Flourless Carrot Cake Muffins that are both healthy and indulgent! Subtly spiced and sweetened muffins are topped with a lightened-up cream cheese frosting in a delicious gluten-free treat that’s sure to please.
Frosting these flourless carrot cake muffins made me think of the cake tastings we did when we were looking for someone to make our wedding cake. Not sure why, but possibly because it was the last time I had anything with frosting on it.
In any case, it was a pretty bitter sweet memory because it was the last thing we were able to plan for our wedding, and that was almost 2 months ago. After that, lockdown went into place and planning became a lot more difficult, if not impossible.
Actually, even figuring out if we’ll still be able to have our wedding is kind of tricky. It’s not until September, but right now everything is at a standstill and we have no idea when this lockdown will be lifted.
That and we have a lot of people who’ll have to travel, and I’m not sure that anyone is going to be super eager to hop on an airplane after all the fear surrounding travel.
So that’s where we’re at right now – trying to stay positive but also exploring other options like just having a tiny ceremony and then a bigger reception some time in the future when things have settled. Who knows. Only time will tell.
But enough about that. Let’s talk flourless carrot cake muffins since I’m sure that’s why you’re all here.
How To Make Flourless Carrot Cake Muffins
Blender Method
- The blender method works best if you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix since a less powerful blender will most likely bog down under the ingredient load and be super annoying to work with.
- It really helps to start by processing the oats until they’re ground down into the consistency of a fine flour. This ensures a smoother muffin that will cook evenly.
- After you grind the oats, take the blender jar and give it a few shakes to make sure the oat flour isn’t packed too tightly under/around the blades – this helps the rest of the ingredients blend more smoothly and prevents the blender from bogging down.
- Make sure to scrape down the sides/corners of your blender and process one more time before adding the carrots and raisins.
- DO NOT PROCESS the carrots or add-ins! You can add them straight to the blender bowl and use a spatula to mix them in, or you can transfer the batter to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients there. It really depends on the size/shape of your blender.
Mixing Bowl Method
- You’ll have to replace the oats with a pre-ground or store-bought oat flour. This recipe calls for 2 cups of oats which translates to 1 1/2 cups of oat flour – 160 grams in each case.
- If you want to make your own oat flour, add 2 cups of oats (160 g) to any blender and process on high until the oats get ground down to a fine flour consistency. You can even do this in something like a NutriBullet… just in smaller batches.
- Add the carrots and add-ins after everything else has been mixed together and a batter forms and give them a good mix to make sure they’re evenly distributed in the batter.
Both Methods
- Shred your carrots before you add the wet ingredients. This is so that you don’t have to do it while the batter is just sitting around and letting the leavening agents react. You’ll get fluffier, dome-ier muffins this way.
- I used coconut palm sugar for my sweetener, but you can replace that with brown or cane sugar as well. Maple syrup will also work, but it will change the consistency of the muffins a little bit.
- When measuring, don’t pack the shredded carrots too tightly. Just sprinkle the shreds into your measuring cups until they are full and heaping a little bit. 2 medium-sized carrots are all you need.
- Add-ins are completely optional. I know people are pretty particular about how they like their carrot cake, so feel free to toss in 1/2 – 1 cup of nuts, raisins, a combination of both, or nothing at all. I actually found that raisins were a really nice touch, but I know those guys can be super polarizing so feel free to leave them out.
- I really recommend either using parchment paper liners or greasing your muffin cavities well. These muffins will probably stick to paper liners.
- Let the muffins cool completely before frosting them. If they’re still warm, the frosting will get runnier and could potentially slip right off. Also, you don’t have to get fancy with the frosting – I just took a knife and smeared it on top.
- This part is totally optional, but I toasted some shredded coconut and sprinkled it on top of the frosting. It didn’t add much to the taste, but it was pretty to look at.
Okay, But What Are They Like?
Like a little palm-sized slice of carrot cake.
The muffins themselves are slightly spiced and not overly sweet. They’re on the denser side, but still really tender and moist. They’re pretty healthy little guys and make great snack or breakfast muffins. I found that I liked these better on day 2+ because the flavours had a chance to “marinate” and intensify, but they’re great straight out of the oven too.
What really takes these little muffins to the next level is the cream cheese frosting. Not only does it add a little bit of extra sweetness and moisture, but it creates that delicious spicy/tangy combo that’s so great about carrot cake. It makes them feel so much more indulgent while still staying on the healthier side.
These muffins are also gluten-free (as long as you use certified gluten-free oats) and can easily be made nut-free by replacing the almond butter with soy nut butter and the almond milk with another non-dairy milk like rice or soy. You can also make them vegan by replacing the eggs with a banana, but some of the flavour will come through.
Happy eating!
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flourless carrot cake muffins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 2 cups (160 g) oats, gluten-free if needed
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup (64 g) almond butter
- 1/2 cup (100 g) coconut palm sugar*
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 slightly heaping cup (120 g) shredded carrots
- Optional: 1/2 cup (80 g) raisins or nuts
For the cream cheese frosting:
- 4 oz. light cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (30 g) icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the muffins:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a muffin pan by lining the cavities with parchment paper liners or greasing them with oil. Set aside.
- Add the oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a high-speed blender and process on high until the oats have broken down into the consistency of a fine flour, about 10 seconds.**
- Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the carrots and add-ins, and process on high until the batter becomes smooth and creamy, about 20 seconds. Periodically stop and scrape down the sides/corners of your blender as necessary. Finally, use a spatula to mix in the carrots and add-ins by hand.
- Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until the tops of the muffins begin to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. As soon as they’ve cooled, transfer them to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Make the frosting:
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a medium-sized bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and, using your stand or hand mixer, beat on high until all the ingredients are well combined and slightly whipped.
- When the muffins are cool, use a knife to spread the frosting on top of them. I recommend only frosting the muffins you plan to consume right away. Otherwise, store the frosting separately in a covered container in the fridge until you need to frost another muffin.
Notes
* You can also use brown sugar or cane sugar.
** Alternatively, you can replace the oats with 1 1/2 cups (160 g) of oat flour and mix everything by hand in a large bowl. Just whisk the dry ingredients together, then add all the remaining ingredients except for the carrots and add-ins and mix until a smooth batter forms. Finally, fold in the carrots and add-ins.
To make these gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
To make these nut-free, replace the almond butter with soy nut butter and the almond milk with another non-dairy milk like rice or soy.
To make these vegan, replace the eggs with one banana. The flavour will come through a little bit though.
Nutritional information is calculated with cream cheese frosting but without any add-ins.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
Looking for more healthy muffin recipes? Try one of these!
Easy Morning Glory Muffins
Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
Easy Vegan Chocolate Muffins
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Muffins
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I really enjoyed reading this post. You explained everything in a simple way and shared some useful information. Thanks for sharing your experience.
This was a great post to read. The topic was explained clearly and the information was easy to understand. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I appreciate how the recipe turns oats into a fine flour before adding the carrots—this step really smooths the batter and prevents the blender from bogging down. The light cream‑cheese frosting adds a nostalgic touch, echoing the bittersweet wedding‑cake memories the author shares. The overall approach balances indulgence with a gluten‑free, healthier profile.
I love how these flourless carrot cake muffins keep the cozy spice and moisture without relying on flour—carrot cake can turn dense so easily. The add-in options sound fun, especially walnuts or raisins for a bit of chew. I’m wondering if applesauce or yogurt would make them even more tender. I’ve also been poking around jev-xyz.com lately; they group public usage cases by the decision they make and share their own latency and cost tests on the same task set. It’s been helpful for cutting through vague comparisons. Have you tried any swaps that keep the crumb light?
I never thought I’d find flourless baking so delightful until I stumbled upon these carrot cake muffins, especially with that light cream cheese frosting. It’s akin to discovering the right fursuit maker who brings your whimsical vision to life without a stitch of fabric out of place. Have you tried any other flourless recipes that capture that same indulgent vibe without feeling too dense?
The tip about shredding the carrots before adding the wet ingredients so the leavening agents don’t lose their reaction is a really smart detail — makes sense that you’d get fluffier, domed muffins that way. Also good to know the 2 cups of oats converts to 1 1/2 cups (160g) of oat flour for anyone using the mixing bowl method.
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Such a delightful and healthy recipe for flourless carrot cake muffins! Healthy baking treats are always wonderful to try at home. When following nutritious recipe tutorials, meal prep guides, or baking vlogs shared by food creators on YouTube, manually copying down ingredient measurements, baking steps, or video descriptions into a personal digital cookbook takes up too much kitchen time. I regularly use this YouTube Title and Description Extractor to quickly pull full video titles and descriptions for my recipe notes. Thanks for sharing this delicious post
Thanks for including both the blender and mixing bowl methods! The oat flour measurement is especially helpful, and I appreciate the reminder to fold in the carrots instead of blending them. The cinnamon, ginger, and cream cheese frosting sound like a lovely combination.
Giving the oat and oat-flour quantities by weight is particularly helpful for switching between the blender and mixing-bowl methods. Keeping the carrots and raisins out of the blending step also makes the intended texture much clearer.
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These muffins look incredible! I really appreciate that you included both the blender and mixing bowl methods — not everyone has a high-speed blender, so it’s nice to have options. The tip about NOT processing the carrots and raisins is exactly the kind of detail that saves a recipe; I can totally see myself blitzing everything into a weird smoothie batter without that warning. And the little trick of shaking the blender jar to loosen the oat flour from around the blades is so smart — I never would have thought of that but can see how it prevents bogging down. The lightened-up cream cheese frosting sounds like the perfect topping too, because carrot cake just isn’t complete without it. Also, congratulations on the engagement! A small ceremony now with a bigger celebration down the road sounds like a really lovely way to handle everything. Thanks for such a thorough recipe — these are going on my weekend baking list!
Carrot cake is my all-time favorite dessert, so the idea of having it in muffin form for breakfast feels like winning! That tip about NOT processing the carrots and raisins is gold — I made that exact mistake with a blender muffin recipe once and ended up with a strange orange paste instead of batter. Also never thought to shake the jar after grinding the oats to loosen the flour from around the blades, but that makes so much sense. My blender is definitely on the weaker side, so I appreciate that you included the mixing bowl method too. And hang in there with all the wedding uncertainty — honestly, a tiny intimate ceremony followed by a bigger celebration later sounds like a lovely way to do things either way. These muffins (with that cream cheese frosting!) look like the perfect thing to bake while waiting it out.
These look amazing! I love that you included both the blender and mixing bowl methods — my blender is definitely on the weaker side, so knowing I can just swap in store-bought oat flour is super helpful. And the tip about NOT processing the carrots and raisins probably saved me from a total mush disaster, because that’s exactly what I would have done. Folding them in by hand makes so much sense now that I think about it.
The lightened-up cream cheese frosting is what really sold me though — carrot cake without frosting just feels wrong, so I’m glad there’s a way to have it without going overboard.
Also, just wanted to say I’m rooting for your September wedding! A tiny ceremony now with a bigger celebration later actually sounds like a really sweet way to do things. Baking has been keeping me grounded through all this uncertainty too, so I know exactly what you mean. Can’t wait to give these a try this weekend!
The flourless carrot cake muffins recipe is easy to follow and the results are delicious.
These look amazing! I love that the oats do double duty as the flour base – such a smart way to keep things gluten-free without sacrificing texture. The tip about shaking the blender jar after grinding the oats is so helpful; I’ve definitely had my blender bog down before because ingredients got packed around the blades. And thank you for the reminder not to process the carrots and raisins – I can totally see myself blending everything in one go and ending up with a weird smoothie-muffin hybrid! The lightened-up cream cheese frosting sounds like the perfect finishing touch too. On a personal note, I really hope everything works out for your September wedding – the idea of a tiny ceremony now with a bigger celebration later sounds lovely either way. Thanks for sharing both the recipe and a little piece of your story. Can’t wait to try these this weekend!
The wedding planning uncertainty really hit me—that feeling of everything being on hold with no clear end date. It’s sweet that these muffins are tied to that memory, even if bittersweet. I appreciate how you’re staying grounded in the kitchen while the bigger questions wait.
I like how this stays grounded in practical details. It feels useful for a wide audience.
Sending good thoughts your way with the wedding planning — the cake tasting memory made me smile, and honestly, a tiny ceremony now with a bigger party later sounds like a lovely way to do things. Now, these muffins! The tip about NOT processing the carrots and raisins is exactly what I needed to read, because I absolutely would have dumped everything into the blender at once and ended up with carrot puree. I also appreciate you including the oat flour conversion (1 1/2 cups / 160g) since I only have store-bought oat flour in my pantry. Quick question — do you think these would hold up okay if I made a double batch and froze some without frosting? Either way, carrot cake anything is my weakness, and the lighter cream cheese frosting on top sounds like the perfect finishing touch. These are definitely happening in my kitchen this weekend!
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Thanks for including both the blender and mixing bowl methods, especially the oat flour measurements in grams. One question about the carrots: do you recommend finely shredding them or using the larger holes on a box grater for the best texture?
Muffins come out of the tin in a grid. When I print the photo, I split it onto letter sheets with overlap so a carrot shred does not vanish into a cut.
Flourless muffins sink if the batter is too wet. I squeeze the carrot and add one extra minute in the pan. The spice is cinnamon, not a cake mix.
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These muffins look incredible! I love that they’re gluten-free without sacrificing texture. Your wedding cake story was a sweet touch. Excited to try these!
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