These gluten free vegan carrot muffins are moist and soft, filled with grated carrots, chopped walnuts and sweetened naturally with maple syrup and banana. A tasty little snack for any time of day.

the insides of a muffin with specks of carrot through it

Why You'll Love This Recipe

These are moist and soft with a tad bit of gumminess from the oat flour, they're straight out of my list of plant based muffins.
Very filling, one muffin helps to keep me going for hours. I like to enjoy one at brekky time with a side of fruit.
Stores great in the fridge, making them an ideal grab-and-go snack
Very easy to make using readily available ingredients
Dietary friendly: vegan and gluten-free, refined sugar-free, corn free, soy free* (soy may be present in the type of milk you use)

Ingredients You'll Need

bowls of flour, walnuts, oil, brown syrup and carrot and banana laid out

The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.

Gluten free all-purpose flour, you can select your preferred blend, to be sifted into the batter to help make the muffin fluffier.

Oat flour is the main flour to provide the body of the muffins. This flour will also be sifted. Ensure that the oat flour used is certified gluten-free as some are processed in facilities that also handle gluten. This is the gluten free oat flour I like.

Carrots will be grated into the batter, when the muffins are baked, little bits of are scattered throughout the muffins making it obvious they are carrot muffins.

Walnuts are chopped into small pieces and baked within and on top of the muffins, they are some lovely crunch and texture.

Baking powder and baking soda, are the leavening agent to help these muffins rise and not be dense. Make sure these are also GF.

Neutral oil, only a couple of tablespoons are used. You can select your preferred type such as vegetable, canola, or sunflower.

Maple syrup and mashed ripe banana are the natural sweeteners and binders for this recipe.

Vanilla extract elevates all of the flavors.

Unsweetened dairy-free milk will be combined with some vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk (check out some tips from Sage Alpha Gal). Try making your own hemp seed milk to use in your baking.

Cinnamon and ginger for some delicious warming flavors. You can use as much of these spices as you like. I find half a teaspoon of each is perfect.

How to Make Gluten Free Vegan Carrot Muffins

Oven instructions and prepare a muffin pan. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180°C (356°F) and grease 8 cups in your non-stick muffin pan with some neutral oil. I used a muffin pan with cups that measure 7cm x 3cm / 3in x 1in.

Make the vegan buttermilk by combining the dairy-free milk and vinegar in a bowl and then setting it aside for 5-10 minutes.

Add the wet ingredients, mashed banana and the grated carrot into the bowl with the vegan buttermilk, and whisk until well combined.

Make the batter. Sift the gluten-free all-purpose flour, oat flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda into the wet mixture. Fold until all ingredients are combined to create a wet batter.

Crush the walnuts in a mortar and pestle, then fold them into the batter. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes.

Create the topping. Crush more walnuts in the mortar and pestle add a touch of maple syrup and combine them evenly ensuring all walnuts have some maple syrup on them.

Fill your muffin pan. Evenly distribute the batter into 8 muffin cups. Then distribute the topping evenly over each muffin. Using the back of a wet spoon, gently flatten each muffin, this will help to create rounder and even muffin tops.

Baking instructions. Bake the muffins for 19 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (a few crumbs is normal).

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

shredded carrots in a wet ingredients in a glass bowl

chopped walnuts in batter in a glass bowl

unbaked batter in 8 cups of a pink muffin tray

8 baked golden muffins topped with chopped walnuts in a pink muffin tray

Tips

When baking, I always recommend measuring your ingredients using a kitchen scale, this will ensure that you achieve exact results every time.

Letting the batter rest for 5 minutes helps create a fluffier muffin as the vinegar and the leavening agents react.

Bake your muffins in the center of your oven, where it is the hottest.

Once the muffins have completely cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Other Vegan Gluten Free Muffins To Try

Vegan banana pumpkin muffins are made with almond meal, savory zucchini muffins are also made with almond meal.

You might be interested to check out a list of vegan muffin recipes.

If you love ginger, check out this vegan gluten free gingerbread cookies recipe.

Or for some cake, try this vegan carrot cake.

Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

Recipe

Easy Vegan Carrot Muffins (Gluten Free)

These gluten free vegan carrot muffins are moist and soft filled with grated carrots, chopped walnuts and sweetened naturally with maple syrup and banana. A tasty little snack for any time of day.

Print Pin Rate Save Recipe

Course: Snack

Cuisine: Any

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 16

Total Time: 31

Servings: muffins

Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

80 g Gluten free All Purpose flour
130 g Oat flour
½ teaspoon Baking soda
¼ teaspoon Baking powder
½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon Ground ginger
35 g Walnuts crushed

Wet Ingredients

125 g Carrot grated
135 g Ripe banana mashed
80 ml Maple Syrup
90 ml Dairy free milk
1 teaspoon Vinegar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tbs Neutral oil + more for greasing muffin tray

Topping

35 g Walnuts crushed
½ teaspoon Maple syrup

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180°C (356°F) and grease 8 cups in your non-stick muffin pan with some neutral oil. I used a muffin pan with cups that measure 7cm x 3cm / 3in x 1in
Whisk the dairy-free milk and vinegar in a bowl and then setting it aside for 5-10 minutes. Add the other wet ingredients and the grated carrot into the bowl with the vegan buttermilk, and whisk until well combined
125 g Carrot, 135 g Ripe banana, 80 ml Maple Syrup, 90 ml Dairy free milk, 1 teaspoon Vinegar, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract, 2 tbs Neutral oil
Sift the gluten-free all-purpose flour, oat flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda into the wet mixture. Fold until all ingredients are combined to create a batter. Fold the walnuts into the batter. Then allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes. See note 1.
80 g Gluten free All Purpose flour, 130 g Oat flour, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, ¼ teaspoon Baking powder, ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Ground ginger, 35 g Walnuts
Create the topping by combining the crushed walnuts and maple syrup in a separate small bowl.
35 g Walnuts, ½ teaspoon Maple syrup
Fill your muffin pan. Evenly distribute the batter into 8 muffin cups. Then distribute the topping evenly over each muffin. Using the back of a wet spoon, gently flatten each muffin, this will help to create rounder and even muffin tops
Baking instructions. Bake the muffins for 19 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.