Gluten-Free Protein Carrot Cake Muffins (Paleo)

Gluten-Free Protein Carrot Cake Muffins (Paleo)

These gluten-free, paleo, protein-packed carrot cake muffins are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast or quick-and-easy snack for staying healthy "on the go".

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours 44 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours 44 minutes

Servings: muffins

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Full of Days

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder or collagen peptides, omit for Plant-Based/Vegan or use a good plant-based protein powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 teaspoons organic ground cinnamon
3/4 cup organic pumpkin puree
1/2 cup grated carrot
3 farm fresh eggs use flax or chia eggs for Plant Based/Vegan
1/4 cup avocado oil sub mashed banana for WFPB
1/2 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon zest zest from one large organic lemon
Toppings
1/4 cup walnuts crushed
1/4 cup Enjoy Life dark chocolate morsels omit for Plant Based/Vegan

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
Measure flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of your stand mixer. Give it a quick whisk until ingredients are combined.
Add pumpkin puree, carrots and eggs and whisk to incorporate.
Add oil and sugar and mix until smooth.
Distribute batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (about 1/4 cup batter per muffin).
Sprinkle with crushed walnuts and optional chocolate chips over each muffin.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

Recipe makes 12 muffins.
This batter is quite sticky, and I highly recommend using muffin liners. If you don't have them, you can grease your muffin tins, but be sure to grease them very well as this batter likes to stick! (Greasing muffin tins will alter nutrition facts slightly.)
This recipe is very adaptable, you can swap out flax or chia eggs for an egg-free option (1 Tablespoon ground flax or ground chia seeds + 3 Tablespoons warm water = 1 egg.)
Make GF Paleo Protein Pumpkin Muffins pumpkin pie spiceby omitting the carrots and lemon zest, increasing the pumpkin to 1 cup, adding 1 Tablespoon and topping with coconut, walnuts and chocolate chips.
Swap out the pumpkin puree and carrots for applesauce and omit cinnamon, then add any additional mix-ins you'd like (see options below).
GF, Paleo Blueberry Protein Muffins: Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract to recipe and stir in 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries just before baking.
GF, Paleo, Lemon Poppyseed Protein Muffins: Add 2 teaspoons almond extract, 1 Tablespoon lemon zest and 1 Tablespoon poppyseeds to recipe.
GF Paleo Double Chocolate Protein Muffins: Use Paleovalley's Chocolate protein powder and add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips to recipe. (Can also add up to 1/2 cup cacao powder to taste if more chocolate is desired.)

Nutrition