Healthy Carrot Raisin Muffins

About these muffins

With a whole cup of rolled oats, raisins, bananas, and carrots, there’s tons of fiber, nutrition, and flavor in these healthy muffins. Warmly scented with cinnamon and nutmeg, they are just yummy.

What you’ll need to make carrot muffins

The list of ingredients can look a little intimidating but don’t be daunted by it. I would guess that you probably have almost everything you need in your pantry. All those ingredients put together make a great batch of muffins, that is to say, these muffins are totally worth it! Great tasting and nutritious, with natural sweetness and very little fat.

• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour is the most nutritious but white whole wheat or all-purpose flour are fine, too.
• Brown Sugar: With only a half-cup of brown sugar, these muffins are lightly sweet.
• Ground Flaxseed: You may also see this product as flaxseed meal. Whole flax seeds are hard to digest and won’t work well in these muffins.
• Rolled Oats: You’ll need one cup of either old-fashioned or quick oats.
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Warm spices add a sweet flavor to baked goods.
• Salt, Baking Soda, and Baking Powder: The usual leavening trio for muffins.
• Raisins: Regular raisins, or soft golden raisins add natural sweetness. Substitute currants, dried chopped apricots, dates, or cherries if you like.
• Finely Shredded/Grated Carrots: You’ll need about three medium carrots. Use the smaller sized holes of your grater or food processor. Finely shredded or grated carrots cook more evenly in muffins. A coarser shred gives a stringy texture to the muffins.
• Mashed Banana: One banana will ensure that your muffins are moist without adding a lot of oil. The muffins can be made with applesauce (1/2 cup) if you prefer.
• Milk, Canola Oil, Egg: You’ll find this trio in most muffin recipes. If you prefer, substitute another type of oil or melted butter.

How to make these healthy muffins

The process is pretty basic. Simply mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, flax, spices, salt, baking powder, baking soda) in a large bowl. Stir in the oats and raisins.

In a smaller bowl, mash the banana. Add the egg, milk, and oil, stirring well. Fold in the grated carrots.

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir gently just until the ingredients are blended together. 

Divide the batter into greased muffin cups and bake. In less than twenty minutes, you’ll be enjoying a nice warm carrot raisin muffin (or two!). Make a cup of coffee or a nice cup of tea to sip.

Eat the muffins warm right out of the oven. Dab a bit of butter on each half or add a smear of cream cheese. Try vanilla bean whipped cream cheese on a carrot muffin and it will taste just like a slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!

FAQ

What is the difference between old fashioned and quick oats?

Both products are whole oats that are rolled, or flattened, but quick oats are chopped into smaller pieces so that they cook more quickly. In many recipes, including this carrot muffin recipe, old fashioned and quick oats are interchangeable. You can use either one.

Instant oats are rolled even thinner and chopped more finely and aren’t suitable for most recipes. Steel cut oats are whole oats that aren’t rolled but are cut into thirds. The texture is quite different from either old fashioned or quick oats and they need more cooking time. Try Instant Pot steel cut oats or overnight slow cooker steel cut oats.

For more information and pictures of each type, check out this Quaker Oat website.  

What is the difference between ground flaxseed and flaxseed meal?

There’s no difference. They are the same thing, whole flax seeds ground into a more digestible product. More digestible means that you benefit more from the dietary and health benefits of this super nutritious seed.  

Make these muffins your own

• Instead of raisins, add a 1/2 cup of shredded or finely chopped apple. Or try chopped dried apricots, cherries, or cranberries.
• Add a half cup of shredded coconut and replace the banana with 1/2 cup crushed pineapple for a morning glory muffin.
• Change up the spices. Instead of cinnamon and nutmeg, I like to substitute a teaspoon of homemade Apple Pie Spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice for a little variety.
• For gluten-free, dairy-free, nut free, and refined sugar-free muffins, try Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins from Gluten-Free Palate.

Storage suggestions

These muffins keep well at room temperature, wrapped tightly, for three days. 

For an easy lunchbox snack, wrap the muffins individually and freeze up to one month. It’s so easy to grab a muffin from the freezer to add to a lunchbox and it’s a healthy treat, especially compared to prepackaged goodies. 

Bake more muffins!

• Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins — don’t worry, these are healthier than you would expect!
• Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Pumpkin Bran Muffins
• Skinny Banana Bread Muffins
• Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
• Blueberry Strawberry Muffins
• Healthy Apple Bran Muffins

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Carrot Raisin Muffins

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 18 mins

Total Time: 43 mins

14 muffins

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Healthy carrot raisin muffins are a perfect way to start the day, with oats, flaxseed, carrots, raisins, and bananas. Wonderful as a snack or lunchbox treat, too.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup oatmeal (old-fashioned or quick oats)
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 banana)
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots) --see note
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup canola oil (other types of oil or melted butter are fine, too)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray muffin pans with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon,and  nutmeg and salt. Stir in oats and raisins.
• In a medium bowl, mash banana. Add milk, oil, egg, and carrots and stir until blended. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Fill each muffin cup with approximately 1/4 cup batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. 
• Serve muffins warm or at room temperature. To store, keep in an airtight container up to three days.

Notes

• Finely grated carrots work much better in these muffins than coarsely shredded carrots which give the muffins a stringy texture.
• If desired, replace whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour.
• Variations: Instead of raisins, add a 1/2 cup of shredded or finely chopped apple. Or try chopped dried apricots, cherries, or cranberries. Or add a half cup of shredded coconut.. Or instead of banana, use a 1/2 cup crushed pineapple or applesauce.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 149kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 174mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 11g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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