These almond flour carrot muffins are super moist, lightly sweetened with honey and even a little fluffy! These grain-free and gluten-free healthier carrot cake muffins are the perfect Easter treat. The reviewers love them! With a dairy-free option.
First up, if you prefer a grain-containing healthier carrot cake recipe, I have you covered! This 100% whole grain carrot cake is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. Hands down.
Or actually, it’s tied with this gluten-free carrot cake, which is the same exact recipe as the healthy carrot cake, but with gluten-free flour.
If grains aren’t your thing, these healthier carrot cake muffins are awesome. I feel like a broken record, just because I say this all the time, but I used a combination of almond flour and coconut flour to achieve the perfect texture. I want my grain-free baked goods to taste as close to grain-containing ones as possible and these are pretty darn close!
People often ask if there’s a substitute for coconut flour and there really isn’t. And the only substitute for the almond flour would be almond meal (which is a lot cheaper than almond flour!) or another nut flour.
So now that we’ve got the carrot cake muffins out of the way, we need some healthier cream cheese frosting! This is the same cream cheese frosting recipe that I used in my last post on carrot cake scones.
It uses just a little maple syrup as sweetener. I really thought cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar was impossible but this maple syrup version was just as good! It’s quite thick so if you want to thin it out, just add some milk.
I’m just guessing that if you’re interested in grain-free baking, you’re not into mounds of frosting on top of your muffins or cupcakes. The amount that this cream cheese frosting recipe yields is just enough for a thin slathering on each muffin. If you want to pipe it like I did, you can pipe about twice as much as you see in the pictures.
I recommend frosting the muffins right before serving because once you frost them, they need to be refrigerated. They can sit at room temperature for about 4 hours so if you want to frost them in preparation of a party – no problem!
They just taste better and fluffier if you keep them at room temperature and microwaving cream cheese frosting sounds like a bad idea.
Obviously cream cheese isn’t dairy-free but there are dairy-free cream cheeses out there. If you don’t like the thought of using that, just leave out the frosting or use my vegan cream cheese recipe.
It’s naturally sweetened, doesn’t have any unusual ingredients and is also paleo-friendly! Half the recipe should yield enough for a nice slathering on top of each muffin. You can also find my directions for making these carrot cake cupcakes into an 8″ cake on that post.
Want an Easter dessert that’s a little more unique than these paleo carrot cake muffins? Try these blueberry carrot cake bars with granola from Cotter Crunch! They’re gluten-free and dairy-free and look amazing.
And for something with more of a cake texture (like angel food cake!) be sure to give my paleo blueberry muffins a try!
Almond Flour Carrot Muffins
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (16 grams) coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs (50 gram each, out of shell), room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) refined coconut oil, melted (if you use unrefined coconut oil there may be some coconut taste to the muffins)
- 1/3 cup (106 grams) honey
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) grated carrots
- 2 ounces (56 grams) cream cheese
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- a dash of salt
- additional milk for thinning, if desired
For the carrot muffins:
For the cream cheese frosting: (for paleo / dairy-free, use a half batch of this vegan "cream cheese" frosting)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a muffin tin with 8 muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (almond flour through nutmeg). Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, honey, and vanilla.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mix just until combined and then gently fold in the grated carrots.
- Divide the batter evenly among the liners (about 62 grams per liner) and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not frost until completely cool!
- For the cream cheese frosting, mix everything together until thoroughly combined. If it's too thick for your liking, add a teaspoon of milk at a time until it's your desired consistency.
- Spread a thin layer on top of each cupcake or pipe it on. Do note that if you pipe it, you'll have some leftover if you pipe it as lightly as I did in the pictures.
- Unfrosted muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days or refrigerated for 5 days. Frosted muffins should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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629 comments on “Almond Flour Carrot Muffins” — Add one!
36 comments are awaiting moderation!
Can I sub stevia for the honey? How much? Do I need to add something else for moisture then?
I unfortunately don’t have any experience with Stevia so I have no idea how much you’d need or how much liquid to add. Sorry about that!
These came out perfect! Thank you so much for this recipe! :)
I’m so happy that they came out well and so sorry for not seeing this comment until now! Thanks for the feedback. :)
Amazing! My mom and I are major food freaks, trying to lay off the junk food, and these were just perfect! Definitely making again!
I’m so happy that you both enjoyed them! Good lucking with the healthy eating and thanks so much for your feedback. :)
I made these up for my dad who is diabetic. He love carrot cake but hasn’t eaten it for years. He ate them as a dessert and for breakfast. He was so happy when his blood sugar levels were in normal range after having these. Thank you so much for this recipe, you have made an old man very happy! And his daughter.
How awesome that your dad could eat these without having any blood sugar issues. :) He must be so happy that he can have carrot cake again! Thanks a bunch for your nice comment and feedback and so sorry for my super slow reply.
I made this for a women’s meeting at church this morning. I swapped out the honey for xylitol. I made the “frosting” with swerve (to taste) and almond milk. They turned out really good. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so happy that they were enjoyed by all! And good to know that xylitol works. Thanks for the feedback and for the tip! :)
I tried these tonight and they were fabulous! I used 2/3 cup honey & added 3-4Tbsp of almond milk to it and it was perfect! I used my almond meal pulp from the almond milk I make. It tends to be a bit dryer than the blanched almond meal. I have to use it in SOMETHING since we make so much almond milk around here:) They were moist and cake like! I put on some vanilla frosting(coconut milk/powdered sugar/vanilla) and it was the best:) High fiber too! Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! Your changes sound great and I love that you were able to use your leftover almond pulp. :) So much better than just throwing it away! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
Any idea on nutrition info? Specifically carbs, sugar and fiber grams?? Looks amazing trying to find low carb naturally sweetened muffins/cupcakes.
You can copy and paste the ingredientshere for that info. I hope that helps! :)
What is the cooking time difference if I make a round cake instead of cupcakes?
Check out this post (first paragraph after the second picture) for more info but basically, double the recipe and bake it in 2 8″ pans for 17 minutes. Your cake will be super thin if you don’t double it (there are pictures in that post, too!) I hope that helps and that you’ll enjoy it. :)
For some reason mine didn’t turn out at all. The batter was not really like batter. I had to add about 1/4 cup water and it still just when into muffin cups like a lump. I followed the recipe exactly even weighed it. I used an almond flour I made myself from left over meal I had from almond milk I made. I ground it finer and sifted it and it looked fine. Maybe will try buying the flour next time to compare.
I’m pretty sure the problem was the homemade almond flour (although it still shouldn’t have been lumpy!) Did you dehydrate the almond pulp? If you didn’t, that could explain it. I made these again last week and don’t recall the batter being thick at all. I’m sorry that they didn’t work out! I hope your next version with store bought almond flour will come out better. :)
I will try Bob’s brand and see. Gauging moisture content is a guessing game for me but if it grinds fine I figure I must be in the ballpark. I thought about that factor as well. I’ll let you know how my next batch turns out. Can’t rate recipe yet but the comment response time is awesome. Thanks.
No problem! And I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill in these without issue so I’m confident your next batch will turn out better. :)
These are amazing, I made 24 mini muffins and baked for 10 minutes, worked out perfectly. The kids love them with a bit of cream cheese spread on top.
I’m so happy that they came out well and that you and your kinds enjoyed them! I bet they were cute as mini muffins. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
OMG these are simply the best gf, sugar free carrot muffins in the world!! Thank you for sharing the recipe Erin – you simply can’t go wrong with them and defy anyone not to swoon upon trying them. I decided to bake them in butter lined muffin tin without muffin cases which worked really well because then you don’t have any of the delicious muffin sticking to the paper of the case. I’m going to have to have lots of tea parties now! :-) xxx
Haha. Yes! These are totally a great excuse to have tea parties. :D Buttering the tin sounds like a good idea. Mine is just so unpleasant looking I’d never dare. ;) I’m happy you enjoyed them and thanks so much for the feedback!
Any suggestions on egg substitutes for this recipe?
I don’t really have experience with egg substitutes but I think flax eggs may work here. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t guarantee it, though. I hope you’ll enjoy them if you try it out. :)
What if I put the batter in cake pans? Is that okay? How many minutes of baking?
A few commenters have done that but since I haven’t, I can’t tell you what size or how long to bake them for. Sorry about that! My guess would be one 8″ or 9″ pan for 12-16 minutes. It’s just a guess, though!
Hi,
I was wondering if the two flours could be substituted with wholemeal flour?
Sorry for my slow reply, Ashley! You can’t sub whole wheat flour with nut flours but I’ve posted a whole wheat carrot cake that’s super yummy. One of my favorite cakes ever! Here’s the recipe. Hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
These were delish! I love trying a new recipe and it turns out awesome and exactly like the illustrations shown in the write up! Thank you for this one!
I’m so happy to hear that! And I like it when my outcome looks like the pictures, too. Always such a disappointment if it doesn’t! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
Oh My, these baby were THE best i have ever made. I used almond meal and King Arthur GF flour and apple sauce instead of oil for even a healthier approach.
Thank you for this yummy recipe!
I’m so happy the GF flour and applesauce worked out! Sounds like a nice, healthy change. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
just made these yum yum! Going to a 2yr olds birthday and said i would make a cake….so after much googling i made 4 cupcakes carrot spiced and 4 without spice and with cacao and a bit of unsweetened apple sauce. Worked great and just so it looked good in pic’s made fondant hungary hungary catapiller toppers! Next time i am making more carrot for easy lunch treats :-)
With cacoa? That sounds yummy! How much did you add to the 4 cupcakes? And what cute toppers. :) I’m happy that they came out well for you and I hope the little ones liked them! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
1/4 cup of cacoa and 1.5 tbl spoon of applesauce worked well the little one was thrilled and even the adults loved them thx for the great recipe
I’ll have to try your chocolate version! Sounds great. Thanks so much for letting me know how you made them. :)
These were super scrummy! Enjoyed by all the family. Wondered though if you knew the approx calorie count? Often gluten free recipes tend to be quite high.
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! You can copy and paste the recipe here for nutritional info, if you like. :) Thanks for the feedback!
Yum! What a wonderful recipe! Hey, I must ask. What plugin are you using to get your rich snippet (picture) to show in search engines like Google. It was the snippet that drew me to your site! :-)
Erin, these look amazing! What would I use instead of the honey? Thanks so much.
Thanks, Plume! You could try maple syrup but I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t guarantee it. It’s a little runnier than honey but I think it could work. I hope it works out for you and that you’ll enjoy the cupcakes! :)