I like to make these chocolate carrot muffins when I’m craving cozy homemade muffins. In less than 45 minutes, my kitchen smells amazing and I can have soft carrot muffins filled with chocolate and wanuts. They’re so easy to make at home without a mixer, and they remind me something straight out a bakery! I can’t wait to show you how to make this delicious breakfast treat!
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Muffins are always my go-to when I grab breakfast from a coffee shop. These chocolate and carrot muffins are even better because they’re homemade! They always feel a little bit special thanks to fresh carrots and warm spices.
Carrots give these muffins an earthy, sweet flavor like my carrot scones. I love how moist and naturally sweet carrots make muffins. This recipe’s adapted from my carrot cake loaf.
Dark chocolate and crunchy walnuts make these soft carrot muffins extra yummy to bite into! If you love the combination of chocolate and carrots, be sure to make this carrot chocolate cake too!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re ready in about 30 minutes – from mixing bowl to straight out of the oven, they come together fast! You’ll can mix these homemade walnut carrot muffins up by hand. They take less than 45 minutes from start to finish, just like my chocolate chip banana bread muffins.
- Perfect anytime treat – these muffins are perfect to make for a brunch, pack in a lunchbox, or set out for guests. They’re an easy, delicious breakfast recipes to have in your rotation along with this carrot coffee cake recipe!
- Packed with carrot cake flavor – fresh carrots and warm spices make every bite full of cozy carrot cake flavor just like this recipe for mini carrot cake.
- Best add-ins- dark chocolate and toasted walnuts make them extra yummy to bite into!
Ingredient Notes
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients.
- Oil makes this cake super moist! Use olive oil, vegetable, or canola oil.
- We’re using a combination of graulated sugar and light or dark brown sugar. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh.
- Use 2 large, room temperature eggs.
- The batter is flavored with a combination of ground cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s deliciously spiced just like my spiced banana cake.
- Use 2-3 medium carrots for 1 1/2 cups of shredded carrots. Grate the carrots on the small holes of a box grater. Finely grated carrots disperse more evenly into the batter than coarsely grated. If you’re a huge carrot cake fan, make sure to try my carrot cake cookies recipe and carrot cake and cheesecake recipe.
- Unsweetened applesauce keeps muffins moist.
- I prefer to use chopped chocolate such as Lindt 70% dark chocolate just like in these banana chocolate chunk muffins!
- Walnuts: Walnuts add add extra flavor and crunch to these carrot and walnut muffin recipe. I recommend toasting the nuts to make them extra crunchy and delicious. Toast the nuts first before chopping them.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Don’t have applesauce? You can swap in shredded apple like in these moist carrot cake cupcakes. You could also use sour cream or buttermilk in place of applesauce.
- Like them more warmly spiced? Increase the cinnamon to around 2 teaspoons and add around 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon allspice!
- Not a fan of walnuts? Use pecans, pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts instead.
- Want to use chocolate chips? Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips both work.
- I haven’t tested a gluten free version of this recipe yet. Most of my recipes can be made gluten free using a 1:1 gluten free flour.
How to Make Carrot Chocolate Chip Muffins
Quick Video Recap
Instructions
Step 1: (See photo 1 above). Toast the walnuts (optional) in the oven at 350 F for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool then coarsely chop. Peel then finely shred the carrots using the small shredder side of a box grater. Chop the chocolate.
Step 2: (See photo 2 above). Whisk together the oil, eggs, sugars, applesauce, and vanilla.
Step 3: (See photo 3 above). Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients til just combined.
Step 4: (See photo 4 above). Stir in the carrots, chopped chocolate and walnuts (reserve a little of the the nuts and chocolate for topping).
Step 5: (See photo 5 above). Fill each muffin cup to almost full with batter. Top each muffin with some chopped walnuts and chopped chocolate.
Step 6: (See photo 6 above). Bake 18-21 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes then remove from pan. Set muffins on a wire rack to cool.
Expert Tips
- Fill the muffin cups to the top. I use an ice cream scoop to do this because it’ll give you same sized muffins and makes scooping the batter a little less messy.
- Avoid overmixing. Fold in the dry ingredients, carrots and add-ins until just combined.
- Grate your own carrots. Store-bought shredded carrots are very dry compared to freshly grated carrots.
- Use the small holes of a box grater or use a food processor to finely grate the carrots. Finely grated carrots blend into the batter more easily. They give the muffins a smoother texture and help them stay moist.
- Toast your walnuts! You can toss them on a tray in the oven while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Toasting them really enhances their crunchy texture and flavor!
Recipe FAQs
It takes about 2.5 medium carrots for 1.5 cups of shredded carrots.
The best way to grate (or shred) carrots for carrot cake is to use the small shredding side of a box grater. This gives you finely shreded carrots that disperse evenly throughout the batter. Another reason for using a box grater it doesn’t require you to wash a ton of equipment.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. After that, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them sit at room temperature for about an hour to defrost, or microwave them for 20-30 seconds.
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Chocolate Carrot Muffins
Ingredients
- 1⅔ cups (208 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup (118 ml) cooking oil extra virgin olive oil, canola or vegetable
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (81 g) unsweetened applesauce or shredded apple
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1½ cups (200 g) shredded carrots 2-3 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 6 ounces (170 g) dark chocolate chopped, divided
- ½ cup (58 g) chopped walnuts toasted, divided (see insturctions below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- Toasting the walnuts is optional, but recommended. Spread walnuts on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes til nuts smell toasty. Once nuts are cool enough to handle, coarsely chop them and set aside.
- Chop the chocolate. Spoon about 1-2 tablespoons each of chopped walnuts and chopped chocolate into a small bowl. Set that aside to be used as a topping.
- Peel the carrots. Finely shred the carrots using the small shredder side of a box grater. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, sugars, applesauce or sour cream, and vanilla until no lumps of brown sugar remain.
- Use a spatula to stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients til just combined and just a few streaks of flour remain. Make sure not to stir anymore than needed. Stir in the carrots until just combined then stir in the chopped chocolate and walnuts (except for the nuts and chocolate you reserved for the topping. Again, do not overmix.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill each muffin cup to almost full to the top with batter. Top each muffin with a little of the chopped walnuts and chopped chocolate.
- Bake for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a muffin.
- Place pan on a wire rack. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove from pan. Set muffins on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Sonia F
The best muffins recipe I ever made! Delicious and everyone loved them … Will make them again.
Natalie Ward
I’m so happy to hear that, Sonia! Thanks so much for making these muffins 🙂
Luna T
Love it! These muffins taste AMAZING. I’m not usually a big fan of carrot muffins or carrot cake, but this completely changed my mind. The dark chocolate adds such a rich, delicious depth of flavor that takes them to a whole new level. I’ll definitely be making these again!
Natalie Ward
Hi Luna, So happy you loved these muffins! I love that they turned into you a carrot cake fan, too! hehe Thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂
Chris
These out‑of‑this‑world muffins burst with decadent chunks of nut and rich chocolate, all uplifted by a subtle, warm hint of carrot that makes every bite unexpectedly delightful.
Natalie Ward
Hi Chris! I’m so happy you enjoyed these muffins. Thanks for leaving a review. I appreciate it so much!🙂
Aubrey MacMillan
These were a big hit at the office today! The chocolate and carrot is an unlikely pairing, but it totally works!
Natalie Ward
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Aubrey! 🙂
Maddy
I recently made these! Turned out delicious and everyone loved them.
Thank you for another great recipe
Natalie
Hey Maddy, Awesome! I’m so happy these muffins were a big hit! Thank you so much for making them 🙂