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5 from 3 votes

Maple Carrot Muffins with Streusel Topping

Delicious maple carrot muffins with a sweet streusel topping. These muffins are lightly sweetened with maple syrup and are perfectly moist thanks to carrots and applesauce. They also happen to be vegan!
Course Dessert
Cuisine vegan
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 9

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (white or whole wheat), spoon and level
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon (pinch) nutmeg, ground

Wet Ingredients

  • 1 cup carrots, peeled and finely shredded (about 1 large)
  • 1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup olive oil or light tasting oil
  • 1/4 cup plant-based milk (I tried soy and oat)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping (Optional)

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (white or whole wheat)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin pan (this recipe makes 9 muffins, but you can use a 12 muffin pan). Set aside.
  • Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  • Add all the wet ingredients in a different medium mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined.
  • Transfer the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Don't overmix. Mix until there is no big pockets of flour remaining. The mixture will be thick.
  • Spoon the batter into the prepared muffins tins. Set aside.
  • Prepare the streusel (if using): In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Add the cold vegan butter and using a fork, cut the butter into the dry mixture until you get a slightly wet, small crumble.
  • Sprinkle the streusel on top of the unbaked muffins. You don't need to use all the streusel.
  • Bake the muffins for 20 minutes at 350F.
  • Let cool for at least 5 minutes (this avoids crumbling). Once completely cooled, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days. They're best served fresh.

Notes

It's important to use the spoon and level method to measure flour. To do this, take a spoon to scoop the flour and add it to a measuring cup. Take the back of a knife to scrape and level the top. If scooping the flour directly with the measuring cup, you will end up using more flour than the recipe requires.
Not all brown sugar is vegan. To make this recipe vegan, be sure to use vegan brown sugar. Coconut sugar may work as well, but I have not tested it.
Use cold butter that was stored in the refrigerator. It's also important to note that I used maple syrup and applesauce that were stored in the refrigerator. The result may be different if using these ingredients at room temperature.
You can add more cinnamon to taste if desired. A pinch of ground clove may be good as well.
You can also try adding chopped walnuts, dates and/or raisins in the batter if you'd like, though I haven't tried it.