Name: Super healthy Carob Muffins
Yield: 6 muffins
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients: For the muffins:; 1 medium apple (finely grated); 1 carrot (finely grated); 1 ripe banana (peeled and mashed); 1/2 cup dates (75g) (chopped into small pieces); 1 cup oat flour (90g); 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 cup carob powder (20g); 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax seeds & 4 tbsp water); 100 ml plant-based milk; 2 tbsp hemp seeds; For the topping:; Coconut yogurt; Fresh blueberries

Carob muffins with apple & carrot. The recipe is refined-sugar free, super healthy and easy to make.

After I often heard of “carob powder” I finally had the chance to test this interesting ingredient myself.

Known as the “sweet alternative to cocoa powder”, carob powder is ideally for hot chocolate or for baking. Due to its natural sweetness, you can avoid using refined sugar or even other sugar alternatives. Together with apple, carrot, and banana, I made those super healthy muffins with no sugar added. So you can enjoy them without any egret. They provide a lot of nutrients and energy.

In addition, I was curious to learn more about carob. In my article I will share with you, how healthy carob is and whether the cacao alternative can be considered sustainable.

What is carob?

Carob powder is made from the dried fruits of the carob tree. To obtain carob, the ripe fruits are cleaned, broken open, and chopped up. After the removal of the stems and seeds, the pulp is dried, roasted, and finally grounded.

Carob contains hardly any sodium and fat, but it does contain a high proportion of fiber. Together with the natural sugar they contain, the fruit provides a lot of energy with a relatively low amount of calories. Due to its healthy and numerous nutrients, carob is often used as an alternative to chocolate. (Annika Reketat, 2019)

It is used similarly to cacao powder ingredients for drinks or baking. With its sweet, caramel-like taste, the carob resembles the taste of cocoa but is less bitter than it.

How sustainable is carob?

Chocolate, and thus cacao, is one of the most climate-damaging foods because growing cacao plants required a large amount of water. In contrast, carob is quite easy to grow even under difficult conditions. It needs much less water and it can grow even on sandy and salty soil. In addition to that, carob trees can even help to improve the quality of the soil. Furthermore, carob does not require as much pesticides as its not as sensitive as cacao. (Annika Reketat, 2019)

However, both ingredients are leaving a big CO2 footprint due to the long travel distances from their origin to our kitchens. But carob trees also grow in Europe, mainly Spain, Italy, Croatia or Cyprus. Therefore their travel distances is not as long as of cacao, which is often imported from South America, Africa or Asia. (Annika Reketat, 2019 and Kira Welling, 2018)

As you can see, carob scores better on many points. Nevertheless, it must considered that carob is not a regional product and leaves a CO2 footprint. Compared to cocoa, however, the emission due to travel distances is lower. So, from my point of view, Carob is the better choice.

This carob muffin recipe is:

Sugar-free & Healthy
With natural sweetness from carob and fruits
Very easy to make
Moist & super delicious
Plant-based & dairy-free

Are you looking for more muffin recipes?