These carrot muffins are perfect for breakfast, snack time, or grabbing on the go with coffee. Shredded carrots and apple keep them moist, while cinnamon and raisins add just the right touch of warm sweetness.

Carrot Muffins with a bite taken out and butter

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Holly’s Recipe Highlights

  • Flavor: Wholesome, mildly sweet flavor and moist texture in every bite.
  • Difficulty: It’s a great beginner recipe for young cooks in the kitchen; they bake up in just a few steps.
  • Technique: Combine wet and dry ingredients separately, then stir just until combined to keep the muffins light and moist.
  • Serving Suggestion: With a touch of cinnamon and additions like sweet raisins, they’re perfect for breakfast or anytime snacking.
ingredients in bowls to make Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

  • Carrots and Apples: This recipe uses shredded carrots and shredded apples. Be sure to shred them finely so they blend evenly into the batter and make the muffins soft and flavorful.
  • Dry Ingredients: Typical muffin ingredients like flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt hold the muffins together and produce a tender crumb.
  • Wet Ingredients: Sugar, eggs, and oil help make these muffins moist. Use an oil (like vegetable oil) that has a mild flavor.

How to Make Carrot Muffins

  1. Combine Ingredients: Wet in one bowl, dry in another (full recipe below).
  2. Mix: Mix the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. Fold in carrots, shredded apples, and raisins.
  3. Bake: Scoop batter into prepared tins and bake until golden.

Holly’s Tips for Perfect Muffins

  • Be sure to measure the flour by spooning flour into the measuring cup.
  • Combine wet & dry ingredients just until mixed to keep the muffins light and moist. The batter should be a bit lumpy.
  • Fill muffin wells about ⅔ full (an ice cream scoop makes scooping the batter so easy!).
  • Ovens can vary, so check the muffins a bit early to see if they’re done. If a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, they’re ready.
close up of Carrot Muffins in a muffin tin

Storage

Keep cooled muffins in a zippered bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze, pop fully cooled muffins into a zippered bag, label the bag with the date, and freeze for up to 30 days.

Muffins and More…

Did you make these Carrot Muffins? Leave a comment and a rating below. 

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
a carrot muffin
4.93 from 447 votes

Carrot Muffins

Servings 12 muffins
These Carrot muffins are moist, flavorful, and full of warm spices!
Servings 12 muffins
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
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Ingredients  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups shredded carrot
  • 1 apple peeled and shredded
  • ½ cup raisins

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Greased or line muffin tins.
  • In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  • Whisk sugar, oil, and eggs in a separate bowl.
  • Stir wet mixture into dry mixture just until combined.
  • Lightly fold in carrots, apples and raisins.
  • Divide the mixture into prepared muffin tins.
  • Bake for 25 to 29 minutes or until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Keep muffins in a zippered bag or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Put a slice of bread in the container to help absorb excess moisture.
Freeze when they are fully cooled by popping them in a zippered bag. They should keep about 30 days in the freezer.
4.93 from 447 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 348 | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 266mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 3633IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Breakfast, Muffins, Snack
Cuisine American
Carrot Muffins in a stack with a bite taken out of the top one with a title
sweet and moist Carrot Muffins with a title
Carrot Muffins on a wooden board with writing
fluffy Carrot Muffins on a wooden board and some in a stack with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

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4.93 from 447 votes (292 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Moist and delicious! The apple is an ingenious touch. Thanks for sharing your tips along with this perfect recipe.5 stars

  2. I have made these dozens of times! I make 6 jumbo muffins out of the recipe. I do increase the raisins slightly (which I soak in hot water to plump)and top with a cream cheese icing. Excellent recipe !hank you for sharing Holly!5 stars

  3. These were good but a bit oily. I used canola oil and although they didn’t have the oil flavour, they were like eating french fries.3 stars

    1. Glad you enjoyed them, Tim. Sorry to hear they were on the oily side, we haven’t had that issue with this recipe.

  4. Delicious & Moist!
    I just made these and they came out well! I usually do not change recipes but had to make some changes. I used 11/2 cup flour & 1/2 cup almond flour and used only 1/2 cup sugar. Also, I used 3/4 cup vegetable oil & 5.3 oz tub Greek yogurt (2%).
    One person in the family does not like raisins, so I omitted the raisins & added an extra grated apple (small), and 1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger. My kids sprinkled a a bit of sugar on top of the muffins before they were baked. Absolutely delicious and moist. Sweet enough as well ( I used 1 large Fuji & a small Gala apple. Thank you so much!

    1. So happy everyone enjoyed them, Sha! Your substitutions sounds delicious, thanks for sharing them with us.

  5. Whoa just made this it’s so moist and soft. Definitely put in full amount of sugar, I may have added too much carrot, didn’t have raisins, but the end result is so good. I topped it with Demerara sugar for some crunch. Oh also added extra tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger and .5tsp cloves5 stars

    1. Hi Claire, I have only made this recipe as listed but another reader substitute the apple with 3 tablespoons of applesauce and had good results. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!

  6. I’m looking at this recipe today for the first time and I ‘m confused. The Ingredients list says to use baking powder but the instructions says baking soda. Which is correct?

    1. Sorry for the confusion Carolyn, this recipe has recently been updated for improved flavor, baking powder is correct.

  7. I would like to make the carrot muffins. Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable? Due to my not having vegetable oil at present.

    1. You’ll just want to make sure it is a light flavored oil. If it’s a deeper darker oil, it may have a bit of a bitter flavor.

  8. I used half a cup of sugar. And instead of a whole cup of oil, I used half cup pureed banana and half cup coconut oil. They are sweet and moist!

    1. I have only made this recipe as listed so I can’t say for sure. Maybe another reader has tried it and has a suggestion.

  9. Would it work to use applesauce instead of an apple? If so, how much and would this change the cooking time or anything else? Thanks!

    1. Hi Claire, I have only made this recipe as listed but another reader substitute the apple with 3 tablespoons of applesauce and had good results. We would love to hear how it turns out for you!

  10. I made this using the pulp of the carrot and pears I juiced. I used a triple amount of baking powder instead of baking soda. It turned out really well. Moist and yummy. Thanks for this recipe. Will do this again

  11. I use this recipe often and it always turns out. To avoid dry muffins I always use a large apple to shred and if the batter looks too dry I add an extra drizzle of oil. I tend to leave out the raisins and add walnuts, coconut, and chocolate chips and they’re delicious! The nice thing is you can customize them to to your liking and they will still turn out great :) They make awesome mini muffins too! I also find that the additions help dampen the baking soda taste that some comments mention, I never notice it!5 stars

  12. Followed the recipe to the letter,but substituted the raisins for c-chips and added an additional 1/2c of sweetened shredded coconut.
    These are my go to muffins!

  13. These were delicious! I reduced the calories and fat (for health reasons) by using sugar substitute, egg substitute, and 1/4 cup canola oil plus 1/4 cup applesauce in place of 1/2 cup canola oil and the recipe still worked very well. Thank you for posting this.3 stars

    1. So happy it still turned out delicious for you Lizzie! Thank you for sharing those substitutions.

  14. These were good! I baked them for no more than 22 minutes. I thought the batter tasted too sweet but when they came out of the oven they were just about right. Maybe next time I’d use a smidge less sugar. I understand the comments about the baking soda…I thought I could smell it when they came out of the oven, but I didn’t actually find that they had that overpowering baking soda taste. I’m curious to try using half oil, half yogurt, and then seeing if I can get away with just 1 tsp of baking soda. Anyways, I’d make these again, thank you!4 stars

  15. I doubled the recipe and there were great !
    there was too much baking soda when I doubled the recipe so I was wondering if you know how much baking soda for a doubled recipe5 stars

    1. So happy to hear that you love these muffins Dasiy! I have only made the recipe as written, so can’t say for sure. You could try doubling the recipe in two separate bowls to keep the measurements exact.

    2. I have made these a few times recently and my kids, 5 and 8 years old, love them. So do I. I add shredded coconut and have tried replacing half the oil with a puréed ripe banana. Delicious as written or with the banana! It’s a very forgiving recipe.5 stars