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
*Disclosure: Some of the links included in this post may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you so much for helping support Spoons!
The note about not processing the carrots and just folding them in with a spatula was helpful — I usually dump everything in at once and end up with an uneven, mushy texture. I’m also someone who actually likes raisins in carrot cake, so it’s nice to see them included as an option rather than left out entirely. Thanks for the tip about greasing the tin well, too.
I’m curious whether the oats could be swapped for almond flour if I wanted to go nut-based instead, or if that would throw off the moisture too much given how much shredded carrot is in there. The tip about shredding the carrots before mixing the wet ingredients is clever, since I usually do it the other way around and end up with flatter muffins.
These flourless carrot cake muffins look so delicious and wholesome! I love healthy baking recipes with warm spices and carrots. They make such a great weekend snack.
Sending good thoughts your way with the wedding planning — a tiny ceremony now and a bigger celebration down the road sounds like a really lovely way to handle all the uncertainty. Now, about these muffins… I love that you included both the blender and mixing bowl methods! The tip about NOT processing the carrots and raisins is exactly the kind of thing I would have gotten wrong on my own — I can picture ending up with orange mush instead of those pretty little flecks. And shaking the jar to loosen the oat flour from around the blades is such a smart trick; my blender always seems to struggle with thick batters, so I’ll definitely be doing that. The lightened-up cream cheese frosting is what really sold me, though — carrot cake without frosting just feels wrong. These are happening in my kitchen this weekend. Thanks for another keeper!
These look amazing! I love that you snuck some personal updates in here too — hoping things work out for your September wedding, and honestly a tiny ceremony now with a big party later sounds like a lovely way to do it either way.
Also, thank you for the detailed blender tips! I never would have thought to shake the jar after grinding the oats to keep the flour from packing around the blades — my blender definitely has a habit of bogging down, so I’ll try that next time. And the warning about not processing the carrots and raisins is so important… I can totally see myself dumping everything in at once and ending up with orange mush instead of muffin batter. 😅
Quick question — do you think the mixing bowl method would work fine with a regular blender just for grinding the oats? Mine is pretty basic, so I’m wondering if I should go that route instead of fighting with the full batter in there.
Either way, cream cheese frosting on a healthier muffin is exactly the kind of treat I need right now. Can’t wait to bake a batch this weekend!
Providing both 160 grams and the separate cup measurements for oats and oat flour is especially useful. The warning not to blend the carrots and add-ins also clarifies the texture you are aiming for. Would the mixing-bowl method benefit from a short rest before baking, or should the batter go straight into the pan?
The tip about not processing the carrots in the blender is such a lifesaver to prevent pureeing them into mush. Letting the muffins cool completely before adding the cream cheese frosting is also a great detail to keep everything tidy.
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The note about shredding the carrots before mixing the wet ingredients is a smart detail—I hadn’t considered how the leavening agents keep working while the batter sits. I usually lean toward the mixing bowl method with store-bought oat flour, so it’s helpful to know the exact conversion of 2 cups oats to 1½ cups flour.
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The blender tip about grinding oats first—and not processing the carrots—probably saved a lot of people from orange mush. I also appreciate the oat-to-oat-flour gram equivalence for the mixing-bowl method. When I’m not baking, I browse REA alternatives for source-checked open-source reconstructions and tooling. Hope the muffins held up well on day two as you mentioned.
the blender method tip about not processing the carrots saved me, i would’ve just dumped everything in and ended up with orange mush lol. also hope the wedding thing worked out for them, kinda wild reading a recipe post from peak lockdown days.
The blender method tip about grinding oats first is spot on, and it made me wonder what else AI can do with just one upload. I recently tried Bulin 47 AI, which turns a single photo into a viral vertical video with the original audio, no app or editing needed. It’s a fun creative break between baking sessions.
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The note about letting the muffins cool completely before frosting is really helpful—I’ve had frosting slide right off warm baked goods before. Toasting the coconut for the top is a nice touch too, even if it’s mostly for looks. Curious how they hold up after a day or two.
The blender method worked really well for me, though I did need to shake the jar a few times since my blender isn’t the most powerful. I skipped the raisins and added chopped walnuts instead, which gave a nice crunch without making them too sweet. Toasting the coconut on top was a small extra step that made a big difference in presentation.
The timing tip about shredding the carrots before mixing the wet ingredients is easy to overlook, but it makes the two methods clearer. If someone has only one six-cavity pan, would you recommend mixing two half-batches separately so the second batch does not sit while the first bakes?
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Including both the oat weight and the oat-flour volume makes the two methods much easier to compare. The reminder to fold in the carrots and add-ins after blending is useful too, since that preserves their texture.
The instruction to loosen the ground oats around the blender blades is a helpful detail that would be easy to miss. I also appreciate the note about loosely filling the cup with shredded carrots rather than packing them down. Those small preparation steps make the two mixing methods much clearer, especially for someone using a smaller blender.
The bittersweet memory of planning your wedding cake right before lockdown really hits hard, especially when you’re just trying to find a moment of normalcy like baking these flourless muffins. It’s wild how something as simple as frosting can trigger such specific nostalgia during chaotic times. Speaking of creating memories from static moments, I recently tried using bulin 47ai to turn a single photo into a dynamic video clip, which felt surprisingly therapeutic.
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The separate blender and mixing-bowl instructions are helpful, especially the 160 g equivalence for oats and oat flour and the reminder to fold in the carrots rather than blend them. For the frosting, would you recommend storing it separately when freezing the muffins? A brief note on thawing before frosting would make the make-ahead steps easier to follow.
These look amazing! I love that you included both the blender and mixing bowl methods — I don’t have a high-speed blender, so I appreciate knowing I can just use store-bought oat flour instead of fighting with my ancient machine. The tip about not processing the carrots and raisins is really helpful too. I can totally see myself getting impatient and blitzing everything together, which would probably turn the batter into carrot soup. And a lightened-up cream cheese frosting on top? That’s the part that sold me. Carrot cake without frosting always feels like something’s missing.
Also, I just want to say I hope everything works out with your wedding, whatever shape it ends up taking. The tiny ceremony now with a bigger celebration later sounds like a lovely way to handle all the uncertainty. Baking definitely seems like a good way to keep busy in the meantime — these muffins are proof of that! Thanks for another great recipe, Amanda. Can’t wait to try these this weekend.
Grinding the oats first is a useful visual checkpoint in the blender method. A photograph of the intended fineness before the wet ingredients go in would make the difference between a smooth batter and an uneven one easier to understand. Disclosure: I maintain PhotoCraft Wiki, an independent, unofficial guide to the PhotoCraft image editor; I am not affiliated with ArtCraft or Adobe.
The blender method tip about grinding oats first is spot on, and honestly the same “process the base before adding the fun stuff” logic shows up in a totally different kitchen project I’ve been playing with: turning two photos into the white-studio keyboard meme video, where you pick who plays the keyboard and who does the hyping. It runs 5–30 seconds at up to 1080p, works with people or pets, and skips the prompt-writing entirely, which makes it an easy little creative break between batches.
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These sound incredible! I really appreciate that you included both the blender and mixing bowl methods — I don’t have a high-speed blender, so knowing I can use pre-ground oat flour (1 1/2 cups instead of the 2 cups of oats) makes this actually doable for me. And thanks for the warning about not processing the carrots and raisins, because I totally would have dumped everything in and ended up with carrot puree! The tip about shaking the blender jar to loosen the oat flour around the blades is a nice touch too. Also, just wanted to say I hope everything works out with your wedding — a tiny ceremony now with a bigger celebration down the road sounds like a really lovely way to do things. These muffins with that cream cheese frosting are definitely going on my weekend baking list!
These look absolutely delicious! I love that they are flourless and healthier, yet still get that amazing cream cheese frosting. Definitely baking a batch for this weekend’s breakfast.
These flourless carrot cake muffins look so deliciously moist and guilt-free! That light cream cheese frosting totally steals the show. I might try animating the baking process into a fun little video clip using i2video to share with my friends.
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Giving the oat-flour alternative by weight is helpful: the different cup measurements could otherwise be confusing. I also appreciate the instruction to fold in the carrots by hand rather than blending them, and to prepare them before the wet ingredients so the batter is not left waiting. Keeping the frosting separate until serving sounds practical for a batch of twelve.
The note about not blending the carrots and raisins is the part I needed—every time I make oat-flour muffins they turn out weirdly gummy, and I bet it’s because I keep pulsing everything together. Also helpful that 2 cups oats equals 1 1/2 cups oat flour at 160g each; I always end up with too much or too little when I grind my own. The wedding situation sounds rough, but a small ceremony now and a bigger party later seems like a pretty solid plan.
These flourless carrot cake muffins look absolutely delicious! I love healthy baking recipes that still taste rich and comforting, and the cream cheese frosting is such a great addition. Can’t wait to make a batch this weekend!
These sound amazing! I love that you included both the blender and mixing bowl methods — I don’t have a high-speed blender, so I really appreciate the tip about swapping in pre-ground oat flour instead. And the warning to NOT process the carrots and raisins is such a good call… I definitely would have blitzed everything together and ended up with a weird puree situation. That lightened-up cream cheese frosting has me drooling too. Carrot cake is my dad’s favorite, so I might have to surprise him with a batch this weekend. Also, sending good thoughts your way for the wedding — the tiny ceremony now with a bigger celebration later sounds like a really sweet way to handle things. Hang in there, and thanks for another great recipe!
Carrot cake is my all-time favorite, so I was excited to see a flourless version! The tip about grinding the oats first and then giving the blender jar a few shakes is such a smart detail — I’ve definitely had my blender bog down with thick batters before and never thought to do that. And thank you for the warning about NOT processing the carrots and raisins, because I could absolutely see myself dumping everything in at once and ending up with orange mush. I appreciate that you included a mixing bowl option too, since I don’t have a high-speed blender. Also, sending good thoughts for your September plans — a tiny ceremony now with a bigger celebration later sounds like a lovely way to do it regardless. Can’t wait to whip up a batch of these with that cream cheese frosting!
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The 160 g measurement for both whole oats and oat flour is a useful detail, especially since their cup measurements differ. The instruction to prepare the carrots before mixing the wet ingredients also makes the sequence much clearer. A small photo of the batter just before the carrots are folded in would be a helpful extra reference for readers choosing between the blender and mixing-bowl methods.
Glad I found this post on flourless carrot cake muffins. It’s well organised and easy to come back to. Looking forward to whatever you write next.