Today I'm revisiting one of our lunch-box favorites! - Vegan Carrot Muffins. In the grand scheme of things I don't have as much time in the kitchen as I would like, so I tend to try new things more often than I go back and remake the same recipes over and over. Especially things like muffins. Muffins are easy to change up and try out new combinations. But this recipe is one the kids request all.the.time. They taste like carrot cake and are nut-safe so the kids can take them to school - which they like. And they are vegan - which I like. And... well, carrot cake. If there was ever a good reason to bake, it's carrot cake.
The first time I posted this recipe it was three years ago and this guy was starting Senior Kindergarten. He just turned 9 last month and sent me a text message from his ipod.. from school. This was a first and it was the cutest thing ever and then I remembered he is not this kid anymore... he's nine, and growing, and... still wearing breakfast on his shirt 3 out of 5 days a week.
We are in back to school mode around here and for Gav and he is now going to school ever-y-day. Which should be fine, better even. But every day for Gav is feeling like a monumental ordeal for me. The lazy me was okay with leaving one of the school bags unpack, notes from the teacher unread and unanswered. Letting one of my kids sleep in from time to time. Less lunches and fewer baths.I refuse to send him to school in a state of complete little boy grubbiness more than two days in a row. Anything more than that, and the teachers may think I don't bath him at all. But it's hard to keep this kid clean. When the teachers only saw him every other day, I figured they wouldn't notice that he had the same smuggy dirt spot on his right cheek. But this year is different, they will notice. There is just too much pressure to keep this dirty, grubby little boy clean.
These Carrot muffins made it into the lunches this week. A tremendous hit with the kids. And i really like that they are full of carrots. Packing these in his lunch is at least making me feel like I'm somewhat "together". Sure his shirt is dirty and he needs a haircut - but those are homemade muffins in his lunch-box. And they are actually healthy ones.
Vegan Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour 1 cup all purpose +1 cup whole wheat all purpose
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1-½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup carrots finely grated (2-3 large carrots)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds plus 2 tablespoons for topping
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons soy milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 large banana mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Line 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners, spray liners lightly with cooking spray and preheat oven to 375.
- In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Add carrots, seeds and raisins to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- In a small bowl combine soy milk, mashed banana, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth. Add wet ingredients to the carrot mixture and stir until just combined.
- Fill muffin cups ¾ full with batter. Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a few sunflower seeds.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
the bear and the blackberry says
Sometimes you just have to spill some breakfast on your shirt to show how good it was! ; )
infinebalance says
hehehe - absolutely!
Tara says
I was getting ready to make this recipe for my girls this afternoon and just realized that in the instructions you mention mixing in maple syrup, but there is no maple syrup amount specified in the ingredients list! I'm going to go all in and try to figure it out on the fly, but if you get this in the next 15 or 20 minutes, let me know! THanks!
infinebalance says
My apologies! Bad editing on my end. 1/4 cup of maple syrup.
Tara says
oops. I guessed at 2 Tbsp. It all turned out great, though! Thanks for the recipe! My egg-allergic 2 year old thanks you!
infinebalance says
That is great to hear! I like less sweet, sometimes it's better that way
Cassie | Crumb Kitchen says
Ahhh this is so great! I love carrot muffins but also am lactose-intolerant. These will make the perfect breakfast treat for my boyfriend and I. Thanks! 🙂
Taylor @ The Girl on Bloor says
Mmm I love carrot muffins - I love that you used natural sweeteners like cinnamon and maple syrup too!
suki says
I am a vegetarian 😉 and cant take eggs 😉 so muffins like this makes me drool!
Brittany at I Love Vegan says
Oh these sounds delightful! It's been far too long since I last made muffins and I LOVE carrot cake so these are just perfect. Thanks for the recipe! 😀