Carrot Zucchini Cream Cheese Swirl (Printable Version)

Moist muffins with fresh carrot, zucchini, and a gentle cream cheese swirl. Perfect for breakfast or snacks.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 cup grated carrot, about 2 medium carrots
02 - 1 cup grated zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini, squeezed dry

→ Dry Ingredients

03 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
05 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Wet Ingredients

11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1/3 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
13 - 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
14 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Cream Cheese Swirl

15 - 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
16 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
17 - 1 tablespoon milk
18 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
04 - Add grated carrot and grated zucchini to the wet ingredient mixture and stir until evenly distributed.
05 - Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overmix to prevent tough muffins.
06 - Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
07 - In a small bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
08 - Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto the center of each muffin. Use a toothpick or skewer to gently swirl the topping into the batter in a decorative pattern.
09 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a muffin (avoiding the cream cheese layer) comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
10 - Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack until completely cooled before serving.

# Tips for Success:

01 -
  • They stay incredibly moist and tender, even days later, because the vegetables release their natural moisture into the batter.
  • The cream cheese swirl feels fancy enough for guests but takes just minutes to prepare, making you look far more accomplished than you actually are.
  • You can eat them guilt-free knowing you've packed real vegetables into your breakfast without sacrificing any of the cake-like indulgence.
02 -
  • Squeezing the zucchini is absolutely essential; I once skipped this step thinking I was saving time, and the resulting muffins were more like wet sponges that somehow still baked through.
  • Don't overmix once you combine wet and dry ingredients; your first instinct will be to make sure everything is completely smooth, but you want small streaks of flour remaining because they disappear in the oven while overworking creates toughness.
03 -
  • Measure your flour by the spoon-and-level method rather than scooping straight from the bag, because scooping compacts the flour and you'll end up with way more than the recipe calls for, which dries out your muffins.
  • The moment you open the oven door to test for doneness, a few degrees of heat escapes, so make sure to let the full baking time pass before checking unless you smell something distinctly burning.
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