Healthy Pumpkin Carrot Pecan Muffins
Hi!
Don’t hate me–but I caught the pumpkin bug ahead of schedule. My plan was to resist posting any pumpkin recipes for at least a few more weeks (you know, until the weather dipped below 80 degrees) but then you left all of those amazing comments the other day about cozy sweaters, changing leaves, crisp air, boots, and well…pumpkin.
And, and! I went to Whole Foods the other day and they already had the pumpkin displays ! How do I buy all the pumpkins? No, really, how do I?
I stood there taking pictures with my phone for at least five minutes. I secretly wish we were getting married in the fall just so I could use pumpkins at the wedding. Wah.
I know this sounds odd, but I have this bizarre infatuation for the ugly pumpkins. Like, the uglier the better.
I’m pretty sure you know the ones I’m talking about and they are ugly. Ugly in a beautiful way. Mottled and warty and wonderful.
I want them all. I probably shouldn’t have just used the word ‘warty’ and ‘mottled’ in a post about pumpkin muffins. Forgive me.
So, I was teetering on the pumpkin abyss (trying my hardest to resist), and then I saw those pumpkins and fell hard. Except, I have an amazing summer-ish recipe that I will be sharing next week, so if you’re living in a place where its currently a million degrees outside and you can’t stand the thought of pumpkin or anything fall-related, don’t fret.
Either way, I recommend making an exception to the rule and baking these muffins. Seriously, guys, these are one of my absolute favorite muffins I’ve ever, ever made. You’ll love them.
If they weren’t so seasonal, I would make them year-round.
Truth time.
I made and shared a similar version of these muffins on the blog years ago (photography flashback–eek!), but I’ve been wanting to share them and give them new life for a while now. The original recipe was designed for a very unusual sized muffin tin and called for spelt flour, which as it turns out, is very difficult to come by.
This time around, I adapted the recipe for a standard muffin tin (this recipe yields 9 muffins), used a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flours, as well as upped the health factor by adding chia seeds, coconut oil, and topping them off with pepita seeds. I also messed around with the spice mixture just a tad, and substituted the walnuts with chopped pecans.
There are also dried Zante currants (a small variety of raisin) in there, but I know a lot of people hate raisins, so feel free to leave them out if you’re not feeling them. No biggie.
These muffins are also packed with tons of freshly grated carrot (one and a half cups to be exact!). I love the added texture that the grated carrots add, and although these muffins taste like pumpkin muffins, they have a lot more dimension to them than standard pumpkin muffins.
They are ridiculously moist (sorry!) and flavorful. I hate to even call them healthy, because even though they are by default, they could easily stand up to any other (not so healthy) pumpkin muffin out there.
In fact, I’m pretty they would win. I feel pretty confident about these guys.
Please, please make them!
Then you can thank me by sending me an ugly pumpkin in the mail or something, mmk? Perfect.
Healthy Pumpkin Carrot Pecan Muffins
These muffins are also packed with tons of freshly grated carrot (one and a half cups to be exact!). I love the added texture that the grated carrots add, and although these muffins taste like pumpkin muffins, they have a lot more dimension to them than standard pumpkin muffins.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1.5 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- pinch of ground allspice
- pinch of ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 2/3 cup turbinado raw cane sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (at liquid state), canola, or safflower oil
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot (roughly 2-3 carrots)
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
- 1/4 cup Zante currants or raisins (optional)
- 1 tablespoon raw pepita (pumpkin) seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a standard muffin tin with nine cup liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, chia seeds, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt until well combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, turbinado sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and whisk until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring only until just combined. Gently stir in the grated carrot, pecans, and currants (or raisins, if using).
- Using an ice cream scoop, evenly distribute the batter among the nine muffin cups–the batter should reach close to the top of each cup. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins evenly with the raw pepita seeds.
- Bake the muffins at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes, or until they are springy to touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, before removing them from the pan. Muffins can best served slightly warm or at room temperature. Allow to cool completely, and then store them in an airtight container (or Ziploc freezer bag) for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 349Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 313mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 5gSugar: 24gProtein: 7g
A Beautiful Plate provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
P.S. I updated my ‘about‘ page for the first time in over two years! [Face palm.] Hope you like it!
DEFINITELY will not hate you for getting a head start on pumpkin recipes. In my opinion, you can never have too many or start too early. These look wonderful. LOVE that they are chockfull of healthy stuff. These are muffins you can definitely have for breakfast without feeling guilty!
Yay!! Good to hear that. I’m in this weird end of summer/beginning of fall limbo period when it comes to recipe cravings.
And these muffins are perfect for breakfast! Thanks Rivki!
I am with you, ugly pumpkins are the best. I just think they are so unique and cute!
Loving these muffins! I am trying to wait till closer to fall for pumpkin on the blog, but I have totally been baking with it at home. So I cannot wait to try these!
The ugly ones are amazing! I laugh at myself for just how much I love them. Thanks Tieghan! Let me know if you try them!
Fall and spices. You just reminded me of how awesome those things are combined.
Gorgeous photos, L! Love your current photography style 😉
nom nom nom…
-k
Thank you so much!!!
So much good stuff in these muffins! Love!
Thanks girl! 🙂
I want one of these right now!
Yay! Thanks!
These are almost too pretty to eat!
Thank you Rachel! Almost being the operative word, right? 🙂
What beautiful photos!! I love how much good stuff you crammed in these! They look perfect! And the pumpkin seeds on top – just lovely!
Thanks so much Annie! They are definitely healthy, but if you can’t find some ingredients, most of the extras are totally optional too!
Your photos are gorgeous – these muffins HAVE to be eaten year round – simply decadent!!
Thanks Shashi! Means a lot. I would totally eat these year round, I have to say 😉
Yum! Love the pepitas and the raisins in these… lots of yummy rich dark fall flavors 🙂
Thanks Medha! So glad you like them!
I love the photo with the chia seeds!
Thanks Pips!
I thought this was a bit early, but YUM anyway! I remember those muffins from years ago, so if these are better, I’m ready, for the muffins, not the colder weather!
They are similar, just adapted to the regular muffin tin and easier to find flours!
These photos are next level awesome. And I would smash a batch of these muffins, because carrots = more brownies later.
Thanks so muc h Sarah! So true.
Hooray for pumpkin season *throws confetti*. I’m totally an avid pumpkin lover, and I have to have it in my life year round. I’m definitely the girl drinking pumpkin pie smoothies for breakfast in June. I’m also the girl who had pumpkins lining both sides of the aisle during our late October wedding as well as pumpkin (and butterbeer!) cupcakes and a build your own caramel apple bar. Aaah…memories.
Hahaha! I love that *throws confetti* reference! That might be my new favorite saying.
And OMG! Your wedding sounds like my dream wedding!! BUTTERBEER?!
I am still in that weird mode where I am drifting back and forth between buying summer and autumn ingredients.
This looks delicious! It’s packed with so much healthy goodness.
I totally know what you mean! I was just thinking this myself the other day–I’m really craving fall foods, but also desperately clinging to any summer fruits and other veggies that are still available!
Thanks so much Karishma!
Ha! Ha! You can totally steal it. Don’t think I didn’t do the same! And yes, BUTTERBEER cupcakes, and I made little chocolate witches hats to put on the top of them (idea stolen from Pinterest, of course). If we are in my hometown around our anniversary, I always order a dozen of them for us to splurge on too. I’m totally not that kind of blogger that’s like “Hey! I know you don’t know me and we just met, but go to my blog!”, but I did link the post to my wedding photos to this comment if you’d like to check them out.
Too cute! Just checked them out!
I’m so excited about all the pumpkins out on display!! I’m already baking up a storm – and now I have these to add to the list!! LOVE!
ME TOOOOO! 🙂 Thanks Megan! Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Mhm, yes, mhm. Yes, I’m all for it. And I’m right with you on the pumpkin train. Everyone and their mother is posting about pumpkin and it’s making me so excited!
Thanks so much Sarah! Me too!
Well you don’t have to tell me twice! Truth be told, I broke out the pumpkin this weekend also. It just felt right.
Isn’t Fall THE best? I’m so glad you’ve started baking with pumpkin because I just adore the stuff. These muffins look delicious and healthy and well, I’m kind of in love.
Love, love, love fall! And these muffins 🙂
I am probably the only person in the world who likes the carrot cake part more than the frosting – these muffins are my dream!
I think I’m that person too, actually! 🙂 Thanks Lynn!
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These look and sound delicious. I am making them for Thanksgiving morning at my Mother-in-laws. Thanks
So happy to hear that! Definitely let me know how they turn out! Have a great Thanksgiving!
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OMG these muffins are amazing. So delicious. I doubled the recipe the first time, then ate 2, and went back in the kitchen to make more so that I wouldn’t have such a hard time sharing them. They’re so yummy! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Oh my gosh! So happy you loved them!!!! 🙂 They are one of my favorites!
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I have three kids and also make muffins for kids at the school that need them so I just love your muffin recipes… thank you
No matter how long I cooked these, they were mushy in the middle. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Maria. I’m so sorry to hear that! My only thought is that somehow the measurements could have somehow come out wrong? Did you make any substitutions or changes? If your oven isn’t calibrated properly, that could also be an issue–as I’ve made these muffins many times–in various ovens–and have never had that issue (and have heard good feedback from others). They are definitely very moist muffins, but they shouldn’t be mushy or under cooked in the center! Let me know!
Hi! Just wondered if I might be able to help Maria with her sogginess issue. I used the small coarse grate setting on my box grater (to get finer shreds) and noticed that the carrots were very wet. I wrapped them in cheesecloth and wrung out about 1/2 cup of liquid! So if you try that, it may solve your problem. Hope that helps!
I used a larger microplane on my carrots and then pressed out the water (and then drank the carrot juice! 🙂 ) Also, I added the chia which tends to soak up a lot of water too. These muffins were so delicious! I only had cardamom pods so I had to crack those open, pull out the tiny little seeds and grind them by hand. All with lots of love so that could be mixed in too! I’m so glad I found this recipe and your blog. Well done! I’ll be coming back. Thank you!
So thrilled to hear that!
I just made these and they are AMAZING. I doubled the batch so I did make substitutions. I added a whole can of pumpkin(15oz), I used 1/4 maple syrup instead of sugar, I used 2 tablespoons pumpkin spice instead of the spices in the recipe and I used Kodiak cakes pancake mix for a lower carb muffin. I love that this recipe doesn’t need a ton of sugar. I thought my muffins were going to be super dense because of the substitutions I made and it wasn’t at all. My 2 year old won’t stop eating them
Made these today they are excellent!
So thrilled to hear that! It’s one of my favorite muffin recipes on the blog!
I love these and love making them for my family!! Are you able to provide any nutritional information?
Unfortunately I haven’t calculated the nutritional information for these – online calculators aren’t the most accurate, which is why I’ve been hesitant to do this in the past. It’s a goal of mine to add nutrition information to recipes moving forward! I’ll let you know when I can get to this one!
These muffins are delicious! I doubled the recipe so that I could share with my new next door neighbor. The only changes I made were to reduce the amount of coconut oil to 2 tablespoons or 4 tablespoons for a double batch. My experience is that too much coconut oil can make baked goods soggy. I also used regular sugar as I didn’t have turbinado sugar on hand. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks!
These sounds amazing! Has anyone made them gluten free? Should I sub 1 for 1 gf Flour and oat flour?
Made these twice in the past two weeks. I cut the sugar almost in half, but besides that kept recipe the same. Excellent!! My toddler and I both love these.
So happy to hear that you enjoyed them (and that your toddler did too! 🙂 ) – also that’s wonderful that you could cut down the sugar and it didn’t affect the outcome either. Thanks so much for the feedback Annabelle!
Hello I love these muffins! I freeze them then Microwave 2 for breakfast they are amazing! I am wondering do you think I could substitute the sugar for dates? I think it would work out well but am too chicken to try it. Thanks!!!
Hi Rachel! So happy to hear that. I honestly don’t know, because I’ve never tried. I’m a bit hesitant because dates add more moisture and sugar plays a structural role in baked goods. With that said, maybe try experimenting? I just wouldn’t be able to say for sure without testing.