Made with oats, these healthy Carrot Cake Muffins make a delicious grab-and-go breakfast or snack to fuel you. Vegan and gluten-free!

Another classic Emilie Eats recipe upgraded with better photos! These carrot cake muffins have been a reader favorite almost since the day I published them in September 2015.

I remember one of the first reader comments I got on the blog was on this recipe – it was a mom who had made these muffins as cupcakes for her little kid’s birthday. I swear my heart exploded that day, and at that moment I understand how fulfilling it is to know that your recipes make people happy.

What I love about these vegan carrot cake muffins is how fast and easy it is to whip them up. If you’re reading this in April 2020, you know that we’re all at home more right now and cooking with what we have in the pantry. These vegan muffins come together with very basic pantry staples like oats, flax, applesauce, and oil.

How to Make Vegan Carrot Cake Muffins

You need really basic, staple ingredients for these carrot cake muffins.

First, start with the dry ingredients. Oat flour (made from blended up oats), oats, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Couldn’t be simpler!

Next, the wet ingredients: ground flax seeds (a staple in vegan baking), applesauce, oil, non-dairy milk, sugar, and vanilla.

Finally, we have our fun and flavorful add-ins. Of course, you need carrots for these carrot cake muffins. I also like to add walnuts and raisins. Shredded coconut or pecans would also be delicious!

How Long To Bake Carrot Cake Muffins

Here is my secret to getting vegan muffins to actually rise during baking and not be flat hockey pucks: bake them at a high temperature (425ºF) for a 7 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375ºF and continue baking for 20 minutes.

The initial high temperature will cause these carrot cake muffins to rise extra high. Then the lower baking temperature for the rest of the bake will ensure that the inside of the muffins are cooked through.

Looking for more muffin recipes? Try one of these next!