Vegan Carrot Muffins for Two

If you love an accidentally vegan, small-batch baking recipe, look no further than these Carrot Muffins for Two! They are sweet but not-too-sweet, stacked with a ginger sugar topping, and are perfect for either a sweet night cap or a delicious mini breakfast. I love a single-serve dessert, but I love it even more when it makes a single-serving carrot muffin for NOW, plus a single-serve carrot muffin for Iater.

These small-batch carrot ginger muffins are accidentally vegan, but that’s what makes them so moist and so delicious. A flax egg and coconut oil combination make them soft and dense, but somehow still just the right level of fluffy with a *crisp* top. It’s nothing short of my favorite carrot muffin on the internet. And even though they are small-batch, dare I say the best carrot muffins on the internet?

What can I say? I LOVE A MUFFIN.

What makes carrot muffins so moist?

What I love about an “accidentally vegan” baked good is that they are SUPREMELY moist. And that’s for a few reasons!

1. Flax Egg – Flax egg is a combination of flax meal and water that turns gel-like. It’s a common substitute for eggs in vegan baking, but unlike a regular egg, it only combines ingredients, it does not expand. Eggs expand and give a baked good structure, but they also add aeration, meaning a baked good is not as dense. If the recipe is properly balanced, a flax egg will make the recipe just a touch denser (but in a good way!). And that’s exactly the reason why these carrot muffins are so moist! The don’t have as much lift as a regular baked good.
2. Coconut Oil – I love baking with coconut oil! When you melt it, it’s such a sneaky ingredient that gives you a luxe and delicate crumb. The coconut oil perfectly melts with the carrot in these muffins to make a very moist interior.
3. Carrot – this one is big duh, but the finer you grate your carrots, the more moist your carrot muffins will be! It’s my favorite hack. I like to use a microplane to get them as fine as possible, so my batter is as moist as possible!

The ingredients you will need to make vegan carrot muffins

Here is everything you will need to make two carrot muffins (one for you…and one for you!):

For the small-batch carrot muffins

• 1 tablespoon flax meal, 12 grams / 0.35 ounces
• 3 tablespoons cool water, 44 grams / 1.5 ounces
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon refined coconut oil, 20 grams / 0.7 ounce
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, 34 grams / 1.2 ounces
• 2 tablespoons plant based milk, 28 grams / 1 ounce
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 60 grams carrots, about 2 small carrots
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 60 grams / 2 ounces
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the ginger sugar

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

How to make small-batch carrot muffins

Now that you have all your ingredients, you’re going to need one bowl (maybe a small dish to the side), and you’re good to go!

To make these vegan muffins, follow these steps:

• Whisk together the flax meal and cool water. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Melt the 20 grams of coconut oil and set aside.
• When the flax meal mixture is thick, add the 34 grams of dark brown sugar, the 28 grams of plant-based milk, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, the melted coconut oil and mix. Grate in the 60 grams of carrots and stir again.
• Then add the 60 grams of all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix again.
• Transfer this batter into two parchment-lined muffin tins.
• In a small bowl to the side, press the ginger and turbinado sugar together with your fingers until it is very fragrant. Evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar onto the tops of each muffin.
• Bake the muffins for 18-24 minutes at 375°F, or until they are domed and you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.

Can I make another type of sugar topping for these muffins?

Of course! If ginger sugar is not your thing (see the instructions to understand what I’m talking about), you can also zest in some orange zest and instead of ginger and make an orange sugar. You can also mix cinnamon and turbinado sugar together and keep is simple with a cinnamon sugar. Both are great options!

How can I make this recipe into more muffins?

Baking is an exact science, so I can’t say you can increase all the measurements by six times and get a perfect dozen of muffins.

However, if you want six muffins, you can easily triple the recipe. No need to change anything! It’s only when you get past tripling the recipe that things will get wonky. Use the slider tool in the recipe box to increase the values for you!

What are the best way to store these vegan carrot cake muffins?

My number one rule when storing a baked good is first, put it in an air-tight container. This can be a ziploc bag or a tupperware, but as long as it’s sealed – you’re good.

If you plan to eat these muffins within the day, they can stay on the counter. If you plan to eat them within the week, you can keep them in the fridge and gently reheat them in the microwave with a damp paper towel over them. If you plan to keep them much longer, please freeze them. The will keep in the freezer for up to six months. When it is time to eat them, leave them in the fridge until they are thawed (if you have the time!) or gently reheat them in the oven or microwave.

Could I make these vegan small-batch muffins with something besides carrot?

You know I love a good substitute! All baked goods are fincky, but this recipe is forgiving. While you can’t swap in anything, there are a few things I think would be fine substitutes:

• Freshly grated apple
• Freshly grated underipe pears
• Mashed banana
• Freshly grated parsnips
• Freshly grated sweet potato

Make sure to use the weight value in the recipe, and these swaps should be golden!

Why does this recipe use grams?

Baking is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this brown butter banana bread recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this particular recipe!

Looking for similar recipes?

Here are a few other small-bakes or carrot-bakes that I love from the blog!

Single Serving Levain Cookie Recipe | Vegan

This was one of my most HIGHLY requested cookie recipes. And it is the best levain cookie recipe you'll find on the internet, because it is a single serving, easy to make, plus you only need one-bowl and a fork to whip it up. Bonus points because it is vegan for all my plant-based bbs! It takes only 15 minutes to make the most decadent, shareable and crave-able dessert, the perfect Levain copycat recipe!

Check out this recipe

Apple Oat Pancakes

This recipe has been updated from its 2020 version, but it is still one of my all-time favorite breakfasts. It's incredibly minimal, but still turns out supremely delicious. Instead of having your two eggs, oatmeal and a side of fruit, maybe take the chance and turn that into pancakes! This recipe is filling, healthy, wholesome, and has a subtle sweetness that doesn't read as overtly "apple-y," but instead like a classic pancake batter.

Check out this recipe

Salted Date & Brown Butter Carrot Bread

One of my most famous recipes is my brown butter banana bread, but now it’s time for carrot bread to get the same treatment. This carrot loaf with salty cardamom dates and not-too-sweet cream cheese icing is a secret-weapon dessert. Meaning: it’s super easy and remarkably impressive. Plus, you can skip the icing and call it breakfast, or use it for an extra decadent dessert.

Check out this recipe

And that’s it for these Carrot Muffins for Two!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Carrot Muffins for Two

5 from 2 votes

If you are ever looking for plant-based single-serve carrot muffin recipe, I suggest you try this one out so you can have your single serving…but then a leftover muffin for later. Because one carrot muffin is simply not enough. This recipe can flex between breakfast and dessert, and is lightly sweet while still being moist and delicious. The ginger sugar on top is a must!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:16 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American, Fusion

Keyword: carrot muffin, muffins, single serve dessert, small batch carrot muffin, small batch recipe

Servings: 2 muffins

Equipment

• 1 Whisk
• 1 standard-sized muffin tin
• 1 rasp-style grater

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon flax meal 12 grams / 0.35 ounces
• 3 tablespoons cool water 44 grams / 1.5 ounces
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon refined coconut oil 20 grams / 0.7 ounce
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 34 grams / 1.2 ounces
• 2 tablespoons plant based milk 28 grams / 1 ounce
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 60 grams carrots about 2 small carrots
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour 60 grams / 2 ounces
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the ginger sugar

• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Instructions

• Whisk together the flax meal and cool water. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Melt the 20 grams of coconut oil and set aside.
• When the flax meal mixture is thick, add the 34 grams of dark brown sugar, the 28 grams of plant-based milk, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, the melted coconut oil and mix. Grate in the 60 grams of carrots and stir again.
• Then add the 60 grams of all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix again.
• Transfer this batter into two parchment-lined muffin tins.
• In a small bowl to the side, press the ginger and turbinado sugar together with your fingers until it is very fragrant. Evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar onto the tops of each muffin.
• Bake the muffins for 18-24 minutes at 375°F, or until they are domed and you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.