Don’t get me wrong. I love eggs. I just don’t want to eat them every morning for breakfast. If you feel the same, and want something a bit different, give this carrot cake muffin recipe a try. Made with almond flour instead of traditional wheat flour it makes a delicious breakfast or snack for those on a keto diet or even a gluten free diet.
Now I’ve received messages saying hey….carrots are NOT part of a low carb or keto diet!
To those people I would say that, while carrots are not among the lowest of low carb vegetables typically seen on a keto diet, there is no rule that says that certain vegetables MUST be avoided or else you will suffer at the hands of the Keto Diet Gods!
The main goal of a keto diet is to decrease the amount of carbs you eat each day so your body will go into ketosis.
While the typical keto carb goals floating around all over the internet say 20 grams of carbs or less is what you need to consume daily to be in ketosis, as a registered dietitian, I can tell you that is false. While 20 grams of carbs will certainly put you into ketosis quickly but the vast majority of people stay in ketosis with higher numbers of carbs daily.
The number of carbs needed daily to keep someone in ketosis is a very personal number and varies with each person. Also what you choose to eat to meet your carb goals for the day is different for every person.
So back to the question…..
Can I eat carrots on a keto diet?
Yes they can be. While higher in carbs than some vegetables you can see eat small amounts on the keto diet.
There are many reasons to include a wide variety of non starchy vegetables in your diet. Vitamins, minerals and a variety of antioxidants that are provided by colorful vegetables are important to your body’s health and immune system is one of the biggest reasons.
Another reason to include them is personal choice. If I told my husband that he could never have carrot cake again (he does love carrot cake) then he would quickly abandon eating low carb. Adding in a variety of vegetables keeps things from being boring. Not everyone wants to eat cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage every day.
By planning to work these muffins in once in a while it helps to give us enough variety in order to remain focused on continuing to eat a low carb diet.
These muffins have 2 net grams of carbs each and we plan to include them in our daily carb count when I make them. You too can include them in your low carb or keto diet as well with a bit of planning.
Carrot Cake Muffin Recipe
These muffins are great warm or cold. While they are delicious for breakfast they also make a tasty snack too. Make a double or triple batch and freeze them. They store well in the freezer. I will often grab one or two out of the freezer and toss them in my lunch box. While I’m at work they thaw or can be warmed up in the microwave.
Ingredients for this Carrot Cake Muffin recipe:
Eggs – used to bind the almond flour and allows it to rise when baked.
Almond flour – used to replace traditional wheat flour.
Swerve or other no calorie sweetener – low carb sweetener . I use Swerve but there are lots of low carb sweeteners on the market. You want to go with something that is in a granulated form and not a liquid form.
Baking powder – added to help the muffin dough rise.
Cinnamon – adds flavor to the carrot cake mix.
Vanilla extract – adds a light vanilla flavor to the muffins making them taste more like cake.
Salt – this is added to balance the sweetness.
Butter – I use melted butter but you could also swap this out for coconut oil or another mild flavored oil such as olive or canola. I prefer butter because it adds flavor to the muffins.
Heavy whipping cream or half and half – You can use either one (whipping cream or half and half) or you can swap it out for some other type of low carb milk alternative such as almond milk or coconut milk.
Shredded carrots – you will want to finely grate or shred the carrots. This recipe doesn’t bake long in the oven so they need to be finely grated so them so they quickly soften while baking.
Pecans, coarsely chopped – adds a bit of crunch and flavor to these muffins.
How to make Carrot Cake Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line muffin tin with paper cups.
In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.
Scoop out into muffin cups and bake for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Can I freeze Carrot Cake Muffins?
Yes! These muffins freeze really well. I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer. This makes it easier to take out the number of muffins I need without having to thaw a dozen of them.
Allow them to thaw at room temperature or pop them in the microwave for 10 or 15 seconds to warm them up. Add a bit of whipped cream cheese to top them and you think you are eating carrot cake.
How do I make Keto Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting?
Want to turn this into dessert? Simply mix 8 ounces of cream cheese with 1/3 stick of butter, 1/3 to 2/3 cup no calorie sweetener (Swerve, Splenda, etc) and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to make an easy but delicious whipped cream cheese frosting.
Top each muffin with some cream cheese frosting and you will think you are eating a piece of carrot cake.
Each muffin has 255 calories, 23 grams of fat, 2 net grams of carbs (7 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams sugar alcohol) and 7 grams of protein.
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup Almond Flour
- 1/3 cup Swerve or other no calorie sweetener
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup Pecans coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Line muffin tin with paper cups.
- In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.
- Scoop out into muffin cups and bake for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Nutrition
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