Carrot Apple Muffins loaded with fruit and veggies. A deliciously spiced muffin that’s perfect for snacking or as an on-the-go breakfast! Mix in one bowl with simple ingredients. Enjoy as is or finish off with a simple, coconut-sugar orange glaze. Gluten Free + Dairy Free + Refined Sugar Free

I’ve had more of these carrot apple muffins than I should probably admit today and I’m not mad about it. Sometimes you just need to sit down with a strong cup of coffee and a delicious muffin, ya know?

And just look at those insides! So soft. So tasty. Not to mention so ready to be in and around your face!

Originally I planned on making a nut-based carrot muffin. That idea was quickly shut down after a trip to Costco yesterday.

Mike & I were stocking up on essentials when I noticed that a 3 pound bag of almond flour cost £17. I then proceeded to nope my way down the aisle.

Almonds have never been exactly cheap, but they’ve gone way up in price since the last time I bought a bag.

Fortunately, that pivot brought me to these healthy-ish Carrot Apple Muffins. While the price of the almond flour made my eyes water a bit, the giant bag of ground flaxseeds were looking more with in my tax bracket.

About these Carrot Apple Muffins

So! What do these muffins have going for them? Other than being delicious, of course.

To name a few points of interest – they’re:

✔️gluten free, dairy free and nut free
✔️made all in one bowl with basic equipment
✔️light on the oil thanks to the carrot and apple
✔️lightly sweetened with maple syrup making them free of refined sugar

Muffin FAQ’s

What type of apple should I use?

• Any variety of apple will do – I used pink lady but use whatever you’ve got on hand. Green apple varieties like granny smith apples and golden delicious contain less sugar. Just something to keep in mind if that’s important to you.
• This recipe calls for 1/2 cup grated apple which was 1 medium sized apple for me.

Can I use something other than maple syrup? Can I use less?

• Both honey and agave work in place of maple. Without testing the muffins with other sweeteners, I’m not sugar how well they’d work.
• I originally tested these with half the amount of maple but those muffins came out pretty ‘meh’ so I wouldn’t recommend reducing the sweetness here.

What’s with the glaze?

• The glaze is totally optional! It’s there if you feel like it, but the muffins don’t need it.
• I blended the coconut sugar into powder form (like icing sugar/powdered sugar) to keep the muffins refined sugar free. Coconut sugar adds a really nice, burnt caramel flavor that really works here with the orange.
• Feel free to use regular powdered sugar if you don’t want to go through the extra steps of blending your own.

And that’s it!

Simple. Satisfying. Delicious.

If you’re still hungry for more gluten free baked goods with carrot and apple, you might enjoy checking out some of these recipes below:

• Gluten Free Carrot Cake Loaf (Vegan Option)
• Gluten Free Carrot Cake
• Vegan Carrot Cake Bars
• Paleo Apple Bread
• Gluten Free Apple Crumble Bars

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Carrot Apple Muffins with Flax

Yield: 10 muffins Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

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Carrot Apple Muffins loaded with fruit and veggies. A deliciously spiced muffin that's perfect for snacking or on the go breakfast made in one bowl! Gluten Free +Dairy Free + Refined Sugar Free

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (160 g)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil | 56 grams, melted and cooled
• 1 1/2 cup All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend (210 g)
• 1/3 cup ground/milled flaxseed (40 g)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cup grated carrot (165 g)
• 1 medium apple, grated or finely chopped

Optional Orange Glaze

• 6 tablespoons coconut sugar, or powdered sugar - see the recipe for more info on that
• 1 tablespoon orange juice

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with silicon cupcake moulds. Since these muffins are lower in oil they'll stick more to paper liners. 
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, maple, and coconut oil until combined.
3. Add the flour, flax, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger to the egg mixture. Mix into a thick, smooth batter.
4. Stir in the the carrot and apple.
5. Divide the batter between 10 muffin cups filling about 3/4 full. Bake the muffins at 425°F/220°C for 5 minutes. Then, keeping them in the oven without opening the door, reduce the temperature down to 350°F/180°C and bake for another 15-18 minutes or until knife inserted into the centre of one comes out clean.
6. Allow the muffins to cool in their tray before transferring them to a wire a rack to cool fully.

Optional Orange Glaze

1. Add the coconut sugar to a high powdered blender (I used Blendtec) and process until you get a soft powdery sugar. You can also just use regular powdered sugar here instead. 
2. Add the sugar to a small bowl and add the orange juice. Whisk together with a fork until no lumps remain. Once the muffins have cooled drizzle the glaze over the tops and enjoy. 

Notes

• Honey can be used in place of maple syrup.
• Vegetable oil can be used in place of coconut oil.
• For muffins that are slightly sweeter - add 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar or brown sugar when mixing the wet ingredients.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 10

Serving Size:

g Calories: 214Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Muffins & Baked Goods Cuisine: American

For an updated version of this recipe check out my Carrot Flaxseed Muffins!