by 
These Carrot and Apple Muffins are sweetened only with fruit. They are perfect for breakfast or as a healthy snack.
If you are looking for an indulgent, sweet muffin then this isn't the recipe for you. They certainly don't fall into that category. However, if you are looking for a healthy breakfast or snack idea then these ABC Muffins (A (Apple), B (Banana), C (carrots)) are perfect. They are made up of
- grated apple
- mashed banana
- grated carrot
- apple puree (apple sauce)
- egg
- spelt flour
- almond flour
- milk
- spices (cinnamon & ginger)
- baking soda
- coconut oil
There are so many recipes out there for "healthy sugar-free muffins" only for the ingredient list to contain lots of honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar (eh, not sugar-free then!). I'm sure these recipes taste amazing but they shouldn't be advertised as sugar-free and often have a very high sugar content (sometimes more than regular muffins.)
Technically these Carrot Apple Muffins aren't sugar-free either but they are sweetened only with fruit and are great for little ones.
How to Make Carrot and Apple Muffins
Once you have prepared all your ingredients (grated carrots & apples, mashed bananas, chopped nuts), preheated the oven and greased a muffin tray, then making the muffins can be done in four easy steps:
- Mix the wet ingredients together (milk, egg, apple puree, grated carrot, grated apple, mashed banana, coconut oil) in a large mixing bowl.
- Mix the dry ingredients (spelt flour, almond flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda) together in a separate bowl.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups, top with chopped walnuts (optional) and bake for 35 minutes, or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Top Tips
- Use very ripe bananas - The apple, banana and carrots provide the sweetness. The riper the banana the sweeter the muffin will taste and this recipe works best with really ripe ones
- Be organised - Preheat the oven, prepare your muffin tin, measure your dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls all before combining the wet and dry ingredients. Once the raising agents in the batter are activated, (when the baking powder gets added to the liquid mixture), you need to capitalise on this chemical reaction quickly so that the heat of the oven can set the air bubbles in place.
- Keep an eye on the baking time - Take the muffins out of the oven too soon and they will be sticky and uncooked. Bake them too long, and you run the risk of dry muffins. Every oven is different, so while you should still follow the bake time in this recipe, use a skewer to test your muffins a couple of minutes before the end of the bake time. Your skewer will come out clean if they are ready.
- Pump up the sweetness - if you are looking for something a little bit sweeter then why not try adding ½ cup of sultanas (soak in boiling water and drain before stirring through the muffin mixture). Alternatively, you could replace ¼ cup of milk with maple syrup.
Are these Carrot Muffins Suitable for Babies / Toddlers?
Yes! They are great for babies and toddlers for the following reasons...
- Fruit Sweetened - It is recommended that children under two should not consume any added sugar. Most muffin recipes are packed with sugar, maple syrup or honey. These are sweetened with apple, banana, carrots and cinnamon - perfect for little ones.
- Texture - These muffins are very soft and spongy and are a great texture for little ones.
- Veggie Exposure - It is always good for toddlers to see how versatile and delicious vegetables are.
You may wish to...
- Skip the walnuts on top. (If not, make sure to finely chop.)
- Bake in mini muffin trays. Mini muffins are a much more manageable size for little ones and saves you cutting the muffin into pieces.
Storage Instructions
Cool the muffins completely before storing. (Packing them away when they are even a little warm, will result in condensation and soggy or mouldy muffins.)
- Cool on a wire rack. Transfer your muffins to cool.
- Storing at room temperature - Store in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
- Refrigerating - Refrigerating the muffins alters the texture and is not recommended.
- Freezing - If properly frozen, in an airtight container, then the muffins will be good for 2-3 months. To reheat - just pop them out of the freezer and place them back in the muffin tin. Cover with foil and reheat at 170c /350f until heated through. Alternatively, reheat them in the microwave.
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Carrot and Apple Muffins
Equipment
- 12 Cup Muffin Tray
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Oil (melted)
- 1 Ripe Banana (mashed)
- 1 Apple (grated)
- 135g (1 packed cup) Carrot (grated)
- 80g (⅓ cup) Apple Puree (apple sauce)
- 125ml (½ cup) Buttermilk (or ½ cup milk mixed with 1½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice)
- 2 Eggs (beaten)
- 185g (1½ cups) Spelt Flour
- 56g (½ cup) Almond Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 35g (¼ cup) Walnuts (chopped)
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 190c/375f and grease a 12 cup muffin tray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the coconut oil, mashed banana, apple, carrot, apple puree, milk and eggs. Mix together until combined.
- In a separate bowl add the spelt flour, almond flour, cinnamon, ginger, and baking soda. Gently stir to mix through
- Add the dry flour mix to the wet ingredients and fold in gently until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups and sprinkle with the chopped walnuts (optional).
- Bake muffins for approx. 35 mins or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the muffin tray for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional facts
* This recipe was originally posted on Sep 10, 2015. It has been updated with new photos, recipe tips, information and storage instructions.
Andrea
Was I supposed to squeeze the water out the apple before adding it to the mixture? My muffins were very wet on the inside and I had to add a lot of baking time. They were yummy but still too wet on inside and very hard on the outside
Amy
Hi Andrea, I never normally squeeze the liquid out of the apples in this recipe. Did you use the cup or gram measurements? I always recommend weighing the ingredients as cup measurements can vary depending on how the user fills them. I can't think what else could have been the issue, maybe the oven temperature needs to be higher?
Bridget Hill
I have made this once before, and had great results...but I'd like to replace the buttermilk with almond milk. Will that work?
Amy
Hi Bridget, I'm so glad you enjoy these muffins. I believe almond milk would work but can't say for sure without trying, sorry.
Sonia
Brilliant
Amy
Thanks Sonia 🙂
Cat
I was excited about trying this recipe for my son. Made the muffins yesterday afternoon and, following storage directions, left them at room temperature in a sealed container. Went to try them for breakfast this morning and discovered they were all moldy! Certainly won't be trying to store at room temp again! I have the second half of the batch in the freezer, hopefully we'll get to try those tomorrow.
Amy
Hi Cat, I'm sorry to hear this happened and you had to waste the muffins. Can I ask, did you pack them in a sealed container before they had cooled down? This may have been the reason for them going mouldy. Hope the freezer ones were a success for you 🙂
Ag
I made these muffins for my little one and he loved them so much that I'm thinking of using this recipe for his birthday celebration! Do you reckon I could double the recipe and make a 2 layers cake out of it? Thank you in advdnce!
Amy
Thanks, Ag! I'm so glad your little one enjoys these. It would be worth trying turning it into a cake but I can't say how it would work or give timings / oven temp recommendations without trying. For an 8 inch cake you would probably need to double the recipe, the bake time will def be longer I just can't say for sure how long. Good luck and please let me know if you try it, I'd love to know how it turns out.
S
What can I use instead of almond flour?
Amy
Hi S, I haven't tried replacing it with anything so can't guarantee results. I'd try replacing it with extra spelt flour. If you read the comments you may find someone who has replaced it with something with success. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I don't like to offer suggestions unless I know it would work for sure.
Ali
So sorry, please ignore my question, I have since read the reviews!
Amy
Thanks Ali, I'm glad you found your answer in the comments 🙂
Ali
Can you replace the spelt and almond flour for regular flour?
Sophie Birtwistle
Hello again. This is in reply to my recent message. I've done some research and it does sound like I did the right thing using baking soda but I think I may have used too much. Does your recipe mean 1 X half a teaspoon or 1 AND a half teaspoons? I used 1.5 because that is how I read it. Thank you. I am going to attempt to make them again using half a teaspoon of baking soda, I just hope this is correct.
Amy
Hi Sophie, it is suppossed to be 1.5 teaspoons. Did you try it with 0.5 teaspoon? How did it work?
Sophie Birtwistle
I have just made these muffins for my 3 year old in the hope that I could get some fruit and veg in to him. The recipe said to use baking soda but my muffins are disgusting, I guess it was meant to say baking powder? I used bicarbonate of soda because Google said that is what baking soda is. I am so disappointed and spent a fortune on the ingredients
Amy
Hi Sophie, I'm sorry you did not enjoy the muffins and wasted ingredients. It is baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) that should be used in this muffin (there is acidic ingredients - buttermilk, apple sauce etc) that will react with the soda to create carbon dioxide. If you wish to use baking powder you would need to use more. I'm trying to think what went wrong, did you mix the baking soda with the dry ingredients before adding to the wet? It needs to be properly mixed, try sieving or whisking it with the dry ingredients. Did you use buttermilk? - you do need the acidity to neutralise the baking soda.
Juliane
I love this recipe! I wanted to pack it in my little one's lunchbox but one of her little friends at school has an egg allergy so we can't send anything with eggs. Any suggestions on how to substitute the egg? Thanks so much!!!
Amy
Hi Juliane, without trying I can't say for sure but I'm sure a flax egg would work great in this recipe 🙂 Glad you enjoy them 🙂
Praneti Kulkarni
Loved all the recipes! Seem quite easy to make and definitely delicious to eat! Thank you!
Amy
Thanks Praneti, so glad you are enjoying the recipes 🙂
Ksenia
These look delicious and keen to make them but my little boy is allergic to bananas. Is there any way of substituting it?
Amy
Thanks Ksenia, without trying I can't say for sure but I'd try extra apple sauce / puree. I'd try 1/2 cup apple sauce for 1 banana.
Abi Adeniran
I will liKe to make this but don't have any spelt flour. Suggestions for a substitute?
Amy
Hi Abi, you could probably sub with wholemeal 🙂
Ioana
This are the first perfect muffins I made for the baby! They are sweet without added sugars, they are rising well , hold together and very moist. Love it! For the baby and for adults! I have a question regarding the apple piure. What should be the difference between apple piure and grated appple? If I use the small grater the result it's like a piure.
Amy
Hi Ioana, I'm so happy you liked these muffins. If grated apple is easier for you then I'm sure it would be fine to replace the apple puree. I always have apple puree in the freezer so it is easy for me to use. I used a bigger grate for the apple.
Kim
The taste of these is sooo delicious. I've been able to successfully sub the flour with almond and buckwheat as these were what I had on hand. A beautiful and healthy muffin treat =) Thank you!!
Amy
Thanks Kim, so glad you liked them! Good to know they worked with almond and buckwheat. 🙂
Shakiba Bagheri
Love it. Easy to bake and my little one loves it too. Thanks for sharing
Amy
Thanks Shakiba! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂