Yield: 12 muffins
Prep time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 20–25 minutes
Total: about 35–40 minutes
Oven: 350°F / 175°C
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
1 cup cottage cheese — about 225 g, blended completely smooth
2 large eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup pure maple syrup — about 60 ml
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
2 cups rolled oats — about 180 g
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger — optional but recommended
¼ teaspoon salt
Carrot & add-ins
1 cup finely grated carrot — approximately 2 medium carrots
¼ cup raisins — optional
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans — optional
The combination of cottage cheese and eggs provides much of the protein, while oats and carrots add fiber and texture.
S
Sip the Soup
+1
Full Step-by-Step Recipe
1. Prepare the oven
Preheat your oven to:
350°F / 175°C
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
If you don’t have liners, lightly grease the muffin cups with oil or butter.
2. Prepare the carrots
Wash and peel the carrots.
Finely grate them.
If they contain a lot of water, place the grated carrots in a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze out excess liquid.
Don’t squeeze them completely dry. Some moisture is desirable because it helps keep the muffins soft.
S
Sip the Soup
3. Make the oat flour
Place the rolled oats in a blender or food processor.
Pulse several times until they resemble a coarse flour.
Don’t worry if a few pieces of oats remain. In fact, a slightly coarse texture gives the muffins a nicer crumb.
4. Blend the cottage cheese
Put the cottage cheese into a blender.
Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
This step is important because it prevents noticeable cottage-cheese pieces in the finished muffins.
S
Sip the Soup
5. Add the wet ingredients
Add:
2 eggs
mashed bananas
maple syrup
vanilla
Blend or whisk until everything is well combined.
You should have a smooth, fairly thick mixture.
6. Combine the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, combine:
oat flour
baking powder
cinnamon
nutmeg
ginger
salt
Mix well so the baking powder and spices are distributed evenly.
7. Combine wet and dry
Pour the cottage-cheese mixture into the bowl containing the oat mixture.
Stir gently with a spatula.
Don’t overmix.
Stop as soon as the ingredients are combined.
8. Add the carrots
Fold in the grated carrots.
Then add your preferred mix-ins:
Option A — classic:
¼ cup chopped walnuts
Option B — sweeter:
¼ cup raisins
Option C — carrot-cake style:
2 tablespoons walnuts + 2 tablespoons raisins
You can also add a little shredded coconut if desired.
S
Sip the Soup
9. Rest the batter
Let the batter sit for approximately 5 minutes.
The oats will absorb some of the moisture and the batter will become thicker.
S
Sip the Soup
10. Fill the muffin pan
Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups.
Fill each approximately ¾ full.
If you want the large, bakery-style tops shown in your picture, you can fill them slightly higher, but you may get closer to 10–11 larger muffins rather than 12.
11. Bake
Bake at:
350°F / 175°C for approximately 20–25 minutes.
They’re done when:
the tops look set,
they’re lightly golden,
and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
A 22–27 minute baking range is also used in a version containing whey protein.
L
Little Healthy Life
12. Cool
Leave the muffins in the pan for 5–10 minutes.
Then transfer them to a wire rack.
Allow them to cool before storing.
They become easier to handle and develop a better texture as they cool.
ALL ABOUT THE NUTS
If by “all nut info” you mean the nuts in this recipe, here’s the important part.
Walnuts
Use approximately:
¼ cup / 25–30 g chopped walnuts
Walnuts provide a crunchy texture and a classic carrot-cake flavor.
For an even better flavor, lightly toast them before adding them.
Easy method:
Toast chopped walnuts at 350°F / 175°C for about 5–7 minutes, watching carefully so they don’t burn.
Cool them before mixing into the batter.
Pecans
Pecans can replace walnuts 1:1.
They give the muffins a slightly sweeter, buttery flavor.
Other nuts
You can experiment with:
almonds
hazelnuts
pistachios
macadamia nuts
Keep the total quantity around ¼ cup so the batter’s moisture balance doesn’t change significantly.
Nut-free version
Simply leave out the walnuts/pecans.
The recipe works perfectly well without them.
For crunch, you could instead use:
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
chia seeds
If you’re making these for someone with a nut allergy, check every packaged ingredient for the appropriate allergen warning and avoid cross-contact with nuts.
Optional Carrot-Cake Topping
For a more dessert-like muffin, you can make a simple cottage-cheese topping.
Ingredients
½ cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1–2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
Blend everything until completely smooth.
Refrigerate briefly, then spread a small amount over completely cooled muffins.
A cottage-cheese drizzle is also used with similar carrot-cake protein muffins.
F
Fit Foodie Finds
For a more traditional carrot-cake flavor, you can use cream cheese instead of cottage cheese.
Approximate Nutrition
Nutrition varies considerably depending on the cottage cheese, banana size, maple syrup, and whether nuts/raisins are included.
One published version without the optional nuts reports approximately 165 calories, 7 g protein, 25 g carbohydrate, and 3 g fiber per muffin when divided into 12.
Y
Yusra Recipe
Approximate range per muffin
Nutrient Approx. amount
Calories 150–180 kcal
Protein 6–8 g
Carbohydrates 23–27 g
Fiber ~3 g
Fat ~3–6 g
Sugar ~7–10 g
Walnuts/pecans will increase the calories and fat, while also adding unsaturated fat and additional nutrients.
If you tell me the exact brand/fat percentage of your cottage cheese and oats, I can calculate a more precise nutrition panel.
Recipe Q&A
Can I make these without bananas?
Yes, but bananas provide both sweetness and moisture. Removing them without replacing them can make the muffins drier.
You could experiment with unsweetened applesauce, but the texture and sweetness will change.
Can I use quick oats?
Yes.
Rolled oats are preferable for texture, but quick oats can work. Blend them less aggressively so the batter doesn’t become excessively dense.
Can I use ready-made oat flour?
Absolutely.
Use approximately 180 g oat flour for the 2 cups of rolled oats.
Can I add protein powder?
Yes.
For a higher-protein version, one published recipe uses 90 g vanilla or unflavored whey protein alongside 2¼ cups oats and 1½ cups cottage cheese.
L
Little Healthy Life
However, protein powder absorbs liquid, so I wouldn’t simply add a large amount to this original recipe without adjusting the wet ingredients.
Can I make them dairy-free?
The original recipe is not dairy-free because of the cottage cheese.
Blended silken tofu can be experimented with as a replacement, although the flavor and texture will differ.
S
Sip the Soup
Can I make them gluten-free?
Yes, provided you use certified gluten-free oats if gluten avoidance is necessary. Regular oats can have cross-contact with gluten-containing grains.
S
Sip the Soup
Can I make them egg-free?
You can experiment with flax eggs or another egg replacement, but eggs contribute significantly to the structure, so expect a softer/different texture.
S
Sip the Soup
Can I reduce the maple syrup?
Yes.
If your bananas are very ripe, you can reduce the maple syrup somewhat.
Keep in mind that reducing it may make the muffins slightly less sweet and slightly drier.
Can I use honey instead?
Yes. Honey can replace maple syrup, although it will change the flavor slightly.
Why are my muffins wet in the middle?
Common causes:
Carrots contained too much water.
Muffins were underbaked.
The muffin cups were overfilled.
The batter was too wet.
They were cut while still very hot.
Try squeezing excess carrot moisture and giving the muffins another 3–5 minutes in the oven.
Why did my muffins become dense?
Possible causes include:
over-blending the oats,
overmixing the batter,
too much moisture,
insufficient baking powder,
very large bananas.
Mix only until combined.
How do I get the beautiful crunchy topping shown in the picture?
Before baking, sprinkle each muffin with:
finely grated carrot
chopped walnuts
a tiny drizzle of maple syrup
Don’t add too much syrup because it can burn.
Storage
Because these muffins contain cottage cheese, eggs, and fresh carrot, refrigeration is the practical choice.
Refrigerator
Store in an airtight container for approximately 4–5 days.
Freezer
Wrap individually or place in a freezer-safe container.
They can be frozen for approximately up to 3 months.
Y
Yusra Recipe
To serve from frozen
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or warm gently in the microwave.
For a freshly baked texture, warm for approximately 15–25 seconds, depending on your microwave.
Y
Yusra Recipe
My recommended version
For the closest combination to the muffins in your photograph, I’d use:
1 cup cottage cheese + 2 eggs + 2 ripe bananas + ¼ cup maple syrup + 2 cups oats + 1 cup carrot + cinnamon + nutmeg + ginger + ¼ cup toasted walnuts.
Then add ¼ cup raisins if you like a sweeter, traditional carrot-cake flavor.
The result should be moist, soft, warmly spiced, carrot-filled, and slightly crunchy from the walnuts, rather than cake-like and fluffy in the conventional flour-and-butter sense.
S
Sip the Soup
+1
Quick recipe card
350°F / 175°C → 20–25 min → 12 muffins
Blend: cottage cheese → eggs → banana → maple syrup → vanilla
Pulse: oats → coarse flour
Mix: oats + baking powder + spices + salt
Fold: carrots + walnuts/raisins
Fill: ¾ full
Bake: 20–25 min
Cool: 5–10 min
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
- Grandma’s Cream Puffs – Light, Crisp & Creamy - October 17, 2026
- Easy Crockpot Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken - October 17, 2026
- Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes - October 17, 2026
