Vegan Carrot Apple Muffins

These Vegan Carrot Apple Muffins are packed with juicy apples, grated carrots, and minimal added sugar. They’re naturally sweet, super soft, and have that cozy, cinnamon-spiced flavor we all love. 

If you’re looking for the most moist muffins EVER that feel like a treat but are totally breakfast-friendly, these are it! Whether you’re serving fresh muffins right out of the oven or grabbing one on the go, they make the perfect breakfast or snack.

This is one of those delicious muffin recipes that’s as easy to make as it is to enjoy. It’s a great recipe for using up any apples or carrots you have on hand. Ready in just 30 minutes!

If you love these muffins, you may find another new favorite muffin recipe here, too: Vegan Blueberry Muffins, Hidden Veggie Zucchini Muffins, or Lemon Blueberry Muffins. 

More recipes for carrot lovers:

• Vegan Carrot Cake – You can make these into carrot cake muffins, too!
• Maple Roasted Carrots
• Air Fried Carrot Fries

Why You’ll Love These Muffins

• Hidden veggies – This easy recipe is a great way to sneak fresh fruit and veggies into your kiddos’ diet! This recipe has minimal added sugar, but you can easily swap for less-refined options (see variations below).
• Serve a crowd – It’s super easy to make a double batch of these tasty muffins and bring them to your next potluck or party! Even better, they’re allergy-friendly, so everyone can enjoy!
• Quick & Easy – Only 10 minutes of prep is needed to make these easy muffins. And they’re done in just 30 minutes! It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour – I prefer all-purpose flour for my baking, but you can swap for a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour to make these gluten-free! Make sure to swap for the muffins and streusel topping.
• Cane sugar* – I prefer cane sugar, but you can swap for vegan white sugar (see notes).
• Baking essentials – Baking powder, baking soda, salt.
• Spices – I use all my favorite fall spices in this recipe – cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, and cloves. Feel free to change up the quantities or omit any spices you don’t like.

Wet Ingredients

• Avocado Oil – I choose avocado for the healthy fats, but you can use any oil that has a neutral flavor like vegetable oil or canola oil. If you don’t mind adding a coconut flavor to these muffins, you could also use melted coconut oil.
• Apple – I prefer Honeycrisp apples for their perfectly tart yet sweet combo flavor, but you can use any type of apple you like. I typically stick with fresh apples when I bake muffins, but I have made these with frozen apples too, and they came out great.
• Carrot – One large grated carrot is all we need for this recipe. I like to use the smaller side of my grater to get really fine pieces, but you can also leave them larger if you prefer. 
• Non-dairy milk – I usually stick with oat or coconut milk for baking. You can use any plant milk that you like!
• Pure vanilla extract – Another baking essential!

For the Streusel Topping

• All-purpose flour
• Cane Sugar* – You can swap for vegan brown sugar (see notes) for a slightly different flavor to your crumble topping.
• Oil – Swap for vegan melted butter for a richer, more buttery flavor. 
• Optional: A dash of cinnamon or any other fall spice you love. 

Helpful Equipment

In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:

• Muffin pan
• Muffin cups – You can use paper liners or reusable silicone liners
• Large mixing bowl
• Peeler
• Chef’s knife

How to Make

This is a detailed step-by-step instruction guide on how to make this recipe including photographs. For the quick version, skip ahead to the recipe card below!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

In a large bowl, add the peeled and diced apple, grated carrots, sugar, and remaining wet ingredients. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve.

Next, add the dry ingredients and gently mix only until no streaks of flour remain. If you overmix at this stage, the muffins will be very dense and gummy. 

This muffin batter is quite thin, don’t worry, it is supposed to be that way!

Once thoroughly mixed, transfer the muffin batter into the muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the way.

Make the Crumble Top

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, oil, and sugar for the crumble topping until well combined.

Sprinkle the crumble top onto the uncooked muffins.

Transfer the muffins into the preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Remove the muffins from the oven, let cool a few minutes, and enjoy!

Variations

Swap the can sugar for brown sugar for a richer flavor to these muffins.

For a less sweet muffin, swap the can sugar for coconut sugar.

To make these more healthy breakfast muffins, swap the cane sugar for 1/2 the amount of pure maple syrup.

How to Store

• Room Temperature: Wait until the muffins have fully cooled, then store in an airtight container for 5-7 days.
• Freezer: You can freeze these muffins for up to 3 months for best flavor. 

More Tips for Making Carrot Apple Muffins

• Not Vegan? Swap the oil for melted butter and use dairy milk instead of plant-based. 
• Gluten-free? Swap for 1:1 gluten-free flour replacement for both the muffins and the crumble top, and you’re all set!
• No Apples? These carrot muffins would also work well with raisins or chopped walnuts.