These Carrot Cake Muffins are moist, fluffy, and they are topped with a crunchy brown sugar cinnamon streusel. They are very easy to make. You don't even need an electric mixer. You just need 10 ingredients. Detailed step-by-step instructions including lots of process shots and video.
Instructions
You need two bowls. One for the muffins and one for the streusel.
Let's start with the batter. Therefore, combine eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk and stir just until combined.
Then add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine.
Add the shredded carrots and stir to combine. The batter is thick enough that you can easily spoon it with an ice cream scoop or tablespoon into the muffin liners.
In the second bowl, make the streusel topping. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter with your fingers until it has a crumbly structure. This works best when the butter is very cold and cubed when combining it. Sprinkle on top of the batter evenly.
Then spoon the batter into 18-19 muffin liners. Use one or two 12 muffin pans. Fill the liners between ¾ to almost full.
Top with streusel and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake additional 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Top tips
- Don’t use an electric mixer. Use a whisk and whisk at every step just as long as the ingredients are combined. They dry out when you overmix them. With mixing as little as possible, you make sure that they turn out super soft and moist.
- Make sure to preheat the oven and bake them at high temperature for the first 5 minutes. Baking them for 5 minutes at high temperature lets them rise beautifully high right from the beginning. The higher temperature, in the beginning, is the booster. Continuing with the lower baking temperature lets them still rise though.
Substitutions
If you are looking for healthier or gluten-free options, I got you covered.
Replace
- canola/vegetable oil with healthier oil, like coconut 1:1 (choose for a mild-flavored oil)
- all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour 1:1
- eggs with flax eggs 1:1
If you go for a healthier version, you might want to skip the crunchy sugar topping. Therefore, you could top them with some chopped nuts for extra crunch.
Variations
Mini muffins
Make the recipe as described and fill the batter into about 50-52 mini muffin liners. Then top with the streusel. Adjust the baking time as follows: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°) and bake for 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Be careful. Mini muffins overbake quickly because of their small size. Because of the short baking time, the baking temperature stays constant at 350°F from the beginning till the end. There is no high-temperature phase in the beginning. It would be too risky to overbake them, and then they dry out.
Small batch
Just divide the recipe in half and you will get about 9-10 regular-sized muffins instead of 18-19 or 25-26 mini muffins instead of 50-52.
Storage
You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If stored in the fridge, they stay fresh up to 1 week. However, they are best eaten at room temperature and within the first two days.
Freezing
If you plan to freeze them, let them cool completely. Then wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap, one by one, and place in freezer bags and remove as much air as possible. They freeze well up to 3 months.
To thaw, unwrap, and place them on the kitchen counter. They need about 1-2 hours to come to room temperature.
Related recipes
Can't get enough muffins? We hear you! Try our blueberry muffins, banana nut muffins, or chocolate muffins as well. I also dedicated a whole chapter to them in my cookbook.
Recipe and Video
Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups canola or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (or 2 vanilla beans*)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spoon and level
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 cups shredded carrots
Streusel
- ⅜ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3 tbsp cold butter, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line two 12 muffin pans with about 18-19 muffin liners. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: In a large mixing bowl, using a whisk, stir eggs, oil, brown sugar, and vanilla* just until combined. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine. Stir in carrots just until combined. Set aside.
- Make the streusel: In a medium bowl combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter and mix with your fingers until you have a crumbly mixture.
- Assemble: Divide batter into muffin liners equally and sprinkle with streusel. Fill liners between ¾ and almost full. You will get about 18-19 muffins.
- Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes then lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake additional 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Don't overbake or your muffins will end up dry. Let cool for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Serve with cream cheese frosting if desired.
Video
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Notes
Top tips
- Don’t use an electric mixer. Use a whisk and whisk at every step just as long as the ingredients are combined. They dry out when you overmix them. With mixing as little as possible, you make sure that they turn out super soft and moist.
- Make sure to preheat the oven and bake them at high temperature for the first 5 minutes. Baking them for 5 minutes at high temperature lets them rise beautifully high right from the beginning. The higher temperature, in the beginning, is the booster. Continuing with the lower baking temperature lets them still rise though.
Substitutions If you are looking for healthier or gluten-free options, I got you covered. Replace
- canola/vegetable oil with healthier oil, like coconut 1:1 (choose for a mild-flavored oil)
- all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour 1:1
- eggs with flax eggs 1:1
Mini muffins Make the recipe as described and fill the batter into about 50-52 mini muffin liners. Then top with the streusel. Adjust the baking time as follows: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°) and bake for 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Be careful. Mini muffins overbake quickly because of their small size. Because of the short baking time, the baking temperature stays constant at 350°F from the beginning till the end. There is no high-temperature phase in the beginning. It would be too risky to overbake them, and then they dry out.
Small batch Just divide the recipe in half and you will get about 9-10 regular-sized muffins instead of 18-19 or 25-26 mini muffins instead of 50-52.
Nutrition
Connie
This is a great recipe. I added raisins and pineapple to my recipe and they were delicious
Babara Pieters
Wonderfull recipy! I used half canola oi and half plain full cream yogurt. Added 1 cup grated carrors and one cup grader apple.
Thanuja Raveen
This was a great hit! Super moist and absolutely delicious. I added walnuts to mine and they came out perfect!
Sunny Bernstein
Is to 1 cup of oil or 1-1/4 cup of oil?
Sabine
It's 1 1/4 cups of oil. Sorry for the confusion.
Katrina
Do you think I could just make a cake from this recipe?
Sabine
Yes, absolutely! Just adjust the baking time depending on the size of the used pan. The best is to check with a toothpick.
Lisa
They are so moist! I made a batch for breakfast and they were gone within minutes. I will make them soon again.
Sabine
Yes, they are! I just love them for breakfast! Thank you!
Sabine
Thank you so much, Oliva! I'm happy that the detailed information helps!