Healthy Carrot Muffins with Pineapple

I had a craving for some healthy carrot muffins (that were also Weight Watchers friendly). And since I didn't already have a recipe that fits that bill and couldn't find one I liked, I decided to create my own! This Healthy Carrot Muffin with Pineapple Recipe is made with healthy ingredients like carrots, pineapple, Greek yogurt, and walnuts.

And although they taste like carrot cake and were inspired by my Healthy & Light Carrot Cake, these muffins are actually Weight Watchers friendly at only 4 WW points on my personal WW plan! They also make a great on-the-go breakfast, snack, and dessert and are perfect for throwing in the lunch bag.

🥘Ingredient Notes

"Healthy" is a pretty subjective term, so if you're wondering what makes these carrot muffins healthy, here's my answer:

• Whole ingredients like walnuts, carrots and pineapple
• Reduced fat (small amount of oil and non-fat Greek yogurt)
• No artificial sweeteners (many WW friendly muffin recipes use artificial sweeteners)

I used a combination of my Healthy Carrot Loaf and my Healthy Carrot Cake to make this recipe, but they just didn't work with whole wheat flour. And I was not willing to sacrifice taste in the name of flour.

• All-purpose flour. Using AP flour gives them a superior taste and a lighter, cakier texture. And since that's what I was going for and it's the same number of Weight Watchers points for either type of flour, all-purpose flour it is!  Therefore, I recommend you DO NOT use whole wheat flour with this recipe!
• Non-fat Greek Yogurt. I didn't use applesauce for these carrot pineapple muffins either, as you have to be careful with it in baking because it can give baked goods a chewy texture. Greek yogurt is the fat replacement I opted for, although there is some oil in this
• Crushed Pineapple. I use crushed pineapple to give it a welcome burst of tang and add some moisture.

This recipe doesn't have raisins. I LOVE raisins but I don't put them in my carrot cake so I'm not putting them in my carrot cake muffins either.

Lastly, there are no oats in this recipe, like in many of the carrot muffin recipes I came across. I wanted more of a carrot cake texture, so using oats was not an option! You'll be surprised at just how much these taste like carrot cake, given how healthy they are!

📖 Variations & Substitutions

• Yogurt : If you're making this strictly for toddlers or kids, then you can use the full-fat Greek yogurt (there's no need to use non-fat). You can also substitute regular yogurt if you don't have Greek yogurt
• Oil - you can use olive oil or canola oil if you prefer
• Raisins: Add 1 cup of raisins if you like, but be sure to calculate additional WW points, if you are following the program
• Pineapple: You can use fresh pineapple instead of canned pineapple if you prefer, just be sure to crush it (you can do this by putting it in the food processor for 30 seconds)
• Flour - I use white flour (all-purpose flour). You can try using another flour, but I don't recommend using whole wheat flour, as I tried it and they weren't as good (the texture wasn't right).
• Toddlers: For toddlers, leave out the walnuts

🔪How to Make Healthy Carrot Pineapple Muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. Line muffin pans with paper liners. In a large bowl beat egg till fluffy,

Beat in oil, then add in yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in carrots and crushed pineapple.

In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in pineapple juice.

Add dry mixture to wet mixture and stir until combined.

Pour into lined muffin tins to about ¾ full, dividing batter evenly by all 16.

Bake in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely (20-30 minutes) on cooling rack.

👪 Servings

This pineapple and carrot muffins recipe makes 16 carrot muffins, but I often double it because it is very popular around here and they freeze really well too! However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll just need additional muffin tins if you are making more.

🌡️Storage

You can keep these healthy carrot muffins at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container, then they should be frozen. I usually freeze them right away because they stay fresher. When you take them out of the freezer, you can let them defrost or pop them in the microwave for about 20 seconds.

I freeze these muffins in a container first so they don't get squished. Then I move them to freezer bags to save room in the freezer. I don't know how things are at your house, but freezer space is prime real estate at my house!

🔢WW Carrot Cake Muffins

These pineapple carrot muffins are Weight Watchers friendly at 4 WW points. A muffin from Tim Horton's is 14 WW points, as is Starbucks, while a McDonald's carrot muffin is 17 WW points. So I feel pretty successful getting this carrot muffin down to 4 WW points, and without the use of artificial sweeteners.

❔ Recipe FAQ's