Carrot Cake Muffins (Oven or Air Fryer!)

Carrot Cake Muffins – all the flavors of classic carrot cake in portable muffin form! These moist and deliciously spiced carrot muffins are perfect for breakfast or a snack. Bake them in your Air Fryer or the oven 🥕🥕

My husband requested a carrot cake for his birthday last month and it was so freaking delicious that I couldn’t wait to bake one again. Only problem is a large carrot cake and only four people to eat it is not great math. Enter carrot cake muffins! All the deliciousness of carrot cake in a convenient portable snack. What more can you ask for?

If you are a carrot cake lover then this recipe is a must-make and you can even bake it in your air fryer or the oven. These fabulously moist muffins are perfect as they are but you can take them to the next level with a simple cream cheese frosting or glaze.

Carrot Cake Muffin Ingredients

The only labor-intensive part of this recipe is grating the carrots. You can easily grate them if you have a food processor but a good ol’ box grater works just as well. Let’s take a look at the key ingredients in this easy muffin recipe.

• Carrots – needless to say these are the star ingredient, so pick fresh carrots with uniform bright orange color. Shred or grate the carrots using a food processor or box grater but please do NOT use store-bought shedded carrots. These will be dry and flavorless and can result in sad muffins!
• Flour – I use all-purpose flour in my carrot cake muffins, but you can also use wholemeal flour if you prefer for added fiber and nutrients. You will need to add baking powder and baking soda to give muffins lift.
• Sugar – soft brown sugar is ideal as the caramel flavor pairs perfectly with the spices that make these fragrant muffins so irresistible!
• Oil – vegetable oil, sunflower or light olive oil.
• The spices – after the carrots, the spices are the KEY to delicious carrot muffins. I use cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and ground cloves for the perfect blend of warmth, sweetness and spice.
• You will also need one large egg at room temperature, vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
• And finally nuts – adding chopped walnuts or pecans is optional but highly recommended!

How to Make Carrot Cake Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin cases or use a silicone muffin tin instead, misting it with cake release first.
2. Add the oil, egg, sugar, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda to a mixing bowl. Beat using a hand mixer or a balloon whisk until the ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Gradually mix in the flour and then fold in the grated carrots and chopped nuts, if using. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula to make sure the batter is smooth.
4. Use a medium cookie scoop or spoon to fill each muffin case with batter, about ⅔ full. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool down.
5. Leave the muffins plain or add a simple cream cheese frosting or glaze.

Air Fryer Carrot Cake Muffins

You can easily bake these muffins in your air fryer instead of the oven. Divide the batter between silicone muffin cases or sturdy muffin cases, filling each about two-thirds full. Place in the air fryer basket, spaced apart to allow the air to circulate evenly.

Air fry at 340°F / 170°C for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Once done, let them rest in the basket for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Make sure the muffins have cooled down completely before adding any frosting.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Storing carrot cake muffins: store in an airtight container at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for 3-4 days. Store the muffins in the fridge if you have added cream cheese frosting.
• Freezing: wrap the muffins in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. You can also place the muffins on a baking tray and flash-freeze them until solid. Once frozen, pop them in a bag or suitable container and label them. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
• How to grate carrots for carrot muffins: finely grated carrots (using the small shredding side of a box grater) will easily melt into the batter while baking. For a more “textured” muffin use the larger side of the grater.

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