin bread I made yesterday.☺️
Thank you!!!
Carol S
April 10, 2016 at 1:12 pmThese are delicious! I added a pinch of nutmeg
Anna
April 17, 2016 at 6:58 pmCan you freeze these muffins?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 18, 2016 at 3:20 pmYes!
Silvia vargas
April 19, 2016 at 8:46 pmDo I keep these out or do I have to freeze them? I wanna know how long they will last on my counter…
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
April 24, 2016 at 11:01 amIf you wish to keep them beyond a few days, I would freeze them.
Jennifer
August 16, 2016 at 2:44 pmWhat’s the best way to defrost? Leave in fridge or on counter?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
August 22, 2016 at 12:54 pmOn the counter. :)
PEARL
May 1, 2016 at 3:37 pmwould love to try – i dont see baking powder ? is that my istake?
also can I make this in a cake pan instead of as muffins? what would I adjust? TIA
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 3, 2016 at 11:56 amThis recipe uses baking soda.
Sri
May 6, 2016 at 7:57 pmI just made this recipe as mini muffins with maple syrup and grated Apple instead of applesauce. I used only 1/2 the ginger and it tastes awesome!! It’s sweet without being cloying. Great recipe for kids. I got 24 decent sized mini muffins. Much easier for adult portion control.
Erin
May 17, 2016 at 11:41 amI want to make these but don’t have any carrot shreds at the moment. I do have a jar (4oz) of pureed baby food. Can I add that instead? I wasn’t sure how leaving out the carrots would change the consistency, and if I should add something in to account for that.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 19, 2016 at 8:35 amHi Erin. We’ve not tried pureed carrots in this recipe. Let us know how it works for you.
Nancy Williams
May 23, 2016 at 12:28 pmThese are so good!! I even replaced the butter with coconut oil. Great to have on hand for a quick snack or breakfast on the go. Thanks!
Jennifer B.
May 31, 2016 at 4:24 pmThese are SO good Lisa! I’ve been playing around with adding yogurt to recipes in place of oil, so I added plain greek yogurt in place of the butter, and threw in 1 c. chopped pecans. Excellent breakfast muffin! :O)
Danielle
June 5, 2016 at 5:08 pmThese were very yummy and moist with the perfect amount of sweetness. Thank you!
Heather G
July 31, 2016 at 2:54 pmwhat would be a real food sub for the butter. My son can’t have milk products or eggs. The egg i am good on it is just the butter i am not sure how to sub that and have it be not highly processed.
Debra H.
September 4, 2016 at 1:14 pmCoconut oil!
Jacqui
August 6, 2016 at 12:16 amI love this recipe!!! Muffins turned out perfect.
I had no carrot so added 1 cup of frozen rasberries and 1 cup of coconut and they are so delicious!!!
Megan
August 28, 2016 at 11:54 amHi there I was just wondering if I can use anything to replace the honey? Maybe 100% maple syrup? And if I did this how much would I use I wonder?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
August 30, 2016 at 12:18 pmHi. You could sub maple syrup in the same amount.
Mymi
September 3, 2016 at 10:43 pmVery good. I replaced the honey with 1/3 cup milkand they turned out great. Thank you for sharing!
lori
September 21, 2016 at 11:41 pmI know you don’t post nutrition information, but I am an insulin dependent diabetic. I need to know how many carbs are in what I eat so I can take the right dosage of insulin. Any advice on how to calculate this recipe?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
September 30, 2016 at 3:02 pmHi there. I understand. This post provides suggestions on tools that will help with all those calculations: https://authoritynutrition.com/5-best-calorie-counters/.
Beth
October 30, 2016 at 10:12 amCan i use grated zucchini in place of the carrots?
Liz
November 12, 2016 at 11:16 pmThese were delicious! I added a little extra carrot because I had so much to use and 1/2 cup oatmeal. I will be making these again!
Terri
January 11, 2017 at 8:49 pmDelicious! Best muffin recipe I have ever made!
Abby
January 18, 2017 at 12:56 pmI followed this recipe with all the necessary ingredients but added raisins and chopped apple. The batter was very different than white all purpose flour and almost seemed fluffy and when the muffins were done they came out dense and seemed to have a doughy taste, no matter how long I cooked them. This was my first time baking with white whole wheat, so I’m not sure if this texture is just common for that type of flour. Next time I might try doing half and half.
Leni
February 2, 2017 at 10:37 amDo they freeze well?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 6, 2017 at 11:48 amThey do.
Meghan Weidl
February 12, 2017 at 8:28 amWould this recipe also work in a quick bread pan?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 15, 2017 at 1:30 pmHi there. We’ve only baked these as muffins. Let us know if you give it a try.
Shannon
March 26, 2017 at 9:06 amWonderful recipe!! I followed the recipe exactly, other than added about 1/4 cup coconut flakes. Turned out beautifully. Saving this recipe for sure!
Dia
April 1, 2017 at 2:52 pmThese muffins are delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Lily
May 15, 2017 at 4:07 pmMade these muffins today and my entire family loves them! All 3 kids and hubby approved and asked for me to make them every week. Thank you for a great recipe!
Lauren
July 21, 2017 at 11:00 amHave made these multiple times and they are always a huge hit!! I typically have to make more than one batch.
Patti
August 18, 2017 at 8:58 amCan you tell me how many carbs are in these muffins ,my husband is diabetic ,these are delicious! Thank you
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
August 24, 2017 at 12:18 pmHi Patti. I am sorry but we do not provide nutrition details. There are online tools that can help: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
Elissa Colpitts
September 7, 2017 at 9:34 amHi, have you tried these with maple syrup rather than honey? Thanks.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
September 13, 2017 at 12:27 pmYes, I have at a 1:1 ratio.
Erin
October 18, 2017 at 7:45 pmDo they taste as good with the maple syrup? Want to make these tomorrow but need to get honey. Have maple syrup on hand! Love them with the honey!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
October 23, 2017 at 12:57 pmI think so. :)
Ryann
September 15, 2017 at 3:36 amThank you for this recipe! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I’m going to try them out tomorrow.
Christianne
January 9, 2018 at 1:28 amDo you know if I were to bake this as a cake for a smash cake how long, what temp, what size pan, etc?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
January 12, 2018 at 12:49 pmHi there. We’ve never attempted to make a cake from this. I’d hate to give you bad advise on such an important cake! ;)
Julia
January 26, 2018 at 12:25 pmCan I freeze these? A
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
February 7, 2018 at 11:13 amAbsolutely.
Afsoon
February 1, 2018 at 8:28 amThese were a big hit in our house. Thank you!
Linda
May 20, 2018 at 8:34 pmI really like using instant pot for baked goods because 1) it makes a more reasonable portion for a family and 2) hello -Instant Pot which means I can close the lid and walk away.
Any suggestions to make in Instant Pot? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 25, 2018 at 11:02 amHi there. This might help: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a19131155/instant-pot-recipe-conversion/ and you can find several other articles with advice if you Google it. We don’t have much experience converting recipes to the instapot.
Shannon
July 22, 2018 at 5:33 pmCould you use almond flour in place of whole wheat?
Nesreen
February 7, 2019 at 12:01 amJust made these for a snack to take to a play date
I doubled the recipe and used 3/4 coconut oil and 1/4 olive oil
Was generous with the grated carrots (prob about 2cups)
Used 1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg in place of ginger
Sprinkled a dash of dark brown sugar on top before baking
They turned out so moist and delicious
Thanks so much!