Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins (Egg Free Option)

These Carrot Cake Muffins have all the flavor of the traditional cake you love in the bite-sized convenience of healthy carrot cake muffins! Sweet, moist, and fluffy, they’re refined sugar free and packed with carrots, dates, nuts, and shredded coconut. Easy to make and egg free option included. 

Moving along with our Fast Meals Month, this carrot cake muffins recipe is sponsored by our friends at Further Food and their Premium Gelatin Powder! Thank you for supporting the brands that help me to create delicious gluten free recipes like this one for you! Full disclosure and privacy terms here.

Carrot Cake Craze

Are you a fan of carrot cake? Honestly, it’s been a longtime favorite dessert recipe of mine and was the inspiration for my infamous Blueberry Carrot Cake Bars. (By the way, if you haven’t tried those yet, you should! They’re crowd-pleasers every time.) After all, how can you resist the combination of warm spices, soft cake texture, and sweet cream cheese frosting? I mean, I’m pretty sure recipes don’t get any better than that! Plus we get a serving of veggies. Haha, totally counts! 

Alright, we might not be able to eat carrot cake every day to sneak in veggies, but we can give traditional carrot cake a makeover! Hence why I created these healthy carrot cake muffins with minimal ingredients and all!

Made with all the traditional flavors you love, they’re refined sugar free and made with natural real food ingredients. In fact, I tested these out with a gelatin egg and a real egg option to satisfy all your dietary needs!  Both versions add even more nutrients and protein to an already wholesome muffin! Sweeeet! 😉 

They’re also super portable and easy to pack for breakfast on the go, lunchbox snacks, and more! Now, you really can have your cake, and eat it, too!

Why Natural Gluten Free Ingredients Make the Best Carrot Cake Muffins

Traditionally, muffin recipes are made with gluten-containing flours, butter, milk, and refined sugars. Of course, all of those ingredients make them taste delicious, but they aren’t the best fuel for our body and definitely aren’t allergy-friendly. So, in order to make a more well-rounded muffin recipe we can all feel good about eating, I decided to make a few changes! 

Check out our Super Star Ingredients below! 

Real Food Ingredients:

• Gluten Free Rolled Oats – Including oats instead of flour is an easy way to add extra texture and boost the fiber content of these muffins. They’re also a great source of manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and more!
  
• Non-Dairy Milk – Adding non-dairy milk to your muffins boosts the calcium content, helping maintain strong bones!
  
• Refined Melted Coconut (Or Avocado) Oil – Oil is crucial to keep your muffins moist! Coconut oil is also a good source of antioxidants and medium-chain triglycerides. Meanwhile, avocado oil is rich in omega fatty acids, both of which can contribute to your overall well being. 
  
• Honey (Or Maple Syrup) – Honey contains antioxidants and provides a sweet flavor without the need for processed sugars.
  
• Grass Fed Beef Gelatin or Egg – When combined with hot water, gelatin can be used to replace eggs. See how below! It also contains 18 amino acids to help fuel your body, build strong muscles, improve the health of your hair, skin, and nails, reduce joint pain, and more! Similarly, eggs are also a complete source of protein and rich in B vitamins. 

Nutritional Booster! If you’re using an egg instead of the gelatin mixture, try adding a scoop of Vanilla Collagen Peptides Powder to your carrot cake muffins to help boost the protein content and a creamy, vanilla flavor! In fact, you can add it to pretty much any baked goods recipe to help boost the protein content and flavor without affecting the texture!

• Shredded Carrots – Feel free to use whole carrots. Or, save some time by buying pre-shredded carrots from the store! They help add texture to these muffins along with vitamin A, calcium, and vitamin K.
  
• Chopped Pitted Dates – While contributing to the carrot cake flavor, dates also help sweeten the recipe and provide loads of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber such as potassium, copper, and magnesium.
  
• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut – Coconut helps add flavor, texture, and like coconut oil provides vitamins and nutrients such as manganese, copper, and medium-chain triglycerides.
  
• (Optional) Chopped Walnuts – Including walnuts in your carrot cake muffins helps add a bit of crunchy texture and heart-healthy fats that taste great!  

How to Make Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners.

• Combine the dry ingredients (rolled oats, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla collagen if using) in a blender until a fine powder is formed. If you don’t have a blender, replace the rolled oats with 150 grams of oat flour, and combine the ingredients by hand.

Note! For more “orange” carrot-looking muffins, blend a small portion of the shredded carrots with the dry mix. This is optional, but see below how to do it!

• Mix the wet ingredients together (milk, oil, maple syrup, vinegar) in a second smaller bowl. Prepare the gelatin egg in a small saucepan. 

• Add the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, gently mixing to combine. Then, stir in the gelatin egg (see recipe below) until a smooth batter is formed. 

• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin using either a cookie or ice cream scoop (or a large spoon), filling each mold ⅔ to ¾ of the way full.

• Bake the carrot cake muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean. 

Baking Tip: Check your muffins for doneness after 18 minutes if you use a real egg instead of the gelatin egg. 

• Cool the muffins on a baking rack after removing them from the oven. If you use the gelatin egg, place your muffins in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to help the center set and prevent crumbly muffins!
  

How to Make a Gelatin Egg (Egg Substitute)

To make a gelatin egg, add 1⁄4 cup of water to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the water is warm, slowly sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of grass fed beef gelatin, whisking continuously to remove clumps. Once the mixture is smooth, remove it from the heat, and set it aside to thicken.

Looking for more ways to use Further Food beef gelatin? Try using it as an egg replacer in your favorite recipes, mix it into smoothies or oatmeal for a boost of protein, add it to baked goods, and more!

Also, if you’re a new customer, be sure to use the discount code: COTTERCRUNCH for 15% off your order! 

How to Store Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

To Store: Place your muffins in an airtight container, and keep them at room temperature for 1 day. Or, pop them in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Note: The flavor and texture of these muffins are even better after being stored at room temperature for a day as they sweeten up and get even softer! 

To Freeze: To freeze these carrot cake muffins for later, let them cool completely before storing them in an airtight container or sealable bag. Then, keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months! When you’re ready to eat, let them thaw in the fridge overnight. Or, heat them in the microwave for 34 seconds to 1 minute. 

Pro-Baking Tip: To prevent soggy muffins, I recommend freezing them without the glaze. 

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins (Egg Free Option)

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★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Lindsay Cotter
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 9–10 muffins 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

These Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins are naturally sweetened and made with real food ingredients for healthy snack you’ll look forward to eating! Egg free option.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Muffins:

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups (150 grams) gluten free rolled oats
• 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup non-dairy milk
• ¼ cup refined melted coconut oil or avocado oil
• ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon grass fed beef Premium Gelatin Powder or 1 large egg
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• ⅓ cup chopped pitted dates
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 Tablespoons walnuts, chopped

Optional Glaze:  

• ¼ cup coconut butter or butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 3 – 4 Tablespoon confectioner sugar or powdered sugar alternative.

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 10 or 12 cup muffin pan with liners. 
2. In a blender, pulse the rolled oats, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and nutmeg until a fine flour is formed. (See notes for an alternative method and for a blending tip)
3. In a bowl, combine the milk, oil, maple syrup, and vinegar. Set aside while you prepare the gelatin egg.
4. Add ¼ cup water to a small saucepan over medium low heat. Slowly sprinkle 1 Tablespoon gelatin. Whisk the ingredients together to remove all clumps, and remove from the heat. Set aside to thicken.  Note -> If tolerated, a large egg can be used to replace the gelatin egg. 
5. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix together until smooth. 
6. Mix in the gelatin egg (or real egg). Stir until a smooth batter forms. 
7. Fold in the carrots, dates, coconut, and nuts. 
8. Spoon the muffin batter into the muffin pan using a cookie dough or ice cream scoop. Fill each mold ⅔ -¾ of the way full. 
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Check for doneness after 18 minutes if using a real egg. 
10. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack before serving. If using the gelatin egg, place cooled muffins in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to help the center set.
11. Glaze: Combine the glaze ingredients into a small sauce pot, and mix together. Heat over medium-low heat until combined. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, and mix together. Microwave for 15 seconds or until melted. Stir to combine. Drizzle over muffins before serving.

Notes

For better taste and texture, loosely cover the muffins overnight on the counter or in the fridge. The liners will peel easily, and the muffins will be softer and sweeter. 

For more “orange” carrot-looking muffins, blend some of the shredded carrot with the dry mix. See blog post for photos. This is optional. 

No blender? Replace the rolled oats with 150 grams of gluten free oat flour. Whisk it together with the rest of the ingredients.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 170
• Sugar: 7.5 g
• Sodium: 203 mg
• Fat: 7 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
• Carbohydrates: 21.8 g
• Fiber: 2.3 g
• Protein: 3.4 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: muffins, gluten free, egg free, collagen, breakfast, snack, vegan friendly

I hope you all love these carrot cake muffins as much as I do! If you give them a try, I would love it if you let me know down in the comments below! 

Cheers, 

LC