Healthy Carrot Cake
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My healthy carrot cake recipe yields a fluffy, moist cake with warm cinnamon flavor. It’s made with white whole wheat flour and NO eggs!
If you’ve never baked with vegetables, you’re missing out. It’s one of my favorite sneaky ingredients (hello, zucchini chocolate cake!) because it adds flavor, texture, and even fiber.
Made with a short list of ingredients, my healthy carrot cake turns out wonderfully moist with a light crumb. It is lightly sweetened with a little sugar, carrots, and plump raisins.
Table of Contents
Arman’s recipe highlights
- Great with or without frosting. I love the cream cheese frosting, but it holds up on its own.
- Smart swaps. Just because ‘carrot cake’ has carrots doesn’t mean it’s healthy (I’m sorry to break the news). I use about half the sugar of traditional cakes and far less fat (many classic recipes use over a cup of oil or butter), and swap regular flour for white whole wheat flour.
- Egg-free. I purposely made this cake without eggs, so it works for egg allergies.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need, along with my kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- White whole wheat flour. I first tested this cake with regular flour, then switched to white whole wheat flour. I didn’t notice a difference in texture, but it did add extra fiber.
- Baking powder and baking soda. They add rise and fluffiness.
- Cinnamon. I like a pinch of cinnamon for a pleasant, warming flavor.
- Sugar. I used white and coconut sugar for a moist cake, but allulose (a lower sugar option) works.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk will do.
- Coconut oil. Use refined coconut oil so there’s no coconut flavor. Alternatively, use butter or a neutral-flavored oil.
- Grated carrots. Grate them fresh and don’t chop them, so they easily melt into the cake and add moisture. Avoid using packaged pre-shredded carrots, as they tend to be quite dry.
- Almonds and walnuts. For added texture. I used chopped almonds and walnuts, but pecans would be a great addition, too.
- Raisins. Optional, but I really like the bursts of sweetness added.
- Frosting. Optional.
How to make a healthy carrot cake
Step 1- Mix. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, milk, and oil until smooth. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, then fold in the carrots and mix-ins.
Step 2- Bake. Pour the cake batter into the two cake pans and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Step 3- Frost. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan. Once cooled, layer the cakes, frost, slice, and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Grate the carrots very finely. The finer the carrots, the more easily they mix into the batter. I like using the small holes of a box grater.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix until no visible streaks of flour remain. Overmixing results in a dense or gummy cake.
- Use a different cake pan. This recipe makes two 8-inch cakes in 40 minutes, but you can also make two 9-inch cakes (decrease the bake time by 5 minutes), one 9×13-inch rectangular cake (increase the bake time to 50 minutes), or two 9×5-inch loaf pans (50-60 minutes). As always, do the toothpick test to check.
Variations
- Make a single-layered cake. Halve the ingredients in the recipe.
- Make carrot cake cupcakes. Pour the batter into a 12-count lined cupcake tin and bake for 18-20 minutes. I recommend checking at 18 minutes.
- Make a gluten-free carrot cake. Use a gluten-free flour blend with added xanthan gum.
- Swap the mix-ins. Instead of raisins and nuts, try shredded coconut or crushed pineapple (with the juice drained and patted dry).
Storage instructions
To store: Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Freeze leftover cake slices in a freezer-safe container for up to six months.
More wholesome cakes to try
I’m always looking for ways to healthify cakes, and here are a few more of my favorites:
- Healthy chocolate cake
- Healthy apple cake
- Healthy banana cake
- Blueberry breakfast cake
- Healthy mug cake
Healthy Carrot Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour Gluten free, if needed , 390g
- 2 teaspoon baking powder 9g
- 2 teaspoon baking soda 10g
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup sugar 200g
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar, 200g
- 1 1/2 cups milk I used unsweetened almond milk, 360mL
- 1 cup coconut oil melted but cooled (can use any neutral tasting oil), 220g
- 3 1/2 cups carrots grated, 385g
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped, 60g
- 1/2 cup raisins Optional, 75g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans and line them with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, coconut sugar, milk of choice, and melted coconut oil, until glossy and smooth. Combine your wet and dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Fold through your shredded carrots, nuts, and raisins.
- Distribute your cake batter evenly amongst the two cake pans. Bake for around 40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in the pan completely. Once cooled, you can frost them, if desired.
Just this week I was craving carrot cake with lemon cream cheese frosting and this healthy version of yours looks absolutely delicious! And I love that it’s clean enough to have for breakfast! I’m #teamcake and though I love icing, I find it can be a little rich and sickly sometimes. Just wondering if there was another flour I could use instead of a gf blend? I’m on a super restricted diet atm for health reasons and I could actually eat this, so TIA!
Cream cheese Is the only time the frosting does actually win that one! Cream cheese frosting all the way..on everything…in everything. Muffins, french toast. Cue cravings.
Can you bake this in a sheet cake pan instead of a loaf pan or do you not think it would cook correctly that way?
Hi Dalayna! 🙂
Making it in a sheet cake pan is exactly how my mum makes it 🙂 Just cut down on the cooking time slightly 🙂
Cream cheese is the ONLY time that the frosting actually wins that battle. But cream cheese hands down. Now I’m hardcore craving cream cheese stuffed french toast. Nummm
Anyways, could you make this in a pan as a sheet cake instead of a loaf? Or will it not bake correctly that way?
This looks so yummy. Great idea. Just discovered your blog and I absolutely love it 🙂 Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Cindy! 🙂
Hey Arman, Brilliant recipe!!! I’m so gonna try this with my Protein powder, which I need to finish quick 😀 Love the sound of the recipe and the description……Wanna have a go for it. Will post the feedback once I’ll try this 🙂 Saumya
Thanks so much Saumya- Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Love that this carrot cake can be made for any dietary restriction! Looks delicious!!
Thanks so much Phoebe- Appreciate you stopping by 🙂
Arman, this cake needs no frosting, icing, or anything else to cover it up. It looks like a moist, beautiful loaf. I love those big slices! This would be perfect in the morning with my coffee. Take care my friend, Catherine
Thank you so much Catherine- promise it’s delicious 🙂
This carrot cake sounds delicious, with or without cream cheese frosting! (the difference between breakfast or dessert?) I do have a question though, as am new to cooking with coconut oil. Do you melt the oil first and than measure, or vice versa?
Thanks so much Deanna! I do melt the coconut oil first if it’s Winter and firmed up- Otherwise you can use any oil 🙂 Maybe not olive oil though 😛
Sad to say that when I tried this it did not turn out looking oike the pics at all. It was way too dry to even mix the ingredients together without adding some more liquid, so I added some water and an extra T. of oil thinking maybe my yogurt was just too thick. But now that I think about it again, I think I really ought to have added another egg and even more oil instead. It is still cooling, so I am hoping it at least tastes good, but it certainly looks dry and flat compared to the moist carrot cakey deliciousness I was looking forward to!
Hey there! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you- Did you follow the instructions as per listed including the flours and yogurt? This is one of the most made and most tagged recipes (even those who adapt it to make it Vegan) so I’m sorry yours didn’t turn out so well! Please let me know how the second batch turned out!
Sorry if this has been asked already, but what kind of GF blend do you use? Thanks!
No worries at all! I’ve used a couple, one of which is Bob Red Mill’s! 🙂
This recipe looks awesome!! Do you think that you could use coconut flour in the recipe?
Hi Heather! To be honest, I haven’t tried coconut flour with this. If you do use it, you’ll need to adjust all the liquid ratios because of how much coconut flour absorbs liquids! I have tried it with standard wholewheat before and another reader used spelt 🙂
ooooh, I’d have definitely made a second trip for frosting. because, frosting! but this looks fantastic enough as is – wish I had a slice right now!
Haha, not going to lie, when I made truffles with the excess, I had a tonne of frosting left which was perfect for toast. :p
I love carrot cake of all kinds… this looks delish!
Thank you so much 🙂
Could i do this recipe without coconut oil?
I substituted the coconut oil for extra virgin olive oil and it came out great.
Hey Mia 🙂 You can use any mild tasting oil- alternatively you could try applesauce but I’m assuming that it would be more dry!