You might like vegan carrot cake and vegan carrot cupcakes. You will be grooving on these vegan carrot muffins studded with sliced almonds and scented with cardamom and nutmeg. There is no egg or dairy in these but they are so flavorful and delicious you might not be able to stop at one! The cardamom in particular gives these muffins a quality that is faintly evocative of a vegan carrot halwa, that incredibly tasty cardamom-scented Indian pudding you are likely familiar with. Vegan yogurt and applesauce add moisture, as do the carrots, so there’s only a small quantity of oil needed to make these ultra tender.
Why you will love these vegan carrot muffins
Crave-worthy. Carrots are amazing in nearly anything but they are especially wonderful in desserts. When the muffins bake up that great carrot flavor concentrates, adding even more sweetness. The nutty almonds provide a nice, contrasting crunch. This is a great breakfast for anytime of year but it’s an especially wonderful recipe for Easter. Easy to make. This is a dump-and-go recipe so you just throw everything into one bowl, mix it all up, scoop the batter into the cupcake tins, and bake. The only work you need to really do is grate the carrots and a food processor can make this happen in a couple of minutes, with a hand grater taking just a little bit longer. Kid-friendly. No one, young or old, will be able to resist these. They are sweet and fragrant and they’ll make anybody you offer them to feel a bit extra special.
How to make vegan carrot muffins
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius. Place the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cardamom and nutmeg in a bowl and whisk.
Add the remaining ingredients–sugar, carrots, almonds (or chopped walnuts or pecans. Save some nuts for decorating the top, if you like), oil, applesauce, vegan yogurt, vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Use a spatula to mix, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure there is no dry flour. Don’t overmix. The batter will look quite thick. Let the batter stand five minutes. This will give the carrots a little time to express their juices and it will be easier to scoop into the muffin tins.
Mix the batter quickly one last time, then scoop into a muffin tin lined with paper muffin liners or sprayed with oil. If you saved some almonds for the top sprinkle them on now. Place the muffin pan into the oven and bake five minutes, then, without opening the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C and bake 18 minutes more or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with crumbs sticking to it. Let the pan stand on a rack for 5-10 minutes to cool, then unmold the muffins and place them on a rack to cool.
Storage and freezing instructions
Fridge: The muffins will keep nicely in the fridge for up to four days. Freezer: To freeze the muffins cool them completely and place in freezer bags or an airtight container. Freeze for up to three months. Reheating: Before eating frozen muffins thaw them completely. You can also reheat in the microwave. Unwrap the muffins, then place on a microwave safe plate and heat 30 seconds for each frozen muffin.
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