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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Thanks for sharing this post about Flourless Carrot Cake Muffins. I enjoyed the ideas here.
I love that there are two methods for making these! Sometimes I’m feeling lazy and just want to throw everything in the blender, other times I prefer the mixing bowl. Flexibility is key!
The blender method for these muffins sounds so smart for getting that fine oat flour consistency. I’m always looking for ways to make baking easier without sacrificing texture!
These muffins look absolutely incredible! I’ve been trying to find more gluten-free baking recipes that don’t compromise on flavor, and the inclusion of that lightened-up cream cheese frosting is such a brilliant touch. I really appreciate how you balanced the indulgence with wholesome ingredients—it’s exactly the kind of snack I need to keep in my meal prep rotation for the week.
I actually spent some time this morning experimenting with food photography and styling for my own projects over at AI Image Maker. It’s fascinating how much the visual presentation of a recipe influences whether someone decides to bake it, and your photos here are just beautiful—they really highlight the texture of the carrot perfectly. Thanks for sharing such a delicious and clearly well-tested recipe; I can’t wait to get these in the oven this weekend!
These muffins look absolutely delicious! I love how you’ve managed to make them both healthy and indulgent—the perfect combination. Your personal story about wedding planning really resonated with me; it’s such a challenging time for everyone, and staying positive while exploring alternatives is all we can do. Sending good vibes for your September plans, whatever they may look like. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe and a bit of your journey along with it. Can’t wait to try baking these!
These look absolutely amazing! I love that you made them flourless and gluten-free without sacrificing that indulgent carrot cake flavor we all crave. The cream cheese frosting on top sounds perfect – I’m definitely going to try these for my next batch of muffins. Also loved hearing about your wedding cake memory, those tastings are always such a fun experience!
These flourless carrot cake muffins sound absolutely perfect for my gluten-free diet! I love that they manage to be both healthy and indulgent at the same time – that’s such a hard balance to strike with baked goods. The cream cheese frosting really does make all the difference, doesn’t it? Your wedding cake memory made me smile, by the way. There’s something special about those milestone moments with food that just sticks with you.
These look absolutely delicious! I love that you made them flourless since I’ve been trying to cut back on regular flour. The cream cheese frosting detail really caught my eye too—I’m always looking for ways to make frosting a bit lighter without sacrificing that rich flavor. Also, that wedding cake memory you mentioned is so sweet (pun intended!). I’m definitely going to try these for my next batch of muffins!
Excellent write-up. Your food photography is stunning too! Unrelated but might interest some: I created hytalecalc.com, a calculator tool for the Hytale game to help with planning crafting recipes.
Very helpful guide. I appreciate the practical approach you took!
These look absolutely amazing! I’ve been trying to find gluten-free baked goods that don’t taste like they’re missing something, and the combination of the subtle spices with that cream cheese frosting sounds perfect. I love that you mentioned keeping the frosting lightened-up too – that’s such a good balance between indulgent and actually being able to enjoy more than one without feeling guilty. Your wedding cake memory is so sweet, and now I’m definitely going to try these this weekend!
These look absolutely delicious! I love that you made them flourless and gluten-free without sacrificing that indulgent carrot cake flavor. The cream cheese frosting detail really got me – I’m always looking for ways to lighten up frosting while keeping it creamy and delicious. Your wedding cake memory made me smile, and honestly, this seems like a perfect excuse to bring frosting back into regular rotation!
These look absolutely delicious! I love that you made them flourless and gluten-free without sacrificing that indulgent carrot cake flavor. The cream cheese frosting detail really caught my eye too – I’m always looking for ways to lighten up desserts without them tasting like cardboard. Your wedding cake memory made me smile, and honestly, these muffins seem like the perfect excuse to bring frosting back into regular rotation!
These look absolutely delicious! I love that you made them flourless and gluten-free without sacrificing that indulgent cake flavor. The cream cheese frosting detail really caught my eye since that’s always the best part anyway. Your wedding cake memory made me smile – there’s something special about those milestone moments that stick with you, and now you have a healthier way to enjoy that same comforting carrot cake taste whenever you want!
These flourless carrot cake muffins sound amazing! I love that you managed to make them both healthy and indulgent at the same time – that’s always the hardest balance to strike. The cream cheese frosting detail really got me though, especially hearing about your wedding cake memories. I’m definitely going to try these for my next batch of muffins since I’ve been looking for a good gluten-free option that actually tastes good and not like cardboard.
These muffins look absolutely delicious! I love that they’re flourless yet still sound so moist and flavorful. Can’t wait to try the recipe!
These flourless carrot cake muffins sound delicious and healthy! I appreciate the detailed instructions for both blender and mixing bowl methods, making it accessible for different kitchen setups.
These look absolutely amazing! I’ve been trying to find a way to satisfy my carrot cake cravings without all the guilt, and the fact that they’re flourless is perfect since I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free baking lately. The cream cheese frosting detail really got me excited – that’s honestly the best part of any carrot cake anyway. I love that you managed to keep them both healthy AND indulgent, which is honestly the dream combo. Definitely making these this weekend!
These look absolutely delicious! I love that they’re flourless but still feel indulgent with that cream cheese frosting. The subtle spicing sounds perfect – I’m always looking for ways to sneak more vegetables into my baking without making it taste “healthy,” if that makes sense. Your wedding cake memory is sweet, and now I’m thinking these muffins might be the perfect excuse to bring frosting back into my regular rotation!
These flourless carrot cake muffins sound absolutely amazing! I love that you’ve made them both healthy and indulgent at the same time—that’s such a hard balance to strike. I’m definitely going to try these, especially since I’ve been looking for good gluten-free options that don’t taste like cardboard. Your wedding cake memory made me smile too, and now I’m curious if these muffins might bring back some sweeter memories!
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The tip about grinding the oats in a Vitamix before blending really sold me—no wonder the muffins turn out so smooth. And that frosting memory? Yeah, I’ve been craving a little “wedding‑cake” vibe in my snacks lately.
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