Every September, my dad and a bunch of his buddies from college load up their cars, drive a few hours away into the mountains, and spend the better part of a week backpacking in the wilderness. They hike along the dusty trails during the day, carrying all of their gear in oversized packs (they’re so tall that they stick up over their heads!), and stop at a different lake or stream each afternoon to set up a temporary campsite for the night.
After cooking dinner—sometimes fresh fish that they’ve caught from the lake, other times the food they’ve lugged around on their backs—they usually sit around a campfire while the stars twinkle overhead. Many nights, they pull out a deck of playing cards and deal out a few rounds of poker, using M&Ms instead of real money as their chips.
The only danger is when somebody gets hungry!
Six months later, usually in the beginning of March, my dad hosts a little reunion at their house and invites the guys over for a night of barbeque and poker—this time, with real money! Well, only nickels and quarters… And sometimes a few fun additions to the ante, like homemade tie-dye shirts or homegrown avocados and oranges. Just a friendly game, nothing high stakes!
This year, three of the six other men couldn’t make it for various reasons, and the wife of one of those guys always sends along a batch of freshly baked cookies for the poker players to snack on in between hands. When I found out the morning of the reunion, I quickly offered to donate baked goods to the cause, but I nearly regretted that…
Because these Healthy Carrot Cake Protein Muffins were the only things left from my baking that week, and I wanted to keep them all for myself! They truly taste like that classic dessert for breakfast—sweet, tender, and full of cozy spices—but they’re incredibly healthy with no butter, refined flour or sugar and packed with nearly 10g of protein!
The guys ended up with this gingerbread and these oatmeal cookies that I thawed from the freezer instead…
Since it’s impossible to have carrot cake without the veggies, you’ll need 1 cup of freshly grated carrots for these muffins. Don’t substitute the store-bought packages of pre-shredded carrots! Those are thicker and drier, so they won’t soften enough while baking. Freshly grated carrots are still really juicy, and they do soften and keep the muffins tender. You’ll also add in a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg, two of the coziest spices, for that classic carrot cake flavor.
When baking with protein powder, it’s incredibly important to remember that all types and brands of protein powder behave differently in baking recipes. This recipe was designed for whey-based protein powders, specifically the vanilla protein powder from Jamie Eason’s Lean Body for Her line. While I don’t generally like the taste of whey, I love this protein powder! It has a sweet vanilla flavor and virtually no funky whey tastes. I use it in all of my protein muffin and protein cookie recipes!
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this exact protein powder is no longer sold in stores. However, this protein powder, this protein powder, and this protein powder are all really similar!
If you decide to substitute a different whey-based protein powder, you’ll want to measure based on the size and weight of your brand’s scoop, rather than the weight of the Lean Body for Her scoop. However, I cannot guarantee that the recipe will turn out with the exact same taste and texture. Do not substitute plant-based protein powders scoop-for-scoop. Plant-based protein powders are much more absorbent than whey-based ones, and that would make your muffins incredibly dry and crumbly.
To keep these muffins low-carb, you’ll use coconut flour. Coconut flour is about three times as absorbent as regular flour, which means that any extra will make your muffins really dry instead of moist and tender, so it’s incredibly important to measure the coconut flour correctly using either the spoon-and-level method or a kitchen scale. I highly recommend the latter! This is the inexpensive one that I own, and I use it for making every recipe that appears on my blog because it ensures my baked goods turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.
Here’s my secret trick to getting those tall, nicely domed muffin tops… You’ll start baking the muffins at a really high temperature—yes, crank it up to 425°F!—for the first few minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, lower the temperature back to 350°F for the remainder of the time.
This high heat quickly activates the baking powder, which creates an internal burst of steam (aka air bubbles!) that forces the muffins to rise much faster and keeps them nice and tall. Trust me, it works like a charm! (I was a chemist before a baking blogger, so I love foodie science like this!)
Now who wants carrot cake for breakfast?? And when you bake these, remember to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking—I can’t wait to see your muffins!
| Healthy Carrot Cake Protein Muffins | | Print |
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (56g) coconut flour (measured like this… and I love Bob’s Red Mill!)
- 2 scoops (84g) Lean Body for Her vanilla whey protein powder (see Notes!)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp (15mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) unsweetened cashew milk
- 1 cup (90g) freshly grated carrots (peeled first!)
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and lightly coat 8 standard-sized muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup and liquid stevia. Alternate between adding the coconut flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the coconut flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the coconut flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Let the batter rest for 10 minutes. Gently fold in the carrots.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 425°F for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking for an additional 19-22 minutes, or until the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
IMPORTANT PROTEIN POWDER NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: This recipe was specifically designed for Jamie Eason's Lean Body for Her vanilla whey protein powder. Unfortunately, it's no longer sold in stores. However, this protein powder, this protein powder, and this protein powder are all really similar.
Most protein powders behave differently in baking recipes, especially when it comes to absorbing moisture. If you substitute a different whey-based protein powder for the one I used (or the similar options above), measure by the grams per scoop of your particular protein powder. You may need to add more protein powder if the batter is too wet OR more milk if the batter is too dry.
Do not substitute plant-based protein powder; it tends to be much more absorbent and will most likely result in dry, crumbly muffins.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
An additional 3 tablespoons of maple syrup may be substituted for the liquid stevia. Decrease the milk to ½ cup if using this substitution. However, I highly recommend using the liquid stevia because it keeps these muffins low-carb and lower in calories. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) I buy mine online here because that's the best price I've found.
Any milk (cow, soy, almond, etc.) may be used in place of the cashew milk.
Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots. They’re thicker and drier, so they will not soften while baking.
These muffins freeze really nicely. To thaw quickly, place individual muffins in the microwave for 40-50 seconds on 40% power.
For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Protein Powder Recipes: Tips & FAQ page.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low carb, high protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
I’m literally a rabbit so I’m LOVING the carrot cake recipes Amy! 🙂 Especially high-protein ones! Can’t wait to give these a try 🙂
You’re way too cute Marina with your rabbit comment! With how much I love carrot cake, I’d be a bunny right there with you! 😉
Can you tell me if I add additional protein powder to increase the amount of protein in each muffin, would I decrease the amount of flour? Thank you for your time.
Susan
Yes, if you increase the protein powder you should also decrease the coconut flour. It probably won’t be a 1-to-1 substitution though, so you’ll have to experiment with the amounts. I’m excited to hear what you think of the muffins Susan!
Great! I’ll give them a try next week, and I’ll let you know the results. Thanks for your quick reply and advice. I think I’ll do some research to see if there is a substitutionary equivalent.
Susan
Sounds great Susan! I can’t wait! 🙂
Hi Amy,
I love all your recipes, they are so great, but I cook for my kids and I’d rather not be using any kind of a protein powder. Is there something completely natural that I could substitute the protein powder with? Maybe coconut flour or wheat flour will do? Or should I also add some sugar to it because your protein powder is sweet? Thanks!!!!
Thanks for your kind words about my recipes Liza! I’d recommend this carrot cake bran muffins recipe for you and your children instead. It doesn’t have any protein powder, and that’ll be a lot easier than trying to adapt this recipe. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of those muffins if you try them!
I’m so excited about this recipe! We have spring break, and I love forward to baking some new recipes from your blog. I have soooo many carrots right now, and this looks like a wonderful way to use them up.
Thanks Elaine! As a carrot cake fanatic, I’m a bit jealous of your big supply of carrots! 😉
I still long to go on this adventure with your dad and his friends. Is that weird? Maybe a little. HAHA. I would make you come too, then it would be totally normal. I would also make you share these AND the freezer treats.
Not weird at all!! Especially since you hike even more than they do! There’s an open invitation for you to come down whenever you’d like, and we’ll head up to the mountains and hike as much as you want. And it includes lots of homemade vegan treats from me! 🙂
I don’t blame you for keeping the muffins for yourself and thawing other treats! I would have done the same! Also, thanks for the temperature tip for baking these muffins. I have never tried using really high heat and then backing it down. I love it!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who hoards certain baked goods all to myself Melissa! 😉 I’m excited to hear how that high heat tip works for you!
I LOVE carrot cake so these muffins are are definitely right up my alley. I just want to be sure of a few things before I try them as I want the best results! First, I have the brand better body coconut flour, and i know some people say that different brands act differently but I should be fine if i weigh the flour right? I also have Vitacost brand whey protein powder and I’m hoping that would work as well…Oh and is whole eggs ok? Sorry for all the questions, your advice is greatly appreciated! 🙂
Different brands of coconut flour do act differently! I’ve never worked with Better Body’s coconut flour before, but I think it should be fine if you measure by weight. Whole eggs are fine, too! 🙂 I’m excited to hear how the the Vitacost protein powder works and what you think of the muffins Anna!
Hi Ami, I love your recipe. Looks really good, want to try it this afternoon. I don’t have coconut flour in the house, with what could I substitute it? Would it work with whole wheat flour? Or oat flour?
TIA
I actually answered this already on my Protein Powder FAQ page! It’s linked to in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins Joanna!
I made these the other day and thought they were really good….I did not have stevia so I used one extra tablespoon of maple syrup….i did not see the adjustments for no stevia in the comments, so I’m going to try them again tonight and add more syrup and decrease the coconut flour.
I’d like to add apple sauce or apples…have you tried this? How would you compensate for the extra wet ingredients?
I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins Jenn, and I hope you like the second batch even more! If you’d like to add applesauce, you can substitute some for some of the Greek yogurt. If you’d like to add apples, I recommend sautéing them first (I explain why and how to do that in this recipe) and using no more than ½ cup of finely diced apples. I’d also recommend decreasing the amount of shredded carrots to no more than ¼ cup if using the full ½ cup of apples. I’d love to hear how that turns out!
I substituted half the greek yogurt for apple sauce and they turned out just fine 🙂 Not quite apple tasting enough for me though. I might add some apple slices on top next time!
Also, I ran out of eggs so I used chia seeds in place of one of the eggs and they turned out great, for anyone looking for an egg substitute
I’m glad the applesauce worked Jenn, and thanks for sharing your tip about the chia seeds! 🙂
what is the best way to store these for a few days at room temp or fridge? how do you put in an airtight container when still hot or do you let them cool in fridge? thanks
Let the muffins cool completely to room temperature on the wire cooling rack before transferring to an airtight container. To ensure they stay fresh as long as possible, refrigerate them once in the container. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the muffins Sonja! 🙂