These carrot pineapple muffins are perfect for breakfast or a quick snack. And they're paleo, gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar-free.
I usually keep my freezer stocked with paleo muffins. I don't eat them every day, but I like having a quick breakfast or snack that I can grab any time I need it. Since I didn't have any muffins left in the freezer, it was time to get creative. We had some fresh pineapple and carrots in the fridge, and I was inspired to create these carrot pineapple paleo muffins.
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Carrot Pineapple Muffins
Carrot and pineapple is a classic combination. These almond flour muffins are not too sweet so they are perfect for breakfast or snacking. They also freeze beautifully so you can stock your freezer with these fruit and veggie muffins.
The key to making these gluten-free muffins is finely grating the carrots so they cook through by the time the muffins are baked. It's also important to drain the pineapple well after chopping it so your muffin batter isn't too wet.
Using almond flour for this recipe makes the batter thick enough to stand up to the carrots and pineapple---and keep everything from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Be sure to use super fine almond flour for the best texture (I use this one).
How to freeze almond flour muffins
Like most grain-free baked goods, these muffins are best when they are fresh-baked. But luckily muffins freeze beautifully and are easy to thaw and reheat! Just let them cool completely and freeze them in a pyrex container or a silicone bag (see my favorite non-toxic food storage options here).
For breakfasts on the go, just grab a muffin out of the freezer. If you take them to work, you can thaw them at room temperature or with just a few seconds on low in the microwave. My favorite, however, is to way to reheat them is in the oven (or toaster oven). Just place the frozen muffins in a cold oven---no need to preheat---and set it to 300 degrees. They should be thawed and reheated in 10-15 minutes, depending on what type of oven you use.
These carrot pineapple muffins are moist, dense, and not too sweet. Completely satisfying for breakfast or a snack — or drizzled with a coconut butter glaze for a quick dessert. And as always, they are gluten-free, grain-free and refined sugar-free.
More gluten-free, grain-free baking recipes
Carrot Pineapple Paleo Muffins
Ingredients
- 200 grams almond flour about 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup finely grated carrots about 1 large carrot
- ⅓ cup finely diced fresh pineapple drained
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease or line muffin tin.
- Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in medium bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and fold in carrots and pineapple.
- Use a large ice cream or cookie scoop to fill muffin cups ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Heather @ Stuffed Pepper
ooo - these sounds delicious! i think i need to stock up my freezer with some, too.
Lisa
Thanks Heather! There's nothing like having a full freezer. 🙂
Rachel
can i substitute something for the ghee?
Elisha
i was wondering the same thing
Lisa
Rachel & Elisha, you can try substituting coconut oil. It usually works as a substitute for ghee.
Kim
I used 1 cup canned crushed pineapple with juice, 2 tsp stevia for low sugar and some walnuts. They were done in 25 min at 325. They came out great! Not too sweet but sweet enough and moist.
Achla
is the pineapple necessary for its moisture content, or could it be omitted?
Cheryl
Thanks for the GF recipe using carrots & pineapple as it was just what I wanted this morning. My batch of muffins took substantially longer to bake and I finally upped the oven temperature. Granted, I added more than 1/3 cup of pineapple as I was using up what was left in the refrigerator. But, 325 degrees seems a little low to me for muffins. Is it a standard temp for baking with almond meal?
Lisa
Hi Cheryl, almond flour is less absorbent than other flours so the extra pineapple may have added too much moisture to the batter. I always bake at a slightly lower temperature when working with nut flours and honey so they cook through without overbrowning. Hope this helps!
clgroove
Do you think these would turn out if I used an egg substitute like flaxseed or gelatin?
Joanne
Not quite sure what I've done wrong, the muffins did not rise and they are crispy on top and a soft/chewy texture inside
Deborah H
I usually add a couple of teaspoons of vinegar to react w the baking side in baked goods that I want to rise
Joy
I made these this afternoon exactly like the recipe, except I used canned crushed pineapple. I pressed the excess juice out of it as much as possible. I was wondering if I could use a natural sweetener without so many carbs? Any suggestions? Otherwise, I have no complaints whatsoever. I put some butter on my warm muffin and was pleasantly surprised. Did I mention this is the first item I've baked 'Paleo?' Thank you for such a great, first experience!
Lisa
Yay! Congrats on your first paleo baking experience! 🙂
I have not tested this recipe with any other sweeteners, but if you do try substituting let me know how it works out.
Collene
Am allergic to almonds, can regular flour be used?
Lisa
Hi Collene, regular flour cannot be substituted for almond flour.
Charon
I also dislike almonds & their flour, so could I make it with 1/2 almond & 1/2 rice flour? Or another NUT flour?
Arika
So I just made these, but did not add the pineapple. They were dry and crumbly. I did up the carrots hoping it would take the place of pineapple moisture. Can a different flour besides all purpose flour be used? The flavor is good, just way to dry and crumbly. Is there something besides pineapple that can be used?
Lisa
Hi Arika, this recipe is designed for almond flour. All purpose flour is much more absorbent than almond flour and will not work as a substitute for almond flour.
Robert
Can coconut flour replace the almond flour with good results?
Lisa
Almond flour and coconut flour have very different properties and cannot be substituted for each other. If you prefer coconut flour, try the banana blackberry or lemon poppy muffins.
Kaileen Elise
These look great!! I am curious... what is your method for freezing and reheating the muffins?
Lisa
I freeze any muffins that don't get eaten the the day they are baked. To reheat, put the frozen muffins in a cold oven, and set the oven to 300 degrees. The muffins should be thawed and warmed through in 15-20 minutes.
Cindy
i just made these and yuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmyyyyyyy. I used can crushed pineapple and squeezed out the juice and it worked great for me. I'm freezing these so I can have some whenever I want.
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Lisa
Thanks for telling me your method. I would sooner buy a can of pineapple. It's cheaper sometimes.
Paleo Moxie
These came out great! I'm not a fan of the carrot cake or muffin taste but my girlfriend loves these and she is a very picky eater. Nice! Thank you.
Lisa
Yay! I'm glad she loves them!
Lana
this looks really good! I have heard so much about Paleo, but haven't really tried any recipes. YET.
Lisa
Thanks Jamie! Hope you enjoy them!
Micaela
I just made these. I added baking powder and walnuts. Baked for 10 minutes longer on small loaf pans. Delicious, fluffy and moist.
Lisa
Oooh walnuts. Never thought of that cos I'm not brave enough on going outside baking recipes. Thanks for the tip.
Rebecca
Can oat flour be substituted??
Lisa
Hi Rebecca, I haven't tested it with oat flour, but generally grain flours and nut flours are not cup for cup substitutes.
Laney
These came out so good! Definitely my fave of all the paleo muffin recipes I've tried. I used coconut oil instead of ghee. I also skipped the honey and added extra pineapple and a few drops of stevia. I topped them with chopped pecans. My husband is super picky and even he loved them!
Megan M Tran
Just made these yesterday and they are sooo delicious! I followed your recipe exactly. Love them!!!
Mel
I came across your website for the first time today whilst searching for carrot/pineapple muffins and just had to try making yours. I have to say they are the most successful paleo/ gluten free muffins I've made to date - yummy! I had a rather large muffin tin so only made 6 but they cooked in 25 minutes. Also I added about 1-2 tb of coconut, and 1/2 t of baking powder plus chopped pecans on top as another reader mentioned and it worked a treat. Thank you for a great recipe! I will be making these again and again. I'll check out more recipes of yours now too!
Lisa
Yay! I'm glad you found it and you enjoyed the muffins!
Rebecca
I was looking for a paleo recipe to use up a bunch of carrots that I have and pineapple. I made them I mini muffin pans and added a tiny bit of fresh ginger. They smell amazing I can't wait to taste them! Thank you for this recipe!
Kaitlin
These were great! I was looking for a carrot zucchini muffin with almond flour and couldn't find one, but this recipe worked well subbing the zucchini for the pineapple. I also left out the honey because I was looking for a more savory veggie focused muffin and I think the zucchini made up for that. Accidentally forgot the lemon juice, so they didn't rise, but they ended up crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, which I actually like--but I think I'll add apple cider vinegar next time (soon!) and see how that goes. Thanks for the recipe! They were delicious with the alterations, but I can wait to try the original version too--carrots and pineapple sound like a great combo!
Rachel
Just made these and subbed the ghee for one tablespoon of coconut oil. Absolutely delicious!!!!
Thomas
Great post! Have nice day ! 🙂 qlgrr
Susie Ford
Do have the nutrition breakdown for these? I am low carb and my hubby more paleo. Thanks.
Lisa
Hi Susie, I added the nutrition panel to the recipe above.:-)
Melissa
Hi! Could I sub honey for sweetener instead?
Lisa
Hi Melissa, I haven't tested this recipe with other sweeteners. If you try it let us know how it turns out!
olivia
Love the ingredients you have used!! they're all something I can have easily find at the stores and they're whole, healthy ingredients 🙂 I'm excited to make these! thank you!
Connie W
Would this recipe work for a loaf pan instead of muffins?