Happy Spring! San Antonio didn’t really get the memo and has jumped right into summer already. I can’t say that I miss the ugliness of early spring when the snow is melting and everything is brown though, so I’ll take it 😉 With spring comes Easter, and these Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins are a perfect addition to your Easter brunch spread!
If you’ve been with me for a while, you know how obsessed I am with making oatmeal muffins as part of my weekly meal prep. They are just so easy and delicious, and I have yet to get sick of eating them every morning.
What are Oatmeal Muffins?
They’re my favorite easy, healthy breakfast to meal prep! That’s why I have so many different recipes for them and they show up all the time in my meal plans. I love to eat them with a spoon in a bowl of almond milk, but I’ll also eat them on the go like a regular muffin.
Oatmeal muffins ARE NOT airy, bakery style muffins. You won’t find any flour or butter in these recipes. Oatmeal muffins ARE:
- Basically just amped up oatmeal baked into the shape of a muffin and held together with just a bit of egg and minimal amounts of sugar and fat.
- Heavier and more dense than regular muffins.
- A wholesome, fiber and protein-filled breakfast option that’s super easy to make ahead for the week!
If you want a breakfast prep option that’s a little more decadent, try my baked oatmeal recipes (hi, butter!) or one of my oat muffin recipes (hi, flour AND butter!) like this or this. Otherwise, bust out your silicone or parchment baking cups and hop on the oatmeal muffin bandwagon!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins recipe:
- Rolled oats – I love to see the whole oats in my oatmeal muffins, but don’t worry – they’re baked to perfect tenderness! Other types of oats like quick oats or steel cut oats will behave differently, so I don’t recommend swapping this ingredient.
- Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer! I used almond milk, which doesn’t have a strong flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a really strong flavor or are overly sweet – I’d stay away from those in this recipe.
- Applesauce – Adds volume, sweetness, and moisture without watering the muffin batter down. Runny muffin batter will lead to totally flat muffins, which no one wants.
- Eggs – These are the glue that bring the dough together and add a bit of protein too.
- Protein powder – I used a plant based protein powder for this recipe, but you could also use a whey/casein blend. I actually think the plant based gives the best results with this recipe – muffins made with whey/casein get really browned and flat on top.
- Baking powder – This gives the muffins a good rise as they cook, plus helps add air in the final muffins, meaning they’re less dense.
- Baking soda – This helps the muffins rise much like the baking powder, but it also helps them get that beautiful golden brown color.
- Carrots – Be sure to finely grate the carrots so you don’t end up with big crunchy bits in your muffins!
- Raisins – Technically these are optional because I know some of you don’t like raisins in carrot cake, but I think these add a great pop of sweetness to the muffins. Chopped dates would be a great substitution if you prefer.
- Brown sugar – I’ve tested this recipe with both brown sugar and maple syrup and preferred the brown sugar because it resulted in a a slightly more tender muffin.
- Coconut oil – Adds some much needed fat to the muffins, keeping them from being too dense. Melted butter will do the trick too!
- Vanilla extract – Like salt in a savory dish, a little vanilla amps up the flavors of these muffins.
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Carrot Cake Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups rolled oats, (227 grams)
- 2 scoops PEScience Select Vegan Plant Based Protein Powder, Vanilla Indulgence, (60 grams)
- 1/2 cup raisins, (80 grams)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, (244 grams)
- 1 cup grated carrots, (122 grams)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, (4 fl oz)
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, (48 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted, (30 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/4 cup chopped pecans for topping
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°F. Line jumbo muffin tins with 7 parchment muffin liners and set aside.
- In a small to medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted, and 1 tsp vanilla extract until well combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups rolled oats, 2 scoops PEScience Select Vegan Plant Based Protein Powder, Vanilla Indulgence, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp salt. Once mixed, add 1 cup grated carrots and stir until the carrots are evenly distributed in the dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Divide batter evenly into 7 muffin liners. If desired, top with chopped pecans. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then lower heat to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes (leave the muffins in the oven the entire time as the temperature adjusts).
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information
