With Easter just around the corner, a batch of these gluten-free and Paleo carrot cake muffins are sure to hit the sweet spot! Grain-free, dairy-free, loaded with fresh carrots and topped with crunchy walnuts… These Paleo carrot muffins will give you that healthy breakfast win!
Easter is almost here and so are all things carrot cake!
A slice of gluten-free carrot cake, a jar full of carrot cake overnight oats, or one of these delightful Paleo carrot cake muffins…
Bring them ALL on!!
A Childhood Without Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins
Growing up I could not stand REAL carrot cake. I only liked the kind that came in the box.
You know the one… The carrot cake that may or may not have been made with REAL carrots, but instead had a ton of artificial ingredients in it?
And forget the nuts… there was NO WAY you’re getting me to eat a carrot cake loaded with walnuts or pecans.
An Adulthood WITH Paleo Carrot Muffins
And then something shifted…
Maybe it was my taste buds changing every 7 years, or the planets finally aligning…
But one day in my early 20s I woke up and actually enjoyed the texture of those fresh, juicy, naturally sweet carrots in a homemade, Paleo carrot cake muffin.
No longer did I need to slather on loads of cream cheese icing to make the gluten free carrot cake taste appealing.
Nope… I now enjoy my Paleo carrot cake muffins sans gluten, without dairy, refined sugar-free, forget the grains altogether, and topped with crunchy, omega-3-loaded walnuts.
**Giving my taste buds a virtual high-five here!**
Key Pointers to these Gluten Free Carrot Cake Muffins
There are a few aspects of this carrot cake muffin recipe that I want to make sure you don’t miss!
Baking is definitely a science more than an art, and can prove tricky to some… Especially when you take out the butter, refined sugar, and dairy!
- Make sure you use BLANCHED almond flour. Natural almond flour will not work as well!
- Unfortunately, the “shredded carrots” you can find at the grocery store are not finely shredded enough. You will need to run your carrots through a food processor with a shredding attachment in order to get the correct thickness.
- You must use the ratios mentioned below of liquid:dry… AND all 3 flours, almond flour, tapioca starch, and coconut flour, to get the best texture from these muffins!
- Measure the coconut oil, packing it firmly into the measuring cup, and then melt it.
- Don’t forget to spray your muffin liners with non-stick cooking spray!
How Can You Evolve these Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins?
There are a few substitutions you can make to these grain-free and gluten-free carrot muffins:
- Change up the spices a bit. My hubby doesn’t like cinnamon very much, or really at all, and found this recipe a tad too cinnamon-y for his taste.
- Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand.
- Honey or agave nectar will swap out easily for the maple syrup.
- Pecans or crushed almonds can be substituted for the walnuts.
- Make these Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes instead!
Want more Gluten Free Bread and Muffin Recipes?
Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins
Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins
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Gluten Free + Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour blanched
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ¾ tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 3 eggs whisked
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. milk almond, soy or cashew milk
- 1 ½ cups carrots finely shredded
- ¼ cup walnuts finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl combine almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate large bowl combine eggs, oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and milk. Stir to combine ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix by hand until just combined.
- Gradually fold in shredded carrots (that have been shredded using a food processor) until well incorporated.
- Place cupcake liners into a 12-count muffin tray. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
- Fill each cupcake liner to about ¾ - ⅞ full. Sprinkle each muffin with 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts.
- Bake muffins for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let muffins come to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just what I needed! Switched out coconut sugar with 3 tablespoons of monkfruit sweetener, kept everything else the same. Helped my sweet tooth. Great recipe!
What a great idea! I have not tried monkfruit sweetener yet but need to. Thanks so much for your comment and feedback!
Tried these out yesterday. Turned out great! Could be a bit more sweet though. Thank you.
So happy you enjoyed them Nikki. Yes, they’re are definitely more on the “muffin” side than sweet like a cupcake. Thanks for your rating and review!
These look so carrot-y! I can’t wait to try this recipe out.
They totally are, Laura! Would love to know what you think when you try the recipe 🙂