These gluten-free carrot muffins have a soft, moist, and fluffy texture, and are packed with warm spices, raisins, and sweet carrots in every bite! Made with simple, easy-to-find ingredients, they are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a wholesome snack. This recipe makes big muffin tops!
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If you love muffins as much as we do, you will also want to try my Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins or my Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Muffins.
❤️ Why we love these gluten-free carrot muffins:
I am so excited about this new gluten-free carrot muffin recipe. These gluten muffins rose enough to make muffin tops! This isn’t common in gluten-free baking, so this is an event to celebrate!
Check out all of my fluffy gluten-free muffin recipes. If you want a crumb topping on these muffins, make the crumb topping from the Gluten-Free Coffee Cake Muffins and add it to these carrot muffins. Try these Gluten-Free Cherry Muffins with fresh or frozen cherries.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with Namaste gluten-free flour blend. I am sure other blends will work, but you will likely need to adjust the wet and dry ingredient ratio slightly. My rule of thumb is if your batter or dough is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
- Xanthan Gum – If your flour blend does not have a binder, add 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum. Binders are important because they help hold baked goods together.
- Coconut Sugar and Cane Sugar – See the Substitutions Section below for ingredient swaps.
- Flaxseed Meal – I include some flaxseed meal for extra binding and keeping these muffins fluffy.
- Eggs – Use size large eggs. If you are egg-free, I do have a couple of readers who have successfully used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in some of my other muffin recipes. If you try this, please let me know how it turned out.
- Milk – I used oat milk in this recipe. Any dairy-free milk will work except canned coconut milk.
- Oil – Use a lightly flavored oil. Coconut oil is tasty, but it will add a slight coconut flavor to the muffins.
- Walnuts – If you are nut-free, omit the added walnuts.
Ingredient Substitutes:
- You can substitute the coconut sugar with brown sugar if you have it on hand.
- You can swap the cane sugar for more coconut sugar if you want these muffins to be lower glycemic.
- Swap the dairy-free milk for regular milk.
- If you don’t have raisins or are nut-free, you can use any mix-ins.
A Note From My Kitchen
If you want to bake an incredible, fluffy carrot muffin, you have found the perfect recipe! I tested this recipe a few times, using cane sugar and coconut sugar, as well as butter and oil, and with both regular and dairy-free milk. I wanted to make sure this gluten-free carrot muffin recipe works for you every time. I actually prefer the oil to the butter in this recipe because the muffins turned out a bit lighter. There was a slight difference in using coconut sugar, particularly in the color of the muffins, but both tasted good.
How to Make Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins (Step-By-Step)
Preheat the oven to 425°F for a dome-top muffin or 350°F for a regular muffin top.
Step 1: Combine the gluten-free flour, flaxseed meal, coconut sugar, cane sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend the ingredients together. Even distribution of the dry ingredients ensures you get even baking.
Step 2: Add the walnuts and raisins, or any other mix-ins, to the bowl and whisk to blend them in. Coating them in the dry ingredients prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
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Step 3: Prepare the carrots. Add the carrots to a food processor or mini cuisinart smart stick (shown above). Pulse to shred the carrots into shreds. Freshly grated carrots will give the muffins the most moisture, keeping them soft.
Step 4: Prepare the wet ingredients. Combine the eggs, oil, carrots, and non-dairy milk in a mixing bowl. Whisk until they are well mixed.
Step 6: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until they are just barely combined. Do not overmix your muffin batter. Overmixing the batter will cause the muffins to be dense.
📢 Sandi says: Gluten-free flour blends vary! If your batter is too runny, add a little more flour. If it is too thick, add a splash more liquid. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 7: Prepare the muffin tin. Line a muffin pan with parchment paper or muffin liners. Fill each almost full with the gluten free carrot muffin batter. To avoid a big muffin top, fill them with batter until they are 3/4 full. Optional: Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with coarse baking sugar.
Step 8: Bake the muffins. As I mentioned above, if you want a dome-shaped top, bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 to 8 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. If you prefer a regular muffin top, bake the muffins at 350°F throughout.
Step 9: Cool the muffins. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffins are finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, bake them a little longer.
Remove the muffins from the oven and set them on the cooling rack for 5 minutes. Allowing the muffins to sit in the pan for a few minutes helps them retain their shape better. Remove the muffins carefully from the muffin pan to a cooling rack. Eat them when they are cooled.
If you like unique muffins, try these Gluten-Free Mochi Muffins or this single-serving Gluten-Free Mug Muffin, which can be made in just 3 minutes.
Tips For Success
1. To give your muffins a dome top, bake them at 425º F for the first 5 to 8 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350º F.
2. Use parchment paper muffin liners. They are the best, and the muffins will not stick to the papers!
3. Use Fresh Carrots – Bagged, pre-shredded carrots are too dry and won’t give the same moisture and flavor.
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze these muffins, allow them to come to room temperature fully. Freeze in a sealed freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave for 25 seconds for a quick breakfast!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Gluten-free baking can be tricky. I wrote an entire article on troubleshooting issues with gluten free muffins. Read my Gluten-Free Muffin Troubleshooting Guide for more tips.
It is best to use freshly grated carrots because they add more moisture. Pre-shredded carrots are drier and can make the muffins crumbly. If using pre-shredded, soak them in a little water for 10 minutes and drain before adding to the batter.
You can add any type of dried fruit, fresh berries, or nuts to these muffins.
More Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes:
Try some of these delicious, homemade muffin recipes next:
Love This Recipe?
💬 Did you make this recipe? Drop a comment below, and let me know how it turned out! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins (Fluffy and Soft)
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see notes
- ½ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup light oil * see notes
- 1 ½ cups non-dairy milk * see notes
- 1 ¼ cups shredded carrot
- ½ cup raisins
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts optional
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º F if you want a dome top or 350º F for a regular muffin top.
- Combine 2 cups gluten free flour blend, 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal, 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1/4 cup cane sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Use a wire whisk to blend the ingredients together. Even distribution of the dry ingredients ensures you get even baking.
- Add 1/3 cup chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup raisins, or any other mix-ins to the dry ingredients and whisk to blend them in. Coating them in the dry ingredients prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
- Add the carrots to a food processor or mini Cuisinart Smart Stick (shown above). Pulse to shred the carrots into shreds. Freshly grated carrots will give the muffins the most moisture, keeping them soft.
- Combine 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup light oil, 1 1/4 cups shredded carrot, and 1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk in a mixing bowl. Whisk until they are well mixed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until they are just barely combined. Do not overmix your muffin batter. Overmixing the batter will cause the muffins to be dense.
- Sandi says: Gluten-free flour blends vary! If your batter is too runny, add a little more flour. If it’s too thick, add a splash more liquid. Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
- Line a muffin pan with parchment paper or muffin liners. Fill each almost full with the gluten free carrot muffin batter. If you don't want a muffin top, fill them with batter until 3/4 full. Optional: Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with coarse baking sugar.
- As I mentioned above, if you want a dome top, bake the muffins at 425º F for 5-8 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350º F. If you want regular muffin tops, bake the whole time at 350º F.
- Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes. Baking time will vary depending on how much muffin batter is added to each cup, muffin pan material, etc. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. If it comes out clean, the muffins are finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, bake them a little longer.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and set on the cooling rack for 5 minutes. Letting the muffins sit in the pan for a few minutes helps them hold their shape better. Remove the muffins carefully from the muffin pan to a cooling rack. Eat them when they are cooled.
Notes
- I tested this recipe with Namaste gluten-free flour. Other blends should work, but you may need to tweak the wet and dry ingredients.
- Use a light oil. I used avocado oil, but other types also work.
- I used Oatly Simple oat milk to make these muffins. Any non-dairy milk or even regular milk will work. Do not use canned coconut milk.
- I left the walnuts optional for those who are nut-free.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To freeze these muffins, allow them to come to room temperature fully. Freeze in a sealed freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave for 25 seconds for a quick breakfast!
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Gluten-Free Related Reading
Gluten-free baking is like a science experiment. There are so many things you need to understand the different components of baking without gluten. My Gluten-Free Resources Section is here to help teach you the tools you need to know to become a confident gluten free baker.
My Best Gluten-Free Baking Tips For Better Baking!
Why Binders Are Important In Gluten-Free Baking
The Best Gluten Free Flour Blends – And how to use them!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I like my muffins not very sweet. Can you cut back the sugar to 1/3 cup instead? The carrot is sweet already.
Hi Daphne, I haven’t tested less sugar, but you could certainly try it. It may affect the texture slightly. Please come back and let us know how it turned out.
Why do you recommend against canned coconut milk? Is it too thick?
Hi JJ, Yes, it is too thick and I find with the amount of starch in gluten-free flour blends, baked goods can get a gummy texture.