Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins

If, like me, you are craving the flavors of carrot cake but don’t feel like going through the hassle of baking a layer cake and doing all of the frosting work, you’re going to love this recipe. Introducing carrot cake in muffin form!

These muffins are made with freshly grated carrots and a blend of warming spices, including cinnamon, spicy ginger, and woody nutmeg. They capture all the wonderful flavors of your favorite carrot cake but are much simpler to make! Just be aware that they are not as dense as a traditional carrot cake, though – quite the opposite, they are super fluffy with a tender crumb that melts in your mouth.

To make them even more irresistible, I top them with a cinnamon streusel made with oats and butter. This adds an extra layer of crunch that contrasts beautifully with the pillowy texture of the muffins.

And finally, they are baked in a crown muffin pan to create those large mushroom-shaped tops, giving them an eye-catching bakery-style look! Ready to bake?

⭐️ Why You Should Try It

Carrot cake in muffin form!

Fluffier than carrot cake, and also a bit on the healthier side as they do not feature any frosting, these muffins pack the same flavors you are so familiar with! They are spiced to perfection and infused with a generous splash of vanilla extract for gourmet flavors.

I also replaced the traditional frosting with an optional drizzle of powdered icing to add a pop of white color.

Moist and tender crumb.

My carrot muffins have a delicate and ultra-soft texture without being too moist. I achieve this by using oil instead of butter. While butter is great for most baked sweets, it tends to create a denser texture, which is not something you want in muffins!

These are not only rich and melt-in-your-mouth without being oily, but they also remain tender for days! So, do not hesitate to bake them a day or two in advance – they will taste just as delicious!

🥕 Ingredient Notes

Carrots

For the best texture and flavor, use fresh carrots, ideally sourced from a local market. Pre-shredded carrots or the ones sold packaged in a plastic bag are often tasteless and not as sweet.

How to grate them: After peeling them, you can grate the carrots with either a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grating blade. I prefer the latter method as it’s much faster.

Flour

You won’t need any specific flour. Regular all-purpose flour works great for this recipe, providing structure and creating a light crumb.

Sugar

To achieve a light brown color in the muffins, I use light brown sugar. While dark brown sugar can also be used, it will result in a darker color.

Note: I have also tried this recipe with granulated sugar, and it worked well too. The main difference is that your muffins will have a lighter color – I didn’t notice any difference in texture.

Spices

For the spices, I went with the classic combination of warming cinnamon, slightly spicy ginger, and nutmeg. You might be familiar with this blend as it’s commonly used in pumpkin bread and many other sweet pumpkin recipes, though the ratio of spices may vary.

Don’t omit the spices as they contribute a lot to the signature flavor of carrot cake!

Baking powder and baking soda

To allow the muffins to rise and puff into a cute mushroom shape!

Oil

Oil adds richness and tenderness. I suggest using a neutral oil so it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the spices. A few options are canola, grapeseed, or sunflower oil.

Substitute: You can replace the oil with melted butter, but keep in mind that doing this will yield a denser crumb.

Vanilla extract

Finally, vanilla extract adds a touch of indulgence, making the muffins even more irresistible! You can use your favorite vanilla extract or replace half of the light brown sugar with vanilla sugar.

⏲️ Equipment

This recipe works with basically any muffin pan, but if you want your muffins to have a mushroom shape like the ones in the photos, you will need to use a crown muffin pan.

Unlike regular pans, this type of pan features a flared edge around each cavity, allowing the batter to spread out more. This creates larger tops, giving the muffins a bakery-style look.

🥣 How to Make It

1. Make the batter

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.

2. Add the liquid ingredients. Pour in the plant-based milk, oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar.
3. Mix. Using a spoon, mix the batter until just combined. Do not overmix, as this would yield denser muffins.

4. Add the carrots. Next, add the grated carrots and stir to incorporate them evenly. Set the batter aside while you prepare the crumble topping.

2. Prepare the crumble topping

1. Mix together the ingredients. Add the flour, rolled oats, sugar, cinnamon, and butter to a small mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix all of the ingredients together until they form small crumbles.

3. Bake

1. Grease a muffin pan. Lightly grease a 6-cavity muffin pan with butter or oil. I personally prefer greasing with butter as I find it to work better than oil.

Should I Use Muffin Liners? I personally like to use muffin paper liners as they make it easier to take the muffins out of the pan. However, the downside is that the bottoms of the muffins can turn out a bit softer instead of achieving a golden brown and crispy texture if you bake them directly in the pan. Choose the option that you think works best for you!

2. Fill the cavities. Fill the muffin pan cavities with the batter to 3/4. If you are using a crown muffin pan, do not hesitate to fill it just under the crown shape.
3. Add the crumble topping. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over each muffin.
4. Bake. Finally, bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown!
5. Allow to cool. Allow the muffins to cool for at least 20 minutes before carefully removing them from the pan and transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy while they are still warm, or let them cool completely.

Tip: To avoid soggy bottoms, don’t let the muffins cool in the pan for too long. The heat from the muffins creates moisture that gets trapped if they remain in the pan.

🍫 Add-ins

Looking for ways to customize your muffins and make them a bit more special? Feel free to include some extras like:

• Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, chopped almonds, or even hazelnuts.
• Dried fruits: Raisins, dried cranberries, candied ginger, or dried figs would pair well with the carrots and spices. If your dried fruits are large, chop them into smaller chunks to prevent the muffins from falling apart.
• Chocolate chips: Incorporate 1/3 to 1/2 cup of either mini or regular chocolate chips for gooey pockets of chocolate.
• Powdered sugar icing: Mix 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 tablespoons of water or plant-based milk. Adjust the consistency by adding more sugar or water until the glaze is thick enough. You can then drizzle it on top of the muffins.
• Cake toppers: Decorate them with edible carrot sugar toppers!

🥛 What to Serve Them With

Serve these muffins for breakfast with almond yogurt or banana milk on the side. Or, as an afternoon snack with some taro bubble tea, smoothie, nitro cold brew, or this decadent caramel latte!

💬 FAQ

With the abundance of carrots that Spring brings, this recipe is ideal for the season! The warming spices make these muffins cozy and so satisfying!

🍪 More Sweet Recipes

Vegan Madeleines

The Best Vegan Pound Cake

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

The Best Vegan Banana Bread

⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!