Carrot cake and carrot cake cupcakes may be packed with veggies, but they usually contain a little (ahem) white flour, sugar and lots of oil or butter too. My carrot cake cupcakes are paleo, gluten-free, vegan and higher in protein and fiber than traditional carrot cake thanks to the use of almond flour and chia seeds.
My recipe is also lower in saturated fat and sugar than most carrot cake recipes because I used just a taste of coconut oil and maple syrup. A little goes a long way!
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This is one dessert you can also enjoy as a snack. I told myself that without the icing, these carrot cake cupcakes are essentially carrot muffins, right? Right!
I created this carrot cake cupcake recipe because my boyfriend’s favourite cake is carrot cake. For his birthday, he asked me to make him one. A healthy one. In cupcake form. Preferably grain-free. And lower in sugar. And lower in carbs. Am I accommodating, or what?
Lucky for him developing such a recipe makes for amazing blog material! Why can’t we have a healthier version of our fave cake on our birthdays? Have your cake and eat it too!
And what would carrot cake be without the sweet and tangy goodness of cream cheese icing? Try my vegan, dairy-free “Cream Cheese” Icing using almond milk and no refined sugars. I’m obsessed!
My favorite way to replace eggs in my vegan baking is to use chia eggs. You’ve probably heard of flax eggs, but I find chia eggs way easier to make because there’s no need to grind the seeds up first. Hooray for saving time!
Here’s my YouTube video on how to make chia eggs:
The History of Carrot Cake
Apparently, carrot cake is older than dirt (almost). It goes back so far that no one really knows who invented it. It may have evolved from Carrot Pudding, a popular dessert during Medieval times (not at the popular dinner theatre, as far as I know).
Carrots used to be used in baked goods as a sugar substitute. Just goes to show you how much our taste buds have changed over the years!
No need to worry, this is as tasty and healthy as carrot cake gets. Now let’s get baking!
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 12 cupcakes (or 24 mini cupcakes) | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 20 minutes |
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- 4 carrots large, grated (about 2 cups)
- 4 tbsp chia seeds (make chia "eggs" by mixing 4 tbsp chia with 1/2 cup water and let it sit for 10 min)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut unsweetened (for sprinkles)
- Vegan "Cream Cheese" frosting (see recipe) http://christyb.wpengine.com/recipe/vegan-cream-cheese-icing/
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163 degrees C). Prepare your chia eggs (or if you aren't vegan/eat eggs you can use 4 large eggs). Grate the carrots and add to a medium bowl with the maple syrup, coconut oil and chia "eggs" (once they've had about 10 minutes to gel with the water). Mix with a fork or whisk.
- Add the almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the larger bowl of dry ingredients and stir until mixed. Pour into lined muffin tins until just below full.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool and then it's frosting time! Spread on my Vegan "Cream Cheese" Icing and enjoy!
*without icing.
I’ve been craving carrot cake lately and these look soso good! Love that they’re packed with protein–using almond flour is an awesome idea!
Can I use real eggs instead of chia seeds in this recipe?
You definitely can. It will turn out just as yummy 🙂
Does it change how it rises if the carrots are grated thick? Also I used spelt flour and almond meal. As I don’t have almond flour and it didn’t rise at. What would u suggest to make it rise.
Hi Sarah, if you change up the flour it will change the density of the cupcakes so they won’t rise properly. You have to use the same types of flour for the recipe to work. I’d have to test your spelt version to figure out the right ratios. Oh, the joys of baking!
Almond meal and almond flour are essentially the same thing, so you’re good there.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you with the changes. I’ll try making a spelt version and let you know when it’s up!
thanx if you or some1 else can get the ratio 2 work ill love 2 know.