Healthy Carrot Zucchini Muffins
These muffins are supremely moist and tender with lots of warm spices and cozy flavors from the carrots and zucchini! They taste incredible when served hot, at room temperature, or even chilled. (But my parents would probably tell you that they prefer their muffins warm, split in half, and with a little bit of butter melting into each half!) Leftover muffins will keep for at least 4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and they also freeze well!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp (30mL) distilled white vinegar
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk, divided
- 1 cups (107g) freshly grated carrots (about 2 medium, peeled first!)
- 1 cup (107g) freshly grated zucchini, thoroughly patted dry (see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 12 muffins cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Add in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the vinegar and 2 tablespoons of milk. 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 and zucchini.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 26-29 minutes or until the tops feel 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 flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much will make your muffins turn out bland and dry.
IMPORTANT CARROTS NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots! (They're also called "matchstick" carrots.) They’re too thick and dry, and they don’t soften properly while baking.
IMPORTANT ZUCCHINI NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must thoroughly pat it dry to remove the excess moisture because that excess moisture will cause the muffins to collapse while cooling. To pat the zucchini dry, lay a double-thick layer of paper towels onto a cutting board, and arrange the freshly grated zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and firmly press down until the top towel layer turns completely wet. Continue to repeat with a fresh set of double thick paper towels on top until you can’t press any more moisture out of the zucchini.
Do NOT add more zucchini! Just like not thoroughly drying your zucchini, additional zucchini will cause your muffins to collapse while cooling.
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.
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.
SPICES NOTES: This is my favorite kind of cinnamon! It has a stronger, richer, and sweeter flavor than regular cinnamon. (I buy it online here!) Allspice is a single spice, not a blend. It and the nutmeg add richness and a lovely background warmth. I highly recommend using all three!
EGG WHITE NOTES + 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.
If you prefer to use whole eggs, then substitute 2 large eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon (15mL) to compensate for the added volume from the yolks.
STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: For sweeter muffins, increase the liquid stevia by an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
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 ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (90mL). You may also substitute ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave AND omit the milk instead. The baking time may vary slightly with either of those substitutions as well.
VINEGAR NOTES + ALTERNATIVE: The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the muffins rise and create a more tender texture. Don’t skip it! (I promise you can’t taste it in the fully baked muffins!)
If you don’t have or can’t find distilled white vinegar, try to find another vinegar with a similar pH level of around 2.5 to maintain the same texture. Lemon juice has a pH level around 2-3, so it should also work.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 ¼ cups (150g) 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 closer to a week!). I highly recommend reheating refrigerated muffins before eating them. I pop them in the microwave on 30% power until they're warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!
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, 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.