Gingered Carrot Muffins

These spiced Carrot Muffins are flavored with fresh ginger, giving them a carrot cake-esque flavor. Make a big batch now to freeze for later!

Creating This Carrot Muffin Recipe

One of the best ways I’ve found to introduce new foods to my picky eater is by incorporating the new food into something I know he already likes. In this case: muffins.

I wanted to try carrots with him, so I adapted a previous picky-kid-approved muffin experiment into a new recipe. This way he is able to try a new food in a comfortable setting.

He instantly saw the carrots after the first bite and wasn’t too impressed with them, but it didn’t bother him enough to get upset.

I often don’t mention what the change is. Instead I simply ask, “Would you like a muffin?”

The answer is usually yes. If he asks what kind they are, I don’t try to hide it.

Luckily though, he often doesn’t ask until he’s already tried the muffin and has decided that it’s a winner. Then it’s just too late to bother making a big deal out of eating something he didn’t like.

If he doesn’t ask, then I’ll ask him how he liked the muffin and then tell him what special ingredient was in it. Often the response is, “Wow! I like carrots!”

Ingredients in Carrot Muffins

To make these whole wheat carrot muffins, you’ll need the following basic ingredients:

• All-purpose flour
• Whole wheat flour
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Carrots
• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Orange juice and zest
• Milk
• Fresh ginger

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Can Ground Ginger Be Substituted?

If you don’t want to run to the store just to buy some fresh ginger, you’re welcome to substitute it with ground ginger instead. Just note that the flavor won’t be quite the same.

To substitute the 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, use 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.

How to Make Ginger Carrot Muffins

These carrot ginger muffins require minimal prep work, and you can get them into the oven in about 10 minutes!

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugars, eggs, vanilla, orange zest and juice, milk, and grated ginger until well combined. Stir in the melted butter.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the all-purpose and wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix to combine well.
3. Add the grated carrot to the flour mixture and stir to coat and evenly distribute.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour and carrot mixture. Pour in the liquid mixture. Stir until combined and moistened.
5. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. Divide the batter evenly among cups.
6. Bake on the middle rack until the muffins are golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them.
7. Set on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and let them cool another 10 minutes.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

How to Store Muffins

STEP ONE: Transfer the baked muffins to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. If you store warm muffins, you’ll end up with a lot of excess moisture on your muffins due to condensation (and this causes them to go soggy AND mold).

STEP TWO: Place a sheet of paper towels on the bottom of a large, lidded storage container. You can also use gallon sized ziptop bags with a sheet of paper towel inside.

The paper towels will help absorb any excess moisture that is released from the muffins and help prevent them from becoming soggy.

STEP THREE: Transfer the muffins to the paper towel lined container or bag.

STEP FOUR: Lay another paper towel on top of the muffins.

Depending on how deep your container is, you may be able to fit more than one layer of muffins. In this case, repeat the process – always end with a paper towel on top of the last layer of muffins. A bag will likely fit only one layer.

STEP FIVE: Place the lid on the container (or zip the bag) and store at room temperature.

Tips for Making Carrot Muffins

• I recommend grating the carrots yourself rather than buying the pre-grated kind at the grocery store. Pre-grated carrots are often quite dry and don’t soften as well when baked in the muffins.
• I used fresh ginger in this fall muffin recipe, but you may substitute ground ginger in a pinch.
• Feel free to add other spices to the batter as well. I imagine ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and / or allspice would work well here.

More Easy Muffin Recipes:

These Gingerbread Cranberry Muffins are really easy to whip up on a weekend morning or for a lazy holiday breakfast. The sweetness of the gingerbread pairs really well with the tartness of the cranberries.

Pumpkin and chocolate make a great paring! Try them together in these easy Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins. These muffins are the ultimate fall breakfast!

These Dried Cherry Muffins are on the healthier side and are packed with cherries, grated zucchini, and topped with a streusel topping.

Studded with fresh blueberries and cubes of cream cheese, these Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins turn out perfectly moist and flavorful every time!

Apple Cranberry Muffins are packed with oats, fall spices, fresh cranberries, and shredded apples. They’re the perfect fall or Thanksgiving muffin recipe and are so easy to make!

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