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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

This recipe for Carrot Cake Muffins is everything you love about traditional carrot cake! Warm cinnamon and a nutty crunch, all baked into an easy-to-grab muffin! This recipe is simple, easy to make, and will be sure to get your friends and family hooked on carrot cake.

Pair your Carrot Cake Muffins with this Maple Frosting recipe to make them even more delicious, or try this Canned Sweet Pickled Carrots recipe to use up any leftover carrots!

Reader Review

Turned out wonderful! I have a carrot cake recipe for 9×13 but when I make them as cupcakes they stick and do not look good at all. These come right out of the cupcake liner and taste just as good as my original!

– RG

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: Carrot cake is one of those easy-to-make recipes, and these muffins are no different! They’re perfect for beginners who want to whip up a staple recipe.
Total Time: These muffins are quick and easy, taking only 60 minutes total from mixing to enjoying!
Variations: These carrot cake muffins are easy to modify and make your own. You can choose to add either (or both, if you really wanted) walnuts or pecans, with walnuts being the more traditional option. Additionally, if you want to turn your muffins into more of a dessert, you can top them off with some cream cheese frosting, or even try this maple frosting recipe!
Tools For This Recipe: For this recipe, you’ll need an oven (set to 350°F), a large and a medium mixing bowl, a whisk, and a wooden spoon to mix your batter. Lastly, you’ll need a cupcake tin lined with your muffin liners of choice.

A close-up of a cupcake with light brown frosting swirled on top, sitting on a cooling rack with parchment paper underneath. Other cupcakes are blurred in the background.

What You’ll Need for Ingredients

Dry Ingredients: For this recipe, you will need All-Purpose Flour, Salt, Granulated Sugar, Cinnamon, and Baking Soda. Karlynn’s Tip: Feel free to add other warm spices to pair with the cinnamon! A pinch of nutmeg or ginger can really elevate the flavor of these muffins.

Wet Ingredients: For the wet ingredients, you’ll need Eggs, Vegetable Oil and Vanilla extract. Karlynn’s Tip: Melted butter or margarine can be substituted for the vegetable oil (cup-for-cup) for a richer flavor.

Mix-Ins: Just like a normal carrot cake, carrots are the star of this show! Be sure to finely grate your carrots so they mix in to the batter evenly. Additionally, you can choose to add in walnuts and/or pecans, or leave them out for a nut free option. Karlynn’s Tip: Experiment with the mix-ins for your muffins! I occasionally will add in some crushed pineapple for a more decadent muffin.

Eleven baking ingredients in bowls on a white marble surface: eggs, flour, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, oil, cinnamon, baking powder, chopped walnuts, and shredded carrots.

How to Make Carrot Cake Muffins

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Top-down view of baking ingredients on a white surface, including a glass bowl with flour, sugar, and cinnamon, small bowls with oil, walnuts, shredded carrots, vanilla, two eggs, a whisk, cinnamon sticks, and a beige cloth. — Mix your dry ingredients.

A glass bowl with flour and wet cake batter sits on a marble countertop, surrounded by a muffin tin, a wooden spoon, grated carrots, chopped walnuts, cinnamon sticks, eggshells, and a beige cloth. — Mix your dry ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your muffin tray with paper (or silicone) muffin liners.
In a large mixing bowl, add your flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and whisk to combine. In a medium mixing bowl, add your eggs and whisk them well. Then add in the oil and vanilla and stir well to combine.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the grated carrots, then your walnuts or pecans if desired.
Fill your muffin liners to 2/3 full, then bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes. Once baked, let the muffins cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing and cooling completely.
If desired, top the muffins with your frosting of choice, and enjoy!

Four cupcakes with light brown frosting arranged on a white cake stand in a bright kitchen setting, with blurred jars and bottles in the background.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Carrot Cake Muffins

Fresh is Best: Make sure to grate your carrots right before mixing into the batter as carrots will release moisture if they sit too long on the counter. Likewise, it’s better to grate your own carrots rather then get pre-shredded carrots from the store.
Remember Your Baking Basics: When doing any kind of baking, it’s best to use room temperature ingredients as it allows them to emulsify and mix into the batter better. Additionally, you don’t want to overmix your batter! Mix your wet and dry ingredients together just until the flour completely disappears to ensure you don’t end up with dense muffins.
Check Early for Doneness: Every oven runs differently. Check your muffins for doneness earlier than later. You’ll know the muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.
Experiment with Flavor: As I’ve mentioned before, you can add a pinch of ginger or nutmeg to elevate your muffins flavor. In addition to this, you could add some dried fruit pieces, shredded coconut or even crushed pineapple.

A hand holds a half-eaten carrot cake cupcake topped with creamy frosting. The inside shows bits of carrot and nuts, with other cupcakes blurred in the background.

Storage Instructions

You can store these muffins on the counter, in the fridge, or in the freezer to prolong their shelf-life. Be sure to store the carrot cake muffins in an airtight container.

On The Counter: Store your completely cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can line your container with paper towel to absorb excess moisture and keep them from going soggy.

Refrigerator: If you want your muffins to last a bit longer, keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. Just be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving for the best texture.

Freezer: Freeze your muffins in an air tight container, or wrap them individually in plastic wrap and keep them in a freezer-safe bag. Frozen, these muffins will keep for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours or gently warm them in the microwave or oven.

More Delicious Muffin Recipes

Packed with whole wheat, applesauce and chocolate chips, you can try these Ultimate Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Delicate, sweet, and prepped in miniature servings, why not try this recipe for some Cranberry Orange Muffins?
These Strawberry Muffins are a great way to use up strawberries and they make a great breakfast or snack!

And there you have it! A quick and easy carrot cake muffin recipe to use up some of those leftover carrots. Serve with your favorite frosting of choice, or leave them plain – either way, they’re delicious!

Give these a try, and let me know how they turn out for you in the comments below. I truly love hearing about your kitchen adventures!

Happy baking!

Karlynn

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