Carrot Cake Muffins

Name: Carrot Cake Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 ½ cups shredded carrots; ½ cup packed brown sugar; ¼ cup granulated sugar; 2 eggs (slightly beaten); ½ cup vegetable oil; ⅓ cup raisins; ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Kristin Maxwell

Last updated on June 9, 2021

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Carrot Cake Muffins are full of healthy carrots and raisins and baked until moist and tender. Perfect for breakfast or as an after school snack, these delicious muffins are a family favorite.

carrot muffin, split in half, raisins, brown parchment paper

I am always looking for snacks to have on hand when my kids announce they are hungry. Muffins are great for that moment when hunger strikes! I always have muffins in my freezer, ready to go, like Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Banana Bran Muffins and Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins.

These carrot cake muffins are one of my daughter’s favorites, in fact she is the one who perfected this recipe! She tested it for you three times, so you know it’s going to be good.

We like to spread a little butter on them, or drizzle with a little honey. If you want something sweeter and more dessert-like, you can top them with a simple icing like we did for these Cranberry Muffins, or spread some Cream Cheese Frosting on top and enjoy them more like cupcakes.

How do you shred carrots for muffins?

Pre-shredded carrots are great for adding to salads, but they are not great for baking. I recommend you shred fresh carrots for my carrot cake muffin recipe. Pre-shredded will not have the moisture content necessary and you’ll end up with chunks of carrot in your muffins. Not the most pleasant thing.

There are two methods you can use, and it depends on whether you want to do it super quick, or have less dishes to wash.

Grate them by hand. This is usually how we do it. Use your regular cheese grater and grate the carrots (you don’t even have to peel them).
Use a food processor with the grater attachment. This is most useful if you’re shredding a lot of carrots for a double batch or planning to freeze some for later.

How to make Carrot Cake Muffins

Make the batter. Mix together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt. In another bowl, mix together shredded carrots, sugar, eggs and oil. Then mix the two together, just until combined. Stop mixing when the last bits of flour disappear.

Gently fold the raisins and pecans into the batter. It will be lumpy and that’s fine.

Prep a 12-count muffin pan (grease the pan or use paper liners) and divide the batter into the cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop to equally divide the batter and fill the cups about 2/3 full. This recipe will make a dozen carrot cake muffins.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed. You can also test with a toothpick that, when inserted, comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.

Storage and Freezing

Storage: Cool carrot cake muffins completely then store in resealable plastic bags or airtight containers at room temperature for 2-3 days.

Freezing: Once muffins are cool, store in plastic freezer bags, squeezing out as much air as possible, or in freezer safe containers for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature and enjoy within 1 day of defrosting.