Gluten Free Carrot Muffins

You'll Love These Simple Carrot Muffins!

These gluten free carrot muffins are incredibly moist, thanks to perfectly shredded carrots, with just the right amount of added spice. They're also kid-approved and pack well for snacks, school lunches, or post-run pick-me-ups. I love that they're not overly sweet, yet still feel a bit like a treat (you can also make them naturally sweetened with maple syrup if you like). Here are a few more highlights to tempt you to skip right to the recipe and get baking!

• Easy - You need about 5 minutes to make the batter, and most of that time is spent grating the carrots!
• Kid-friendly - Even kids who claim not to like vegetables won't be able to turn their noses up at these muffins! You can even grate the carrots super finely so that they won't notice them.
• Naturally gluten-free - Rely on oat flour or another whole-grain gluten-free flour (sorghum flour is a nice alternative) to keep these muffins easily gluten-free. The bonus is that you'll get an extra dose of whole grains!
• Make-ahead friendly - These muffins freeze and defrost beautifully, so go ahead and make a double batch so you can stash half in the freezer for an on-the-go breakfast.

Ingredient Notes

Here's a look at what you need to bake these muffins, wtih some variation ideas included below the ingredients list. Don't forget to scroll down to my recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

• Oat flour - Learn how to make oat flour or pick up a package at the store (use certified gluten-free oat flour if needed). If you can't have oats, swap brown rice flour.
• Granulated sugar - You can adjust the amount of sugar a bit here, by ¼ cup less.
• Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
• Leavening - Baking powder and baking soda.
• Spices - A combination of ground cinnamon and ginger adds warmth.
• Salt - I use fine sea salt, but table salt works fine, too.
• Eggs
• Buttermilk - Or use whole milk.
• Vegetable oil - Any neutral oil, such as avocado oil, will work here.
• Carrots

Variations to Try

• Nuts - Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
• Raisins - I leave out raisins, but a nice classic addition to carrot muffins is golden or regular raisins. You can add them when you stir in the carrots.
• Coconut - For a little coconutty sweetness, add ¼ cup of shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut.
• Maple syrup sweetened - Swap the combined amount of brown and granulated sugar for ½ cup of maple syrup.

Tips and Substitution Suggestions

• Use room temperature ingredients. Bring the buttermilk and eggs to room temperature before baking to ensure the muffins rise especially well.
• Don’t overmix! For the tenderest muffins, stir gently together the batter until everything is just combined.
• Rest the batter. Make sure to let the muffin batter rest in the muffin tin for up to 20 minutes (while the oven heats usually works great), so fully hydrate the oat flour.
• What size to make the muffins? I used a ¼ cup measure to scoop the batter into the tin so that each muffins would be about the same size.
• Use gluten-free flour. Skip the oat flour and use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose blend (my homemade gluten free flour blend always works perfectly).
• Dairy-free: You can use dairy-free milk for the buttermilk, or just use water.
• Make them egg-free: Substitute 1 mashed banana or 2 flax eggs for the eggs.

Storage

• Counter - Place fully cooled muffins in an airtight container and store them on the counter for up to 3 days. Make sure the muffins are thoroughly cooled before placing them in the storage container so that they don't become soggy.
• Fridge - Keep the muffins, airtight, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Store the muffins in a freezer-safe bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw the muffins in the fridge before eating.