Low calorie carrot cake muffins
You love carrot cake, you love muffins and you happen to be on a weight loss journey? Your dream dessert recipe just dropped and it’s delicious, simple and super low in calories! These low calorie carrot cake muffins make for the perfect autumn sweet treat, and they’re even better when paired with a hot cup of coffee!
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If there is one thing that will be executed flawlessly on this blog it has to be a good dessert mashup. From tiramisu cookies to cinnamon roll muffins, there is nothing better than a delicious dessert mashup that is calorie deficit friendly! Losing weight is hard enough without having to cut out all of your favorite desserts. These low calorie carrot cake muffins are the perfect quick and easy sweet treat for anyone in a calorie deficit this autumn. They make for great snack prep as they can be stored and kept fresh for up to 5 days!
Honestly even if you’re not in a calorie deficit, you’re going to want to try these muffins. They are moist, sweet and spiced and they are so so easy to make! So if you love carrot cake but don’t want to make an entire cake, these muffins will be your go-to. They can be paired with a cup of coffee for a quick and easy low calorie snack or they can be a grab and go breakfast for busy mornings.
Carrot cake is one of those desserts that I will never get sick of. I would accept a slice of carrot cake in ANY situation. With these low calorie carrot cake muffins, you can have your cake AND eat it too. Each muffin has just 67 calories but is irresistibly tasty you would never believe they do! So grab your ingredients and a bowl and get baking because these muffins are going to blow your mind!
Low calorie carrot cake muffins
These low calorie carrot cake muffins not only serve as a low calorie autumn sweet treat, they’re also two desserts in one which means you’re getting double the satisfaction, right? These muffins come together so quickly and before you know it, they’ll be gone!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- These muffins bake in just 20 minutes!
- Each muffin has just 67 calories.
- Perfectly spiced with a blend of fall spices.
- This recipe can easily be made gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Has all the flavors of a carrot cake packed into a neat little muffin!
- This recipe is free from any added sugars!
- The BEST low calorie carrot cake muffins ever!
Ingredients
Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.
To make these low calorie carrot cake muffins you will need:
Egg – This recipe calls for one room temperature egg. To quickly get a refrigerated egg to room temperature, set it on the kitchen counter for at least 30 minutes.
0 calorie brown sugar – Any 0 calorie sweetener will work for this recipe but I recommend using 0 calorie brown sugar if you can get it. It helps to achieve the classic carrot cake flavor and texture.
Fat-free yogurt – 0% fat yogurt is great for adding moisture and a little extra protein to these muffins. You can use low-fat yogurt if you don’t have 0% but the calories will differ slightly. Use a dairy-free yogurt for a dairy-free alternative.
Unsweetened applesauce – Applesauce is a staple in many carrot cake recipes and adds a mild tartness to these muffins. Make sure you use unsweetened applesauce as it contains no extra calories from sugar.
Plain/all-purpose flour – This recipe calls for plain/all-purpose flour. You can opt for gluten-free flour here to make this recipe gluten-free.
Baking powder – To help the muffins rise.
Spices – You can’t have a carrot cake muffin without the spice! This recipe features a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, allspice and clove.
Shredded carrot – No carrot cake muffin is complete without the shredded carrots! I used a grater to get the carrots as finely shredded as possible.
Salt – A sprinkle of salt goes a long way.
0 calorie icing sugar – To make the low calorie glaze for these muffins, 0 calorie icing sugar is the way to go. If you aren’t able to get 0 calorie icing sugar, make your own by blitzing 0 calorie granulated sweetener in a coffee grinder or food processor.
Unsweetened almond milk – To make the glaze.
Vanilla extract – For added flavor.
How to make low calorie carrot cake muffins
- Pre-heat oven to 200ºC (392ºF). Line a 6-count muffin tray with cupcake/muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, applesauce, vanilla extract and 0 calorie brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the flour, spices, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Fold in the grated carrots until well combined.
- Divide the batter equally between the 6 liners and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean or with very few crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool on a cooling rack.
- In the meantime, make the glaze by whisking together the 0 calorie icing sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
- Glaze the cooled muffins and top with crushed nuts (optional). Serve and enjoy!
MORE LOW CALORIE MUFFINS…
Low calorie carrot cake muffins
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 75 g 0 calorie brown sugar*
- 60 g 0% fat yogurt
- 25 g unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 70 g plain/all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- sprinkle of salt
- 45 g grated/shredded carrot
Glaze:
- 50 g 0 calorie icing sugar*
- 1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 200ºC (392ºF). Line a 6-count muffin tray with cupcake/muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, applesauce, vanilla extract and 0 calorie brown sugar until smooth.
- Add the flour, spices, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Fold in the grated carrots until well combined.
- Divide the batter equally between the 6 liners and bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean or with very few crumbs. Allow the muffins to cool on a cooling rack.
- In the meantime, make the glaze by whisking together the 0 calorie icing sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
- Glaze the cooled muffins and top with crushed nuts (optional). Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I knew I was going to love this recipe so I doubled it and I’m so glad I did!! I had to use 50g of erythritol because I didn’t have enough of the brown sugar substitute and only had full fat yogurt on hand but it still turned out great! I might add more grated carrots next time. I ate two as soon as they cooled down and I already want more lol
Hi Tess, I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! These muffins are definitely very more-ish. I could easily polish off all 6 in one go haha!