Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is one of the most popular Easter dessert recipes. Along with its popularity comes extra calories, unwanted fat, and sugar. Yet, here’s a carrot cake muffin recipe that is truly ahead of the pack. The muffin is moist and delicious, as well as gluten- and grain-free. The dairy-free cream cheese frosting is optional, but it makes a perfect accompaniment to this tasty treat.
When I was younger, carrot cake was never one of my favorites. I always thought of it as a boring dessert that only adults enjoyed. I mean, who would take a boring vegetable like carrots and morph it into a dessert? Boy, have times changed.
And guess what? These grain-free carrot cake muffins are kid friendly, too. Plus, they make a great addition to breakfast, lunch, or dinner — and they pack well!
Grain-Free Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
Cupcakes
(Makes eight servings) (Cooking time: 20 minutes)
- 2 cups shredded/minced carrots
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 egg, well beaten
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
* coconut oil spray
Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- 8 oz. dairy-free cream cheese frosting (softened)
- 1/ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (carrots, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flakes, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda).
In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients (egg, vanilla, butter, and apple cider vinegar). Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir until they’re well blended.
If you’re not using paper liners, spray a muffin tin with coconut oil spray. If you are using paper liners, omit the coconut oil spray. Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin pan.
Bake for 20 minutes. Let the muffins cool completely before frosting or serving.
To make the optional frosting, blend the ingredients in a food processor for about 30 seconds to one minute, until smooth.
Looking for more muffin recipes? Try my banana chocolate chip muffins!
Enjoy!