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 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 just 111 calories too!
So let’s go over how to make these healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins!
You’ll actually start with 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’re just smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This means they soften faster, which leads to extremely moist and fluffy carrot cake oatmeal muffins!
Tip: You can usually find instant oats right next to the old-fashioned rolled oats at the grocery store. They’re great for baking oatmeal cookies too!
To make sure your muffins turn out as moist and tender as possible, you’ll actually mix your instant oats with Greek yogurt, some milk, and vanilla extract before whisking together the other ingredients. When you let that bowl of oats sit, it allows the oats to start soaking up moisture ahead of time, which makes them really soft and plump. That softness and plumpness leads to really fluffy healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins!
Next, you’ll whisk together white whole wheat flour with a trio of spices: cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. This is my favorite cinnamon because it tastes stronger and sweeter than the regular kind. It’s also really affordable! 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.
And yes, white whole wheat flour actually exists! Contrary to what it sounds like, it’s not 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!
In your third bowl, you’ll whisk together a mere ½ tablespoon of butter or oil and a couple of egg whites. 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 fat and low calorie!
Then the rest of their tender texture comes from another ingredient that you already added… The Greek yogurt! If you’ve perused my recipes before, then you probably know how much I love baking with it. Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins a protein boost!
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your muffins with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, 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!)
Of course… You can’t make healthy carrot cake oatmeal muffins without the carrots, right? So the final ingredient you’ll need is freshly grated carrots. Yes, they must be freshly grated by you! (Or your husband. Or your boyfriend. 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 go by much faster!
Before adding your batter to your muffin cups, you must coat your muffin liners with cooking spray. This is especially true for paper muffin or cupcake liners, as well as regular muffin pans! Low fat batters (like this one!) tend to stick like superglue, but coating your muffin liners with a generous mist of cooking spray helps them peel away from your muffins much more easily.
So now, all you have to do is fill your muffin liners with batter… Slide the pan in the oven… Set a timer… Wait (im)patiently for them to finish baking and…
Dive headfirst (mouth first?) into your warm, cozy, moist, fluffy, 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 | | Print |
- 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!)
- 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, 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. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cups (120g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the white whole wheat flour.
Remember to measure your 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 because they act like sponges and soak up lots of moisture from the batter.
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 may collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ or ½ teaspoon.
I do not recommend substituting for the liquid stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) I buy it online here because that's the best price I've found. 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 with either of those substitutions as well.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
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.
Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in dense or tough muffins. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Scones
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Pancakes
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Protein Muffins
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy carrot cake recipes and healthy muffin recipes!
I was just thinking about carrot cake muffins earlier this morning so this is weirdly timed! Looks amazing and I’m always down for a healthier muffin recipe!
Great minds must think alike Ashlyn! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these muffins if you decide to give them a try!
Amy;
Hi,wow your carrot cake oatmeal muffins look so good and tastey and i have most of the ingredients except six ingredients that i don’t have at home to make your recipe.
I am going to make your recipe when i go buy the rest of the ingredients at the end of this month when i go grocery shopping.I will let you know how much my mom and i as well as some of our friends love and enjoy eating the muffins that i am going to make at the end of this month.
If i double your carrot cake oatmeal muffin recipe i can make a batch of your muffins for the church staff and pastors at the church that my mom and i are members of.
Kim
I truly appreciate your interest in yet another one of my recipes, Kim! That means the world to me that you’d like to make two batches so you can share with your church family. I’m so honored! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of these muffins!
You do not mention at which mixture do we insert the carrots!
I actually did include when to add the carrots in the Instructions! Check the end of Step 2. It’s a long step with lots of text, so I know it can be easy to miss. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these muffins Fani!
Can you sub flax or chia eggs?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Atlanta! I don’t have much experience with flax or chia eggs, but I know that Ener-G will work! My brother is actually allergic to eggs, and Ener-G is my favorite substitute. Ener-G is a shelf-stable powder that keeps for ages. It works perfectly as an egg replacer in nearly all of my recipes, including this one! For my recipes, use 1 ½ teaspoons Ener-G + 2 tablespoons warm water for each egg white (and you’ll need an additional ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil {or Earth Balance, if you’re vegan!} for each egg yolk, although that doesn’t apply in this particular recipe!). I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins if you try them! 🙂
Find it odd that the recipe says it yields 13 muffins. I plan to make these in my muffin pan that makes 12. Can’t wait to try them. I will rate the recipe after I make them.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Marie! I fully intended for the recipe to yield 12 muffins, but even after filling each of my muffin cups all the way to the brim with batter, I still had enough left over to yield one more muffin. Hence 13! 😉 If you have a small ramekin, that will work for the 13th muffin. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them!
Amy, you’re amazing recipes keep me intrigued and loving my baking addiction. My favorite carrot cake recipe (circa 1975) has spoiled me to allways include crushed pineapple, walnuts and coconut. I expect that would be a lot like your Healthy Morning Glory Muffins. I’m thinking I might play with those additions—using the aforementioned muffin recipe as a guide for portions.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes Carol — that means the world tome! 🙂 I think your idea of adding extra mix-ins would be great! Depending on how much pineapple you add, you may need to bake the muffins a little longer to compensate for the extra liquid from their juice. I’m really excited to hear how your muffins turn out!
Hi, Amy! I used your Healthy Morning Glory muffins as a guide for adding the pineapple. I omitted the oat meal. They turned out great the next day. The first day that I pulled them out of the oven I was disappointed that the pineapple flavor was not there. I should’ve known better. I think they turned out great. I also learned that while I can freeze shredded carrots, they need to be patted dry upon defrost the same way you would treat the zucchini in your carrot zucchini muffins. I really thought that freezing the shredded carrots was a great idea, but it certainly was not. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and for your attentiveness to comments at your website.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Carol! Thanks for sharing your photos on Instagram. I loved seeing them! 🙂 And thank you so much for including your recipe modifications and the note about freezing shredded carrots — that’s really good to know! I’m so excited to see what recipe you decide to try next!
Can you use almond milk and almond flour in this muffin recipe?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Donna! I’ve actually covered your question about almond milk in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions). I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I typically don’t recommend almond flour in these muffins because they turn out denser and often collapse a little while cooling. If you don’t mind that texture difference, then the flavor should remain the same! I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try them!
Hi Amy, it would be great if you could include some photos at certain steps of the process, such as after you’ve mixed the batter, to help us judge whether we’re on track with the consistency! Just a suggestion. 🙂 I just made these and am waiting for them to cool!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins! I’ll keep your feedback for step-by-step photos in mind for recipes moving forward. 🙂
My husband is diabetic so I was thrilled to find this recipe. In regard to the liquid stevia, after reading some reviews, most of which were very positive, some said there is a distinct alcohol taste and it isn’t terribly sweet. You have not found this to be true? You would not substitute powdered stevia for liquid? Thanks so much!
I truly appreciate your interest in my recipe Sandra! Your husband is so lucky to have you to bake him homemade muffins that suit his diabetic needs. You’re so sweet to do that! 🙂 No, I haven’t found this to be true with the exact liquid stevia that I use! I’ve actually found that the powdered versions have more of a “stevia” aftertaste to me than the liquid, but I don’t notice any alcohol or aftertaste with the liquid stevia that I use. I know everyone’s tastebuds are different (for example, my mom can always detect even the tiniest bit of stevia, regardless of whether it’s liquid or powdered!), but that’s my experience and why I almost always use liquid stevia. (Also, many stevia brands and products have slightly different sweetness levels, so I definitely recommend using the same one that I did for the best results!) I’d love to hear what you and your husband think of these muffins if you try making them!