Gluten-free carrot muffins are a delightful spring breakfast muffin: packed with freshly grated carrots, walnuts, raisins, and warm cinnamon. They are the perfect thing to bake for Easter morning!
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Muffins are one of my favorite things to bake. And with spring on the horizon, adding carrots seems like the perfect way to welcome spring. These gluten-free carrot muffins can also be made dairy-free, meaning they are a great choice for anyone (like myself!) who struggles with lactose intolerance in addition to celiac disease.
About This Carrot Muffin Recipe
This recipe is a modified version of my gluten-free zucchini muffin recipe, with a few changes. Vegetables like zucchini and carrots have a good amount of moisture and sweetness, which is why they work so well in a muffin recipe. Please note that you can modify this recipe to include any other mix-ins that you prefer. I have raisins and walnuts because I like them both! But if you don't, leave them out, or add in something else.
Here's what you'll need to make these carrot muffins:.
-Gluten-free flour blend: See below for my recommendations.
-Brown and White Sugars: For sweetness and texture.
-Baking soda & powder: This will help the bread rise as there is no gluten.
-Salt: For balance.
-Spices: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger: Homey, cozy spices that pair well with carrots, like in carrot cake.
-Melted & Cooled Coconut Oil or Vegetable oil: This will be our fat content in these muffins.
-Eggs: Eggs will help thicken the batter and provide moisture.
-Water: This will also help provide moisture in the batter.
-Vanilla Extract: For added sweetness.
-Shredded carrots: Carrots are a great versatile vegetable, like zucchini, that works well in baking. You can buy pre-shredded carrots, but grating them yourself will mean better flavor and texture and it's what I recommend.
-Chopped Walnuts & Raisins: For texture, crunch, and added sweetness.
How To Make Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
There are a lot of ingredients listed here, but the process for making these muffins is quite simple. You'll combine the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine the two, along with the grated carrots. Finally you'll stir in the walnuts and raisins at the end.
Gluten-Free Flour Blends For These Muffins
Gluten-Free Flour: I typically use Cup4Cup multi-purpose gluten-free flour for my baking recipes. It is my #1 choice for cookies, pastries, and yeast-based baked goods. Cup4Cup has given me great success in the kitchen over the last eight years, helping me to create delicious croissants, empanadas, naan, chocolate chip cookies, pierogi, bagels, and more.
But since I wanted these muffins to be gluten AND dairy-free, I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour for this recipe, but I believe other 1:1 gluten-free flour blends would also work well here like GF Jules or King Arthur Measure For Measure. Please be aware your results can vary with different blends.
Can I Make This Recipe With Almond or Coconut Flour?
I do not recommend substituting a single gluten-free flour, like almond flour or coconut flour, for my recipes. My recipes use a gluten-free flour blend, a mixture of different gluten-free grains, starches, and thickeners, to substitute for all purpose flour. Using just one of them, like almond or coconut, will not give you the same results, and will probably lead to a lot of frustration in the kitchen. For most of my recipes, you'll need a blend, like Cup4Cup, King Arthur Measure For Measure, Bob's Red Mill, or GF Jules, to name a few.
For more my top tips on gluten-free baking with success, check out this post!
Tips For Baking Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
Let the batter rest. Let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes before baking. This let's the wet ingredients incorporate fully into the dry ingredients and can prevent grittiness in your final product. A tip from America's Test Kitchen! Discover more of my top gluten-free baking tips in this post here.
Grate fresh carrots for better flavor: You can absolutely use pre-shredded carrots for a shortcut here, but like anything in cooking and baking, when you make it fresh, it tastes better. I recommend grating them on a box grater.
How to Store Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
Keep muffins stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If they harden (as most gluten-free baked goods do), pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to soften.
More Gluten-Free Baking Recipes
Feel like an easy quickbread? This banana bread with walnuts hits the spot.
Looking for another muffin recipe? Bake these blueberry streusel ones - trust me.
Want to practice your pie crust art? Check out this gluten-free peach pie with lattice design.
Ready to take your baking skills to the next level? Try these delightful, buttery, and flaky gluten-free croissants.
Discover all the gluten-free baking recipes on the blog right here.
Here's the recipe for gluten-free carrot muffins!
If you love this recipe, please leave a comment! Thank you so much!
Gluten-Free Carrot Muffin Recipe
Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
Spring-time muffins featuring lots of yummy carrots!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour blend
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup regular sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup melted coconut oil or vegetable oil (you can also used melted butter)
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla (optional - for added sweetness)
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups carrots, grated
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup raisins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil or use silicone baking liners.
In a large bowl, combine gluten-free flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add in diced walnuts and raisins and stir to combine.
In a large glass measuring cup, melt the coconut oil. When melted and slightly cooled, add the water, vanilla (if using), and the eggs. Whisk to combine. Pour slowly into dry ingredients, stirring to incorporate. (If the coconut oil solidifies at all, just whisk vigorously!) Lastly, add the grated carrots to the muffin mixture and stir until everything is combined.
Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature, uncovered, to allow the liquid and dry ingredients to blend together. This will help prevent grittiness in the final product.
Using a ¼ cup scoop, place batter into muffin tin, filling almost to the top. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.
Notes
Carrots
Don’t use pre-grated carrots. Grate them by hand for the best taste and flavor. It’s like when you buy pre-packaged shredded cheese versus shredding the cheese yourself - while it might take longer, the old fashioned way makes for a better quality final product!
Gluten-Free Flour
I use Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour for this recipe, but I believe other 1:1 gluten-free flour blends would also work well. Please be aware your results can vary with different blends.
Storage
Keep muffins stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 274Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 31mgSodium 195mgCarbohydrates 26gFiber 2gSugar 11gProtein 3g
The nutrition information on each recipe card is provided as a courtesy and for your convenience. The data is calculated by Nutritionix. You are encouraged to make your own calculations based on your ingredients and preferred nutritional facts calculator. While I try to make sure they are accurate, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these calculations.
Have you ever tried carrot muffins?
What are your favorite muffin flavors?
Leave a comment and tell me your favorite muffin mix-ins!
Sandhya Karandikar says
Hello,
I am happy I found you. I am from India. I am trying to eat less gluten as I have digestive problems and I am diabetic. I Would like to know if you have any DIY gluten flour recipe as the ready gluten free flours are not easily available in India. But it is easy to make any flours at home.
I am also a vegetarian and do not eat eggs too.
Hope to try one of your recipes very soon.
Thank you.
Jennifer Fitzpatrick says
Thank you for following in India! I hope you feel better soon. I do not typically make my own gluten-free flour blends but there are many of these recipes online. I would suggest checking The Loopy Whisk as she has a lot of gluten-free baking tips from a scientific standpoint and can also offer adaptations for vegetarian and eggs! http://www.theloopywhisk.com
Julissa says
I tried this recipe with melted butter, King Arthur Measure for Measure, and omitted the vanilla and raisins. They were some of the best carrot muffins I have ever had! They were a little dense, but super moist and such a pleasant texture. Thank you for helping me make my first gluten free baked good!
Jennifer Fitzpatrick says
You're so welcome, Julissa! Glad you enjoyed them and thank you for sharing how you made them!