These oat flour muffins are great especially for fall, but can be enjoyed all year long since carrots are a staple for many! The texture is so perfect you’ll be surprised they don’t have gluten or dairy in them.
These carrot spice muffins are gluten free, dairy free, can be made corn free, and I’ll add in alternatives for how to make them not only refined sugar free, but also vegan! Modify these to make them fit your dietary needs!
Apparently some people think having vegetables in baked goods is a terrible idea? But the carrot is actually so important in this recipe! It keeps it moist and adds a vegetable to your diet!
(I’ve updated this recipe for the modifications I’ve made recently to make them less hassle to make!)
Looking For Bread Instead?
It’s simple to convert this carrot muffin to a bread recipe too – line a bread pan with parchment paper, and bake it for about an extra 20 minutes (I cover mine with foil 20 min into the bake).
The original inspiration for these muffins was from the blog Flavor the Moments, with a zucchini oat flour muffin. I grew up on recipes from the book Wild about Muffins, so some of my spice uses are based on the flavors in the book. Having lost gluten, I can’t use the recipe book much anymore.
Interested in a rice flour recipe instead? Check out these gluten free blueberry muffins!
The Flavors and Ingredient Alternatives
The spices in these oat flour muffins create a perfect harmony with the carrots and orange juice used. Orange juice is one of the secret ingredients in this, as the citrus brings out the inherent sweetness of carrots.
Alternatives in this recipe:
- To make this recipe refined sugar free: use maple syrup or coconut sugar in place of the cane sugar. I like to use maple syrup to make this! Use the same amount of maple syrup as you would the other sugars, it’s so simple!
- Make this recipe vegan: in place of the eggs, make a chia egg, by combining 1 tbsp chia seeds and 2 1/2 tbsp water per egg, and letting it sit for about 5 minutes. I’ve tried this substitute and it really works!
- Don’t have orange juice? Use almond milk or a different liquid instead!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups whole oats (to blend to a finer consistency) (270g)
- 1 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (or else 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
Wet Ingredients
- 2/3 cup cane sugar, or 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 2 eggs (or chia eggs)
- 3/4 cup orange juice (swap out almond milk if you’d rather not the citrus)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 cup packed grated carrot (about 2 large carrots)
Method for Making
The making of these gluten free carrot spice muffins are fairly straightforward. If you’ve ever made muffins before, it’ll be very similar in this recipe! I use a silicone muffin pan, so I don’t have to use muffin cups, but if you are, line the muffin tin with cups. And preheat the oven to 400F or 200C.
Dry Ingredients
Blend the oats (unless you’re using premade oat flour). I use my Nutribullet, and fill one of the cups to the max fill line for the blending to go the smoothest. Or use a food processor.
Grate the carrot with the larger side of a cheese grater.
In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients -the oat flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Set to the side. (I start with the dry ingredients so I can only use one spoon with mixing – fewer items to clean up!)
Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and sunflower oil. Mix with a spoon until thoroughly combined.
Tip: I’ve found that mixing sugar with oil together thoroughly best combines the oil, so it doesn’t all fall to the bottom and make the muffin paper super oily at the bottom. That’s why it’s important to mix those 2 together first before adding in other ingredients.
Then add in the eggs, and mix until incorporated. Finally, add in the orange juice and grated carrot.
Gently add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. The more you mix it, the less the muffins will rise, so you want to be gentle with how much you mix it. Take a spoon (or a measuring cup – I use my 1/3 cup measuring cup) and spoon the batter into a muffin tray.
**Tip: Allow these to sit for a minute or 2 after spooning them in before putting them in the oven! It helps with the texture and consistency since there’s no gluten in this recipe.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Allow them to cool until you can touch them, and move the muffins to a tray to cool. Enjoy!
How to know when these oat flour muffins are done? There are 2 easy ways to do this without a thermometer! 1. Stick a toothpick in one, until about halfway down. Pull the toothpick up, and see if there’s any batter left on it. If there is, keep cooking. 2. Using a clean finger, press down gently on the middle of a muffin/the bread. If the baked good pops back up, then it’s done. If the dent stays from where you pressed it, let it cook for a few more minutes!
Storage
Storing these oat flour muffins is just like any other muffins. I like to keep them in the freezer so I can make them in bulk and then just eat 2 a day until I run out. Keep them on the counter for a few days or store in the freezer for a few months!
Oat Flour Carrot Spice Muffins
Notes
If you’re using almond butter, rather than ground almonds, add that to the wet ingredients.
Alternatives:
- maple syrup or coconut sugar in place of cane sugar
- Other nuts/nut butters in place of almonds
- chia egg in place of eggs to make vegan
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (270g) whole oats (to make oat flour)
- 1 3/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (or else 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp baking soda)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 2/3 cup cane sugar (or 2/3 cup maple syrup)
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil
- 2 eggs (or chia eggs)
- 3/4 cup orange juice (or almond milk)
- 1 cup packed grated carrot (about 2 large carrots)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F or 200C. Line a muffin tin with muffin cups.
- Blend the oats, until most are finely ground. Blend with a blender or food processor. Blend the almonds.
- In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients: the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
- Grate the carrot using the larger side of a cheese grater.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar and sunflower oil. Mix until well combined. Then add in the eggs, orange juice, and carrot.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Allow it to sit for a minute.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the tray once cool to touch, and allow to completely cool on a tray.
Nutrition Facts
Oat Flour Carrot Spice Muffins
Serves: 12 muffins
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 muffins
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 250 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 9g | 13.8% | |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol 30mg | 10% | |
| Sodium 115mg | 4.8% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 37g | 12.3% | |
| Dietary Fiber 4g | 16% | |
| Sugars 15g | ||
| Protein 7g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium 30mg | Iron 1.8mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
A Food Mood
I hope you’ve liked this recipe! You can find others similar to these carrot spice muffins here. Tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!