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These carrot applesauce muffins are made with whole wheat flour and other real food ingredients. This recipe is a huge hit with the kids; they taste just like carrot cake!
Featured Comment
This was a HUGE hit with all three of my kids! Thank you for this recipe. It is in regular rotation and gets rave reviews every time!
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 (not recommended younger than 1 year old), then 100% pure maple syrup would work just fine as a substitute.
Are Muffins Made with Carrot and Apple Healthy?
Healthy can mean different things to different people. Since these carrot muffins are made with whole wheat flour and honey instead of sugar, they’re definitely a lot healthier than most muffin recipes.
Feel free to make your own applesauce! Read up on the types of apples.
The carrot and applesauce add a sweet flavor, but they’re also nutritious, too! These Sweet Potato Muffins are another healthy option.
Why Carrot is Great in Muffins
If you’re a fan of carrot cake you probably already know how delicious carrots can be as a baking ingredient. Naturally sweet, carrots help soften (and sweeten) anything they’re baked into. And, while it’s not the same as a complete healthy meal, it’s always nice when you can add a few extra veggies into what we eat.
How to Make This Homemade Carrot Muffin Recipe
- First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line your muffin pans.
- While the oven heats, whisk together the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt).
- In a separate bowl (I use an electric mixer), beat the softened butter, honey, egg, and vanilla on medium speed.
- Set mixer to low, then slowly beat in the flour mixture.
- Fold in the applesauce and shredded carrots.
- Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups a bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick pressed into the center comes out clean.
Can You Freeze These Muffins?
Absolutely! All my muffin recipes freeze well, including these carrot muffins. To freeze, simply cool completely then place in an airtight container. Muffins keep in the freezer for up to three months.
To thaw, warm up on the counter overnight or microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds. You can also put frozen muffins right into kids’ lunches and they should be thawed by the time they’re ready to eat!
Tips for Shredding Carrots
- You’ll need to peel your carrots before shredding them; carrot peels can sometimes make carrot muffins taste bitter.
- The easiest way to shred carrots is with a box style cheese grater, preferably using the smaller size holes.
- Some food processors can also shred carrots.
Can This Recipe Be Doubled?
Yes, but sometimes muffins can bake differently when the recipe is doubled, depending on your oven. If you run into issues, I’d recommend baking one tray of muffins at a time, which is better for even baking anyway!
Will This Recipe Work for Mini Muffins or a Loaf?
You can definitely make muffin muffins instead of full-sized ones, just adjust the cooking time to about 12-14 minutes so they don’t overbake.
We haven’t had the chance to try this recipe in a loaf pan or as a cake yet, but if you do let us know how it turns out in the comments!
Make Carrot Cake Muffins for Dessert
This recipe already uses carrot cake spices and ingredients—they’re basically carrot cake muffins! But if you want to turn these muffins into an easy real food dessert, simply add frosting.
Carrot cake is normally topped with cream cheese frosting, but that’s loaded with powdered sugar. Instead, make a cream cheese glaze by mixing 8 oz of softened cream cheese, ¼ cup of honey, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla.
Check out these Baked Apples too!
Whole-Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
- ½ teaspoon ginger (ground)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter (softened (but not melted), 1 stick)
- ½ cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
- ¾ cup carrot (shredded)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper, foil, or silicone liners, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- 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.
- 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!
Laura says
Hi, these look fantastic! How do you make applesauce? It's not a common ingredient here in England. Also have you ever considered writing your ingredients in other ways, I.e in UK we use lbs/ozs or grams and its really hard to convert to cups! Icups aren't really used here.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. Here is Lisa's super easy recipe as well as a chart that will be helpful: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/09/08/recipe-easy-peasy-applesauce/ and http://thebakingpan.com/measurements-and-weight-conversions/. ~Amy
Julie says
Hi Amy!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I've started using whole wheat flour this past week as part of having the family eat more healthy. This is an amazing carrot muffin recipe! I made it as directed and it came out so well! Hubby has taken three to work this morning and my one year old devoured it in one sitting :) Thank you once again and here's to many more delicious recipes to come! Cheers!
Cora says
Is honey and maple syrup inter-changeable? Can I substitute regular refined (table) sugar equally for honey or maple syrup?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Cora. You can sub honey and maple syrup pretty much interchangeably though their consistencies are a bit different. You cannot, however, substitute a dry ingredient like sugar 1:1. ~Amy
Cora says
This is now my favorite muffin recipe!!! I ran out of honey before I filled my half a cup, I added a little maple syrup (still did not fill the 1/2 cup tho) and they still turned out great!
Viviana says
Can I replace the carrot shreds for coconut flakes???
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Viviana. We've not tried that but I would think that it might not work out well because of the difference in moisture content. ~Amy
Sarah says
I figured Amy. I am new to baking. They were wonderful! This is my favorite website on the internet! My family loves the food. I love the tips and ideas.
Amy K says
I made these last week and my 7 year old refused to try them because "he hates cooked carrots." He finally broke down and tasted them and now LOVES them. We will definitely be including these in our school lunch rotation. Thanks!
Sylvia says
These were so soft and moist! I usually have to reduce the amount of sugar or sweetener used in a recipe because our family doesn't like things too sweet, but these turned out to be just perfect without any adjustments. I didn't have any apple sauce on hand, so I pureed one apple instead. I also increased the carrots to 1 and 1/2 cups and sprinkled walnuts on top. They turned out great! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Sarah says
What if I accidentally added the carrots and the applesauce in with the egg and butter?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sarah. We can rarely answer recipe questions in real time. Did it turn out okay. My guess would be yes. ;)
Audrey* says
I got carried away and added the applesauce in the wet ingredients too and it came out just fine
HYPERACTIVE LU says
Sarah- I did it completely wrong too. And I soaked my freshly ground flour in buttermilk over night. HA! They still turned out great. :)
Thanks for the recipe!
Becky says
I just made these. I used about 1/4 cup coconut oil and 1/4 cup applesauce in place of the butter (my 11 month old is MSPI) and maple syrup instead of honey and they are amazing! I ate 2 already. I am planning on making these for my son's birthday cake. I can't wait for him to try them in the morning (if I don't eat them all!) :)
Ashly says
Hello,
I would like to try making these muffins but before I do I would REALLY LIKE THE *NUTRITION INFORMATION* is it posted somewhere and I'm just not finding it?
Thank you :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Ashley. We do not provide nutrition information. Our focus is on helping people get off the processed stuff and eat real whole foods, not so much on numbers. There are online tools that will calculate all those details for you, however. ~Amy
SarahP says
I love these! We add raisins, and when all my littles get enough teeth, we'll probably add pecans. My 3yo is very much about routines (aren't they all) and I was so surprised that he loved them in place of his normal pb&j waffles. I also add a little cloves.
Allie says
These were amazing! My 18 month olds devoured these! I followed the recipe as is and it was perfect!
Marcy says
Could I subsitute the whole wheat flour for oat flour? If so, would it be the same amount?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Marcy. It should work with the same measurements but we've not used oat flour for this. This might help as a reference: http://www.livestrong.com/article/557742-baking-with-oat-flour-vs-wheat-flour/. ~Amy
Allie says
Does it matter what type of yogurt you add?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Allie. We usually choose a full fat plain yogurt. ~Amy
Kelly says
These are so good! My 3 year old and 21 month old loved them! I was out of butter so I used coconut oil and they are so good. They were heavy weight wise but light and fluffy, and so filling. I think I will add even more finely shredded veggies next time! Thank you!
Rachel says
I loved these being fluffy but they just crumbled in my toddlers' hands and they didn't like that so much. Is there anyway to make these a little more dense?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Rachel. You might try adding a bit of yogurt to your batter. ~Amy
Katie says
Can I use white whole wheat flour? In general, for your recipes can I make that substitution if needed (based on what I have on hand).
Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Katie. Yep, you can. :) ~Amy
Ligia says
I just made this with the leftover pulp from a carrot/apple juice we made. I also substituted a very ripe banana for the applesauce because I wanted to use it up, everything else was the same. The muffins came out sooo good and moist. My kids love them. I will definitely make these again to use juicing pulp.
Jen says
Made these today with my 2.5 year old son. He is a fairly picky eater, but he inhaled three of these muffins before they could even cool. I loved them too. Will definitely make them again!
Crissy says
These are great! We all love them especially my 2 1/2 year old :) Could i substitute zucchine for the carrots?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Crissy. I think you should try it and let us know how it works. :) As an alternative, we do have a zucchini bread recipe: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/25/recipe-zucchini-bread/. ~Amy
Amanda says
I made these today...big hit with me and my toddler! I may have put some frosting on them. I know that's not very "real food" of me, but moderation, right? I put a link to this on my blog. I hope you don't mind.
greens superfood says
And always make sure it's 100% organic (some companies
load their superfood up with Niacin and other
non-organic components -- go for the organic green superfood and avoid
the Niacin hangover). When our body p - H ( becomes more and more acidic it
starts to set up defense mechanisms to keep the damaging acid from entering our
vital organs. You need to have a number of superfoods
in your diet daily.
Maria says
What are the Calories???? I love it for me , but will add a little bit of cane brown sugar for my hubby or kids.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Maria. We don't focus on calories...just on eating real food. There are lots of tools available online to calculate details for you. ~Amy
Arla says
Fantastic fluffy muffins! My boys loved them!!
Elayne says
These are great! They don't last one day in my home. I sent them to both of my boys' schools as a treat and both teachers asked me for the recipe. :)
Meredith says
kids loved them
Holly says
Delicious! My toddler loved them too! It's my new favorite muffin.
Jessica says
A++++ - just made these for my sons last day of school tomorrow & they're great!! I added the multi-colored carrots from our CSA!!
Jen says
These are sooooo good! I'm going to try and save some for the kids.
Laney says
I whipped these up today for the kids I nanny for and they were a hit. These are sooo delicious and moist! No one flavor overpowers another. I cut the cinnamon in half since I only had cinnamon applesauce on hand and it was great! I will be making these for myself at home! Thank you for sharing!
I give this recipe 5 stars but it isn't allowing me so rate it on my phone.
Kathy says
I made these the other day and had them in a sealed Tupperware on the counter. The next day, a lot of the carrots had turned green. Has this happened to anyone else? Any ideas how to prevent this?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kathy. It is likely the way the carrots react to the baking soda that is tuning them green. I've now had it happen, too. They still taste as yummy. :) ~Amy
Lisa L says
These muffins were great, but to make them a little healthier next time, I would cut the butter to 1/3 cup, and maybe the honey, too. I added walnuts and raisins also.
Lisa says
Deliciousness! Subbed in whole wheat pastry flour, coconut oil for the butter, and flax seed meal for the egg. Super moist, yummy goodness.
ashleyok says
Yum! I used homemade chunky applesauce and real maple syrup instead of honey. They were delicious!
M says
Can you use fresh apples instead of apple sauce? If so how many would you use?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. I've used fresh apples that I threw in the food processor in the same amount as called for in the recipe. ~Amy
Ang says
For those who count... recipe has 183 calories per muffin and 8 grams of fat. Delish muffin! Perfect snack. Thanks!!
Jenny says
I have made these twice in the last week. They are so delicious and make a great grab and go breakfast.
Catherine says
*tell
Catherine says
Oops forgot the salt thus time but u can't even feel. Army 2yo and I were gobbling these up was wondering if sweet potato could work for this instead of carrots.... And idk if the coconut oil adds sweetness but a little less honey could work too. These are so good!!