Carrot and Quinoa are perfect partners in these delicious muffins. Full of good for you ingredients, these muffins are excellent in lunches, after school or work snacks or just anytime you need a boost.
These Carrot and Quinoa Muffins are at the top of the list for my family’s favorite, healthy, grab-and-go snack. I love baking them because they’re super easy and take less than 30 minutes (if I have already cooked quinoa). The combination of carrots and quinoa give such a nice sweet yet nutty flavor; the carrots also add moist texture while the quinoa adds a crunchy pop. I use coconut oil and yogurt in the recipe for great moisture and even more tasty variety (see recipe notes for different types of yogurt that works well).
Brown sugar is the sweetener in this recipe but the quantity can be decreased and even left out with success. Since I’m talking about changes that can be made to the recipe, let me tell you a few more and then I’ll tell you one thing that you absolutely must not change. Applesauce is easily substituted for the yogurt with perfect results. I’ve reduced the amount of coconut milk before but don’t recommend reducing it by more than a couple tablespoons. If you’re not a fan of nuts, the walnuts can be left out and will still taste delicious.
One thing that you must not change for this recipe is the combination of almond flour and whole wheat flour. The combination of these ingredients is key to the great taste and texture of the Carrot and Quinoa Muffins. You can use gluten-free whole wheat flour but make sure it’s still whole wheat. Using all-purpose flour changes the density and flavor of the muffins and many tasters agree, if you use all-purpose, the muffins are “missing something”.
Carrot and Quinoa Muffins are a great way to have a snack that you can feel good about. Quinoa, being a complete protein, is a great ingredient to feed your family, and knowing that you can play with the sugar content and still have success is another plus. My grandkids love them so much that they frequently ask my daughter to make “Nana Muffins”.
Carrot and Quinoa Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
- 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, vanilla, honey, or even strawberry, room temperature,
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature, slightly beaten *
- 1 cup very loosely packed grated carrots
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with foil or paper liners and set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooked quinoa, brown sugar, coconut oil, Greek yogurt, vanilla, eggs, carrots and walnuts.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda and salt.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until fully incorporated, but don't over stir mixture.
- Fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full. If desired, you can sprinkle some uncooked quinoa over the muffins before baking for a cute look. For a little extra sweetness and a shiny top, you could sprinkle some granulated sugar on each muffin. Bake 18-20 minutes, until the tops are a nice golden color.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.
- These muffins freeze well and just need to be brought back to room temperature before enjoying.
Notes
- For the Greek yogurt, any full fat, low sugar yogurt works. I love Greek Gods Honey yogurt. Also, I use dairy free yogurt all the time. I also use Green Valley Creamery lactose-free yogurt. I usually prefer honey or vanilla flavored yogurt but have substituted strawberry or coconut when that's all I had and it's fabulous.
- The walnuts are optional and these muffins are just as delicious without them. I like to add them for the extra nutrition the walnuts provide and if I want the muffins to have more calories for a growing teenager, they're good for that too.
- I cannot stress enough that the combination of almond flour and whole wheat flour is what gives these muffins their fabulous texture as well as adding to the flavor. If you want to use gluten-free whole wheat flour in place of the regular whole wheat, that is fine but any other substitutions simply won't do. (All-purpose in place of either flour will make the muffins heavy and kind of bland.)
- There is good reason to let the melted coconut oil cool to room temperature, as well as either warming the yogurt slightly in the microwave or leaving it out to become room temperature. When you add the wet ingredients, if anything is still cold it will cause the coconut oil to harden back up a little and not be evenly spread throughout. That being said, it's happened to me dozens of times and the muffins are still tasty. Just know your batter may look kind of clumpy.
- I've made these muffins with reduced and even no sugar at times. You can adjust the brown sugar to your liking. Many readers who are moms of little toddlers have told me that their kids love these muffins so they make them without sugar in mini muffin tins often.
Finally made these this AM………..very good! Perfectly moist with a light consistency. Used only 1/3 cup coconut oil and used 1/2 cup coconut sugar, instead of the 3/4 cup brown sugar the recipe calls for . I think the 1/3 cup of coconut oil was perfect! But, next time I will use more sugar, since coconut sugar is less sweet than brown sugar. I also added 1/2 t cinnamon to the mix. I filled the muffin cups full and got 13 muffins. My bake time was 30 minutes..
Thank you Ruth! I had just this moment added these muffins to a list of items I need to make tomorrow for someone. I’ll try it with the 1/3 cup coconut oil as well. Glad you liked them, thanks for taking the time to comment.
So I took eggs out of the fridge and put them under some warm laundry to get them to room temp ? but totally forgot to put them in the batter and my muffins came out delicious!!! They were so moist. Bad mistake, awesome result. I will definitely try adding the eggs next time though.
Linda that is hilarious and awesome! Good to know that they work even without the eggs. You made my day with this comment. 🙂
these turned out fabulous!, very light and fluffy, I ran out of my honeyville blanched almond flour and I had slivered blanched almonds in the freezer so I ground those up in my vitamix for the almond flour, also used organic coconut sugar, organic greek vanilla yogurt, and in place of the whole wheat flour I used organic spelt flour. I threw the almond flour oil eggs and yogurt in the vitamix to make sure it was very light, since some people were saying they fell, I also toasted walnut and added raisins, very good made a double batch since I cooked such a big pot of tri color quinoa, also for the carrots since I hate shredding I peel and chunk them up in my vitamix and cover with water and on a lower setting grate them up nice and fine, strained off the carrot water for a soup or something.
These sound absolutely delicious, Sally! Thanks for recommending them. I love using coconut oil in baking, and am a huge fan of healthified breakfast / dessert ideas, so these are right up my alley!
You’re so welcome! The coconut oil is a must here. I highly recommend using cupcake liners for these muffins since the coconut oil and juicy carrots, not to mention the yogurt, makes for kind of a “wet” muffin for lack of a better way to describe them. Not greasy or too wet, but if you make them, you’ll get my gest. So glad we’ve connected, Willow. I’ll let you know how the mini quiches from your blog turn out tomorrow! 🙂
Was just wondering if the yogurt can be omitted in general.
Hi Karla, you can omit the yogurt but I suggest substituting it with applesauce. Thanks for stopping by and let me know how these turn out for you.:)
I absolutely love these! I didn’t change a thing!
My daughter loves to help sift the flours so she gets excited when she sees these in the making they’re a regular now at our house.
They’re in the oven! My 1yr old LOVES these! Thanks for your great ideas.
Jay, I was just texting with my daughter who’s also making a batch right now as well! I’m glad your 1yr old likes them and appreciate you stopping by to comment. They are favorites at my house, too and I almost always have them on hand. 🙂
My family has a sweet tooth. I love these but the kids don’t want to eat more than 1. (Fine with me!). But after being in the fridge a couple of days, the carrots start turning green. Do you think it’s just the combo of ingredients, being cold, that causes that? Do you refrigerate yours or leave them out in a sealed container?
Hi Jennifer, I have never had my carrots turn green but I also don’t store mine in the refrigerator. I store them in an air-tight container and they taste great for several days. Maybe yours do just from being in the cold? I’m glad you like them too. 🙂
Sally,
We LOVE these at our house! I make them with/for my 4 and 2 year old. I would like to bring them to their school to share, but we are a nut free school. What do you suggest I substitute for the almond flour? Do you think coconut flour would be good? Thanks!
Hi Robbie Jane! I am making these tonight AGAIN for a fabric sale I’m having tomorrow. They really are delicious for everyone, right? Now on the flour substitution… I LOVE coconut flour but it is very dry. I have actually been experimenting with this recipe using some coconut flour in place of the all purpose for a gluten-free option. In this case, if you replace the almond flour with coconut flour, try adding an extra egg and if the batter still seems dry, add enough milk or coconut milk until you get the pancake batter consistency you’re used to with the regular recipe. You could also make them with just using all-purpose flour and they’re good but not as over-the-top tasty as with the almond flour. I might not be must help here. Good luck! Let me know how it goes and thanks again for your great comments.
LOVE these for my 2 year old. I leave the sugar out and make mini muffins for her to take to daycare. 10 mins at 350 for anyone else interested. Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!
Crystal! I can’t tell you what it means that you make one of my recipes to send with your precious child every day. I send them in my 11 year old’s lunch a lot too. They are a great source of protein. I am going to make them without sugar and try the mini muffin size next time. Thanks for the instructions on those.
Thank you, Sally!
Is it ok to substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? Thank you! Pam
Hi Pam, I am a huge fan of coconut flour but it is very dry compared to almond flour. So, if you’re going to use it in place of the almond flour, maybe decrease the amount of coconut flour and increase the amount of whole wheat flour. I’ve never used it in this recipe, though, and these muffins are amazing as written. So, if you do replace the almond flour with coconut and aren’t happy with the outcome, try it again another time with the almond flour. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for the recipe it’s delish I made a few of my own alterations that I’ll share. I used oat flour in place of wheat flour. I make my own almond flour and I also made my own oat flour easy to do if you have a vitamix also more cost effective. If you use gluten free oats then it would be a gluton free muffin. I would also use quinoa flour and pecan flour in this as well. I cook my quinoa in almond milk instead of water. Always do this when I’m using quinoa in a sweet recipe, otherwise I cook it in a broth. I added cinnomon and next time I will cut back on the brown sugar and on the coconut oil and add some crushed pinapple instead. I added chopped pecans and added white chocolate chips to a few of them that I had left in the cupboard. They came out delish! Thank you!
Wow! These came our delicious! I was searching for healthy muffin recipes I could feed my toddler for breakfast and this one passed the test for flavor and health! Loooove them!! I have to admit I was skeptical at first, but you’d never guess this muffin was packed with quinoa and whole wheat flour! Thanks for an amazing recipe I will share with all my other mommy friends!
Thank you Jessica! I am making another batch tomorrow myself. We really do love them too. I appreciate you taking the time to comment and am so glad you like them enough to pass on the recipe. 🙂
These are absolutely delicious! My nanny started making them for our toddler and now we make them and go through a batch in just a couple of days since we can’t stay away from them! The only variation I have done is subbed walnuts for raisins and used honey greek yogurt instead of plain. These are a keeper, yummy and healthy, to boot!
Kelly, I always use honey Greek yogurt in mine, too! I’m glad you all like them and thanks for your comment.
I’ve made these a few times. I’m on a “no bread” diet. Instead of using flour, I ground up oats and used that as flour. It works very well for me.
I have made these a few times now and they are a hit! Just wondering if you have attempted the gluten free version yet? I’m not sure whether to try all almond flour, or mix in a different kind of flour instead of the whole wheat. I’m meeting up with a few friends in a couple days, one of whom is Celiac, and I would love to bring these muffins but a GF version so everyone can eat them!
Also, just adding that they freeze well – I made a double batch last time and froze most of it and now just pull one out of the freezer once in a while, throw it in the microwave for 30 seconds and they come out tasting just as good 🙂
Hi Rebecca, I still have not had a chance to make them gluten-free, but a few posts below someone said she has made them using a gluten-free blend with success. I have a recipe on my site for blueberry coconut muffins that are gluten free, but they use only coconut flour in the recipe. I am not sure if the almond flour has enough substance to ONLY use it in the recipe, you know what I mean? What if you use the amount of almond flour called for in the recipe and then substitute the all purpose flour for a gluten free blend or coconut flour if you’re able to get that. The coconut flour has an amazing flavor and texture.
Thanks for the freezing information, I’ll definitely be trying that.
These have quickly become a family favourite, and they are a regular in my muffin rotation! I grind up almonds in my old coffee grinder to make almond “flour”, and use whatever flour I have on hand – spelt, gluten-free blend, etc. They have always worked, and we love them. Thanks!
Traci,
It sounds like your family likes these as much as mine. Good to know that a variety of different flours have worked for you. I’m about to make them completely gluten-free myself so I appreciate this input. Thanks for the nice comment.
Oh thanks, I totally overlooked that info. These truly are addicting.
I agree! 🙂
I just made these and they turned out GREAT! I did add 1 1/2 t. cinnamon 1/2 t. allspice and 1t. nutmeg, really had lots of favor. I just was wondering if anyone knows the calorie count of each muffin?
Hi Coleen, the nutrition information is listed at the bottom of the post under the printable recipe.
These look great. I can’t wait to try them. I am wondering though, can you taste the quinoa? I love it, but my husband isn’t the biggest fan. I try to to sneak it into recipes when I can; such as salads and casseroles.
Hi Sima, I think this will be a perfect recipe to “sneak” in the quinoa without your husband’s knowledge. If anything, they have a kind of popping texture, as I’m trying to find the best way to describe it. Don’t tell him, I bet he’ll love them and then you can tell him after. 😉
Thank you! Can’t wait to try them!
Hi Cathi, I have not made this totally gluten free yet. But I will test it next week and post the gluten free options for you.
Just made these and they are delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe 🙂
Janet, thanks for your comment. We love them too!
Hmmm… wonder if a little cream cheese frosting slathered on top would be too much.
Helen, we love these as they are but I’m sure they would be delicious with frosting as well! 🙂
what could I use instead of brown sugar? I eat clean and these muffins would be fabulous..I just can’t have the brown sugar..
Hi Liz, Is coconut sugar considered clean? I think you could substitute that but I also think these muffins would be pretty good and sweet without sugar. The coconut oil is nice and sweet. I am not very confident about using a liquid sweetening substitute because with the coconut oil, these muffins are already pretty “wet”. Otherwise, I’m sure brown rice syrup could work. If you use the syrup, maybe don’t add very much. Hope this helps! Thanks for coming by! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!! Can’t wait to try this out! I’ve never baked or cooked with Quinoa can you please tell me how you cooked the quinoa for this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Alma, this is super easy. Use one part quinoa to two parts water. The quinoa will more than double in size so for this recipe, add 1/2 cup quinoa to 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook 10-13 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Then turn off heat and let quinoa sit another maybe 5 minutes for the rest of the water to evaporate. Measure out the quinoa since it should be a bit more than one cup when cooking is complete. You can use any “color” of quinoa for this recipe. Good luck and enjoy! 🙂
I just did this recipe and it turned out more like cookie dough than cake batter. I followed the recipe with everything but there is something missing to make it like batter. I had to spoon the “dough” out on a cookie sheet to make cookies instead of muffins.
Sally do you add 1/2 cup of honey plus 1/2 cup of yogurt, or just one?
Taylor, I add 1/2 cup of honey FLAVORED Greek yogurt. Not honey and yogurt. I see now how the instructions can be misunderstood. I just changed it. Thanks for the question.
These muffins look absolutely delicious. I’m gonna try making them but I would like to get rid of the sugar. Any recommendations on substitutes or can I just simply leave the sugar out?
Emelie, I would try them with the sugar left out. They should be sweet enough between the coconut oil and yogurt. I use Greek Gods Honey yogurt sometimes when I make them. It does have evaporated cane syrup and the sugar content is pretty high (33 grams). Try their plain yogurt which has no added sugar and 15 grams of sugar per serving instead, if you like. Let me know how they turn out. Either way, I’m with you and will be testing them soon myself with no sugar.
These look oh so yummy. I am going to experiment with using less flour and more almond flour. Trying to go all grain free
thanks
Hi Jennifer, these are yummy and we too are trying to go gluten free this year (or at least gluten light). Let me know what changes you make and how they come out. The original recipe is with all whole wheat flour and no almond flour, so I felt comfortable changing to half and half. They don’t rise much as a result, which is just fine with me. Also, as I mention in the recipe, they will be even more tasty the next day.
Thank you! How about cranberries VS carrots? Sorry I didn’t clarify better.
Hi Brenda, yes I would use same amount of cranberries as carrots. 🙂
delisioso!!! i made the bread with cranberries instead of carrots and it tastes sooooo good. thank you for this recipe! :-}
ZZ,
I am going to try this recipe with cranberries TODAY! Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment.
Same amount?
I just whipped these babies up! Delicious! My boys are devouring them!
Chelsea, my friend! Wow, I’m so glad you took the time to make these while you’re probably super busy with 3 little cutie pies! Glad you liked them. We love them here.
I made this twice in a week because my husband said they were the best! I made them vegan , the only thing is that they sink in the center , I adjusted the flour , added a tsp of lemon juice , still they sink a little. Should I add some ground flaxseed? The dough is not too soft , it is quite thick , so I don’ t know why they sink. I bake a lot of vegan muffins and never had this problem . Any suggestion? Thanks
Hi Miri, Mine sink a little bit in the center sometimes too. Through trial and error, they seemed to sink less when I increased the flour quantities, hence the added Tablespoon. Also, I just made these last weekend again and I was running out of muffin tin liners so I filled my last batch almost 3/4 full. They didn’t sink at all! And since they don’t rise a lot, they didn’t overflow either. Try filling them more and see if that helps you. I’m so glad you and your husband like them. We love them around here. 🙂
These look great. How can I make them wheat free. Would all purpose gluten free flour work instead of white or wheat flour? Do you have any suggestions.
These were good, but a little bland. Any suggestions for bumping up the flavors? Maybe next time I will add a dash of cinnamon.
Hmm, if you want to spice them up, adding maybe a teaspoon of cinnamon would definitely do it. Let me know if you do, I’d be interested in how you like that. Thanks for your comment!
Amanda told me about this recipe, and I can’t wait to make them!!! Thanks!
Chels, When I made them for Amanda I was out of almond flour so I used all-purpose for the entire recipe. They were more “heavy” without the almond flour. There really is a difference so if you can get almond flour, do it! We really love these and I can’t wait to hear what you think of them. 🙂
Maybe it is just the way that my body responds to coconut oil, but they were too rich for me. My toddlers loved them though!
Sorry to hear that Tania. You could substitute canola oil next time. Thanks for the feedback.
Do you think I could use the leftover carrot pulp from juicing in this recipe?
Definitely. This might be a perfect recipe for using carrot pulp since the other ingredients add a lot of moistness to the muffins. Let me know how they turn out, Tamika!