These warmly spiced Carrot Cake Muffins are packed with shredded carrot, raisins, and coconut, then filled and baked with a sweet cream cheese center.
This is where breakfast and dessert collide! These Carrot Cake Muffins have all the vibes of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting yet are made wholesome, and great for the morning...or any other time of day, really.
You might be wondering, what makes this a muffin instead of a cupcake? Well, this muffin recipe uses greek yogurt and light olive oil for added healthy fats (also making it perfectly moist) and is sweetened with maple syrup. This means it is way more acceptable to serve at breakfast, and therefore a muffin, okay?
In addition, it has a nice level of warm spices with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg plus a little orange zest to round out the flavor.
The muffin add-ins are carrots (of course), plumped raisins (see more on that below), and shredded coconut, but you can also swap in your favorite carrot cake additions.
Overview of Ingredients and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- carrots (don't buy pre-shredded carrots; be sure to shred your own whether you like them coarse or finely shredded)
- eggs
- full-fat Greek yogurt (the recipe calls for unsweetened, but you can use a flavored variety that would go well in this recipe, such as vanilla)
- pure maple syrup (this can be replaced with similar results for ¾ cup pack brown sugar)
- light olive oil (this can be replaced with any neutral baking oil...for this recipe I don't recommended using melted butter)
- vanilla extract
- orange zest
- baking powder
- all-purpose flour
- spices: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- raisins (this can be omitted or replaced with your favorite carrot cake add-in, like nuts)
- finely shredded coconut (I haven't tested this with anything other than unsweetened finely shredded coconut, so I'm not sure if the recipe will be the same if you switch up the type of coconut used)
Kelli's Best Tips
- I hate to be finicky, but I'm going to be finicky about measuring the flour. To ensure your recipe comes out just as intended, I recommend either weighing the flour with a kitchen scale in grams or lightly spoon it into a cup measurement until it is overflowing and then sweeping off any excess.
- Soak raisins in hot water for a few minutes before adding them to the batter. This keeps them soft and plump instead of dry and chewy.
- Shred your own carrots using either the large or fine holes on a box grater—coarse shreds add texture and noticeable bites, while fine shreds blend in better to the batter.
- Make this a one-bowl mixing method: For even distribution, mix baking powder with the wet ingredients first. Once combined, add the flour and stir just until the flour disappears—overmixing can lead to tough muffins.
Assembling the Muffins
This is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make and stuff the muffin batter. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!
Step 1: Prepare the cream cheese frosting, then set aside. Whisk together the wet ingredients, along with the leaveners and salt. Then place the dry ingredients on top.
Step 2: Stir them in (with a whisk or spatula) until barely combined.
Step 3: Add the prepared mix-in's on top of the batter.
Step 4: Fold them in until just combined.
Step 5: Add two tablespoons of batter to each muffin tin, spread it flat, then top with a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese frosting.
Step 6: Repeat with 2 heaping tablespoons of muffin batter, spreading it out to cover the cream cheese. Bang the muffin tin on a hard surface once or twice to help the muffin batter settle.
How to Tell when the Muffins are Done
The muffins take around 18-20 minutes to bake. It's trickier to tell when these are done, due to the cream cheese filling. Look for the top of the muffin to appear matte and feel firm to the touch. Since the filling stays soft, a toothpick test won’t give an accurate read—focus on the texture of the muffin itself to determine doneness.
How to Serve and Store Carrot Cake Muffins
These muffins are best served on the day they are made. However, they will keep for 1-2 days, covered in an air-tight container stored in the refrigerator.
They have to be stored in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese filling. To get that just-baked best texture they can be warmed up in a toaster oven before eating.
Watch the Video:
More Breakfast Recipes
Making this Carrot Cake Muffin recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Muffins
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
Description
These perfectly spiced Carrot Cake Muffins are studded with shredded carrots, raisins, and coconut and are stuffed with a sweet cream cheese filling. This muffin recipe uses Greek yogurt and light olive oil for added healthy fats (which also make the muffins perfectly moist) and is sweetened with maple syrup to make them much more acceptable to serve at breakfast. In addition, they have a nice level of warm spices plus a little orange zest to round out the flavor. The muffin add-ins are carrots (of course), plumped raisins (see more on that below) and shredded coconut, but you can also swap in your favorite carrot cake additions.
Ingredients
For Cream Cheese Filling:
- ½ cup (113 grams) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup (70 grams) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For Carrot Cake Muffins:
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup (113 grams) plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup light olive oil
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-¾ cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shredded carrots (see note)
- ½ cup plumped raisins (see note)
- ¼ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and place an oven rack in the middle part of the oven. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with parchment paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and mash the mixture with a sturdy spoon. Once the sugar has been combined with the cream cheese, switch over to a whisk and whisk vigorously until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, olive oil, orange zest, baking powder, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.
- Add in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and mix until barely combined.
- Fold in the shredded carrots, plumped raisins and coconut.
- Place two heaping tablespoons of batter in each muffin cup (or one scoop with a size 30 portion scoop). Use a spoon to spread the batter flat (it does not need to be perfect). Then, add 1 heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese filling to each muffin cup and use the spoon to spread it into an even layer. Add another 2 heaping tablespoons of muffin batter on top, spreading it out to cover the frosting. Repeat the process for the remaining batter. Bang the muffin tin on a hard surface once or twice to help the muffin batter settle.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the muffin tops are matte in appearance and firm to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Let the muffins cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Some people like finely-grated carrots in their carrot cake, and some prefer them more coarse. Feel free to shred them to your liking.
Rehydrating raisins before adding them to the muffin batter will result in a better muffin. You're met with a moist and soft raisin instead of a hard and dry one when you bite into it. To plump the raisins, place them in a heatproof bowl and cover them with very hot or boiling water. They'll be plumped within minutes. Drain the raisins when ready to add to the batter.
Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the measuring cup, then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product.
Originally published in 2022, this recipe has been regularly re-tested and updated as needed to ensure it remains perfect.
Solly
I made these for Easter and every single person in my family LOVED them. I used a scale and made exactly as written except left out raisins. This is a wonderful recipe that I plan to make time and time again. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. We also really like the blueberry muffins which have been on repeat since the first time I made them for my family. Highly recommend.