If there’s a way to apple pick in moderation, I haven’t mastered it yet. Every year, my girlfriends and I embark on our annual orchard trip. Every year I promise myself I will walk away with fewer than 5 pounds of apples. Every year, I buy 10. Oops. Well, the more apples, the more Apple Carrot Muffins!
These moist, healthy breakfast muffins are made with wholesome ingredients like oatmeal and Greek yogurt, are filled with warm harvest spices, and are exactly the thing to do with the surplus of apples that’s blessing the grocery store (and my refrigerator) at this very moment.
When I’m making a fall-oriented recipe like Apple Carrot Muffins, I spend a lot of time thinking about aromas and spices: cinnamon, maple (or honey), and of course apple are all present here.
These Apple Carrot Muffins also reminded me of another critical component to any comforting recipe, texture. Call to mind the softness of a flannel shirt, the pleasant bumps on a nubby, wooly blanket, the crunch of leaves beneath your boots. Touch comes into play with our eating experiences too.
This Apple Carrot Muffins recipe skimps on neither. First, they are incredibly moist, which, in my opinion, is a baseline requirement for any muffin worth eating, healthy muffins like these included. They also offer surprise textural elements that make them all the more appealing (and addicting!).
Second, these are apple carrot oatmeal muffins, and the oats give them heartiness. As you eat one, you have a real sense of being sustained. It’s a pleasing, reassuring sensation, especially on a chilly morning when you have a long day ahead.
Finally, in addition to the oatmeal, you’ll find other bonus elements in each bite. I added golden raisins, whose chewy sweetness is one of my favorite pairings with both carrots and apples. For crunch, I couldn’t resist chopped walnuts. Pecans would also be outstanding, as would, I suspect, sunflower seeds.
Apple Carrot Muffins—An Easy Muffin Recipe That Doesn’t Disappoint
It was important to me that these be EASY Apple Carrot Muffins. As you’ll see, this recipe comes together quickly and is appropriate for bakers of all levels, including little bakers you may have helping in the kitchen with you.
Like the majority of my healthy muffin recipes, these are great Apple Carrot Muffins for toddlers, as they contain no sugar and sneak in a serving of fruits and veggies. This Apple Bread is another wonderful recipe!
As our all-adult household and my friends can attest, grownups will certainly approve of a muffin or three for themselves too!
I’ll be pulling from my apple orchard supply over the next few weeks, but even after it runs out, these Apple Carrot Muffins are a recipe I’m looking forward to making year-round. The ingredients are simple and readily available, the prep is easy, and they are tender, flavorful, and satisfying. What more could I ask for in my muffin?
Other Healthy Muffin Recipes
- Zucchini Carrot Muffins
- Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Applesauce Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Recommended Tools to Make Apple Carrot Muffins
- Muffin scoop (Creates the best domed muffin tops and ensures they are all the same size and bake evenly. This is a great tool for cookies too!)
- Muffin pans: I like this one with the easy-carry lid; this brand is also fantastic.
Apple Carrot Muffins
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Ingredients
For the Muffins
- ½ cup golden raisins , walnuts, pecans, dried cranberries, or mix-ins of choice
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup grated carrot about 1 large carrot
- ¾ cup grated apple 1 small apple will be more than enough; no need to peel it first
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt at room temperature
- ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup honey is my favorite
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Glaze (Optional but SO YUMMY)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey my favorite or maple syrup (also yummy)
- ½ tablespoon unsweetened almondmilk nonfat milk, or milk of choice
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 baking cups with paper liners or lightly coat with nonstick spray. Set aside. If using nuts for the mix-ins, toast them in the oven now: Spread the nuts into an even layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 12 minutes (for pecan or walnut halves), until they are lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer the nuts immediately to a cutting board; roughly chop and set aside.
- Place the coconut oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave just until melted (about 30 seconds on high). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Add the grated carrot and apple and fold to combine.
- To the bowl with the coconut oil, add the eggs, Greek yogurt, honey, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. If the coconut oil resolidifies, warm it in the microwave in 15-second bursts, and stop as soon as you can stir the mixture back together. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the nuts or any other mix-ins.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 4 minutes. Gently transfer the muffins to the rack to finish cooling completely.
- For the icing: Whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, and 1 teaspoon milk. Continue to add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until your desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over the top of the cooled muffins.
Video
Nutrition
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I used all purpose flour & replaced 1/2 c. of all purpose flour w/ whole wheat flour, use oat flour w/ millet flour (1/2 c. each) in place of rolled oats, toasted pecans, mixed raisins, used 1 granny smith & 1 pink lady shredded & squeezed of moisture, 1/2 t. cardamom, just egg (egg replacer), 1/2 honey & maple syrup, 1/2 c. coconut sugar & dark choc chips
Thanks for the feedback on how you made them, Deena. Let us know if you give the original recipe a try!
Could I use Almond flour instead?
Many Thanks
Hi Heidi, I haven’t tested this out using almond flour. You’ll have to experiment with it. Let us know how it goes if you decide to give it a try!
I just made these. Found out good friend was dropping by in the morning and I needed something to serve with coffee. I had most of the ingredients available so decided to try. Unfortunately I was all out of coconut and cooking oil! I only had olive oil. I was concerned olive oil might affect taste, so only used 1/4 c, but added 1/2 c of applesauce for moisture. Other than this one substitution, I followed the recipe. Used toasted walnuts, no raisons for stir ins, and added a pinch of cloves to the spice. These were exactly what I wanted; a healthy breakfast muffin. taste and texture were excellent and everyone devoted them. Only issue I had was that they stuck horribly to the paper cups. Idont know if this is because I didn’t use the coconut oil? But next time I will lightly spray the paper cups, or skip the paper cups entirely and butter the muffin tins to get a crisper outside.
Prep ahead tip: the night before I measured out all my dry ingredients in one bowl, all my wet ingredients minus eggs in another bowl, fresh grated carrot and finely copped apple in another bowl. So at 8 in the morning, all I had to do while my oven was preheating: was crack eggs and whisk up wet ingredients again. stir carrots and apples into dry ingredients, add wet to dry and stir, add the toasted nuts, and fill in muffin tins. So only 5 min total to finish up.
So glad it worked for you, Sandy! Thank you!