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 this 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!
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
- 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.
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 used the grams you provided (84g). It’s vanilla whey protein: https://www.lidl.de/de/optisana-sports-whey-protein-isolat-vanille/p238971
Sorry, this one is the right one: https://www.lidl.de/de/optisana-sports-whey-protein-konzentrat-vanille/p239835
Thanks for the info Kat! It looks like your protein powder doesn’t weigh as much as the one I recommended (only 30g/scoop vs 42g/scoop). Use 60g of your protein powder instead (2 scoops’ worth), and that should help them turn out with a much better texture! 🙂
Hi! Why do you have to peel the carrots first? I usually buy organic and leave the peel on them…
I’m about to try the recipe right now! Thanks.
I typically peel my carrots first, but you’re welcome to leave the peel on if you prefer! The peel tends to be darker in color and a little tougher, compared to the rest of the carrot underneath the peel. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins Shauna!
They were delicious! Or at least I thought so… my 5-year-old wouldn’t touch them because they were not ‘lemon’. I’m guessing she will hate lemon next week and want blueberry instead. She is changeable, and you should ignore her opinion.
I’ve printed and put the recipe away for further use. Thanks!
Aww that’s so cute of your daughter, Shauna! My favorite muffin flavor at her age was lemon too! I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins — and maybe it’s a good thing you didn’t have to share? 😉
Hi Amy, I want to make these for my dad. He loves muffins and I need to get more protein in his diet right now. The only thing is he doesn’t like carrots or carrot cake, muffins etc. How can I or can I substitute the carrots with either apples or bananas? Thanks in advance
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Marisa! You’re so sweet to want to make these for your dad. He’s so lucky to have you! 🙂 Does your dad like zucchini? I have a zucchini version of these muffins here! Otherwise, you can substitute ½ cup of finely diced apples (aim for about the same size as mini chocolate chips!) for the carrots in this recipe. I can’t wait to hear what both of you think of the muffins!
followed the recipe exactly, and these are horrible. Basically a mouthful of sawdust with a few carrot pieces. Sorry for the harsh words, but….
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Andrea! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 Did you use plant-based protein powder, by chance?
No,it was whey protein isolate. The texture of these was like squeaky dry.
Thanks for the info Andrea! Was it the same brand that I called for? If different, would you be able to share a link to the exact product that you used? Also, how did you measure the coconut flour — with measuring cups or a kitchen scale?
Could I substitute brown rice flour for the coconut flour? That’s all I have in the pantry.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Miranda! I’ve actually covered this on my Protein Powder FAQ Page, which is included in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins if you try them!
Super impressed with recipes and all the info given to explain why/why not certain ingredients are used, etc…
thank you thank you!! Much needed
It’s my pleasure, Jennifer! I’m always happy to help, especially by giving you as much info as I can! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these muffins!
I just made these, they turned out delicious! I didn’t heed your warning and I used plant based protein (myprotein vegan blend unflavoured) but I added an extra 80ml of milk and used half the protein powder weight (which didn’t reduce the total protein count by much at all!), plus a little extra baking powder and after ~18 mins in the oven they came up good! I also used an extra tbsp of maple syrup and the zest from one orange for sweetness instead of the stevia. They were very moist, a little crumblier than normal and the rise wasn’t perfect, but I’ll take that for a first go. Served with a big dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of walnuts I couldn’t be happier with how these turned out. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Lizzie!! Thanks so much for including your recipe modifications — I always love hearing what tweaks work out! 🙂
I used plant based protein powder because that’s all I had, I didn’t read the bottom of your ingredients that says don’t substitute with plant-based??♀️. The batter was extremely thick so I added more almond milk and yogurt. I’m hoping they come out good. Fingers crossed lol
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Brianna! I can’t wait to hear how your muffins turned out! 🙂
I have just made these – I love the macros, a great way to get fibre and protein in whilst tasting like a treat. I found them to be a little eggy in taste and texture, but I’ve never cooked with coconut flour before so this could be a contributing factor to the texture. I did 1.5x ingredients (to make 12) and it worked well. Could the carrots be substituted for blueberries, or lemon for alternatives? Thanks for the recipe.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Danielle! Yes, blueberries and lemon would both work in this particular recipe. Another alternative is to make my blueberry lemon poppy seed protein muffins recipe that has pretty similar macros! 🙂 I’d love to hear how that turns out if you try it!