Carrot muffins are like enjoying fluffy carrot cake for breakfast! These are stuffed with walnuts and flavored with warm fall spices. This recipe is from the new Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book and offers endless customizations!

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carrot muffins drizzled with white icing

Carrot muffins are a classic recipe that you need to try at least once (and will probably make over and over). I love how they're sweet but with a little more depth of flavor thanks to the carrots, nuts, and spices.

Lately I've been having muffins on hand for quick and easy breakfasts, after school snacks, or something fun to throw in a lunchbox for the kids. I love it when I can sneak a few vegetables in there too!

When baking muffins, or anything really, there's no better resource than my friend Kristin (aka, Baker Bettie). She literally wrote the book on baking with her new release Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book (affiliate link).

This recipe is straight from the book (with permission) and will give you just a tiny taste of what a great resource it is. These are honestly the most perfect muffins to ever come out of my oven, and I have Kristin's expertise to thank for that.

carrot muffin drizzled with white icing with bite taken out of it

The book breaks down foundational baking skills to build baking confidence for both beginner and seasoned bakers. The focus is on master recipes while teaching you the foundations of how ingredients function, common techniques (ever wondered how to "fold in the cheese"??), and the all-important baking terminology.

Once you have the master recipes, you'll be able to use the flavor charts to customize them with your own flavor combinations and preferences, and you KNOW I love customizing! I got you started with just a few ideas below, but I could seriously go on for ages with more options.

One more thing - the book boasts 235 beautiful full-color images including step-by-step photos to make sure you have all the information you need! Lots of photos are something I always look for in a cookbook, because they help give you an idea of how the recipe should look and give you the confidence to get it done.

Carrot muffin ingredients

Flour
Granulated sugar
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Allspice
Salt
Canola oil
Eggs
Vanilla
Milk
Carrots
Walnuts

a flat lay shot of all the ingredients needed to make carrot muffins

How to make carrot muffins

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt.
In a separate bowl, lightly whisk together the oil, egg, vanilla extract, milk, and carrot.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a spoon or silicone spatula until just combined.
Add the walnuts and gently fold them in.
Divide the batter between 15 muffin cups lined with paper liners.
Bake 16-20 minutes at 400ºF or until golden brown and the tops spring back when gently pushed.
Allow the muffin trays to cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely before glazing.

a process shot of the carrot muffin batter coming together

Powdered sugar glaze ingredients

Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Salt
Milk

a flat lay shot of all the ingredients needed to make carrot muffin icing

How to make powdered sugar glaze (flat icing)

Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to a small bowl.
Add the milk to the bowl bit by bit, whisking until you have a thick glaze. It should flow off the whisk in a thick but steady stream.
Drizzle over cooled muffins using the whisk or a spoon just before serving.

a bowl of white icing with a spoon coming out of it

Top tips and questions

Why do some ingredients need to be at room temperature?

Room temperature ingredients incorporate into the batter better and prevent it from being too cold, which means they'll bake more evenly and rise better.

How to bring eggs to room temperature

I rarely remember to plan ahead and take my eggs out of the refrigerator to warm up. Instead, I like to fill a bowl with warm (not hot) water and let the eggs sit in the water for a few minutes.

If you're more of a planner, just take your eggs out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

two muffin tins side by side, one with unbaked carrot muffin batter, one with baked carrot muffins

What kind of carrots to use for carrot muffins

I recommend large carrots for muffins since they're easier to grate than smaller or baby carrots. It's up to you whether you want to peel your carrots or not.

How to shred carrots for muffins

I shredded my carrots using the large holes on a box grater. You could also use the smaller hole option if you prefer smaller carrot shreds.

Alternatively, you could use the grating attachment on a food processor. I find that this usually creates shreds that are too large, but this can be fixed a little bit by only using light pressure while feeding the carrot through the tube.

Avoid buying pre-shredded carrots since these will be too hard and dry for baking.

How to measure flour

Kristin includes measurements for both volume (cups) and weight (grams) in her book. If measuring in cups, be sure to spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a knife. I always measure my flour this way, but it is considered less accurate than measuring by weight.

If measuring by weight, you'll need a digital kitchen scale set to grams. Place your bowl on the scale and use the "tare" button to zero it out, allowing you to measure the weight of the ingredients but not the bowl.

For more information on this topic, Kristin has a great resource on her website about how to measure for baking.

How to store muffins

Store cooled, unglazed muffins in an airtight container or covered in foil or plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the muffins for up to 3 months.

The powdered sugar glaze will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Allow it to come back to room temperature and rewhisk before drizzling over muffins.

Can I make this into a quick bread instead?

This carrot muffin recipe works also works as a carrot quick bread. If baking as a bread, pour the batter into an 8.5 x 4.5 loaf pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake at 350ºF for 60-70 minutes, let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out of the pan, and let cool completely before glazing or slicing.

Can I make dairy free or vegan carrot muffins?

These muffins are easy to make dairy free by using a dairy free milk. To make them vegan, substitute the milk for a dairy free option and swap the eggs for two flax eggs. This will alter the texture somewhat.

a carrot muffin split in half surrounded by full carrot muffins with icing drizzled on them

How can I get Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book?

The book comes out November 16, 2021, but you can pre-order Baker Bettie's Better Baking Book now on Amazon. There is also a kindle version available, and you can purchase it from other retailers such as Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

Tips for customizing carrot muffins

Kristin's book is all about learning master recipes that allow you to combine endless customizations for creating new flavors. The book goes into detail with charts and substitutions, but here are a few ideas:

Swap some or all of the walnuts for raisins, pecans, or shredded coconut (or leave them out entirely)
Instead of powdered sugar glaze, try a streusel topping (found in the book!)
Substitute shredded apple for the shredded carrot
Add 2 tablespoons each orange juice and zest
You could experiment with gluten-free swaps (outcome not guaranteed)