Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins

 
During the winter of my first year of graduate school, I started a new breakfast tradition. Instead of a bowl of my favorite Trader Joe’s granola with cold milk, I switched to hot oatmeal to combat the chilly morning fog on my bike ride to campus.  

So early each morning, after a quick workout and hopping out of the shower, I padded into the kitchen to shake out a serving of oats into a bowl, pour water on top, and pop it in the microwave. When the timer dinged, I shook cinnamon over it (usually a little overzealously!), stirred everything together, and sat on the sofa to enjoy my cozy meal.
 

 
One day, after running out of time to pack my lunch the night before, I stayed in the kitchen to eat spoonfuls of my warm spiced oatmeal. Once I had squirted mustard onto two slices of whole wheat bread, layered chicken and lettuce on top, and slid my sandwich into a zip-topped bag, I turned to the jumbo bag of baby carrots, grabbing a few handfuls to tuck into my lunch as well.

As I held those sweet veggies in my hand, I caught a whiff of my cinnamon oatmeal, and a light bulb went off in my sleepy mind. “Carrot cake smells just like this…” I thought to myself. “What if I added carrots to my oatmeal tomorrow to make it taste like that dessert??”
 

 
The next morning, I practically ran into the kitchen after showering, much more awake and excited compared to the day before. I finely grated a few of those baby carrots into my bowl before slipping it into the microwave, and a few minutes later, after stirring in another generous amount of cinnamon, I took my first bite.

Perfect!

However… There was one downside to my new favorite carrot cake oatmeal breakfast. It wasn’t exactly portable, so I often rushed through eating in order to arrive to my first class with enough time to prepare for my students.
 

 
Yet these healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins completely solve that problem! They’re definitely portable, unlike traditional bowls of oatmeal, and they’re also perfect for meal prepping both breakfasts and snacks.

Moreover, with all of their cozy spices and sweet carrots, these healthy muffins really do taste just like carrot cake! They’re supremely moist and fluffy, even with no refined flour or sugar, and completely lightened up too.
 

QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY CARROT CAKE OATMEAL MUFFINS

Difficulty: Mainly easy, including for many beginner bakers.

Taste: Cozy, comforting, and sweet with a backdrop of warm spices and oats paired with plenty of carrots throughout.

Texture: Really soft and moist muffins laced with supremely tender carrots.
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY CARROT CAKE OATMEAL MUFFINS

Let’s go over what you’ll need to make these healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins! Since your kitchen probably holds common baking staples like baking powder and salt, we’ll mainly cover the more interesting ingredients.

Oats. More specifically… Instant oats. No, not the kind in those individual brown paper packets with flavors like “apple cinnamon” or “maple brown sugar!”

Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats, and they only contain one ingredient: oats. In a nutshell (or an oat groat, in this case!), the main difference is that instant oats are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This means they soften faster, which creates an extremely moist and fluffy texture in your carrot oatmeal muffins!

Tip #1: You can usually find instant oats right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. If you don’t see any canisters or bags labeled “instant oats,” then look for one of their other names: “quick cooking” or “one minute” oats.

Tip #2: If you’d like to make your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins gluten-free, then use certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!

Hint: Instant oats are great for baking oatmeal cookies and snack cakes too!
 

 
Flour. For these breakfast muffins, I chose white whole wheat flour. I know it can sound a little confusing! Contrary to what some people assume, white whole wheat flour is not just a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour. Instead, it’s made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits (like extra fiber!), but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture… And that lets the moist and fluffy texture of your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins truly shine!

Hint: It’s similar to the difference between red and green grapes. Noticeably different appearance, somewhat different flavor, but very similar health benefits!

Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve shared how to do so there!

Spices. You’ll need three: cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Cinnamon provides that classic warm and cozy flavor that’s so iconic of carrot cake. Then the allspice and nutmeg create a deeper and richer flavor, which helps make your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins taste just like the classic dessert.

Tip: Saigon cinnamon is my favorite cinnamon because it tastes stronger and sweeter than the regular kind. It’s also really affordable! Many stores have started to stock it, but I typically buy mine online here.
 

 
Unsalted butter or coconut oil. Whereas traditional muffin recipes call for ¼ to ½ cup of oil to keep them moist, you just need ½ tablespoon in these… And that really helps keep your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins low calorie and low fat!

Egg whites. The egg whites act like glue and bind together the other ingredients. Because they contain the majority of eggs’ protein, the egg whites also help your muffins maintain their height, structure, and lovely bakery-style domed tops while cooling.

Vanilla. A staple baking ingredient! Vanilla extract adds to the warm, comforting, and sweet dessert-like flavor of these healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins.

Greek yogurt. Remember how you only need ½ tablespoon of butter or oil? That’s because you’re stirring Greek yogurt into the batter! It’s so versatile and one of my favorite healthy baking ingredients. In this recipe, Greek yogurt adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. It also adds a protein boost!
 

 
Sweetener. Instead of sugar, I opted for another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. If you haven’t heard of it, stevia is a plant-based, sugar-free, no-calorie sweetener, and it contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated. You just need 1 ½ teaspoons to sweeten your entire batch of healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins!

This is the kind I use because I love its flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!)

Tip: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best flavor and texture, I highly recommend using the same one that I do!

Milk. Almost any type will work, so feel free to reach for whatever you already have stashed in your fridge! I use nonfat milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk the most. Both perform beautifully!

Carrots. Of course… You can’t make healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins without that bright orange vegetable, right? So the final ingredient you’ll need is freshly grated carrots. Yes, they must be freshly grated by you! (Or your spouse. Or your best friend. Or your kids. Or… Well, you get the picture!)

The problem with store-bought pre-shredded carrots (also called “matchstick” carrots) is that they’re thicker and drier, so they don’t soften properly while baking. (I also think they don’t taste as sweet or flavorful!) To get the most moist and tender muffins possible, I promise it’s worth the few extra minutes of grating your own carrots!

Tip: If you have a food processor with a grater attachment, that makes the process much faster!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY CARROT CAKE OATMEAL MUFFINS

Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients, let’s cover how to make the best healthy carrot oatmeal muffins. Like I promised earlier, this recipe is simple and straightforward! I also have some tips to ensure your muffins turn out deliciously soft, comforting, and sweet.

Measure correctly. I repeat this so often that I could recite it in my sleep… And probably do!

It’s extremely important to measure all of the ingredients properly.

For the oats and flour, use this method or a kitchen scale. Do NOT scoop either one directly from its container with your measuring cups! This can result in adding up to 1 ½ times as much as is called for by the recipe. That extra flour or oats throws off the ratio of dry and wet ingredients, and it’ll make your muffins dry, crumbly, and taste bland. This is especially true of the oats — they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter!

For the carrots, measure by cups or grams — NOT by number of carrots! Not all “large” carrots are the exact same size. If yours fall towards the bigger end of the spectrum, the extra grated carrots would prevent your muffins from holding together and make them fall apart. If the opposite were true and your carrots were on the smaller side, your muffins wouldn’t have as strong of a carrot cake flavor.

So the moral of this measuring story? Take those few extra moments to measure correctly, and you’ll end up with the softest and most flavorful carrot cake oatmeal muffins!
 

 
Mix by hand. Leave your stand mixer and hand-held mixer alone! Those tend to overmix low fat batters, like this one. Overmixing leads to a tough, rubbery, gummy, or dense texture. Not good! Yet if you mix by hand, your muffins should turn out beautifully tender and moist.

Therefore, use a whisk where explicitly instructed, and use a fork for everything else. Yes — a fork! This is one of my trusted baking hacks.

Compared to the wide and flat sides of spatulas and spoons, the empty spaces between a fork’s tines let ingredients pass through and mix more efficiently. That also helps guard against overmixing!

Soak the oats. I’ve already built this into Step 2, but I wanted to explain why! To make your muffins turn out as moist and tender as possible, you’ll mix the oats with the Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and some of the milk before measuring or whisking together the other ingredients. As that bowl of oats sits, it lets the oats start soaking up moisture ahead of time, which makes them really soft and plump. That softness and plumpness leads to really tender and fluffy healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins!
 

 
Prep the pan. Before adding the batter to your muffin cups, you must coat your muffin liners with cooking spray. This is particularly true for paper muffin or cupcake liners — and even if you skip them and just use regular muffin pans! Low fat batters (like this one!) tend to stick like superglue, but coating your muffin liners (or pans) with a generous mist of cooking spray helps them peel away from your muffins much more easily.

Tip: If you forget to coat your liners — or just don’t do quite a thorough enough job — then seal your muffins inside of an airtight container once they’ve fully cooled, and refrigerate them overnight. This helps loosen the liners so they peel away a bit more easily.

Bake. It’s time! All that’s left to do is fill your muffin liners with batter… Slide the pan in the oven… Set a timer… And wait (im)patiently for them to finish baking! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with some crumbs attached.
 

 
Ready to dive into your warm, cozy, moist, soft, oh so irresistible muffins? 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 I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins!

Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 13 muffins

These are some of my all-time favorite muffins! They’re supremely moist and tender with lots of sweet carrots and cozy spices, and the soft yet hearty oats help keep me full all morning. I always feel like I’m sneaking carrot cake for breakfast whenever I eat these! Leftovers will keep for at least 4 days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they also freeze well.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Ingredients 

• ¾ cup (75g) instant oats (gluten-free if necessary and measured like this)
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk, divided
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• 1 tbsp (8g) ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia
• 2 ¼ cups (236g) freshly grated carrots (about 3-4 large, peeled first!)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 13 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 13 muffins cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
• In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, Greek yogurt, 6 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a third bowl, whisk together the butter or coconut oil, egg whites, and stevia. Stir in the oat mixture, mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining ¾ cup of 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 350°F for 29-32 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the oats and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either will make your muffins turn out dry. This is especially true of the oats; they act like little sponges and soak up lots of moisture.

 

IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This will result in rubbery, gummy, dense, or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.

 

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon.

 

IMPORTANT CARROTS NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots (also called “matchstick” carrots). They’re too thick and dry, and they don’t soften properly while baking.

 

OATS NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: Instant oats are also called “quick cooking” or “one-minute” oats. They’re smaller and thinner than traditional old-fashioned rolled oats, so they soften faster (which gives these muffins their moist and fluffy texture!). They only include one ingredient — oats! — just like old-fashioned rolled oats. You can find instant oats right next to the traditional old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. (They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal!)

 

In a pinch, to make your own, add ¾ cup (75g) of old-fashioned rolled oats to a blender or food processor, and pulse until they’re ⅛ to ¼ of their original size.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.

 

SPICE NOTES: I prefer Saigon cinnamon (I buy it online here!) because it tastes stronger, richer, and sweeter than regular cinnamon. The allspice and nutmeg round out the spice flavor and add both richness and warmth.

 

EGG WHITES NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: The muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the muffins will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.

 

If you prefer to use whole eggs, then use 2 large eggs AND decrease the milk by 1 tablespoon (15mL) to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do. I buy it online here (← that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too. (It's one of my favorite ingredients!)

 

However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the muffins, substitute 1 cup (192g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar AND reduce the milk to ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL). You may also substitute 1 cup (240mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND reduce the milk to 2 tablespoons (30mL) instead. The baking time may vary slightly with either of those substitutions as well.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free instant oats. For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store the fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least 4 days, if not longer.

 

FREEZING TIPS: Peel off the paper liners before freezing. (It’s harder to peel them off after thawing or reheating the muffins!) I like to thaw individual muffins in the microwave on 50% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!

 

{gluten-free, nut-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Protein Muffins
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Mini Muffins
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Scones
♡  Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡  Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins
♡  Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy carrot cake recipes and healthy muffin recipes!