Fluffy Vegan Carrot Ginger Muffins (with Fresh Ginger)

Moist, fluffy vegan carrot ginger muffins that are perfectly spiced and made with freshly grated ginger for the best flavour! These quick and easy muffins are ideal for enjoying at breakfast time or for snacks throughout the day.

You can make them plain or customize them with your favourite add-ins. They're easy to make, dairy-free, egg-free, and can be made gluten-free if needed.

Just in case you haven't noticed while browsing around here, I love muffins. I love testing new recipes, making them, and of course, eating them!

These vegan carrot ginger muffins are no exception. This particular muffin recipe offers a refreshing change from the usual muffins you see everywhere. You likely won’t find this flavour at your local bakery or grocery store, but honestly, it should be everywhere because it’s just that good!

The carrots mixed with fresh ginger and spices, plus an optional add-in you can customize, make this recipe special. I hope it will make it onto your vegan baking rotation list.

Ingredients You'll Need

Ingredient and Substitution Notes

Flour - You'll need to use all-purpose white flour for this recipe.

Make it gluten-free: Use Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend in the RED bag for vegan gluten-free carrot ginger muffins. Any other single gluten-free flour on its own, like almond, oat, or coconut flour, will NOT work, it must be this specific blend to get the same results I do. The vegan gluten-free version requires a shorter baking time, see the notes in the recipe below.

NOTE: To ensure your muffins turn out perfectly, it's important to measure your flour accurately. Check out this article "How to Measure Flour Correctly" before you start baking.

Shredded Carrots – For the best results, use freshly grated carrots. Finely grate them using the smallest holes on a box grater or the finest shredding blade on your food processor. While it might be tempting to take a shortcut, avoid using pre-grated or matchstick carrots from the store. These tend to be too dry since they've lost a lot of moisture, which is essential for this recipe.

Sugar – You can use either brown sugar or coconut sugar, but take note that each requires a different amount. I haven't tested this recipe with any liquid sweeteners or sugar alternatives.

Applesauce - Use unsweetened, plain applesauce. It helps keep the muffins moist while also replacing some of the oil.

Oil - Use a neutral-flavoured vegetable oil such as refined avocado, safflower, or sunflower oil. Melted coconut oil is another option, but make sure the other ingredients are at room temperature to prevent it from solidifying. I haven’t tested this recipe without oil.

Flax Eggs – This recipe is made without eggs, so ground flax seeds and water are used to make a vegan egg replacement. If you don't have or can't have flax, you can make chia eggs using the same method as the flax eggs, the chia seeds do not need to be ground to make chia eggs.

Spices – The spices are important for giving the muffins much of their flavour, I don't recommend leaving any of them out.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda - Ensure both are fresh, they're essential for the muffins to rise and have the proper texture.

Salt and Vanilla - A little of each is needed to enhance the flavour.

Freshly Grated Ginger - Don't skip this ingredient! The recipe also calls for ground ginger, but that is not enough to give the muffins the extra punch of ginger flavour they need. Fresh ginger is necessary to do that.

Additional Add-In (Optional) - If you'd like, you can fold in a ½ cup of your favourite add-in to the mixed batter. I have tried several different ones such as dried currants (that's what I used in the muffins you see in the pictures), raisins, chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans), seeds, or another chopped dried fruit.

How to Make Them

(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)

After the muffins have rested in the pan for a few minutes, carefully remove and transfer each of them to a cooling rack.

Enjoy them warm or fully cooled with a glass of your favourite plant milk, tea, coffee, a homemade latte or hot chocolate.

Storing and Freezing

Store the fully cooled muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to four days.

Freezing

Once cooled, wrap each one individually, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to two months.

When you're ready, thaw them at room temperature and warm them slightly before serving, if you like.

Tips for Success

• Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily.
• Measure your ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a scale (this is the one I have) and my weight measurements. Please read my article about how to measure flour correctly.
• Avoid using store-bought shredded carrots, instead, start with fresh carrots, then peel and shred them yourself. Pre-shredded carrots lack moisture and won't work well in this recipe.
• Don't skip the freshly grated ginger. This recipe also calls for dried ginger, but that alone will not give the muffins enough ginger flavour.
• Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. If they aren't fresh, your muffins will not rise properly and will have a dense texture.
• Use a trigger ice cream scoop to distribute the batter into the muffin pan. This ensures that each muffin will be nearly identical in size and will finish baking simultaneously.
• Take extra care not to over-bake or your muffins will dry out and be crumbly.
• Read this post from top to bottom before you start. I’ve shared many tips throughout so you get everything right. Also, read through the full recipe before getting started.
• Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.

If You Make This Recipe...

I'd love to know! Please leave me a comment and rating below. If you're on Instagram, you can also share a picture and tag me so I can see it! (I’m @delightfuladventures on Instagram!)

If You Like This Recipe...

Then try one of these next!

• Vegan Applesauce Muffins
• Vegan Carrot Muffins
• Vegan Carrot Coconut Muffins
• Vegan Morning Glory Muffins