Sourdough Carrot Cake Muffins

Perfect for Easter or springtime, these moist Sourdough Carrot Cake Muffins are made with grated carrots, sourdough discard, raisins, and a creamy cream cheese center.

The tender muffins are made with grated carrots, yogurt, oil, and sourdough discard so they remain extremely moist and soft for days.

They’re spiced like your favorite carrot cake with a crunchy and shiny topping from raw sugar. Each bite is filled with a lightly sweetened cream cheese filling.

Follow my detailed instructions with photos and tips below so the sourdough carrot muffins rise tall and you get domed bakery-style muffin tops.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple and quick way to use vegetables in your baking- like using bananas in Sourdough Banana Bread or zucchini in Sourdough Zucchini Muffins or Sourdough Zucchini Bread.
• Sourdough discard, oil, and yogurt keep the muffins moist and tangy.
• Domed bakery-style tops that rise tall in the oven like my popular Sourdough Blueberry Yogurt Muffins.
• Crunchy raw sugar topping with a cheesecake-like cream cheese filling.
• Lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, or your other favorite warming spices.

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🔍 Tips for Making Sourdough Carrot Cake Muffins

• Freshly grate carrots using a box grater or food processor for the best flavor and texture. Pre-shredded carrots are usually too dry and may be too thick.
• Rest the batter at least an hour and up to overnight in the refrigerator for domed bakery-style tops.
• Bake at a high temperature (400ºF or 204ºC) so they rise tall.
• Don’t overmix the batter so the muffins will stay tender.
• Line your muffin pan with muffin tins/paper and grease them with oil to prevent sticking.

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🛠 Tools Needed

You only need a few basic tools to make these sourdough carrot muffins.

• Baking scale
  • Flour and sourdough starter can vary in weight from person to person, so weighing your ingredients is the best option! Measuring your ingredients by weight will make your baking more consistent and accurate.
• Muffin Pan
  • I love this USA Muffin Pan because it’s naturally non-stick and heavy-duty.
• Muffin Liners
  • Oiled paper liners prevent sticking and make it easier to transport the muffins.
• Spatula and Whisk
  • If you have an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, you can also use it to mix the muffin batter.
• Box Grater
  • Or a food processor to grate the carrots.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for my ingredient recommendations and possible substitutions.

• Carrots, grated
  • Freshly grate your carrots for the best flavor and texture using a box grater or food processor.
  • It’s like using freshly grated cheese in Sourdough Mac and Cheese, Sourdough Biscuits with Cheddar and Chives, or Sourdough Grilled Cheese for the best cheesy flavor!
• All-purpose flour
  • You can substitute some or all of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour or a gluten-free flour like oat or almond flour.
• Salt
• Baking Powder, for leavening the muffins so they rise tall.
• Spices: Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg
  • I like to use classic carrot cake spices in this recipe to warmly spice the muffins.
  • However, you can omit or switch up the melange of spices depending on what you have at home.
• Neutral Oil
  • I usually bake muffins with melted butter like my Sourdough Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins or Sourdough Strawberry Muffins with Crumb Topping, but opt for oil in this recipe to keep the muffins extra moist for days.
  • You can use vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or any unflavored oil.
• Yogurt
  • I like the rich tanginess of yogurt paired with carrots, like in my Sourdough Cranberry Muffins. However, sour cream is a great substitute, like in my Sourdough Chocolate Muffins.
  • Use full-fat plain yogurt.
• Vanilla Extract
• Light brown sugar
  • Brown sugar has molasses, which adds a little more richness to the muffins.
• Granulated sugar
  • Adds structure and sweetness to the muffins.
• Eggs
  • Adds structure to help bind the ingredients together and helps the muffins rise tall.
• Sourdough Discard
  • If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week following my how-to guide. See my top sourdough starter tips and other sourdough discard recipes.
• Raisins
  • Plump raisins are a classic inclusion in carrot cake. However, you could use currants like my Sourdough Hot Cross Buns with Brown Butter or Sourdough Irish Soda Bread if you’re feeling spring-like.
  • Other favorite sourdough recipes with raisins include my Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin Bread and Sourdough Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins.
• Cream Cheese
  • Use full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese for the best flavor and consistency for the filling. Omit if you’d like.
  • Other favorite recipes with cream cheese include these Sourdough Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and the frosting on my Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls.
• Raw sugar, for topping
  • Finishing with raw sugar creates a shiny, crackly exterior on these sourdough carrot cake muffins that texturally contrasts the soft interior.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of toasted walnuts or pecans to the batter for crunch.
• Fold ½ cup of chocolate chips to the batter.
• Omit the cream cheese filling and add a crumb topping like in my Sourdough Apple Butter Muffins or Sourdough Strawberry Muffins.
• For more brightness, zest an orange into the batter.
• Omit the filling and instead top with a cream cheese frosting (or my tangy sourdough frosting) for sourdough carrot cupcakes.

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🥕 How to Make Sourdough Carrot Cake Muffins

Follow this detailed recipe guide as you make the best sourdough carrot cake muffins.

1. Grate the Carrots

Use the large holes of box grater or food processor to grate the carrots in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.

3. Whisk the Wet Ingredients

In another medium bowl, whisk the two eggs, sugars, oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard until incorporated.

4. Mix the Batter

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until only a few flour spots remain.

Gently fold in the grated carrots and raisins until evenly distributed.

5. Chill the Batter

For the best results, chill the batter for at least one hour and up to overnight.

Chilling the carrot cake muffin batter will help the flour and flavors hydrate so it’s easier to scoop, improve the flavor, and help the muffins rise tall in the oven.

You can also bake them on your own schedule for convenience!

6. Make the Cream Cheese Filling

Before baking, mix the softened cream cheese, egg yolk, and sugar, together in a bowl until you have a smooth cream cheese filling.

7. Bake

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).

Line your muffin pan with paper liners or tins and spray with non-stick oil or grease.

Add a large tablespoon of carrot cake muffin batter to the bottom of the muffin pan, followed by another large tablespoon of the cream cheese filling. Then, divide the remaining batter over the filling to fill the muffin cups.

Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar for a sparkly, crunchy topping.

Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

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How to Store and Serve

If using the cream cheese filling, you can store sourdough carrot muffins in the refrigerator or freeze them.

Before storing, always let your muffins cool down completely.

The muffins can stay moist in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you don’t use the cream cheese filling, you can store them at room temperature for a few days.

To freeze, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months in a freezer-safe bag. Thaw overnight and reheat in the oven or a toaster oven.

Serve the muffins for breakfast or brunch for Easter, Mother’s Day, or other spring gatherings.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions