Carrot Cake Muffins
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If you love a muffin with a tall, golden dome and a tender crumb that practically melts in your mouth, these Carrot Cake Muffins are for you.
They’re packed with freshly grated carrots and warm spices, giving you that classic carrot cake flavor in every bite, but with a lighter, fluffier texture that feels perfectly balanced. The combination of oil and sour cream keeps them incredibly moist, while a quick blast of high heat at the start creates those beautiful bakery-style tops.
They look impressive. They taste nostalgic. And they couldn’t be easier to make.
Table Talk with Tawnie
When I think of Spring I automatically think of carrot cake (and bunnies!) And if you know me, you know I’m not a big fan of making tiered/layered cakes. Maybe I don’t have the patience đ but I usually opt for making loafs like my Carrot Cake Bread or even easier my Carrot Cake Bars…and now these Carrot Cake Muffins! My family can’t keep their hands off these, and I’ve been loving them in the morning before the house wakes up with a little butter on them and my warm coffee. Mmmm nothing better!
Can’t get enough muffins? Don’t miss my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Copycat Costco Double Chocolate Muffins, Maple Snickerdoodle Muffins, and Peanut Butter Muffins!
Ingredient Notes
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
- Freshly Grated Carrots: Fresh carrots are key here. Don’t use pre-shredded store-bought carrots. Grating them on the small holes of a box grater gives you fine shreds that melt right into the batter, adding natural sweetness and moisture without making the muffins dense or chunky.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs blend smoother into the batter and help create a lighter, fluffier texture. Cold eggs don’t always incorporate as easily as room temperature ones.
- Vegetable Oil: This is what keeps these muffins ultra-moist. Unlike butter, oil stays liquid at room temperature, which means your muffins stay soft for days instead of drying out.
- Full-Fat Sour Cream: This is the secret to that tender, bakery-style crumb. Sour cream adds richness and moisture while also activating the baking soda for extra lift. I recommend full-fat for the best texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Make sure to spoon and level your flour properly. Too much flour can make muffins dry or dense, and nobody wants that! Properly measured flour keeps the texture soft and fluffy.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg: This warm spice duo gives these muffins their classic carrot cake flavor. Cinnamon brings cozy sweetness, while nutmeg adds subtle depth and rounds everything out beautifully.
- Other Ingredients Needed: granulated sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional sanding sugar for a crunchy bakery-style finish.
Step by Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Mix Dry Ingredients
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
Whisk Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold just until mostly combined.
Add the Carrots
Fold in the grated carrots until no flour streaks remain. Be careful not to overmix.
Fill & Bake
Divide batter evenly between liners (fill almost to the top). Sprinkle with sanding sugar if desired.
Bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce oven to 350°F and bake 14–15 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Expert Tips
- Don’t Overmix the Batter: Once you add the flour, gently fold just until no streaks remain. Overmixing = dense muffins.
- Use Fresh Leavening Agents: Since lift is key here, make sure your baking powder and baking soda aren’t expired.
- Grate Carrots Finely: Use the small holes on your box grater. Large shreds won’t melt into the batter as nicely.
- Fill Liners Almost Full: For big, beautiful muffin tops, fill the liners nearly to the top.
Tip: Start at High Heat!
Starting the muffins at a higher temperature gives them quick burst of heat, which helps create a beautiful rise and encourages those slightly domed, bakery-style tops. Then, lowering the temperature (without opening the oven!) allows the inside to continue baking evenly without over-browning or drying out the edges. This two-temperature method gives you the best of both worlds: tall, fluffy muffins with a tender, moist center.
Variations / Substitutions
- Swap the Sour Cream: You can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. The texture will be very similar, though sour cream gives slightly richer flavor.
- Add Nuts: Fold in ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts for a little crunch and classic carrot cake texture.
- Add Raisins: Stir in â –½ cup raisins for a more traditional carrot cake vibe. Or give dried cranberries or golden raisins a try!
- Make Them Bakery-Style Jumbo: Divide the batter between 6 jumbo muffin liners and increase bake time by 5–8 minutes. (I like this pan for jumbo muffins!)
- Turn Them Into Cupcakes: Skip the sanding sugar and top with cream cheese frosting for carrot cake cupcakes.
- Other Veggies: Try adding in shredded zucchini or even sweet potato!
- Make Them Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free yogurt in place of sour cream. The texture will still be moist and tender.
- Swap Oil: Sub the vegetable oil for melted coconut oil.
Storage / Freezing
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They stay surprisingly moist thanks to the oil and sour cream.
- Refrigerator: You can refrigerate up to 5 days, but let them come to room temp before serving for best texture.
- Freezer: Freeze completely cooled muffins in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave for 20–30 seconds.
- Pro Tip: Slice in half before freezing if you love toasting them with butter in the morning.
FAQs
Why do I need to start the baking at 425?
The high heat creates rapid lift at the beginning of baking, which gives you those tall bakery-style domes.
Can I use pre-shredded carrots?
I don’t recommend it. They’re too thick and dry, which can affect texture. Of course if that’s all you have available, they would work in a pinch, but for the best version of these muffins I recommend shredding them yourself.
Can I reduce the sugar?
You can reduce by about 2 tablespoons without drastically affecting texture, but more than that may impact moisture.
Can I add pineapple?
Crushed pineapple can add moisture, but it will make the batter heavier. If adding, drain very well and reduce slightly the sour cream.
Why are my muffins dense?
Most likely from over-mixing or adding too much flour. Be sure to spoon and level your flour and fold gently.
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Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- ~2 large carrots (grated using small holes on box grater (approximately 1 ½ cups grated))
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream (room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 ½ tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt, and whisk together.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, 2 ½ tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. salt
- Mix wet ingredients: In another large bowl, combine the sugar, oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk well.3 large eggs, 1 cup granulated sugar, 3/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Combine wet and dry: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold just a few times.
- Add carrots: fold in the grated carrots until no flour streaks remain, being careful not to overmix.~2 large carrots
- Scoop into muffin tin: Divide the batter among the paper liners (they will be almost full, you’ll get 12 muffins perfectly). Sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar/turbinado sugar, if you like.
- Bake: Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F Start Timer and then, without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another ~14-15 minutes Start Timer, or until the tops are springy and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Start Timer
Notes
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate up to 5 days. Let them come to room temp before serving for best texture.
- Freezer: Let them cool completely then store in freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave for 20–30 seconds.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
This recipe was originally posted in February 2019. The recipe was modified and the post was updated with new photos, and additional tips and tricks in March 2026. If you’d like a copy of the original recipe, please contact me and I’ll send it via email.
đž Photography by Creating Kaitlin
I love these muffins! They were super easy to make and took no time at all to throw together. They baked up with a nice crown on the top and I love the touch of superfine sugar as well! I shared one with my mom and she said, “This is the best carrot cake muffin I have ever had!”
the bunny in the photo is too cute! So glad these were enjoyed:) thank you!
Great recipe! These are the best carrot cake muffins I’ve ever ate! They really did have that classic carrot cake taste. They were perfectly tender, moist, and very easy to make. I will definitely be making these muffins again! đ„đ
They’re beautiful Katie! Thank you đ
I made these for the monthly baking challenge. For me, they took longer to bake and were larger than expected – not a bad thing, but I did have to extend baking time. I ate mine with butter and orange marmalade.
Hi Emiley! Thanks so much for making đ hmmm strange. They do look very large in your photo. Did you make any swaps?
I made them mini for my kids! They love them!
So perfect! Thank you!! đ
Made this wonderful carrot muffin recipe after work yesterday. They are a great recipe. I will definitely make them again. Love your recipes. They never disappoint.
So happy you enjoyed them đ thank you!
Easy, healthy (well, there’s the carrots!) and yummy. Thanks for helping us churn out delicious recipes in our kitchen.
hehe thank you sooo much! đ
Wonderful
Thank you!! đ
How to make these without the sugar? Do you have the sugar content for these and the zuchinni/carrot muffins?
Hi Annie! I have not tested this muffin recipe without sugar. You could look into using Swerve as a great baking replacement. The nutrition information can be found on the bottom of the recipe cards đ I hope this helps! xo, Tawnie
Muffin Monday! I love it and carrot cake! What a great excuse to have it for breakfast đ
My new favorite day đ Exactly hehe! Thank you Tracy!
These are so sweet! I love carrot cupcakes and make them every spring but love having these for a healthier complement — perfect for a brunch or feeding a crowd!
Thank you so much Monica!