Whole-Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

Fluffy, vegan, oil-free carrot cake muffins, with raisins for a little tang and walnuts for some crunch!  Add cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to these delightful homemade treats for more flavor.  They work great for breakfast, snacks, or a not so super-sweet dessert.  They even freeze well so you can save them for later.   

How to Make Whole-Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 C).
2. Make vegan buttermilk by mixing the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar together, let it sit for 5-10 minutes while you're prepping the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then mix the wet ingredients along with the shredded carrots in a separate bowl.
4. Mixing wet and dry ingredients separately allows for each of them to be thoroughly combined without fear of over-mixing, which will create denser and tougher muffins. 
5. The next step is to fold the wet ingredients into the dry, halfway through add the raisins and walnuts. Then continue to combine.
6. Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tray and equally disperse the batter between the 12 cups. 
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F (180 C) for 25-27 minutes.
8. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.  You can also lightly press the top of a muffin with your finger, it should bounce back.  If it sinks then the muffins need more time.

Substitutions 

• If you’re allergic to nuts you can substitute the walnuts for shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or just leave them out.
• Lemon juice can be substituted for apple cider vinegar.
• Whole wheat flour has a nice nutty taste that adds to baked goods. Using half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose produces a lighter muffin. You can substitute the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat, but the muffin will be denser.

Tips for Making Whole-Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

• Raisins can stick to each other, so after you measure them, separate them when adding them to the ingredients.  This will help to evenly disperse the raisins throughout the batter.
• A food processor with a shredding disc works great for shredding carrots and it’s quicker than doing it by hand.
• Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh so the muffins rise properly.  To test double-acting baking powder add ½ teaspoon to a small bowl, then add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water (very hot tap water also works), it should bubble immediately.  To test baking soda, add ½ teaspoon to a small bowl then add a tablespoon of vinegar to it, it should bubble immediately.  If they fizz they’re good, if not replace. 
• It’s important to get the muffins in a preheated oven as soon as the wet and dry ingredients are mixed.
• I wouldn’t use paper liners, they stick.  Lightly grease your muffin tray or use silicone muffin cups.
• If your baking soda or baking powder clumps, sifting it will help distribute it.
• Flour settles while in storage which can create a more tightly packed measuring cup if you just scoop it out. To prevent this problem use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup then level off with the back of a knife.
• Don't overmix, the muffins will turn out dense and not so fluffy. Before adding the wet ingredients to the dry, scoot the dry ingredients to the sides, to make a well, then add the wet ingredients, then just use a fork to start to incorporate the wet into the dry, once you are about halfway through use a silicone spatula to fold the ingredients together (scooping bottom ingredients to the top and from the sides). A silicone spatula isn't necessary, I do like how it glides around the bowl picking up the batter with ease and leaving nothing behind.

More Muffin Recipes

• Whole-wheat pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
• Cranberry sauce muffins

I hope you enjoy the recipe for oil-free whole-wheat oil-free carrot cake muffins!

Whole-Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

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• Author: Allie
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Fluffy, vegan, oil-free, and whole-wheat carrot cake muffins. Add raisins for a little tang and walnuts for some crunch to these delightful homemade treats for more flavor.  

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 large carrots shredded (about 1 ½ cups)
• 1 cup (237 ml) dairy-free milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup (120 g) whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (118 ml) maple syrup
• ⅓ cup (83 g) unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup (80 g) raisins
• ⅓ cup (40 g) chopped walnuts or pecans

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
2. Whisk the dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar together, and set aside.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl (both flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt).
4. Combine the shredded carrots, milk/vinegar mixture, maple syrup, apple sauce, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine, don’t over-mix.  To do this start with a fork to incorporate the dry and wet ingredients, once you're about halfway through use a silicone spatula to fold the ingredients together (scooping the bottom ingredients to the top and from the sides ).  Before your done folding the ingredients together add the raisins and walnuts, then continue folding.
6. Line or grease a 12-cup muffin tray, then divide the batter among the muffin cups.
7. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for a week. They also freeze well for up to 3 months.

Equipment

silicone muffin cups

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Notes

Mixing dairy-free milk and apple cider vinegar will make vegan buttermilk.

• Category: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
• Method: oven
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: oil free muffins, whole-wheat muffins