Healthy Carrot Cake

Name: Healthy Carrot Cake
Prep time: 1 h 35 min
Cook time: 42 min
Total time: 2 h 17 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 ½ cups almond flour; 1 cup tapioca flour (or oat flour); 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 4 large eggs, room temperature; ⅔ cup coconut sugar; ½ cup pure maple syrup; ½ cup coconut milk; ½ cup melted coconut oil; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar; 3 cups finely grated carrots (about 4-5 large carrots); ¾ cup finely chopped pecans; ½ cup raisins (optional); 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (or dairy free cream cheese*); ½ cup salted butter or ghee, room temperature; 3 cups organic powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

This healthy carrot cake is soft, delicious, and unbelievably moist! It’s made with healthier ingredients including plenty of carrots, almond flour, and warming spices. This carrot cake is paleo and totally gluten free! Finish with my silky and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting.

slice of healthy carrot cake with a bite taken out on a fork.

Fun fact about me: carrot cake is one of my favorite healthy cake recipes to make! While I love spring dessert recipes, including my paleo lemon bars, there’s nothing quite like a sweet and moist cake made with freshly grated carrots. The combination of warming spices, soft texture, and tangy frosting is a match made in heaven. So, naturally, I became obsessed with creating a classic carrot cake recipe made with healthier ingredients. And friends, I did it.

I was so dedicated to creating the ultimate healthy carrot cake recipe that I actually got sick of cake. At one point, I had five different ones in my fridge and/or freezer. But let me tell you, it was so worth it!

This cake is so moist while being completely gluten free, dairy free, and paleo! You can also make this with dairy free cream cheese frosting if needed. Perfect for birthdays, spring gatherings, or Easter celebrations! Who’s hungry?

Jump to:

What Makes This Recipe Healthier?

I love figuring out ways to make healthy swaps in desserts without sacrificing texture or flavor. This recipe is:

Made with whole ingredients: The cake is made with wholesome almond flour, eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk, natural sweeteners, and yes—plenty of carrots! It’s incredibly flavorful and packed with warm spices.
Gluten free: This carrot cake recipes uses almond and tapioca flour, which means it’s totally paleo and gluten free! The tapioca flour is what makes this cake soft and cakey!
Dairy free: This carrot cake is make with coconut oil and coconut milk. For the frosting, see tips for how to use dairy free cream cheese for the frosting below.
Naturally sweetened: Carrot cake with coconut sugar and maple syrup means its naturally sweetened and low sugar!

Ingredient Notes

Healthy ingredients in bowls including almond flour, shredded carrots, tapioca, coconut sugar, coconut oil, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, raisins, coconut milk, pecans, baking soda, eggs, and maple syrup.

Almond flour – Make sure to use blanched almond flour. This makes the cake soft and moist.
Tapioca flour – Tapioca is a starch that derives from the cassava root. You’ll find it in the baking section (often near almond flour). It’s also sometimes labeled tapioca starch.
Sea salt – I like to use an unprocessed sea salt like Real Salt.

Eggs – Lay these out about an hour ahead of time to bring them to room temperature.
Coconut sugar – This adds a nice maple-like flavor to the pudding. Coconut sugar is sourced from the coconut palm tree.
Coconut milk – I like to use full fat coconut milk from a can for this recipe. You can also use coconut milk from a carton.
Large carrots – you’ll be shredding these. Make sure to shred your own carrots. Do not use store-bought shredded carrots.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions

Almond flour: You can use another nut flour, like cashew flour.
Tapioca flour: Use arrowroot or oat flour
Salted butter: Use ghee to make the cake dairy free.
Coconut sugar: Swap for brown sugar.
Raisins: You can mix-in shredded coconut instead.
Chopped pecans: Swap for chopped walnuts.

How to Make Healthy Carrot Cake

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of 2, 8-inch cake pans or 3, 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Generously grease the sides of the pan with oil.

2. Mix the Batter: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, sea salt, ginger, and nutmeg. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and coconut sugar, then add the maple syrup, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything together until just combined. Fold in the grated carrots, pecans, and raisins.

Two mixing bowls showing how to mix the batter and fold in the carrots, raisins, and pecans.

3. Pour into Pans: Divide the batter evenly between pans.

Pouring the carrot cake batter into the cake pans.

4. Bake: For two 8-inch cake pans, bake for 37-42 minutes. For three 8-inch cake pans, bake for 28-32 minutes. Test the center with a toothpick. Remove the cakes from the pan and let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

5. For the Frosting: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or beater attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Place the cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

cream cheese frosting in a bowl being mixed with a hand mixer.

6. Assemble the Cake: Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand. Cover the top of the cake with frosting, then, flip the second layer upside down and place it on top of the frosting. Top the second layer with more frosting and place the third layer on top if applicable. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top of the cake and evenly on the sides. Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes before serving.

A frosted and assembled healthy carrot cake with pecans on top.

Baking Tips

Make sure to line your cake pans with parchment paper. Don’t skip this step or your cakes will stick!
Do not use pre-packaged shredded carrots from the store. It’s important to that carrot cake is moist, especially when making it with healthier ingredients. Store bought carrots are too long and dry for carrot cake. Finely grate whole carrots at home using the smallest grate on a box grater.
Give your cakes PLENTY of time to cool before adding frosting.
For best results, use block cream cheese, not tub cream cheese. Your frosting will be runny if you use spreadable cream cheese.
Frosting a little runny? Add more powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until the consistency firms up. Chill the frosting for 30 minutes before assembling the cake.
If the frosting gets too hard in the fridge, whip the frosting in the mixer again with the beater attachment for about a minute.
If you like your frosting extra thick in between layers and want extra to pipe decorations with, double the frosting recipe.
Here are some tips for cutting a round cake into 18-24 slices.

Frosting the Cake

A big slice of carrot cake made with healthier ingredients on a plate with a fork.

Cream cheese frosting is much softer. And if you use dairy free cream cheese, it will be sold as spreadable cream cheese in a tub which makes it soft and creamy. Carrot cake is very dense and heavy, so you will need to be more patient and careful when frosting your cake. Here are my tips:

Because the frosting is soft, I recommend only doing a two-layer cake.
To firm up the frosting, make it a day ahead of time and then chill the frosting overnight before assembly. Whip the frosting again in the mixer for about a minute before assembling the cake.
Use a thin layer in between cake layers and chill the cake to let the layers set if needed before frosting the top and outside.
You can also just put the frosting in between the two cake layers and on top of the cake and leave the sides exposed.

Recipe FAQs

Is carrot cake healthy?

Despite the name, carrot cake is still cake. Truthfully, it’s not much different that other standard cakes and pies. But, it can be made into a healthy carrot cake recipe with quality ingredients! You can swap processed sugars for more natural options like maple syrup and coconut sugar, and use wholesome flours like almond flour instead of white flour using a recipe like this one.

Can you make carrot cake paleo?

You can easily make paleo carrot cake using almond flour and tapioca flour. When it comes to making paleo cream cheese frosting, you’ll need to make your own by turning coconut sugar into powdered sugar in a food processor. Follow my instructions in my dairy free cream cheese frosting if you’re interested in making paleo powdered sugar.

How many slices should I cut?

I recommend cutting the cake into 18 slices. Carrot cake is very rich and dense, so you may find you feel satisfied with smaller than usual slices. Here’s some tips for how to cut round cake in 18-24 slices.

Do you need to refrigerate carrot cake?

Because of the cream cheese frosting, you do need to store it in the fridge. The texture is still incredibly moist and dense, so it won’t dry out in the fridge.

Storage and Freezing

STORE: Unlike most cakes, you need to store healthy carrot cake in the refrigerator. I recommend storing the whole cake in an airtight cake container in the refrigerator before serving. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

FREEZE: If you have some extra cake and want to make it last longer, store it in the freezer! Simply cut what’s remaining into slices and wrap each slice in parchment paper or food storage wrap. Then, put your slices in a freezer-friendly resealable bag. It will last in the freezer for up to three months. To thaw, lay out a slice at room temperature for a few hours.

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