Low Sugar Carrot & Apple Spelt Flour Muffins
I’ve been making a lot of muffins lately. They are just such a simple thing to make, can be made low in sugar and sweeteners much more easily than cupcakes, are a perfect grab-and-go breakfast, filling snack, great lunchbox filler or even a weeknight dessert.
I love that muffins are usually a one-bowl made-in-minutes kind of recipe, and that they can easily hide extra vegetables or other nutritious ingredients behind a not-so-virtuous looking cupcake like package.
These particular ones are low in sugar, gluten and dairy (with options to make them sugar, gluten and dairy free). They are wholegrain, super easy to make, and excellent for batch-baking and freezing. Just wait for them to cool down completely and then freeze for up to 3 months and defrost overnight or carefully in the microwave before eating or sticking in a lunchbox.
These carrot apple muffins are soft, fluffy, light and delicious. I’ve made them 3 weeks in a row, they are just too good not to! I hope you will love them just as much.
Light, fluffy, soft and sweet, these muffins are really simple to make, easy to batch-bake and freeze, and taste wonderful. They are low in gluten and sugar, and dairy free, and even contain some veg.
- 300 g (2 cups) wholegrain (or white) spelt flour (see notes for gluten free option)*
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrot (about 3 small-medium carrots - approx 175-200g worth)
- 1/2 cup grated apple (about 1 apple - approx 100g)
- 50 g (1/2 cup) roughly chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil (NOT extra virgin) or melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons rice syrup or raw organic honey**
- 2 drops liquid stevia, optional
- 125 g (1/2 cup) yogurt (dairy or coconut)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon sugar free vanilla extract, optional
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Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Grease or line a 12-hole muffin tin with cases.
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Mix together the dry ingredients (except the nuts) in a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until just combined (better to have a couple of flecks of flour and not over-mix than no flecks and have it come out dry). Stir through the chopped nuts, if using.
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Spoon the batter into the muffin tin or cases, filling each about 2/3 of the way. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffins comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving warm or cold. They are particularly yummy served with a dollop of dairy or coconut yogurt, but are super soft so plain is fine, too!
* for gluten free, try subbing 2-3 cups (200-300g) of a good gluten free flour blend like this one
**rice syrup makes these fructose free, while honey doesn't - both count as free sugars but each muffin only works out as less than 1/2 teaspoon free sugar. For a completely sugar free muffin, feel free to leave the syrup out, or just use the stevia. A tablespoon of xylitol could work here, too.
Love this recipe! If I used oat flour instead, would it be the same ratio (2 cups)?
Thanks!
In the notes I specify 2-3 cups of a gluten free flour blend (I would use 2 cups, but add a little more if the batter looks thin – up to about 2 1/2 cups and certainly shouldn’t need more than 3). I haven’t tested it with just oat flour (I make my own gluten free blend that uses rice flour, oat flour, arrowroot and potato starch (https://addsomeveg.com/my-go-to-gluten-free-flour-blend/)), so it could work, but I’m not 100% sure. You could definitely give it a go – I’ve seen muffins made with just oat flour before. If you do, I would do the same as with the GF flour – start with 2 cups and use up to an extra 1/2-1 cup if needed until the batter is thick enough to resemble muffin batter! 🙂
Pleasant. For a low sugar alternative muffin these are ok. Would be great with softened cream cheese mixed with a little grated orange rind.
I’m glad you enjoyed them Jayne. They are definitely nice with yogurt or cream cheese. They are not a super sweet muffin, but if you are happy adding some sugar or sweetener you are of course welcome to to make them sweeter. 🙂
I actually loved these!
I’m following the blood-type diet and can’t have cinnamon, so substituted it for cardamom with some orange peel and about 1.5 tbsp orange juice.
Delicious! Thank you 😊
Glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 What great ideas for subs, I’ll have to try that.