These carrot raisin muffins are naturally sweetened and full of wholesome ingredients. They’re quick and easy– a perfect healthy picnic or afternoon snack!
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Today I’m sprucing up an older recipe for carrot raisin muffins from the blog because after years of enjoying them (the recipe has been on the blog for 7 years!), they are still a go-to all during the spring and summer for picnics and adventure days.
Muffins in general tend to be one of my favorite picnic foods, especially with kids, because they’re so easy to make in the morning and so easy to eat out of the house. If I don’t already have bread or another plan for lunch, I can easily make some muffins with what I have on hand– whether that’s carrots, bananas, zucchini… whatever. (I am also a big fan of making lunch muffins more filling and less dessert-like. We are having lunch, not a cupcake party).
I bake a big batch and put them in one of our reusable Grove bags before we head out. Paired with cheese sticks, apples, and maybe some salami or veggie straws, and we have a very simple grab-and-go picnic lunch.
Pro-tip: bake mini muffins when you know you’ll be on the go, at the beach, or the kids will likely be more interested in playing than eating. They can pop one in their mouth and be off again. Mini muffins are perfect for the beach too because anything you can handle less with sandy hands is a winner.
Carrot Raisin Muffins
These carrot raisin muffins are really easy to make– once you shred the carrots. That’s honestly the step that takes the longest, but there are definitely ways of speeding up the process.
My favorite way to shred carrots quickly is with my food processor. Literally, less than 5 minutes and I have more than enough shredded carrots to use. It is incredibly efficient, not to mention the carrot is perfectly shredded.
If you don’t have a food processor, a box grater works great too. (pun intended) If I don’t feel like getting the food processor out, I use the box grater. (Though, to be sure, I’m not actually saving any energy there).
Or… another easy solution is to simply buy shredded carrots.
If I didn’t scare you off with all that talk about carrot shredding, the rest is completely downhill. Stir together flour, oats, raisins, shredded carrots, and leaveners in a bowl. Mix together a mashed banana, maple syrup, egg, oil, and milk in a measuring cup. Then combine.
As with all muffins, take care not to overmix so that you do not end up with tough muffins.
Pro-tip: USE PARCHMENT MUFFIN LINERS. Just do it. Don’t bother with paper muffin cups that stick to the muffin and just tear up when you’re trying to get them off. And definitely don’t bother with cleaning a muffin pan. Tedious! These are the best. Go ahead and get the pack of 4 to last you all season.
These muffins truly are a must for spring and summer! The last time I made them for a hike with friends, we ate all 2 dozen between us and a few of our friends– who (unashamedly tooting my horn here) said that they were some of the best muffins they’d ever eaten. Now, that could have been in part because the hike was over and we were all rather famished and tired.
But, I do like to think that it’s also because these carrot raisin muffins are, in fact, quite delicious.
More Like This ::
- Super Awesome List of Healthy Snack Ideas
- Grab & Go Picnic Foods
- Nutty Blueberry Muffins
- Raisin, Date, Walnut Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
If you are an adventuring family like us, be sure to check out my adventuring posts (find them all in one convenient place here). We looooove spring and summer adventure season, and share regularly about what we’re up to and what’s working well on Instagram.
Carrot Raisin Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
These carrot raisin muffins are naturally sweetened and full of wholesome ingredients. They’re quick and easy– a perfect healthy picnic or afternoon snack!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 C flour
- 1 C oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3 cups shredded carrots, about 3 large or 4 small/medium carrots
- 1/2 C raisins
- 1 mashed banana
- 1 egg
- 1/2 C milk
- 1/3 C maple syrup
- 1/4 C melted coconut oil
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour through the baking soda. Stir together. Add the shredded carrots and raisins to the flour mixture and stir until the carrots and raisins are well incorporated into the flour mixture.
3. In a liquid measuring cup, mash one ripe banana. Add the egg and mix well, then pour in the milk, syrup, and oil. Pour the mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until all the ingredients are blended with no streaks of flour remaining.
4. Grease your muffin pan or place in parchment muffin liners. Evenly distribute the muffin batter in the pan. Optional: sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until the tops are golden and the muffins feel springy to the touch. Let the muffins cool in the pan for five minutes before removing them.
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Had some extra carrots on hand that needed to be used and remembered this recipe. SO GOOD. Our entire family loves them and I feel good about making them because of the limited added sugar but delicious flavor. Bonus points because they’re made entirely of staple ingredients. Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
I made these for lunch today. They were a hit! Very moist and delicious. This would be a great recipe to make a double batch and freeze.
★★★★★
Very, very dry. I had to add extra milk and applesauce, which I used instead of maple syrup. I rough chopped the raisins but only used one and a half carrots because that’s all I had. I cannot imagine adding double the carrots because the batter would have been more dry. I used a mini muffin tin and baked them for the full 18 minutes because they were undercooked at 15 minutes. Still, the carrots don’t taste fully done.
★★★
I’m sorry yours turned out dry. It could be in part from swapping the sweetener? Mine always turn out moist and spongy.
Love these! I’ve made several substitutions based on what I had on hand (oat flour for regular, applesauce for the banana, brown sugar instead of maple syrup, adding in additional spices like ginger and nutmeg) – such a versatile recipe! I do think a 1/2 teaspoon of salt is a necessity!!
★★★★★
I can’t wait to try these! I have carrots that are just starting to come up in my garden, hopefully I’ll be making these in a few short weeks! Thanks so much!
Is this made with white flour or is there a way I can use Whole wheat? Whole wheat is my preference. Thanks!