Juicy Easter Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese

If you ask me, carrot cake in muffin form is a game-changer.

These Easter carrot cake muffins combine everything we love about the classic dessert, but in neat, portable packages topped with creamy cream cheese frosting. Fresh carrots and warm spices give these treats their familiar homey taste.

The muffins come together quickly with pantry staples, and the cream cheese topping adds that perfect tangy sweetness we all expect from a good carrot cake. A sprinkle of chopped nuts on top gives them just the right crunch.

They’re perfect for Easter brunch, spring gatherings, or any time you need a little something sweet that feels special but not fussy.

What Kind of Carrots Should I Use?

For carrot cake muffins, regular orange medium-sized carrots from your grocery store are perfect – no need to splurge on fancy varieties. Fresh carrots are key here, as pre-shredded carrots from the store tend to be too dry and thick for baking. When picking your carrots, look for ones that are firm and bright orange, avoiding any that feel rubbery or have soft spots. It’s best to peel and grate them yourself using the standard holes on your box grater (not the tiny holes or the big ones) to get that ideal texture that will cook evenly and keep your muffins moist.

Options for Substitutions

Here’s the scoop on what you can swap in this muffin recipe:

• Cream cheese: For the topping, you can use mascarpone cheese or a dairy-free cream cheese alternative. Just make sure it’s at room temperature for the best texture.
• Buttermilk: No buttermilk? Mix 1/3 cup regular milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, let it sit for 5 minutes, and you’re good to go.
• Oil: While the recipe suggests coconut or vegetable oil, you can use canola oil, melted butter, or even applesauce (though this will make them less rich and more dense).
• Spices: Don’t have all the individual spices? You can use 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix instead of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Raisins: Feel free to skip these or swap them with chopped walnuts, pecans, or dried cranberries.
• Turbinado sugar: For the topping, regular granulated sugar or demerara sugar works just fine. You can even skip it if you prefer less sweet muffins.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making carrot cake muffins is using pre-shredded carrots from the store – these are often too dry and thick, so it’s best to grate your own carrots using the fine side of a box grater for the perfect moisture and texture. Another common error is overmixing the batter, which can lead to dense, tough muffins – instead, fold the ingredients together just until combined, and a few small lumps are perfectly fine. To ensure even baking, avoid filling your muffin cups more than 3/4 full, as these muffins will rise quite a bit during baking. For the cream cheese topping to turn out smooth and creamy, make sure your cream cheese is properly softened at room temperature for at least an hour, and beat it well before adding other ingredients.

What to Serve With Carrot Cake Muffins?

These sweet and spiced muffins are perfect for breakfast or brunch, and they pair wonderfully with a hot cup of coffee or tea. For a complete breakfast spread, serve them alongside fresh fruit like berries or sliced oranges, which offer a nice contrast to the rich cream cheese topping. If you’re hosting a brunch, these muffins work great as part of a bigger spread with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. You can also warm them slightly before serving and add a pat of butter for an extra cozy touch.

Storage Instructions

Counter Storage: These carrot cake muffins can hang out on your counter for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Just remember that since they have cream cheese, they’ll be happiest if your kitchen isn’t too warm!

Refrigerate: Pop these muffins in the fridge in a sealed container, and they’ll stay fresh for up to 1 week. The cream cheese topping makes refrigeration the best way to keep them tasting great. I like to line the container with paper towels to absorb any extra moisture.

Freeze: Want to save some for later? These muffins freeze really well for up to 3 months! Just wrap them individually in plastic wrap and pop them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat one, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.

Bring to Room Temperature: When you’re ready to enjoy a refrigerated or frozen muffin, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes. This helps the cream cheese topping soften up and brings back that just-baked texture we all love.

Preparation Time	20-30 minutes
Cooking Time	18-23 minutes
Total Time	38-53 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1800-2100
• Protein: 20-25 g
• Fat: 90-110 g
• Carbohydrates: 250-280 g

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons softened cream cheese
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves powder
• 1/2 cup either melted coconut or vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup room temperature buttermilk
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 1/2 cups shredded fresh carrots (approx. from 3 medium carrots)
• 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (for topping muffins)

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Muffin Tin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

Once prepared, set the muffin tin aside for later use.

Step 2: Make the Cream Cheese Filling

In a bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Place the cream cheese filling in the fridge to chill while you prepare the muffin batter.

Step 3: Combine Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves until well combined.

This mixing step ensures that all the spices and leavening agents are evenly distributed throughout the flour.

Step 4: Mix Wet Ingredients

In a separate medium bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.

Stir the ingredients until you achieve a smooth mixture, ensuring the wet ingredients are fully blended.

This will help in creating a cohesive batter later.

Step 5: Combine and Add Fillings

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients.

Mix them together just until combined—it’s perfectly fine if you see a few flour streaks.

To this mixture, gently fold in the shredded carrots and raisins, taking care not to over-mix to keep the muffins tender.

Step 6: Assemble and Bake the Muffins

Fill each muffin cup with about 2 tablespoons of the carrot muffin batter.

Next, add a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese filling to each muffin cup.

Then, top the muffins evenly with the remaining batter so that each cup is about 3/4 full.

For a sweet topping, sprinkle turbinado sugar over each muffin.

Step 7: Bake and Enjoy

Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake until the muffins are golden and the tops spring back when gently touched, approximately 18 to 23 minutes.

Once done, let the muffins cool slightly before enjoying your delicious cream cheese-filled carrot muffins!