Whole-Wheat Olive Oil Carrot Muffins

A whole-wheat muffin you’ll actually enjoy! These Healthy Carrot Muffins are tender, sweetened with honey, and made with heart-healthy olive oil and protein-packed Greek yogurt. A handful of warm spices and a sweet-crunchy topping secure these in the breakfast hall of fame. 

Ingredients Needed

• whole-wheat flour—you can also use white whole-wheat flour.
• cornstarch—arrowroot starch will also work.
• spices— ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt.
• leaveners— baking powder and baking soda.
• Greek yogurt—I recommend using whole milk Greek yogurt, but you can use whatever fat percentage you prefer.
• extra-virgin olive oil—you can also use regular olive oil or melted coconut oil.
• honey—I always prefer to use honey instead of brown sugar. It’s less processed and has more flavor!
• Large eggs—make sure you use eggs labeled as “large.”
• Pure vanilla extract—pure extracts really do make a difference.
• shredded carrots—shred the carrots yourself, either by hand or with a food processor. Avoid using pre-shredded carrots from the store as the shreds are too large.
• Pecans and demerara sugar—these are for the topping and are optional, but recommended! You can use turbinado sugar in place of the demerara sugar.

How to Make Healthy Carrot Muffins

1. Read through the recipe and make sure you have everything you need!
2. Preheat the oven.
3. Shred the carrots. I recommend shredding the carrots by hand or with a food processor with the grater attachment. Store-bought shredded carrots are too large.
4. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
5. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredient and mix until mostly combined but some pockets of flour remain. 
7. Fold in the carrots.
8. Divide between muffin cups then sprinkle tops with demerara sugar and pecans.
9. Bake for 5 minutes at 425-degrees then drop temperature down to 350-degrees and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean.
10. Cool muffins in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan and cool completely on wire rack. (Be sure to take the muffins out after 5 minutes. If they stay in the pan too long they will over-bake!)

Tips for Making Delicious Healthy Muffins 

1. Add Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a key ingredient in cake flour and/or cake recipes because it helps to create a tender crumb. It works the same here and does wonders for whole-wheat baking.
2. Make Intentional Ingredient Substitution: swap traditional ingredients that are both healthier and more flavorful. For example, instead of vegetable oil, use a robust extra-virgin olive oil. Instead of regular sugar, use a floral honey. Instead of milk, add buttermilk for some tang or Greek yogurt for tang and protein.
3. Start Baking at a High Temperature: The trick to getting a lovely domed muffin top (that we love about bakery muffins) is to jumpstart the baking at a high temperature in the oven (this activates the leavener). After a few minutes, drop the temp down to a medium heat (350ºF or 375ºF) to encourage even baking.
4. Add Some Crunch: it’s always my goal to create a healthy muffin that’s tender. The best thing to pair with that tenderness? Crunch! Sprinkle something crunchy—raw sugar, nuts, oat crumble—over each well of batter right before baking. This will create a lovely crunchy muffin top!

How Long Do Carrot Muffins Last?

Stored at room temperature, lemon blueberry muffins will keep for two days. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, these muffins will last for up to 1 week.

How to Reheat Muffins

I prefer the quick microwave-method for reheating muffins. They don’t need much time, just 10–15 seconds. The only downfall of the microwave method is the muffins tender to get a bit tough in texture. You can also reheat muffins in a 300ºF (148ºC) oven until warmed through, 5–8 minutes. 

Variations

• Make these “carrot cake muffins” by adding some shredded coconut or raisins in place of some of the carrots. Drizzle a cream cheese frosting over muffins once they’ve baked and cooled.
• Top with an oat crumble instead of the sugar and pecan combo.
• Make a carrot bread! Check out our favorite Whole-Wheat Browned Butter Carrot Bread

Make It a Meal, Serve Muffins With…

• Crustless Quiche Lorraine
• Easy Broccoli & Cheese Quiche
• Strawberry & Rhubarb Yogurt Parfaits

If you make this Healthy Carrot Muffin recipe be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!

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