Carrot Cake Oat Muffins

These carrot cake oat muffins are not only a scrumptious snack but also a fantastic way to get kids interested in this vitamin A-rich veggie!

Carrot Cake Oat Muffin Ingredients

Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients that make these muffins a nutritious and delicious option for your family’s breakfast or snack time.

• Soy Milk & Lemon Juice: This combination creates a vegan buttermilk, providing the muffins with a tender texture and a subtle tangy flavor.
• Rolled Oats & Oat Flour: Oats are a nutritional powerhouse, offering fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Oat flour adds a lovely, nutty taste to the muffins and boosts their nutritional value.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder: These leavening agents help the muffins rise and create a light, fluffy texture.
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg: The spices help to craft that carrot cake flavor.
• Maple Syrup: Adds subtle sweetness without a sugar overload.
• Olive or Avocado Oil: These oils provide moistness to the muffins and add healthy fats that kiddos need to thrive.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhancing the flavor profile, vanilla extract helps build the carrot cake flavor.
• Carrots: The star ingredient! Carrots provide a hefty dose of vitamin A and other essential nutrients, contributing to eye health and a robust immune system.
• Crushed Walnuts or Pecans (optional): These nuts add a delightful crunch and healthy fats to the muffins, making them even more satisfying.

How to Make Carrot Cake Oat Muffins

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
2. In a small bowl, whisk together soy milk and lemon juice to create the vegan buttermilk. Set it aside.
3. In a blender or food processor, grind up 2 cups of oats into a fine flour.
4. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, remaining rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive or avocado oil, and vanilla extract.
6. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
7. Add in the grated carrots and crushed walnuts or pecans (if using), and fold them into the batter.
8. Spoon the batter into a greased or lined muffin tin, filling each cup about two-thirds full.
9. Bake the muffins for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Allow the muffins to cool slightly before enjoying the wholesome goodness!

Ingredient Swaps

• Want to try other veggies in these muffins? Shredded zucchini could totally work.
• Those with a nut allergy can leave out the optional walnuts or pecans.
• Other plant milks like almond, oat, or coconut should work equally well.
• The maple syrup can be swapped for cane sugar or a date paste.
• Whole wheat or all-purpose flour can also be swapped for the oat flour, decrease the amount by 1/2 cup.

Storing and Batch-Cooking Muffins

These muffins will last for about a week in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Store in an air-tight container. We prefer these glass storage containers. We also highly recommend making 2-3 batches because if you’re like our families, you’re going to go through them quickly!

Exposure vs. Hiding Vegetables: Nurturing Healthy Relationships with Food

As nutrition experts and moms, we firmly believe in embracing a positive approach to food and nutrition. By openly incorporating carrots into these muffins – versus “hiding” them – your kids get a chance to experience and appreciate the taste and texture of this nutritious vegetable.

When children are exposed to a variety of foods, they are more likely to develop a love for wholesome ingredients and make healthier choices in the long run. It also avoids the fallout that may come when children feel they’re hoodwinked into eating something they didn’t approve.

Get your kiddos involved in the fun by letting them scoop the ingredients, press the button on the blender, or even shred the carrots (if age-appropriate). You may be surprised – they might even just take a big bite right then and there!

More Muffin Recipes

• Strawberry Cauliflower Muffins
• Blueberry Walnut Muffin Tops
• PBJ Baby-Led Weaning Muffins
• Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Cups

If you try these carrot cake oat muffins, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment! Seeing you make our recipes makes our day and your feedback helps other readers.