Whole wheat carrot cake muffins

Whole wheat carrot cake muffins are fun for a healthy breakfast, snack or school lunch. Naturally sweetened and loaded with shredded carrots, these muffins are great on their own or with a light cream cheese frosting.

How's your week going my friends?

We've had a busy but productive one. We got our taxes done with our accountant on Tuesday night. (I apparently have to make tax appointments like I do haircut appointments - at night when the kids are in bed. #momlife)

Nothing like that to make you feel like an adult. And for me, like a real businessperson. Getting everything in order about this blog and going through it all made me feel like a serious boss lady!

I'm looking forward to a long, lazy weekend though. We lose an hour with the start of daylight savings time, but it's worth it, knowing that spring is almost here.

(Speaking of, I've got to get some spring cleaning chores tackled - or at least, planned. And some outdoor yard revival going. One of my top priorities is getting a fire pit in our backyard this year!)

But enough chitchat, we need to talk about these muffins.

You know we love our healthy muffin recipes in this house.

My kids have been muffin munchkins since they were toddlers and we are showing no signs of slowing down.

They eat spinach banana mini muffins and whole wheat pumpkin muffins nearly every week for lunch.

We have my whole grain banana blueberry muffins, healthy granola muffins and apple cinnamon quinoa breakfast muffins on the regular for a quick and easy breakfast.

And my healthy chocolate chip muffins are also a long-time favorite, from even before we had kids.

Today’s whole wheat carrot cake muffins are a fun one for springtime and Easter. ❤️

They are whole wheat, naturally sweetened and loaded with 2 cups of shredded carrots!

They are soft and fluffy, perfectly sweet and such a fun breakfast treat! And with the cream cheese frosting, it's basically like a healthier cupcake.

(Yes, I'm really just a grown-up kid who wants to eat dessert for breakfast. And I'm totally OK with that.)

Notes on whole wheat carrot cake muffins:

• I use white whole wheat flour but as always, you can substitute whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour if you prefer.
• I’ve used Greek yogurt to keep these lightened up, but you could substitute a dairy-free yogurt if you need these to be dairy-free.
• I finely grate the carrots so that they pretty much melt into the muffin. You could do a more coarse grating if you want some more texture.
• Feel free to add some mix-ins to these muffins! You could add ½ cup of raisins or walnuts (or both) when you fold in the shredded carrots. (You may end up with closer to 13 or 14 muffins if you do this.)
• Or you could sprinkle the tops of the muffins with raisins or chopped walnuts - or both. This is a good way to please everybody if your kids have different tastes, like mine do.

Finally, the cream cheese frosting is optional. It certainly makes these more delicious, but you could skip it if you want a lighter muffin for breakfast or a school lunch.

Wishing you a happy (almost! so close!) spring and I hope you give these whole wheat carrot cake muffins a try.

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn

P.S. Check out my carrot cake baked oatmeal for another way to enjoy carrot cake in the morning!

Also, my mom gave me that cute carrot whisk in the pictures since I love carrots so much. You can find it here if you want one too!

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Whole wheat carrot cake muffins

Whole wheat carrot cake muffins are fun for a healthy breakfast, snack or school lunch.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Yield: 12 muffins

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Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup milk of choice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely shredded carrots (from 3-4 medium carrots)

For the cream cheese frosting (optional):

• 4 oz. reduced fat plain cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and spray with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.
• In a separate medium bowl, beat the eggs and add maple syrup, Greek yogurt, milk and vanilla. Stir with a whisk to break up the Greek yogurt until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in the shredded carrots.
• Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups, filling each almost all the way full.
• Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting, if using. Combine all ingredients, starting with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a small bowl and use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to combine. The mixer helps get the glaze smooth. Taste and add extra maple syrup, if desired.
• Let the muffins cool then top with the cream cheese frosting, if using.

Notes

I use white whole wheat flour but you can substitute whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour if you prefer.

I’ve used Greek yogurt to keep these lightened up, but you could substitute a dairy-free yogurt if you need these to be dairy-free.

I finely grate the carrots so that they pretty much melt into the muffin. You could do a more coarse grating if you want some more texture.

Feel free to add some mix-ins to these muffins! You could add ½ cup of raisins or walnuts (or both) when you fold in the shredded carrots. (You may end up with closer to 13 or 14 muffins if you do this.) Or you could sprinkle the tops of the muffins with raisins or chopped walnuts - or both.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 202mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g

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