Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins

Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins made grain-free with almond flour for a light and airy texture! These wholesome muffins are dairy-free, refined sugar-free, paleo friendly and such a delight to consume!

Fall’s favorite muffin recipe, coming right up!

These warmly-spiced apple carrot muffins are where produce goes to thrive and are a great way of sneaking in some veggies. They feature a moist tender crumb with amazing soft texture and just the right level of sweetness.

My husband reported they are his favorite muffins to date!

Ideal for those who enjoy fall baking projects and try to keep it wholesome, this simple recipe yields a feel-good treat that doesn’t send your blood sugar through the roof.

I first developed this recipe for apple carrot muffins back in 2013 when I was still new to gluten-free baking. Back then, it was still somewhat difficult to find grain-free flour and gluten-free flour blends in the grocery store. 

My first version of these apple carrot muffins called for a combination of brown rice flour and almond flour.

Because I’m a minimalist at heart and have learned a great deal over the years about simplifying recipes without sacrificing flavor or texture, I went ahead and enhanced the original recipe to bring you an all new version 2.0 today.

Instead of using both rice flour and almond flour, we now only need almond flour.

Instead of using full-fat canned coconut milk for the fat in the recipe, we now use avocado oil (or coconut oil or butter). This eliminates the need to open a whole can of coconut milk when we only were using a small amount. 

The good news is most grocery stores carry a variety of flours, and almond flour tends to be an easy one to find.

If you’re a carrot cake lover, you’re bound to enjoy these muffins because they feature some of the same goodies. These moist muffins are a great recipe to enjoy the next time the sweet tooth starts talking but you’re wanting to keep it lower in sugar.

Let’s discuss the healthy ingredients for apple carrot muffins.

Ingredients for Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins:

Almond Flour: In keeping these muffins grain-free and gluten-free, I use almond flour for an amazing light and fluffy texture.

Baked goods with almond flour turn out with a delightful moist crumb and have beautiful texture that can often resemble regular all-purpose flour.

I love the way these muffins turn out using almond flour because they have a bit of a rustic vibe and they come with some healthy fats.

I recommend sticking with finely ground almond flour rather than almond meal for the best texture as almond meal results in a dense muffin. 

Carrots and Fresh Apples: The two main stars of the show here, we grate up a large carrot and a large apple to infuse these muffins with some fresh produce.

Both the carrot and the apple provide natural sweetness, making the muffins taste so inviting without the need for a lot of extra sweetener. 

You can use any type of apple you like, but I like using Fuji apples because they are nice and sweet. For iconic apple flavor, use a large Granny Smith apple, as the tart apples are what produce the most apple flavor.

Eggs: A couple large eggs are much needed to help give rise to the almond flour.

Without eggs, almond flour goods can turn out overly dense and have a raw, almost undercooked vibe.

For this reason, I don’t recommend using an egg replacer like flax eggs unless you are experienced in grain-free baking and know what other adjustments need to be made.

Avocado Oil: Bringing moisture and richness to the muffins, I love a touch of avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and adds healthy fats.

You can replace it with melted coconut oil or melted butter if you’d prefer. While I don’t recommend using vegetable oil due to its high omeg-6 content, you can use it if it’s what you have on hand.

Pure Maple Syrup: Just a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup is all we need to get the perfect level of sweetness.

We end up with healthy muffins that have just a touch of sweetness without being overly sugary.

If you like a sweeter muffin, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, brown sugar or white sugar.

Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla extract brings some warmth to the muffins that gives them a little something special. Feel free to skip it if you don’t have it on hand.

Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Nutmeg, and Sea Salt: This combination of spices brings a boost of fall flavors to the muffins.

If you have pumpkin pie spice on hand, feel free to swap the cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg out for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.

If you know you love a lot of spices in your baked goods, feel free to increase the dosage here. The salt helps bring out all of the flavors, so don’t skip it!

Baking Soda: Used as the leavening agent, baking soda helps the muffins rise and hold their form after baking.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Vinegar reacts with the baking soda to activate it and create a chemical reaction that is responsible for all the leavening magic. You can replace the vinegar with lemon juice or lime juice if you’d like.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Cassava flour can be used to replace the almond flour with some changes. Use 1/5 cups of cassava flour and 3 eggs. If the batter seems thick, add up to 1/3 cup of additional liquid such as unsweetened applesauce, non-dairy milk (or regular milk), or more avocado oil.
• Replace the almond flour with 1 1/2 cups of your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
• If you like the concept of using both rice flour and almond flour, use 1 cup of each.
• Swap either the apple or the carrot for one medium-sized grated zucchini if you’d like.
• Add ⅔ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for a nutty infusion.
• Enjoy dried fruit? Add ⅓ to ⅔ cup of dried cranberries or raisins.
• ​Fond of carrot cake? You can whip up a cream cheese frosting and turn these into a cupcake experience.
• If you’re a coconut lover, sprinkle the tops of the muffin batter with coconut flakes or shredded coconut.
• Chocolate lover? Add in up to 2/3 cup of chocolate chips.
• Add extra ingredients to boost the nutrient profile such as 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds, hemp seeds, or chia seeds. 

Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients list, let’s bake these amazing gluten-free carrot apple muffins!

How to Make Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tray with 7 muffin papers.

Grate the carrot and the apple using a box grater or the grater attachment on your food processor. You will need one cup of each. I peel the apple, but I grate the whole carrot with the peel on.

Whisk together the eggs, avocado oil, pure maple syrup and cider vinegar in a large mixing bowl until the wet ingredients are well-combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together the almond flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and sea salt (dry ingredients).

Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well.

Stir in the grated carrots and grated apple until the muffin batter is well-combined.

Transfer the muffin batter to the prepared muffin tin, filling the muffin cups up ⅔ of the way.

Bake muffins on the center rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they test clean. Mine take 22 minutes. Muffins are fully cooked once they reach an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees F.

Insert a digital thermometer into the center of a muffin to verify they are fully baked. Or, you can also insert a toothpick or butter knife into a muffin to be sure it tests clean.

Allow the muffins to cool to room temperature before peeling off the muffin papers and enjoying. 

Store leftover muffins in an airtight container or a zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze muffins in a freezer bag (or zip lock) for up to 3 months.

And that’s it!

A delicious muffin recipe you’ll want to keep on constant rotation during the fall and winter months when you’re craving a cozy treat.

I recommend making a double batch if you’d like some leftover breakfast muffins. The whole family is bound to love this lovely recipe, and the muffins disappear quickly!

Make them as a grab and go snack or enjoy these apple carrot muffins as part of a wholesome breakfast. These delicious apple carrot muffins are healthy snacks for kids lunch boxes or for humans of all ages.

If you love muffin recipes, also try out these reader favorites!

More Healthy Muffin Recipes:

• Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins
• Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
• Almond Flour Banana Muffins
• Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins  

Enjoy these delicious grain-free apple carrot muffins on repeat!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

I originally shared this recipe on November 6, 2013. I updated the recipe to make it even easier and tastier and also updated the photos and content.