Muffins for breakfast are a weekday lifesaver in my house. My Pinterest-viral All-Bran Muffins are the staple, but these apple carrot oatmeal muffins are quickly creeping into that spot. You'll probably want to make more than one batch at a time.
My kids think a muffin for breakfast is a treat and that they're getting away with something sneaky. Apples and cinnamon belong together like peanut butter and jelly, and these taste like a bowl of apple cinnamon oatmeal in muffin form: warm spice, sweet apple, and carrot for a little extra sweetness.
If apples are your fall thing, you'll also like my apple cinnamon overnight oats, apple dump cake, and no-bake apple donuts.
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TL;DR - Apple Carrot Oatmeal Muffins
- 🍎 Why you'll love it: Apple cinnamon oatmeal flavor in a muffin. The shredded apple and carrot add natural sweetness, so I use less sugar than most muffin recipes.
- 🥄 Key ingredients: Shredded apple and carrot, old fashioned oats, cinnamon, and coconut oil. Dairy-free as written.
- ⏲️ Time: 10 minutes prep, 20 minutes bake, 30 minutes total.
- 🧁 Yield: 12 muffins (mini muffins work too).
- 🍂 Great for: Breakfast, an after-school snack, or stocking the freezer.
- 🔁 More muffins: Carrot Zucchini Muffins, Panera copycat pumpkin muffins, and pumpkin beet muffins.
Key Ingredients
- Apple and carrot: One cup of each, shredded. That's about 1 apple and 1-2 carrots. Use whatever apple you like.
- Oats: Old fashioned oats. I always bake with them.
- Coconut oil: Melted. Vegetable oil works too with no other changes.
- Almond milk: At room temperature. I use almond or soy milk. If dairy isn't a concern, cow's milk works fine.
Simple step by step instructions
The hardest part is shredding the apple and carrot, and it isn't hard. I use a box grater with the large holes. With just one apple and a couple of carrots, cleanup is much easier than a food processor.
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients, then stir in the shredded apple and carrot. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and mix with a spatula or spoon until just combined. Skip the stand mixer - overmixing makes tough muffins.
Step 3: Portion the batter into a muffin tin with a cookie scoop so every muffin is the same size.
Step 4: Bake at 375°F for 20-22 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move to a rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every apple and carrot holds a different amount of water. If your apple isn't very juicy, the batter can end up short on liquid. Next time, add a little more shredded apple or carrot. A spoonful of applesauce should work too.
As written, yes. They use coconut oil and almond milk. They do contain eggs and wheat. Almond milk is a nut product, so if you're avoiding nuts, use soy milk instead, and always check labels if you're cooking for an allergy. I haven't tested a gluten-free version.
I haven't tested them without eggs. Flax eggs or applesauce are the two swaps I'd try, but I can't promise how they'll turn out.
More Breakfast muffins You'll Love
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📖 Recipe
Apple Carrot Oatmeal Muffins (Dairy-Free, 30 Minutes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 1 cup Old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup Light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1 cup Apple shredded
- 1 cup Carrot shredded
- 2 Eggs at room temp
- ½ cup Coconut oil in liquid form
- ¾ cup Almond milk at room temp
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying with baking spray.
- In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk dry ingredients together until combined.
- In a medium sized bowl add in eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and almond milk and whisk with a fork to combine then add the shredded carrot and shredded apple to the bowl and gently fold the wet ingredients until incorporated.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well until just combined
- Portion into 12 muffin cups and bake at 375℉ for 20-22 minutes
- Once the muffins come out of the oven, let cool in muffin tin for about 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack to cool completely (if you can wait that long 😉)
Notes
- Freezing: Cool completely, then store in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter or microwave 15-30 seconds.
- Mini muffins: Bake about 15 minutes.
- Double batch: Use a food processor to shred the apple and carrot.
jaquetta says
What can I substitute for the eggs?
Marni Katz says
I haven't tried it with any egg substitutes. You could try flax eggs or applesauce, but I can't tell you how they will come out.
Kimberly says
Made a double batch. They are great. Like that they are not sweet. Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Marni Katz says
I'm so glad that you liked them!
Julie says
The muffins were very good but a little dry. I'm thinking of adding a bit of applesauce to them next time.
Marni Katz says
That should be ok, and you may want to also try a little bit more shredded apple or carrots. Each piece of fruit has a different water content, and if your apple isn't super juicy, you may not have had enough liquid for muffin.
Rachel says
Looking forward to making this! What can I substitute for the coconut oil?
Marni Katz says
You can substitute vegetable oil without a problem. Enjoy!
Erin says
Recipe says preheat to 350 but then later on says bake at 375. Which temp is correct?
Marni Katz says
So sorry about the confusion. I like to bake muffins at a higher temp to get a good rise...so bake at 375. I will update the recipe to reflect that.
Gail says
I made these using 1cup reg flour 1 cup almond flour, less oil & reg milk.
Very good
Marni Katz says
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing the substitutions that worked for you 🙂
Eliza says
The preheat and baking temps are not the same, just FYI!
Marni Katz says
Thanks for letting me know. 375 is correct and I will update accordingly.