Carrot Muffins with Streusel Topping
These carrot muffins are soft and flavorful, with a buttery cinnamon streusel topping that adds a delicious crunch. The balance of carrot sweetness and a hint of spice makes these muffins irresistible. And the streusel topping adds even more flavor to these irresistible muffins!
Perfect for sneaking in some veggies, these muffins are packed with flavor and texture from the carrots and walnuts. They’re an excellent way to use up leftover carrots; I know I’m not the only one with a partial bag of carrots in the crisper!
Easy to make, these muffins can be baked in a regular muffin pan or as jumbo muffins; just adjust the baking time. They also freeze well. I love having frozen muffins in the freezer for all those quick breakfasts and snack emergencies.
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Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder and baking soda – Ensure your powders aren’t expired or your muffins won’t rise.
- Salt
- Spices: Ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg – Fresh cinnamon and nutmeg add a pop of flavor.
- Eggs
- Sugars: Packed brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Neutral oil – Vegetable oil or canola oil are what you’re looking for here. You can use butter instead. I’ve tried them with butter and they’re equally delish but not noticeably better.
- Plain yogurt – Or you can use sour cream, either work just as well.
- Vanilla extract – You don’t need expensive pure vanilla for these. Artificial extract is fine.
- Carrots – Finely grated. Just use your box grater and grate about 2 good sized carrots. Press the shredded carrot down when measuring to ensure you get enough carrot.
- Walnuts – Chopped. You can use pecans, too. Or skip the nuts; they’re optional.
Streusel Topping
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salted butter – Cold, cubed – You need your butter to be cold to work into the flour and sugar to create the chunky topping.
How To Make Carrot Muffins
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well.
- Mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Whisk the eggs, both sugars, oil, yogurt (or sour cream), and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Fold in the grated carrots and walnuts.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Sprinkle the cold streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step-By-Step Process
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Chill the streusel before baking to help it stay crisp.
- Break up any lumps in your brown sugar before mixing.
- For more spice, add a bit of ground ginger or clove.
- These muffins freeze well—great for prepping ahead.
Recommended
Make It A Meal
Enjoy these muffins for breakfast with coffee or as a snack. They also work well on brunch tables or in lunchboxes.
Storage
Keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap them individually and store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp or reheat in the oven for 10 minutes.
Carrot Muffins with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup oil neutral
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups carrots finely grated
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup salted butter cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well.
- Mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Refrigerate while you prepare the batter.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Whisk the eggs, both sugars, oil, yogurt (or sour cream), and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Fold in the grated carrots and walnuts.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Sprinkle the cold streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Chill the streusel before baking to help it stay crisp.
- Break up any lumps in your brown sugar before mixing.
- For more spice, add a bit of ground ginger or clove.
- These muffins freeze well—great for prepping ahead.
