Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins

These Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins bring bakery-style spice, tender crumb, and a crunchy streusel to your morning. This simple one-bowl recipe bakes up tall, moist muffins with an cream-cheese glaze.

Notes on ingredients

Wet ingredients notes
Use light brown sugar for a deeper “carrot cake” flavor and extra moisture compared to white sugar. Pairing it with maple syrup adds sweetness plus tenderness, so avoid cutting both at once or the muffins can bake up dry.

Choose a neutral-tasting oil (avocado, vegetable, or light olive oil) to keep the crumb soft. Use any milk you like (dairy or nondairy), and keep it at room temp so it blends smoothly with the eggs.

Eggs give the best lift and structure, so keep them large. Vinegar (apple cider works great) reacts with baking soda for a better rise, and applesauce adds moisture without making the batter oily.

That “1 teaspoon” in your wet list works best as vanilla extract for classic carrot-cake flavor.

Dry ingredients notes
Use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the easiest, most consistent results. Measure it by spooning into the cup and leveling, because packed flour makes gluten-free muffins dense and dry.

Blanched almond flour makes the muffins richer and more cake-like. If you need a swap, you’ll usually have to adjust the flour amounts (almond flour doesn’t absorb liquid the same way as GF flour).

Use fresh leaveners (baking powder + baking soda) for a strong dome. The spice mix (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves) creates that signature carrot cake taste, so don’t skip it.

Grate carrots finely so they soften into the crumb, and chop walnuts small so they don’t weigh the batter down.

Streusel notes
Use softened butter (or refined coconut oil) so it mixes into crumbs instead of melting into paste. Keep the streusel on the dry side; if it looks greasy or clumpy, add a little more gluten-free flour until it feels crumbly.

Sprinkle more streusel than you think you need because it spreads and separates as it bakes.

Cream cheese glaze notes
Use plain cream cheese for a tangy finish that balances the sweet muffins. Stir in maple syrup a little at a time so you can control thickness (2 tablespoons for a thicker, 3 for a looser drizzle).

How to Make These Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins

Heat the oven to 425°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.

Peel and roughly chop the carrots, then pulse in a food processor until finely shredded.

Whisk all wet ingredients in a large bowl until smooth and fully blended.

Add the dry ingredients (leave out the carrots and walnuts for now) and stir with a wooden spoon just until you don’t see dry streaks; spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping.

Gently fold in the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts until evenly distributed; keep the batter thick, since that helps you get taller muffin tops.

Scoop the batter into the lined pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full.

Make the streusel: add softened butter (or coconut oil), gluten-free flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a small bowl and mix until you get dry, crumbly clumps; if it feels greasy or wet, mix in a touch more flour.

Sprinkle the streusel generously over each muffin (use more than you think you need).

Bake for 2 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven to 350°F and bake 16–20 minutes more; start checking at 16 minutes and pull them when a toothpick comes out clean (add time in 2-minute increments if needed).

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Whisk the cream cheese with maple syrup until drizzle-ready, then spoon or drizzle it over the cooled muffins.

Ingredient swaps

EGGS: You can make these egg-free with a vegan option, but plan on a heavier crumb and less lift than you’ll get with eggs. Use flax eggs or a packaged egg replacer (Bob’s Red Mill works well) when you want the closest result.

SUGAR: I don’t recommend swapping maple syrup for honey in these muffins. Maple syrup adds more moisture and bakes up a fluffier texture, while honey thickens the batter; if honey is your only option, reduce the bake time by about 1–2 minutes.

CARROTS: Freshly grated carrots give you better flavor and a softer, more “carrot cake” texture than pre-shredded carrots. You can use store-bought grated carrots in a pinch, but grab a food processor or box grater if you want the best crumb.
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FLOUR: To make the recipe nut-free, replace the 1 cup almond flour with an extra 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour. If you don’t need gluten-free muffins, swap the gluten-free all-purpose flour for regular all-purpose flour.

How to store

Store unglazed muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate up to 5 days, but let muffins come to room temp before serving for the softest crumb.

Freeze (unglazed) muffins up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter, then add the glaze fresh for the best texture.

More gluten-free muffins to make ASAP!

• Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten Free Blueberry Streusel Muffins (Bakery-Style)
• Gluten-Free Crumb Cake Muffins
• Gluten Free English Muffins

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