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Carrot Cake Blender Muffins (V/GF)

January 30, 2017 | 52 Comments

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Carrot Cake Blender Muffins | Vegan Muffins | Gluten-free Muffins | Healthy Muffins | https://passtheplants.com/

For one reason or another, I seem to write these posts in the wee hours of the morning. It’s almost 2am where I currently sit, alone on the couch with my laptop, listening for the occasional murmurs from my tiny humans down the hall. Was that a full-fledged cry? Do I need to go in there? Will I get sleepy snuggles with my almost-2-year-old-boy? Not tonight, and that’s ok, he needs the rest. So do I, but here I sit.

I’m not going to try to psychoanalyze my late night writing habit, other than to say that most of the time I am afraid of the BLANK WHITE SCREEN. What in the heck do I type about carrot cake blender muffins? What prose will both entertain and inspire you to pull out your blender or food processor and whip up these easy and healthy treats?

Prose might be taking it a bit far.

Carrot Cake Blender Muffins | Vegan Muffins | Gluten-free Muffins | Healthy Muffins | https://passtheplants.com/

This is the fourth variation of the blender muffin series, and I’m only scratching the surface. You would not believe how many flavor combinations I have floating around in my brain. I’m thinking red velvet is next. And since Valentine’s Day is two week’s away, I guess I should have done that one a bit sooner, but instead you get carrot cake. Congratulations. No, seriously, congratulations! These are delicious, and Michael says they’re the best yet. So there you have it – husband approved. That’s love.

In case you don’t already know about the magic of blender muffins, here’s how it works. Measure ingredients into a blender (or food processor), blend like crazy, pour into muffin cups, bake, cool, devour, the end. Here’s what we’ve already covered:

Vegan Blender Muffins – the original recipe that started it all. These are so yummy, even plain.

Vegan Double Chocolate Hazelnut Blender Muffins – These muffins were on tv! I made them for my first-ever local tv appearance, and have done several since.

Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins – check out the comments for an unfortunate story involving Christmas morning and a misreading of the ingredients. Let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t the one doing the misreading.

Now let’s make carrot cake! Muffins!

Carrot Cake Blender Muffins | Vegan Muffins | Gluten-free Muffins | Healthy Muffins | https://passtheplants.com/

Basically, these are the original blender muffin recipe, with carrots and some spices (dig out the Pumpkin Pie Spice you’d didn’t think you’d see again until next November). Except instead of the cashews used in the original recipe, I used pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds), because I wanted to make them nut-free, and they worked so well in the pumpkin blender muffins.

If you aren’t familiar with the original recipe, it goes like this: Old-fashioned oats, raw cashews (or other nut), maple syrup and/or sugar, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and water. That’s it! The oats combined with the seeds/nuts magically transform into a tender yet pleasingly dense muffin that has deigned to be referred to as moist (one of the most hated/loved word amongst food writer people).

Carrot Cake Blender Muffins | Vegan Muffins | Gluten-free Muffins | Healthy Muffins | https://passtheplants.com/

Oh yeah, and these are AMAZING with some sweetened coconut cream dolloped on top with some extra raw carrot shreds. You should definitely do that. Or, go crazy and do the cinnamon cashew icing from the pumpkin muffin recipe. Or just enjoy these straight up in all their carrot glory.

Carrot Cake Blender Muffins | Vegan Muffins | Gluten-free Muffins | Healthy Muffins | https://passtheplants.com/

You are 30 minutes away from eating something healthy and delicious, plus you’ll be consuming vegetables in dessert/snack form. Not sure there’s anything better. Well, I can think of one thing – this ridiculously cute video where Vida and Josh try out the muffins and I show how to make them.

But seriously, if you have a few minutes to spare you should just go make these muffins. They are that good.

Carrot Cake Blender Muffins

Beth Hornback
Carrot Cake Blender Muffins are deceptively healthy but taste like dessert! Naturally sweetened, gluten-free, vegan, and oil-free, yet moist and delicious!
4.94 from 16 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine American Vegan
Servings 12 muffins
Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups rolled oats (use certified GF oats for gluten-free)
  • 3/4 cup raw pepitas* (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (1/4 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg))
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup shredded carrot

For Coconut Whipped Topping*

  • 1 can of coconut cream or coconut milk (refrigerated until cream hardens and separates from water**, not lite)
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup + 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Add all ingredients except carrot to a blender or food processor and puree until mostly smooth and no large pieces of seeds remain.
  • Add in shredded carrots and pulse to mix in
  • Fill 12 muffin liners to the brim with batter (there should be just enough).
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
  • Remove muffins to a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes before enjoying with a pat of vegan butter, coconut whipped topping (see below), or simply plain.

Coconut Whipped Topping

  • Open the can of coconut cream or coconut milk and scoop off the solidified cream. Reserve the water to use for the muffin batter, if desired.
  • Blend the maple syrup and cornstarch along with the coconut cream until aerated. Coconut cream will whip up like a sturdy whipped cream, and coconut milk will be less sturdy but equally delicious. Store extra topping in the fridge for 2-3 days, if it lasts that long.

Notes

Nutrition Info does not include frosting.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 160kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSodium: 265mgSugar: 9gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 0.8mg
Keyword vegan breakfast, vegan muffin, plant-based muffin, wfpbno muffin, plant-based, wfpb, wfpbno

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Home Ā» Breakfast Ā» Carrot Cake Blender Muffins (V/GF)

2006 shares

Blender Muffins, Breakfast, Snacks bulk cooking, carrot, gluten-free, kid-friendly, muffins, oil-free, wfpb, whole food plant based

About Beth

Beth is a food photographer and recipe developer based in the Pacific Northwest. She never tires of snuggling with her two beautiful kids and owes piles of chocolate chip cookies to her husband, aka the most wonderful person she knows. Keep in touch with Beth on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Susan says

    January 30, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    I’m new to your site and I’m really excited to try and sneak “healthy” into the family diet. With that said, my husband is diabetic and carrot cake is his favorite. I can’t wait to give these a try! Do you have the nutritional facts by chance?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 30, 2017 at 8:36 pm

      Hi, Susan! So glad you found me. šŸ™‚ I haven’t been very good about updating nutritional information for my recipes, but I’m working on changing that. I just added the nutrition facts for the carrot cake blender muffins, you can find it at the end of the post (click the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post so you can skip the scrolling). Let me know if you have any questions. šŸ™‚

  2. Hannah Elizabeth says

    January 30, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    5 stars
    Haha!!! “Can your friends smell it?” ??? Cracked me up! ? I can verify, these muffins are delicious!! I love the whole blender muffin montage. ?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 30, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      She’s the best little assistant/co-host ever, isn’t she? šŸ˜‰

    • Sue says

      July 24, 2019 at 6:22 am

      5 stars
      Yummy! Thank you.

  3. Bethany @ athletic avocado says

    January 31, 2017 at 4:26 am

    These carrot cake muffins look incredible! Oh so easy to make, and perfect for a slightly sweet breakfast option šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:31 pm

      I just polished two off for breakfast yesterday, they’re filling and hearty but still taste almost like dessert. šŸ™‚

  4. Gloria Hornback says

    January 31, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    They look yummy! Loved watching Vida help you! She is getting so big! ? Miss you guys! Can’t wait to try this version. Already love the others, but these look super yummy!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:28 pm

      I love when Vida does the videos with me! She is growing up way too fast, I keep telling her to slow down and she keeps ignoring me. These are Michael’s fav of the blender muffins, so I’m looking forward to hearing what you think too!

  5. Gloria Hornback says

    January 31, 2017 at 3:06 pm

    Oh, and by the way, Beth…you look fantastic, girl! ā¤ļø

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:27 pm

      Awww…thank you! šŸ™‚

  6. Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) says

    January 31, 2017 at 3:53 pm

    These are so sensational!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:27 pm

      Oh thank you Jocelyn! Since you are the queen of baked goods, I’m glad you think so. šŸ˜‰

  7. Rachel Gurk says

    January 31, 2017 at 5:16 pm

    5 stars
    These sound so great and easy!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:26 pm

      Thanks Rachel! šŸ™‚

  8. Megan @ MegUnprocessed says

    January 31, 2017 at 5:28 pm

    Looks amazing! Love how quick it is to make!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 31, 2017 at 11:26 pm

      Thanks Meg! Me too! šŸ™‚

  9. Tara says

    February 3, 2017 at 10:46 am

    Look wonderful… Hoping to use my quick oats I accidentally bought ?
    – I know the recipe says to blend everything up, so I’m assuming they would work but do you think I should use less of the quick oats? Or do you know the grams that would be super šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Beth says

      February 3, 2017 at 12:47 pm

      Hi Tara!

      So, I have tested this recipe with quick oats, and they do work, but not nearly as well as the rolled oats. My theory is that because the quick oats are already partially cooked, they don’t absorb the moisture and thicken up the same way as the rolled oats do. If you decide to try them with the quick oats anyway, my recommendation would be to add 1/4 cup more (I haven’t tested it by weight, so sorry), and then after the batter has been poured into the muffin cups, let it sit for about 5 minutes before baking. I’ve found that can help the batter set up a little bit better. Good luck!

  10. Cheryl Merrill says

    February 11, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    HI,Beth – I wonder if you can recommend something to replace corn starch, please?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      February 11, 2017 at 6:35 pm

      Hi Cheryl! Actually, I tested it again recently without the cornstarch, and it was totally fine, especially if you have time to stash it in the fridge for a bit before adding it to the muffins. I’ve been filling fresh fruit in the coconut whip as well, and it’s almost too good, because I can’t stop eating it. šŸ™‚

  11. Art from My Table says

    May 3, 2017 at 9:09 am

    I love that these muffins are sneakily healhty and the clean up is simple. Plus, you can’t go wrong with Carrot Cake!

    Reply
  12. Baker by Nature says

    May 5, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    I love blender recipes!

    Reply
  13. Eileen says

    December 7, 2017 at 7:32 pm

    The pepitas, can you sub something else for them? Are they just for flavor?

    Reply
  14. Ula says

    December 11, 2017 at 8:45 am

    5 stars
    Does t. stands for teaspoon or tablespoon?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      December 11, 2017 at 1:36 pm

      Hi Ula! It’s teaspoon. I’m in the process of updating the recipes to spell out the measurements. šŸ™‚

  15. Cecilia says

    January 14, 2018 at 10:36 am

    5 stars
    First recipe I tried with my american newly bought
    cup measurement, so much more convinient than converting to dl ????
    Really tasty and will be a good snack for the kids and me now during maternity leave! Also really quick and easy to do in the blender.

    Reply
  16. Lydia says

    February 17, 2018 at 4:21 am

    Amazing! Just discovers your recipes. Can I make these as a loaf? Cooking time?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      February 22, 2018 at 12:23 am

      Hi Lydia! I’ve tried this as a loaf and the weight of the oats is just too heavy to support that volume. I’m going to try to figure out a way to make it into a loaf by mixing the oats with another blendable grain, I’ll update when I get it right!

  17. Lydia says

    February 22, 2018 at 2:24 am

    Thanks Joann for weighing in on the loaf option. I figured that might be the case and that you’d already tested. Looking forward to muffins!

    Reply
  18. Selma Drinjakovic says

    April 1, 2018 at 2:16 am

    5 stars
    I can already tell these muffins will taste absolutely amazing. I just tasted the batter after blending it all together, and the mix alone is scrumptious. They are in the oven now, making my kitchen smell yummy. I have a tendency to avoid sugar, so I subbed the maple syrup with agave sweetener (Low GI).. Tastes just as good as sugar! Thank you Beth for sharing this wonderful recipe!!

    Reply
  19. Melanie says

    March 17, 2019 at 9:08 am

    5 stars
    I love these muffins! I make them every couple of weeks. Today I added the zest of a large orange and replaced the water with orange juice. Delicious! Thank you for this awesome recipe.

    Reply
  20. guest says

    March 27, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    hi —

    I just found your site and starting to go through the many recipes.. I want to try this recipe and have a question. What nut substitute can you recommend for this? Almonds, cashews? Thanks in advance.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      March 28, 2019 at 8:33 am

      Hi Sara! Just to be sure I understand, you’d rather use a nut in place of the pepitas, which are seeds? If that’s the case, either cashews or almonds would definitely work. The original base recipe of these blender muffins uses cashews and works great. I hope that helps! šŸ™‚

    • guest says

      March 28, 2019 at 7:49 pm

      Beth –thanks very much for the reply! So, I tried your recipe for the chocolate hazelnut muffins and my family loved them. So when I saw this carrot cake one, I wanted your advice ( not a fan of pumpkin seeds).. if I can replace the pepitas seeds with almonds or cashews or any other nut you can recommend, and would the replacement be exact… 3/4 cup seeds replaced with 3/4 cup of cashews? thank you in advance for the reply.

    • Beth says

      April 8, 2019 at 11:18 am

      Oh no! I totally forgot to respond to this. So sorry. I can’t taste the pumpkin seeds, just FYI, but if you don’t want to use them, you can definitely sub with almonds or cashews, keeping the 3/4 cup measurement. I hope that helps!

  21. Stephanie says

    April 26, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Thank you so much. We have several different diets in our home and these were a perfect fit for everyone. The kids loved them. I don’t know how I missed the blender muffin craze, but I honestly hadn’t had a muffin in about two years, since giving up dairy and trying to avoid gluten. Until I found your recipes, that is. These are great to make with the kids and so yummy! I didn’t have pumpkin seeds and just used cashews and they turned out very well!

    Reply
    • Beth says

      April 29, 2019 at 11:48 am

      Oh I’m so excited to hear this, Stephanie! I love that the cashews worked out so well for you – they are actually the base of the original blender muffin recipe, but I’ve found that many nuts can be used. Walnuts are the only ones that tend to turn a weird color (gray-ish/purplish). Thanks again for letting me know that these were a hit for your family! <3

  22. sherri says

    July 27, 2019 at 11:12 pm

    4 stars
    Just watched ‘DevineMunchies’ (YouTube) make and devour these. She loved them….now I really want to eat them too!
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  23. Marie says

    January 29, 2020 at 5:11 pm

    5 stars
    These are delicious! How do you store the leftovers? Can they be frozen?

    Reply
  24. Nadine Bargnes says

    May 9, 2020 at 8:08 am

    Can you use a loaf pan instead of a muffin pan?

    Reply
  25. J. F. says

    May 12, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    Where in the written recipe does it say how much shredded carrot to use?

    Reply
    • J.F. says

      May 12, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      Sorry I’m blind. Never mind.

    • Beth says

      May 12, 2020 at 8:40 pm

      No worries! šŸ™‚

  26. Nicole R says

    December 20, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    Would adding raisins mess up the recipe in terms of moisture?

    Reply
  27. Giselle says

    March 29, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    I’m about to make these, but just making sure that you meant baking soda and not baking powder. It seems like it should be baking powder ????

    Reply
    • Beth says

      March 29, 2021 at 1:08 pm

      I meant baking soda! šŸ™‚ It works and is often used in muffin recipes. Hope you enjoy them!

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2006 shares