Pineapple Carrot Muffins 

These healthy pineapple carrot muffins are amazingly delicious and moist. Sweetened with dates and pineapple, they are full of flavor and so nourishing. Truly a real deal even with no refined sugar!

Carrot Muffins With Pineapple and Dates

I am always testing dessert and baking recipes to use less refined sugar. And I am delighted to have another successful recipe with fantastic results.

Classic favorites and regular desserts will always be appearing on the blog and I totally enjoy those too. But nourishing treats check off so many points.

After a well received response for my healthy banana date muffins, now you can add this to your baking list. These muffins are wholesome, hearty, moist, easy to make and taste like carrot cake. And I also have several ideas for variations to suit other dietary preferences.

The combination of ingredients gives these healthy carrot muffins a truly enjoyable taste, while still being nourishing.

Recipe Ingredients

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour. The latter will give a hearty texture. Try white whole wheat flour for a milder wheat flavor. Pastry flour will make the muffins lighter and more delicate; I’ve used it for my chocolate banana bread with great results.
• Carrots: Choose firm, plump, bright orange carrots that are smooth and without cracks. Avoid carrots that are black near the top or if they are soft and limp.
• Dates: Choose soft and plump medjool dates as they are easy to work. If dates are too dry, cook them with a small amount of water, at low medium until soft. Medjool dates work the best for this recipe, but you can replace with date paste as below.
• Ready-Made Date Paste (substitute for dates): It is available online or at middle eastern stores, but be sure to remove any pits or fragments. Use 300 grams (about 10 ounces) for this recipe. The date paste can be sticky, so work with oiled palms or food prep gloves.
• Crushed Pineapple: We need an 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple in its own juice. That will give 100 grams crushed pineapple and ½ cup juice.
• Oil: Use any oil with neutral flavor — cold-pressed sunflower oil, olive oil or avocado oil. But you can also try coconut oil. Don’t skimp on the oil, or the muffins will be dry. 
• Walnuts: Toast nuts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, cool and chop them coarsely.
• Raisins: I like using dark raisins, but golden raisins are ok too.
• Dried Coconut Flakes: Adds a nice flavor.
• Flavors: We need ground cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.
• Other Ingredients: Eggs, Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt.

How to Make Pineapple Carrot Muffins 

**Here's an overview of the step-by-step process. For the complete recipe, please refer to the end of this blog post.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a muffin pan - grease and dust with flour or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Carrots: These healthy muffins have a hearty texture, so regular grated carrots are fine. Grating carrots on the finer side may not be necessary. 
3. Wet Ingredients:  Process dates with ½ cup pineapple juice into a smooth and spreadable paste. If the dates are too dry, you may need a bit more juice to get that consistency. Add in oil, eggs and vanilla to get a smooth mixture. Stir in shredded carrots and crushed pineapple. 
4. Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in walnuts, coconut flakes and raisins. 
5. Combine: Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients; do not over-mix. The batter should be thick enough to form a mound with a scoop; somewhere between cake batter and drop cookies in consistency. Adjust with flour if needed.
6. Bake: Spoon the batter into muffin pan. Don't hesitate to fill the muffins pans, for nice domed muffin tops. Decorate with walnuts and coconut flakes. Lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake. Preheating oven to 425 degrees F and then lowering it to 375 degrees F prior to baking, will help the muffins rise better.

These wholesome muffins taste like carrot cake and are great for breakfast or as a snack. And there's a lot of carrots in there.

How To Serve

Enjoy these healthy pineapple carrot muffins with milk, saffron tea, hot chocolate or coffee.

How To Make Ahead and Store

• Make Ahead: Combine dry ingredients and have them ready. Make the date  paste and grate carrots ahead.
• Storage: Healthy carrot muffins are best for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. They can be refrigerated 4 days or frozen for 3 months in freezer safe bags or containers.

Variations

Pineapple Carrot muffins are vegetarian, dairy free and soy free. Below are some suggestions, but I have not tried some of these variations.

• Gluten-Free: Substitute all purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour.
• Nut-Free: Skip walnuts or use pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes.
• Egg-Free: Use flax egg or chia eggs instead of regular eggs. Combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal or chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Vegan: Try flax egg or chia eggs.
• Lower Fat: Sufficient oil is needed for these date-sweetened muffins. But you can experiment with replacing some oil with applesauce.
• Other Sweeteners: These carrot muffins are pretty moist, so maple syrup or honey could make the batter too wet. Another option is to try our oatmeal banana muffins.

Why are These Carrot Muffins Healthy?

These muffins are made with several nourishing ingredients.

• Carrots: Are a good source of beta carotene, fiber, potassium, vitamin K and antioxidants. The soluble fiber in carrots can lower blood sugar levels, improve gut health and blood cholesterol levels. Carrots are a good source of the antioxidant lutein, which is good for eye health.
• Dates: They are high in fiber, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and a good source of niacin, calcium, phosphorus, iron and polyphenols. Hence are a wholesome alternative to refined sugar.
• Olive oil: It makes the carrot cake muffins moist and is a great source of heart healthy monounsaturated fats.
• Walnuts: A great source of omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of healthy fats — monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, protein and antioxidants.
• Flour: Choosing whole wheat flour would provide more fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It has a lower glycemic load, releasing sugar slowly from the carbohydrates and keeping you satisfied longer.

Fiber, protein and fat in the muffins, are all nutrients that promote more stable blood sugar levels.

More Muffin Recipes

• Healthy Banana Muffins (date-sweetened)
• Oatmeal Banana Muffins (with roasted oats)

More Carrot Recipes 

• Carrot Pancakes (tastes like carrot cake)
• Moroccan Carrot Salad

★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!

More Date Based Recipes

• Date Energy Balls With Amaranth
• Date Shake Recipe (4 Ways)
• German Apple Pancake
• Cashew Granola Clusters