These Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins are going to be your new favorite muffin recipe! They have wholesome ingredients like banana, almond meal, oats, and coconut sugar to keep these muffins refined sugar free. These can be eaten as breakfast, a little snack, or for dessert! You could even top these muffins with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting for a healthified carrot cake cupcake! If you love healthy baked goods like this, make my Moist Blueberry Muffins, One Bowl Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins, or these Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins.

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Notes on Ingredients
- Applesauce: Replaces the need for oil in these muffins. Be sure to use unsweetened apple sauce!
- Coconut Sugar: Use coconut sugar or maple sugar to keep these muffins refined sugar free. You can also substitute organic cane sugar.
- Almond Meal: Make sure to use almond meal, not almond flour.
- All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour: Any kind of gluten-free flour works, but I love the Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Flour Blend.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
How do you make Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins?
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a muffin tin.
- Mix together the flax egg in a large mixing bowl. Then, add mashed banana, maple syrup, applesauce and whisk to combine.
- Next, add coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and whisk to combine. Add almond milk and grated carrot and stir again.
- Add oats, almond meal, and all purpose gluten-free flour and stir.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin tins.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let them cool for about 20 minutes or longer.
- Store in an airtight container to keep them fresh or you can freeze them.
- Enjoy!
- Step 1: First, preheat the oven and line a muffin tin. In a large mixing bowl, mix flax egg. Then, add mashed banana, maple syrup, applesauce, coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and stir.

- Step 2: Then, add almond milk and grated carrot and mix again. Stir in oats, almond meal, and GF flour. Divide batter among 12 muffin tins and bake for 32-35 minutes. Let cool before serving. Enjoy!
Commonly Asked Questions
Store these muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Mix ground flax meal with 2.5 tablespoon of water and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
Yes! I love to add raisins, chopped pecans or walnuts, or chopped dates into my carrot muffins for enhanced flavor and more healthy fats.
Yes. If you aren’t using a non-stick muffin tin, then you need to either line it with liners or grease it well with oil spray.
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Extra Helpful Tips
- This recipe is adapted from Minimalist Baker.
- Top these muffins with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting for a healthy dessert!
- Store these muffins in the fridge so they stay fresh for longer (5 days).
- Add in walnuts, pecans, raisins, or chopped dates for a yummy mix-in!
- When you pull a muffin from the fridge, cut it in half and add it to a pan flat-side down with some vegan butter. This yields the perfect golden, griddled muffin.
How to Store
Store these muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you tried these Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 mixing bowl large
- 12 muffin liners
- 1 potato masher optional, for mashing banana
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg 1 ½ tablespoon flax meal + 4 tablespoon water
- ¾ cup applesauce unsweetened
- ⅓ cup banana ripe, mashed
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup almond milk plain and unsweetened
- 1 cup carrot grated, heaping cup
- ⅔ cup rolled oats gluten-free
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and prepare a muffin tin with liners or lightly grease it.
- Mix together the flax egg in a large mixing bowl. Then, to the flax egg, add mashed banana, maple syrup, applesauce and whisk to combine.
- Then add coconut sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and whisk to combine.
- Add almond milk and stir.
- Add grated carrot and stir.
- Add oats, almond meal, and all purpose gluten-free flour and stir.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin tins, filling them about ¾ of the way to the top (I got 11 muffins).
- Bake for 32-35 minutes, or until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let them cool for about 20 minutes or longer.
- Store in an airtight container to keep them fresh or you can freeze them.
- Enjoy!
Meghan says
I can’t wait to make these for Easter! Although my favorite part is usually the cream cheese frosting 😬 any suggestions on a replacement for that?
Yolanda Dawson says
yes! Frosting made out of soaked cashews?
DhillonS says
Have you tried this with whole wheat flour?
Danielle Keith says
I have not, but if you try it, report back!
Megan Boynton says
I tried these with whole wheat flour and also added raisins. They were delicious!
Bee says
Will almond flour work in place of the almond meal?
Danielle Keith says
I haven’t tried almond meal. It’s a bit different but you could try it.
AP says
These are almost wet in the middle. Too moist. What am I doing wrong?
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Let them cook a bit longer.
Lynnae LeBlanc says
If I use carrot pulp from juiced carrots, do I need to increase the liquid in the recipe?
Thank you!
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
No, it should still be okay! If you find that it is thick you can add a splash more of the dairy free milk.
Jordan Stacy says
These muffins are healthy enough for breakfast (with such nourishing ingredients!) but taste like the well-loved dessert. I love to top them with a vegan cream cheese frosting for a treat!