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My parents hosted a small party for the Super Bowl last month, inviting their old college friends who currently lived in the area over for an afternoon of food, drinks, and funny commercials. (My dad, one other man, and I seemed to be the main people who focused on the game!) Ā
Because Dad loves cooking, but rarely has the time, he spent the morning enjoying every minute of chopping vegetables, seasoning pork tenderloins, stirring quinoa, frying bacon, and lighting the coals in the Weber grill outside. Mom ran out to the grocery store to pick up appetizers and small bites, like cruditƩs and dip, chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, and dried fruit and M&Ms.
She also returned with two cakes, and she explained that even though I provided plenty of these cookies and these incredible truffles, she purposely bought them because one of our guests never had cake growing up since it was too expensive for her family to afford, so cake was always an extra special treat.
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I peeked inside the boxes and immediately smiledā¦ Because Mom knew I wouldnāt have the time to bake homemade ones (I had my plate full {no pun intended!} with The Healthy Jumpstart!), she purchased two of my favorites: chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!
Although our guests served themselves at least one slice after the halftime show, we still ended up with plenty of leftovers of each flavor. I fell asleep thinking of those extra slices of carrot cake, and they were the first thought that popped into my head the next morning, too!
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Waking up with those delicious cake thoughts wouldāve been so much easier to handle if I had these Healthy Carrot Cake Mini Muffins lying around too! I couldāve satisfied that cake craving first thingā¦ Without any guilt! These muffins contain no butter, refined flour or sugar, and theyāre just 33 calories!
I canāt be the only one who loves ādessertā for breakfastā¦ Right?? ?
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To make these healthy muffins, youāll start with whole wheat flour. Just regular olā whole wheat flour! (Or gluten-free, if you prefer!) This is the kind I use because it has a lighter flavor and rises higher than other brands. Youāll also whisk in plenty of cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg for those iconic cozy spice flavors!
Although this recipe includes just 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, these muffins still have the same texture as a traditional carrot cake! Thatās all thanks to one of my favorite ingredients in healthy bakingā¦ Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your mini muffins a big protein boost, too.
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Youāll skip the refined sugar and sweeten your healthy mini muffins with another one of my favorite ingredients instead: vanilla crĆØme stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener thatās clean eating friendly, and itās highly concentrated. You just need 1 Ā¼ teaspoons to sweeten all 36 muffins! This is the kind I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor, and I donāt notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always purchase mine online here because thatās the cheapest price Iāve found. (And youāll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Now for the most important partā¦ The carrots! Youāll use freshly grated carrots in these muffins. Donāt use store-bought pre-shredded carrots! Theyāre thicker and drier than freshly grated, so they wonāt soften while baking. To ensure that your carrots fully soften, I highly recommend using the smallest holes on your box grater. (Sometimes carrots grated with the traditional sized holes still turn out a little āal denteā with a hint of crunch!)
Before you bake your muffins, I have one last special tipā¦ If using liners like I did in these photos, make sure you generously coat your liners with cooking spray! Low-fat muffin batter (and cupcake batter!) sticks to liners like superglue, so coating them with cooking spray allows the liners to peel back easily from the muffins. If you forget to spray themāor donāt quite spray them well enough!āthen seal your muffins inside of an airtight container for 24 hours to help loosen the liners a bit more.
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Are you as excited as I am about ādessertā for breakfast?? ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees Iāll see your picture! ?) Iād love to see your mini muffins and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
Healthy Carrot Cake Mini Muffins | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 Ā½ tsp baking powder
- Ā½ tsp baking soda
- 1 Ā½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Ā½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Ā¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Ā¼ tsp vanilla crĆØme stevia
- Ā½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- Ā¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
- 2 cups (180g) freshly grated carrots (see Notes!)
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F, and lightly coat 36 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla crĆØme stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the carrots.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350Ā°F for 13-16 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
This is my favorite whole wheat flour because it allows my baked goods to rise higher and have a more tender texture than some other brands. White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crĆØme stevia! Itās one of my favorite ingredients, and youāll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too. (I always buy mine online here because itās the cheapest price Iāve found!) If you prefer, 8-10 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the vanilla crĆØme stevia, and the milk should be reduced to 3-5 tablespoons to compensate for the added liquid.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the finest holes in your box grater for shredding the carrots! I used the standard-sized holes, and some carrots still had a teensy tiny crunch after baking. Using the smallest holes (the āfinely shreddedā size) will ensure your carrots fully bake through. Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots.
Be VERY careful if using liners! Generously coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray before adding the muffin batter. This batter will stick to liners like superglue if they arenāt coated with cooking spray.
If you prefer, this recipe will yield 12 standard sized muffins. To bake standard-sized muffins, preheat the oven to 425Ā°F instead. Bake them at 425Ā°F for 7 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350Ā°F (without opening the oven!) and continue to bake for an additional 12-15 minutes. The muffins will be done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, low sugar}
View Nutrition Information
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You may also like Amy’s other recipesā¦
ā„Ā Ā Ā The Ultimate Healthy Carrot Cake
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Scones
ā„Ā Ā Ā Single-Serving Carrot Cake Mug Cake
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Pancakes
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
ā„Ā Ā Ā Classic Carrot Cake
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Protein Muffins
ā„Ā Ā Ā Loaded Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cookies
ā„Ā Ā Ā Carrot Cake Granola
ā„Ā Ā Ā Classic Carrot Cake Cupcakes
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Can I skip nutmeg?
Yes, you can! Although I’d actually recommend substituting additional cinnamon instead. The mini muffins won’t have quite the same iconic carrot cake flavor, but it’ll still be pretty close! š I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Yunita!
I love the way you answer my questions in your recipes regarding substitutes. I just think of a question and the answer is there! Thank you.
It’s my pleasure, Grace! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these mini muffins! š
These muffins are delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I replaced the stevia with 1/3 cup of honey and decreased the milk to 3 tbsp and they turned out great both in large and small muffin tins š
I’m so glad you enjoyed these muffins Lisa! Thank you so much for letting me know what tweaks you made — I always love to hear what substitutions work out! š
Yum! Such a perfect and festive recipe for Easter ? I love carrot cake so Iām sure these muffins would be awesome!
Thanks Gina! š I’d love to hear what you think if you try these muffins!
What a great way to serve carrot cake ā as a muffin! I love it.
Thanks so much! I’d love to hear what you think if you try them Jack!
Hi Amy! I live in France and I can’t find vanilla crĆØme stevia. Any idea of what I could swap it with?
Thank you, can’t wait to try this recipe š
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Mag! I’ve already included alternatives in the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions. It can be easy to miss! š I can’t wait to hear what you think of these mini muffins!
Hey.. This recipe sounds great but I was wondering if I could substitute whole flour with buckwheat flour?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Irina! I don’t have any experience with buckwheat flour, so I’m afraid I don’t know whether that will work. I’d love to hear what you think if you try these mini muffins! š
I am going to try your carrot mini muffins recipe. They look super delisious and healthy. Instead of vanilla creme stavia can I use liquid stivia as that is what I have.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tania! If it’s the same brand that I use, then that’s fine to substitute. š I can’t wait to hear what you think of these mini muffins!
Hi!
Can I substitute the yogurt for apple sauce?
I donāt have any yogurt in the fridge š
Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in this recipe Rachel! In this particular recipe, substituting applesauce for the Greek yogurt will result in a texture that’s a little tougher and isn’t quite as tender. As long as you don’t mind that texture difference, then it’s okay to substitute. I’d love to hear what you think of these mini muffins if you make them!
Thank you for your eply!
I made them yesterday and they are great! Not as fluffy as your looked but Iām still happy with them.
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe ?
It’s my pleasure Rachel! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! š
These are really good! I love that they are whole grain, sugar free, very low fat, have yogurt and a veggie! I substituted 1/4 oat flour in one batch and they did not rise as well, I will stick with all whole wheat in the future. I got the vanilla crĆØme stevia to make these and am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying these mini muffins Kat! That means so much to me that you’d want to try some of my other recipes. I can’t wait to hear what you pick next! š