Vegan Whole Wheat & Oat Carrot Cake Muffins - 100% Whole Grain!
These delicious, fluffy, and moist muffins feature all the comforting flavors of classic carrot cake and are loaded with walnuts, raisins, and coconut. But instead of the typical white flour base, they’re made with more nutritious whole wheat flour, oats, and olive oil for a tasty and more nutrient-packed breakfast treat!
I’m a huge fan of carrot cake. In fact, I’m so obsessed with carrot cake that last year, to welcome in the spring weather, I devoted the later part of February to perfecting my very own dream carrot cake recipe. While I thought the recipe banged at the time of development, I’m proud to report that I just recently re-made my carrot cake recipe (twice!) and can attest that it’s just as perfect (if not more) as I remembered it - it’s fluffy (not dense!) and moist, perfectly spiced with just the right amount of sweetness, and it’s coated with a super rich cream cheese frosting. Like I said, it’s the carrot cake of my dreams!
As much as I love a slice of cake (who doesn’t?!), it’s not something I’m making or eating every day. So this year, I wanted to incorporate those delicious “carrot cake” flavors I love into something more nutritious and easier to whip up. And muffins immediately came to mind - they’re simple to make and highly adaptable, so I knew they’d be the perfect vessel for those carrot cake flavors while also upping the nutritional profile!
For these muffins, I leaned into the earthy notes from the carrots by pairing them with whole wheat pastry flour (to further complement the earthy notes of carrots!) and rolled oats (#breakfastvibes) to significantly up the nutrition with 100% whole grains, rather than the all-purpose flour base of my carrot cake. I also swapped in olive oil for the neutral oil, as it’s far richer in healthy monounsaturated fats than most other oils, and made them a lot less indulgent by leaving out the frosting (because they’re muffins, not cupcakes!). The result is a fun, tasty breakfast treat that’s much more nutritious!
Why You’ll Love these Carrot Cake Muffins
Packed with those delicious carrot cake flavors we all love! Carrots (obviously), combine with sweet caramel-y notes from the brown sugar and maple syrup, and warming vanilla extract and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves) to infuse this cake with those classic comforting carrot cake notes. On top of that, the muffins are loaded with textured bits of crunchy walnuts, chewy raisins, and a hint of coconut (yes, trust me!) to maximize those carrot cake flavors. And while you can taste the whole grain flour in these, it’s not overpowering or overly earthy and, in fact, it works with the earthy notes of the carrots to complement their flavors!
More nutritious than your average muffin - 100% whole grain! Are these muffins a health food? Absolutely not - anything that calls for a cup of sugar plus ¼ cup maple syrup definitely qualifies as a treat! 😉 Yet, by using nutritious whole grain flour and oats in place of the typical all-purpose flour you’ll find in most baked goods, they’ve got extra fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. So while these muffins don’t exactly make for a healthy breakfast or snack, they’ll keep you fuller longer, as your body will need to work to digest that whole grain base (compared to the refined carbohydrates from white flour, which pass straight through you like sugar!).
Use olive oil as their fat source. Another way these muffins up the nutrition is with the source of fat. By swapping in olive oil for other fat sources like coconut oil (which is loaded with bad-for-you saturated fat) or your typical neutral oil (like canola), these muffins contain more monounsaturated fats, which are linked with increasing the “good” cholesterol and lowering the “bad” cholesterol. In terms of fats in the form of oil (or vegan butter), it doesn’t get more nutritious than olive oil! (And no, the muffins won’t taste like olives!!)
The TEXTURES. These muffins are quite fluffy and moist which is quite the feat considering they’re 100% whole grain! Forget any preconceived visions you may have of dense, stodgy, or dry whole grain baked goods. (More on this below, but the trick to making them fluffy is using a combination of whipped aquafaba and applesauce!). On top of that, they’re loaded with textured add-ins like bits of crunchy walnuts, chewy raisins, and even some shredded coconut. All the various textures really complement the carrot cake flavors and make these muffins incredibly satisfying to eat!
Easy to make. Like most muffins, these are quite simple and easy to make! Even if you’ve never baked muffins before, there’s some helpful tips below to ensure your batch will turn out 💯.
Ingredient Overview
Whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats. To make the muffins whole grain, we use a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats. Whole wheat pastry flour is a 100% whole wheat flour, but unlike regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour is milled much more finely, so it makes for much fluffier baked goods! On top of that, the muffins are loaded with all the whole grain benefits of wheat and oats including all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in each!
Vanilla extract and spices. To add warmth and that classic carrot cake spicing, these muffins use ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and plenty of vanilla extract.
Baking soda, baking powder, and salt. The leaveners, plus salt for texture and flavor balance.
Aquafaba (i.e. the liquid in a can of chickpeas!). Aquafaba is a magical ingredient because (along with the applesauce) it’s primarily responsible for giving these muffins their fluffy texture. When beaten, aquafaba acts similarly to eggs, adding structure and lift into the muffins, which is especially important in these muffins to counteract the density from the oats, which absorb extra moisture and weigh down the batter.
Olive oil. To add moisture, these muffins call for olive oil as their fat source, but don’t worry - the muffins won’t taste like olives! Unlike most other oils, olive oil is loaded with anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fats, which are linked with lowering “bad” cholesterol. When it comes to choosing a fat in baking, it doesn’t get more nutritious than olive oil!
Light brown sugar and maple syrup. To sweeten the muffins, we use a combination of light brown sugar and maple syrup, which add a hint of warming molasses and caramel notes.
Applesauce. To add a bit more moisture and further help contribute to the fluffy texture of the muffins! Make sure to use the unsweetened variety of applesauce.
Apple cider vinegar. Just a splash to ensure the baking soda (a base) has enough acid to react with so the muffins can rise.
Carrots. Obviously a key ingredient in carrot cake muffins! For the best muffin texture, make sure the carrots are finely shredded/grated (it takes just a few seconds to do this if you use a food processor!) - see the pics in this post to get an idea of the ideal size.
Walnuts, raisins, and shredded coconut. For bonus flavors and textures, these muffins are loaded with tons of classic carrot cake add-ins like raisins and walnuts, which add chewiness and crunch, plus some shredded coconut for extra flavor depth (but without overpowering them!). Also, not only are walnuts insanely delicious in carrot cake (or in pretty much anything, really), they’re very rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and overall very nutritious - so you can feel even better about the fact that these muffins pack a whole cup of walnuts inside them!
Tips for Baking these Muffins
Use a scale to weigh the ingredients. For the best results, use the gram measurements where provided in the recipe as they are more accurate and will therefore yield more consistent results.
Don’t have a food scale? Use the tips below to approximate the closest measurements for the carrots, brown sugar, and flour. (PS - I highly recommend investing in a food scale - they’re cheap and incredibly useful for both baking and cooking!)
To measure the shredded carrots and brown sugar, be sure to lightly pack your measuring cups.
To measure the flour, use the “spoon and level” method for the best results to avoid using too much flour (you don’t want super dense muffins!). To do this, “fluff” the flour to aerate it. Then, spoon the flour into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
Soak the oats to soften them. Oats are dry and can take some time to soften. So to ensure that the muffins don’t end up full of super dry oat bits inside, we’re actually going to soak the oats for 20 minutes inside our mixture of wet ingredients. This allows them to absorb more moisture so that they soften before being baked into the muffins!
Don’t overmix! Overmixing can create tunneling (those annoying large air pockets!) or tough-textured (not fluffy!) muffins, which we obviously want to avoid. So once you add in the dry ingredients, use a silicone spatula to mix them with the wet ingredients just until the dry ingredients have been incorporated enough to form a batter with a few bits of flour left - and stop there! Then add the final mix-ins (walnuts, raisins, and coconut) and stir them in gently just until everything is incorporated.
Use dual baking temperatures for taller muffin tops. To maximize the rise, it’s best to briefly bake muffins at a high temperature (which triggers the leaveners to activate and rise up quickly!) before dropping the temperature down to the normal cake/quick bread baking temperature. This means we’ll start by baking the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes to give them a chance to puff up quickly, then drop the temperature down to 350°F for the remainder of the baking time so that the muffins can then bake evenly. (Continuing to bake at the higher temperature would burn the outsides while leaving the interior uncooked - we obviously don’t want that!)
Let cool fully before eating. I highly recommend letting these muffins cool entirely before digging into them. Not only does this allow their crumb to finish forming, it also really enhances their flavors. To me, warm baked goods sound great in theory, but when I actually taste them, they’re not nearly as tasty as their cooled down versions (a great example of this is pumpkin bread - sounds great served warm right from the oven, but it’s infinitely better at room temperature). I know it’s hard to wait those 2 hours before digging into the muffins, but I promise it’s worth it - their structure will hold up beautifully and they’ll taste far more delicious!
Alternatively, if you want a muffin first thing in the morning, I recommend baking them the night before so they’ll be fully cooled and ready to enjoy whenever you’re ready for them!
Whole Wheat & Oat Carrot Cake Muffins
Vegan, Whole Grain
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
6 tablespoons aquafaba (i.e. the liquid from a can of chickpeas!)
192 grams / 1 cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
⅓ cup olive oil
¼ cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
180 grams / 1 ½ cups (spooned & leveled*) whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
230 grams / 2 cups (lightly packed) finely shredded** carrots (from about 4 medium carrots)
1 cup raw walnuts, chopped and divided (¾ cup for the batter; ¼ cup for topping)
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup shredded coconut
Directions
To a large bowl, add the aquafaba and use a handheld electric mixer to whip the aquafaba on medium speed for ~60-75 seconds until uniformly very foamy. Add in the brown sugar, applesauce, olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar and continue using the electric mixer to mix them in until thoroughly combined.
Add in the rolled oats and use a rubber spatula to fold them into the wet ingredients. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the oats to absorb moisture and soften.
At this point, pre-heat the oven to 425°F and line a standard muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Set aside briefly.
Once the oats have finished soaking, add the shredded carrots into the bowl with the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to mix them in.
Add in the dry ingredients and use the rubber spatula to fold them in just until the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated (a few bits of unmixed flour are ok!), being careful not to overmix. Add ¾ cups chopped walnuts, raisins, and shredded coconut and use the spatula once more to gently fold them into the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (they will be pretty full) and top the muffins with the remaining ¼ cup walnuts.
Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 24-28 more minutes.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool inside the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and allow them to cool fully (about 2 hours) before eating.
Best when fresh (after cooling)! Any leftovers can be stored wrapped tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes:
*If you don’t have a food scale, measure the flour using the “spoon and level” method. To do this, “fluff” the flour to aerate it, then spoon it into a measuring cup until it overflows slightly, and use the back of a knife to “level” the excess flour off the top.
**See photos in blog post for shredded carrot size reference. I recommend using a food processor outfitted with a fine shredding disc to shred the carrots as it’s the fastest and yields the most evenly sized shreds! If you don’t have a food processor, use a box grater and do your best to approximate the size of the shreds.
Loving these whole grain carrot cake muffins? Please take a moment to leave a review in the comments below - I always appreciate your support! - and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram (@teostinykitchen) if you share them. And if you happen to be in the market for a fluffy and super delicious carrot cake recipe, mine has been a huge hit!