These almond flour carrot muffins are super moist, lightly sweetened with honey, and even a little fluffy! They’re the perfect Easter treat, and the reviewers have been loving them for the past 11 years. They’re paleo but have a cream cheese frosting option.
Originally posted in 2014, I’ve updated this recipe with more information and new photos.
Here’s an old one for reference. They were originally called healthier carrot cake cupcakes, which was a dumb name because they just had a tiny bit of frosting on them. But the texture is very cupcake-like!
I changed the name because people kept asking how to make these with only coconut flour – which doesn’t work. More on that below.
So, these are now almond flour muffins with a tiny bit of coconut flour to help improve the texture.
Ingredient notes
Here are some notes on select ingredients. Please scroll to the bottom of the post to find the full recipe card!
- Finely ground blanched almond flour – do not substitute with coconut flour or another flour, as it will drastically change the recipe. Almond meal would work, but then you’ll have little brown specks of skin in your muffins. They won’t taste differently, though.
- Coconut Flour – before I posted this recipe, I had made these muffins with just almond flour several times. But no matter how I changed the recipe, they kept coming out greasy. So I added a little coconut flour, which helps absorb moisture and adds structure. Problem solved and they came out perfectly! Unfortunately, there isn’t a substitute for coconut flour.
- Eggs – I’ve tried egg subs in this recipe, and they just don’t work. Grain-free muffins are definitely way more finicky than regular muffins and omitting 2 eggs from a recipe that only yields 8 muffins just doesn’t work.
- Refined coconut oil – you can use unrefined if you don’t mind coconut flavor. You can use melted butter or another neutral oil instead.
- Grated carrots – pre-shredded carrots are thicker and drier, which would affect the texture of the muffins. So I really recommend shredding them yourself. I usually use this Microplane Medium Ribbon Grater when grating carrots for carrot cake and other treats, and it works great here. The photographer grated them more coarsely than I did in the original photos, and that’s why the muffins in the new photos look a bit different.
Can I just use all coconut flour?
I had one commenter say her muffins came out dry, despite following the recipe – except for using coconut flour in place of almond flour.
That doesn’t work. Coconut flour isn’t interchangeable with any other type of flour.
It’s SO much more absorbent than other flours. Please follow the recipe if you want it to work.
If you want to only use coconut flour, you have to find a recipe already calling for that.
Can I add walnuts, raisins or pineapple?
I’ve tried it out with 1/3 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts. That worked great.
One commenter said that they had used crushed pineapple, but they didn’t come back to say how much they added or if they made other adjustments.
I don’t see how that’d work. Even if you pat it dry, I just think it’d make the muffins soggy.
Another commented said they added 1/3 cup of fresh chopped pineapple and had good results. I think that’s more likely to work out better than crushed pineapple.
How to make them
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth.
- Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in the grated carrots.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
- Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan before transferring them to a wire rack.
Tips for success
Here are a few key tips to ensure your muffins turn out perfectly every time.
- Use room temperature eggs – this helps them incorporate more evenly into the batter.
- Finely grate the carrots – larger pieces won’t blend as well and can create a dense texture.
- Measure the flours correctly – coconut flour is highly absorbent, so too much or too little can change the texture. Please use a scale!
- Let them cool completely – they will be delicate when warm but firm up as they cool.
Can I make it as a layer cake?
I’ve made this recipe several times as a layer cake, and the result is a bit too dense for my liking. I’ve often had this issue when trying to use a grain-free muffin recipe for a cake.
Grain-free flours, like almond or coconut flour, tend to make muffins denser and more compact. Muffins can handle this because they’re baked in small portions, but a layer cake needs a lighter, more structured crumb to support stacking and layering.
Another reason is that many grain-free recipes rely on ingredients like eggs, nut flours, or coconut products, which hold a lot of moisture. While this works for muffins, a cake made with the same formula could turn out too wet, heavy, or unstable when layered.
Muffins also don’t need as much rise as a cake, so a muffin recipe may not have enough leavening agents (like baking soda or baking powder) to create a tall, fluffy cake. Cakes require more aeration to achieve a tender crumb that can support frosting.
If you want to try, anyway, you can double the recipe and baked it in two 8″ (22 cm) pans for 17 minutes.
How to make ahead, store and freeze
Once baked, the muffins can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days. If you need to store them for longer, place them in the refrigerator, where they’ll stay fresh for up to four days.
To extend their shelf life, wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer-safe bag. They can be kept frozen for up to three months. When ready to eat, simply thaw at room temperature or warm them slightly in the microwave.
Troubleshooting
- Muffins are too dry or dense – check your coconut flour measurement and make sure you didn’t overbake.
- Muffins are too wet – did you use finely ground blanched almond flour? If your almond flour isn’t finely ground, it won’t be as absorbent, resulting in wetter, greasier muffins.
- Muffins didn’t rise – ensure your baking soda is fresh and that you used large eggs.
Other gluten-free Easter desserts
These Birds Nest Cookies are also paleo (and vegan!) and super cute for Easter.
This Gluten-free Carrot Cake is super moist and the best carrot cake I’ve ever had.
This Italian Lemon Almond Flour Cake isn’t exactly healthy, but people love it.
Almond Flour Carrot Muffins
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 8 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) blanched almond flour
- 2 tablespoons (16 grams) coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs (50 gram each, out of shell), room temperature
- 1/3 cup (75 grams) refined coconut oil1, melted
- 1/3 cup (106 grams) honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (50 grams) grated carrots2
- optional - 3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts for the muffin tops
- 2 ounces (56 grams) cream cheese
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- a dash of salt
For the carrot muffins:
For the optional cream cheese frosting:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line a muffin tin with 8 muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (almond flour through nutmeg). Set this aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Add the dry mix to the wet mix just until combined and then gently fold in the grated carrots.
- Divide the batter evenly among the liners (about 62 grams per liner) and top with chopped walnuts, if using.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Do not frost until completely cool!
- For the cream cheese frosting, mix everything together until thoroughly combined. Spread a thin layer on top of each cupcake.
- Unfrosted muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days or refrigerated for 5 days. Frosted muffins should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
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628 comments on “Almond Flour Carrot Muffins” — Add one!
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delicious!!!!
So glad you liked them! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Can I use avocado oil instead of coconut oil ?
And agave instead of honey
Would that change the taste
I sometimes use baby food carrots to moist carrot cake to reduce oils and that adds extra flavor
I never use avocado oil in baking because I don’t like the taste. If you like the taste of avocado oil in baked goods, it should be fine. I haven’t ever used agave in these but since you can use maple syrup, agave should work and wouldn’t have an effect on the flavor.
1 1/4 cups (125 grams) blanched almond flour I doubled it!
2 tablespoons (16 grams) coconut flour I used all purpose gf
1/2 teaspoon baking soda x2
1/8 teaspoon salt x2
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon x2
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger used fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg x2
2 large eggs (50 gram each, out of shell), room temperature x2
1/3 cup (75 grams) refined coconut oil, melted (if you use unrefined coconut oil there may be some coconut taste to the muffins) I used olive oil x2
1/3 cup (106 grams) honey x2
2 teaspoons vanilla extract x2
1/2 cup (50 grams) grated carrots x4
I added 1 cup walnuts
1 cup craisins
Yes I Susanized it but oh my did I have a great launch pad thanks for this recipe.
Scrumptious! I made these into mini muffins & they came out perfectly, lovely & moist. I just shortened the time by a few minutes, kept my eye on them, I think 15 was about right as it made 12 instead of the 8 in the recipe. Don’t need the frosting but am interested in trying it out, such a simple & healthier option. Thanks again for your tasty recipes💜
Can you use this recipe for mini muffins?
You can! But I don’t know the baking time. I’d start checking at 6 minutes. Mini muffins can sometimes bake really quickly, but it depends on your pan, how full you fill them, etc. It may take more like 12 minutes.
Hello! Sorry for just now responding. You commented after midnight my time, so I was sleeping. I’m so sorry that you had issues! So the issue is that you can’t get past step 2? I’ve been whipping coconut cream for about 10 years and never had an issue until a few cans last month. It was the same brand I’ve always used. I checked the cans and apparently nothing had changed. But they just wouldn’t whip. It even looked curdled. I think I tried 3 different cans and none of them worked. I bought some more a few weeks later and it whipped up fine, just like before. I have no idea what the issue was. I’m sorry it happened to you! There’s unfortunately nothing you can do to fix it. :( I would try a different brand if you have time!
Thank you for your feedback Erin! I will for sure consider different coconut milk brands next time. And, I will try again.:-)
Just made these and they are DELICIOUS! Thank you! I added crushed pineapple too and pecans.
Yay! Glad that you enjoyed them. :) How much pineapple did you add? I’m surprised that it worked well. Thanks for your feedback!
Thank you for this recipe! I made a half-batch, but I got 3, so next time I’ll just use the recipe as is to make 6 lol. These were so delicious and one of the few recipes where I love to use almond/coconut flour! Thanks again!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them. :) And yes, a half batch is too little. 😂 Thanks for your feedback!
These were delicious! I used maple syrup instead of honey and they turn out great
Woohoo! I’m happy to hear that. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I love it- moist and not too sweet. However mine tasted a bit bitter. I put extra vanilla, would this affect the taste to be bitter??
Thank you !
Hi! No, that shouldn’t cause them to be bitter at all. Did you make any other changes?
Were either of your flours old? The high fat content can make them go rancid quickly so if the flours were older that could be the off bitter taste.
My batter is super dry. No moisture to it at all. What am I missing? I followed this recipe aside from not using almond flour. I used coconut flour (same ratio) instead.
As I said in the post, “People often ask if there’s a substitute for coconut flour and there really isn’t. And the only substitute for the almond flour would be almond meal (which is a lot cheaper than almond flour!) or another nut flour.” You can’t use coconut flour in place of almond flour. It will absorb way, way too much of the liquid and not work out all. If you want to use coconut flour, you have to find a recipe already calling for that. There’s no way to use it in this recipe. Sorry about that!
Just ask you I like reciepe to much instead of egg what can I put member of my family is allergic to eggs. Sorry. Anita
Hello! I would find an egg-free recipe. I’ve tried chia eggs in this recipe and the results were not good. I think egg subs are just hard in grain-free cake recipes. Sorry about that!
Hi! Can these be frozen? Wondering if I can make these in advance for a birthday party?
Hi! Yes, they can. Up to 3 months. :)
Can I substitute another oil for the coconut oil and can I add chopped walnuts and how much? TIA
Yes to the oil and yes to walnuts. I haven’t done it but commenters have said they use 1/3 cup of raisins and 1/4 cup walnuts. If you don’t want raisins, you could use more walnuts!
Wow! Just made these and am blown away by the deliciousness. Thank you for such a great recipe. It’s certainly going in the fav things to bake rotation x
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you liked them. :) I’m happy to hear that they’re going in the rotation. Thanks a ton for your feedback!
Hi. Can I substitute almond flour with almond meal? If yes, is it the same ratio? Will the texture changed ?
Sorry for just now seeing this! Hopefully you found the answer in the post. :) Yes, you can use almond meal in the same amount. There’s no texture change, except the little bits of almond skin that’s in almond meal.
What should be the measurement for sugar if i want to sub honey with it?
You mean sub sugar in place of honey? I wouldn’t recommend that because the recipe would be missing liquid. But if you try anyway, it’d be 1/3 cup.
When you say “mix wet ingredients” do you simply use a spatula or do you use a hand mixer?
Thanks!!
Just a spatula or a spoon! Never use a hand mixer unless the recipe says. Overbeating can make muffins and other stuff tough. :)
Hi Erin
do you drain the carrots or try to extract any of the moisture first?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! You don’t need to drain the carrots first. I hope you’ll enjoy the muffins!
I am wondering if you have the nutritional breakdown for this recipe. I am particularly looking for carbs, fibre and sugar. Thank you.
I’m so very sorry for just now seeing your question! It was in spam for some odd reason. I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :) I’m currently looking into a way to be able to share the nutritional info in my posts. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Haha. That’s okay. ;) I’m glad you at least like the cupcakes! Thanks for your comment. :)
Thank you!!! I love baking but my new found lifestyle had me worried I’d never get to enjoy my favorite treats again. My husband is even sold on these!
Yay! I’m glad to hear that you both enjoyed the muffins. Thanks for your comment!
These are amazing! My husband loves carrot cake, and he really loved these. My three-year-old granddaughter loved them, too, and her parents were happy that I was able to get a vegetable in her.
I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed these! I love that you were able to get your granddaughter to eat some carrots. :) Yay! Thanks for your comment.
These are amazing. I went ahead and made 2 batches the first time I made them, because I’m convinced that anything Texan Erin creates is obviously going to be heavenly. I didn’t even make the icing (next time though!), but my toddler asked for “cupcakes” for days after we had eaten them all.
Aww, what a nice thing to say. Thank you! :) I love that your toddler requested more. :D I hope you’ll enjoy the icing next time. Thanks for your feedback and sorry again for my slow reply!
Hi, I’m about to make these but reading through the comments, in in UK and have ground almonds, would you suggest more liquid/yogurt will be needed to keep it moist? Also 175°c, are you using fan assisted oven here or shall I turn down the temp? Hoping you see this content asap! 🤞
Hi! Ground almonds is almond flour. In some countries, what they call almond flour is really defatted / deoiled almond flour, which is a product we don’t even have in the US. So ground almonds is what you want. :) Always keep the fan off unless a recipe specifically says to turn it on. Sorry for just now seeing this! I took the evening off last night.
Great recipe! I used liquid stevia vs. syrup with the cream cheese and it turned out perfectly. I also used Vitafiber as a sweetener (not a paid endorser). My husband bought a bag of it and I’ve been trying to figure out how to use it!
I’m glad you found a way to use Vitafiber! I’d never heard of that before. Thanks for the tip! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the muffins. :) Thanks for your comment!
Can I sub maple syrup for the honey??
Yup!
I’m trying to turn this into a cake for my babies 1st bday. But im wondering if I can sub out the honey for date paste?
I’ve never used date paste. If it’s meant as a 1:1 sub for maple syrup or honey, it should work here. Sorry that I don’t have a better answer for you!
Hi so I’ve tried the date paste and although it worked out it was very v dense and dry. I made another with maple syrup and that was a good replacement. I subbed it 1.1. My baby loved it thanks
delicious! I spread these out into 12 muffins for 15 minutes and they came out great! Both times I made this I misread how much maple syrup to use, so I had to add more cream cheese, which was non-dairy btw and it came out great!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! And it’s good to know that it works well with less maple and more cream cheese. Less sugar is always a good thing. :) Thanks for your comment!
Can I replace the almond flour with 1 and a half cups of coconut flour?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Hopefully you found the answer in the post. :) The only sub would be another nut flour. Coconut flour is not a sub for almond flour.
These were fantastic. I added raisins like some of the other reviewers as well. So GOOD I will make these regularly. Thanks!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! I still need to try them myself with raisins. Thanks for your feedback and sorry for my very slow reply!
I really like these muffins, it’s delicious and the texture is on point. I was wondering if these could be made into a cake (2 round layers), like would the consistency and texture be dense enough? And if so, how would you convert the recipe?
Thanks!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Hopefully you found the answer in the post. :) I linked to the recipe where I made it as a cake. I doubled the recipe and baked it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes.
I made one batch according to the recipe and they are absolute heaven – perfectly moist with a very pleasant nutty carrot flavor . To experiment, I made another batch with cassava flour which is quite a bit cheaper than almond flour , and it was absolute trash ! Super dry and bready in a bad way . Oh well garbage in, garbage out, as they say. I will stick with the almond flour and will be making again and again :)
Aww. I’m sorry your cassava flour experiment didn’t work out! Cassava flour is one of the few flours my kid can have and so I use it a lot and still wouldn’t be able to convert this (or any recipe) without a ton of experimenting / wasting. :/ I really recommend using recipes that already call for the specific brand of cassava that you have! Thanks a bunch for your comment and sorry for my slow reply. Things have been crazy around here!
I have rarely left reviews/comments on recipes, however, I made this as a cake for Easter and it was fabulous! I made just one batch of muffins as written except: adding a 1/2 tsp extra cinnamon and a few drops of fresh squeezed ginger root. And added 3-4 TBL each chopped walnuts and raisins. Also, when directions stated to mix the eggs in, I separated the eggs and only mixed in the egg yolks. I whipped the egg whites until firm then folded them in after the carrots/walnuts and raisins were added. I greased and parchment papered two 6 in round cake pans, as I wanted a petite, tall cake. I made a low sugar frosting of about two TBL of almost equal ratios of butter, cream cheese and coconut cream with a tablespoon of maple syrup and a few drops of liquid stevia. The frosting was just lightly sweetened and was just enough for layering and frosting the top of the cake. It would have made a nice sized piece if cake cut into 8 pieces, however, I just wanted a little bit of dessert so I cut the two layered cake into 12 small pieces. This is definitely a do again!!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! It landed up in spam for some reason and with my son home the last 2 months, I haven’t been diligent with checking that. Thanks so much for your wonderful review! I’m really glad that you liked the carrot cake. Separating the eggs is a great idea! I’ll have to try that. Thanks again for your feedback and sorry again for my ridiculously slow reply!
Hi Erin, I made this recipe. Because I didnt have enough ingredients, I had to substitute part of the almond flour with apricot seed kernels, ground in my spice mill. I also used butter because I didnt have refined coconut oil. Instead of cupcakes, I made it in a 20 inch cake pan. It was so moist and decicious, the kids polished it off even before I could make the frosting, and I only had a small piece. Absolutely yummy and very hard to tell that its paleo!
Oh, wow. I’ve never heard of using apricot seed kernels! How interesting. Thanks for the tip and your feedback! I’m so glad that it came out well, especially with your changes. :)
Can I use almond flour only. I don’t have any coconut flour :(
Sorry for just now seeing your question! Like I said in the post, there’s not really a sub for coconut flour. :( Sorry about that!
Just made these and they are awesome!! added raisins 10/10 :)
Yay! I’m glad to hear that! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hi. I’ve been making this recipe on repeat every week for my son! I had made it a few times with flax eggs- he loved it. I switched to regular eggs and i like it better with regular eggs. Looks nicer, as well :)
Thank you for this recipe. Literally make it every week. Freezes well!
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! It landed in spam for some weird reason. :( I’m surprised your son liked it with flax eggs! I wasn’t able to make these successfully with chia eggs. You’re welcome for the recipe! It’s so nice to hear you make them every week. :) Thanks for your feedback and sorry again for my slow reply.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 182
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12.8g 16%
Saturated Fat 8.7g 43%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 143mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 15.1g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1.7g 6%
Total Sugars 12.3g
Protein 3g
Vitamin D 4mcg 22%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 51mg 1%
What is the nutritional information for these muffins?
I don’t have the calories but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile.
I made this into a cake and it was SO GOOD! I think I may have done something wrong with the icing though, or the ratios are off. Doubled the recipe, so I did 4oz cream cheese, 8tbs maple syrup, and 3tsp vanilla, and some salt. It ended up incredibly liquidy and never thickened up. Any suggestions on why that may have happened?
I’m glad you liked the recipe! :) You should have used 8 teaspoons of maple syrup, not tablespoons. The recipe calls for 4 teaspoons.
Made these twice already for gluten-sensitive friends, and they were a big hit! I used the ingredients as written, except I bumped up the cinnamon to two teaspoons and also added a quarter teaspoon of allspice. I made them in the mini-muffin pan, sprayed with non-stick spray, lined with papers, which I sprayed, too, so they came out nicely with nothing stuck to the paper. Baked for maybe 8 minutes (check at 6), and this recipe made 30 minis. No, they’re not the same as carrot cake made with flour, but by golly, they’re really good…practically a health food, haha! I used your icing drizzle on only one of the batches that I made. They’re good either way. Gluten-free and “regular” folks all liked them. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! I just got back from vacation. I’m really glad that everyone enjoyed them! And more spice is always a good thing. ;) And good to know that it makes 30 minis! Thanks for the tip and for your feedback. Sorry again!
Your recipe sound delicious but I need to make them completely nut free. What flour can I use instead of almond flour?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I just returned from vacation. Almond flour is unfortunately only interchangeable with other nut flours so I can’t recommend a sub. Sorry about that!
I have had success substituting oat flour for almond flour. I haven’t tried it with this recipe, however.
Mine are a bit gritty and not as brown in colour as yours. Very pale. Also the batter is very thick, more akin to a cookie dough than a cake batter. HELP!
I’m not sure what was going but I followed the instructions exactly and they were terrible! They were gummy and I baked them for over 30 minutes and they weren’t really done but got super crunchy on the top. They are DELICIOUS! I love how tender and light they are. And there isn’t a huge amount of sweetness either which I love (but I’m sure you can add more sweetener if you need). I did get some crispage on the top but I plan on cutting off the muffin tops for a level canvas for the frosting. I did sift the dry ingredients in the second batch which helped the grittiness. Overall WOULD RECOMMEND!
Sorry for just now seeing your comment! I replied to your other one just now and then saw this comment. I’m happy that the second batch came out better! Sometimes I make my own recipes (that have tons of positive reviews on them) and they come out terrible. I just mess something up during the process. How great that you gave it another try and it worked well. :) Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Do you by any chance live outside the US? In some countries, they have a product called almond flour that we don’t even have in the US (called defatted almond flour). That product is much more dry than almond flour. In the US, almond flour = ground almonds. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you! :(
MMMMMM. I have made these twice with a couple of minor changes. I replaced the honey with Swerve sweetener and applesauce. I also added a 1/2 tsp. baking powder.So good with almond butter for breakfast. Thank you.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that they worked out well for you and that you enjoyed them. :) Thanks for your comment and sorry for my super slow reply!
Can you tell me how much apple sauce you used ?
I’ve made some & they are DELICIOUS as well as addictive only problem is they are VERY oily I think the next time I will cut down on the amount of coconut oil.
I’m happy you enjoyed them! I never thought they were overly oily but I’m sure it’d be no problem to reduce it a little. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Mine aren’t oily at all. I used the amount of coconut oil in the recipe.
It could have to do with the almond flour. If it’s not finely ground, almond flour treats can sometimes come out oily.
Hi there, is it vanilla essence that you use
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! I used vanilla extract.
Thank you Erin! My granddaughter loved these! Though I used ground almonds, she didn’t seem to mind at all, but now my pantry has a good finely ground almond flour I bought today for making future carrot cake muffins😁. Thank you again Erin❤️
You’re welcome! I’m really glad that she liked them. :) It’s great that they worked out well for you! Thanks for the feedback.
Can I use this same recipe for a cake
You can double the recipe and bake it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes. :)
Is it possible to use unblanched almond flour instead of blanched..do you think it will affect texture?
Thank you! So excited to make these for my granddaughter 🤗
I think it’d be just fine! As long as you don’t mind the little specks of skin. :) I hope you’ll both enjoy them!
Thank you for the reply Erin, I’ll be making these today hopefully!
I will let you know! 😊
You’re welcome! Hope they were a hit. :)
This is by far my favorite recipe. Every time I make these I have been asked for the recipe. I do add 1/3 cup of raisins and a 1/4 cup walnuts. Baking time is 20-25 minutes. Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome! I’m really glad that it’s your favorite. I bet they’re yummy with raisins and walnuts! Thanks for the tip and your feedback. :)
Ohhhhh I just made your version with additional walnuts and raisins, AMAZING!!! Thank you 😍
Aww, yay! I love that you tried out another reviewer’s version. Thanks for your feedback! :)
I made the recipe and it is delicate but I am wondering if I can substitute melted butter for the oil. Thank you
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Yes, you can use melted butter. :)
Do they freeze ok? Even with icing on?
I haven’t tried freezing them with icing but I’m guessing it’s best to freeze them without.
Can you use an egg replacer for the eggs?
Sorry for just now seeing your question! I unfortunately haven’t had good luck with egg replacers in this recipe.
I have done them with flaxseed egg replacement and they turned out delicious. I have also used lakanto syrup instead of honey for vegan version.
Thanks so much for the tips! :)
Can I use this same recipe for a cake? or should I change it up a bit?
You can double the recipe and bake it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes. :)
Hi! What can I sub for the coconut flour??would reg flour work?? I dont have any!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Unfortunately there’s no sub for coconut flour. Sorry about that!
I’ve actually had great luck using a combination of arrowroot and tapioca starch when I don’t have coconut flour. Usually about 2 cups almond flour, 1/2 c arrowroot and 2 Tbl spoons tapioca. This combo comes from Zenbelly, another awesome mostly Paleo chef/blogger. She uses coconut flour but I’m sensitive to the taste and tried tapioca with success for other baked treats.
Oooh, interesting! Are you saying that you use 2 cups almond flour, 1/2 c arrowroot and 2 tablespoons of tapioca in this recipe? I’ll have to check out her formula! Thanks a bunch for the tip.
That’s the typical combination she suggests, I believe! But I subbed arrowroot for coconut flour in your recipe (and used zucchini instead of carrot) and they came out delicious!! Huge success for my daughter’s first birthday :)
Oooh! Zucchini is a great idea! I need to try that soon. Thanks for the answer. :) And I hope your daughter had a great birthday!
What is the nutritional breakdown of this please?
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :)
That was unique for me. definitely gonna try this weekend. thanks erin :)
You’re welcome! Hope you’ll enjoy it. :)
Sounds delicious!
Can I substitute the almond and coconut flour for gf oat flour?
Can’t wait to try them!
Thanks, Laura
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! Oat flour isn’t interchangeable with either almond or coconut flours. :( Sorry about that!
These are amazing! I used a 8 inch loaf pan and then cut in squares. Also added 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes and 1/3 cup golden raisins, also about 1/3 cup more shredded carrots. I love that it is not too sweet. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome for the recipe! Do you remember how long you baked it? Your additions sound delicious. :) Thanks for the tip (and sorry for my slow reply!).
I am wondering if you have the nutritional breakdown for this recipe. I am particularly looking for carbs, fibre and sugar. Thank you.
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :)
Whoa, these are amazing. I have been exploring sweeteners that feel better in my body…and i’m loving date paste right now! So i substituted 1/3 cup of date paste for the honey and two batches turned out so so so good! Thanks for this, Erin!!
You’re welcome! I love the idea of date paste. Have you found that that’s a good direct sub for honey or maple syrup? Thanks for the tip and your feedback! :)
I do actually find that it makes a less sweet baked good, but i’m cool with that! That’s just the preference of my taste buds. And i’ll sometimes add something else like raisins to make it sweeter but still in a way that doesn’t crack me out the way more concentrated sugar does (like honey, maple, agave).
That’s good to know! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I made these yesterday and the only change is that I added some unsweetened crushed pineapple. I am not gluten-free but bake for friends and family who are. I have to say these are absolutely delicious! Definitely a recipe that I will use again and again!
I’m so glad that you liked them, especially as a non-GF eater! How much pineapple did you add? Thanks for your comment. :)
I used about 3/4 of a 20oz Dole crushed pineapple in natural juice can. I drained as much of the juice out as I could.
Thanks for the tip! :)
Hi, my mil can’t have almond flour. I would like to use all coconut flour and I understand it’ll be dryer that way. But What would you suggest adding to to keep it from being too dry? Applesauce maybe? how much?
So I did try it with all coconut flour and added 2 cups of unsweetened apple sauce. It turned out to be very delicious but crumbling apart.
Do you have any suggestions how to “fix” it?
Can I sub rice flour for almond flour instead.
Ah, sorry! I see now that I was too late. 2 cups of added applesauce is a huge addition to the recipe and would require reworking the whole recipe. :( Sorry again I don’t have a better answer for you!
Hi there! I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment. Unfortunately it’s not possible to use coconut flour as it’s not interchangeable with any other type of flour (it absorbs way more liquid and requires more eggs, too). Sorry about that! You could use another type of nut flour instead of almond.
Oh my goodness, these were so good! Nobody would ever guess they’re a healthier version unless you told them, unlike many other “alternative” recipes! I made these for a friend’s birthday since she’s on a diet before her wedding and she would hardly believe they were a healthy option, she seriously thought I was just saying that since I love to bake full fat sweets. These are going to be a new go to for me!
Aww, yay! I’m thrilled that the bride-to-be was also impressed with them. :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi there,
What are the quantities, if I’d like to bake an actual cake with two layers?
Thanks,
Dagmara
Hello! I’m sorry for just now seeing your question. You can double the recipe and bake it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes.
Wow, these are the best carrot muffins I’ve ever had!! I love how they are sweet and delicious AND healthier, even without the icing!!! Just one question. Do you know the nutritional information per muffin? I searched the page but didn’t see it. I log my food, so I would love to be able to add these and know the damage 😜
Thanks again for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome for the recipe! :) And I’m sorry for just now seeing your question. I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I made the recipe into a double layer cake for my husbands birthday and everybody loved it, it was fluffy and very delicious. I recommend it 100%.
I’m so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! I hope your husband had a great birthday. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback and sorry for my slow reply.
Yummy! I made these as 24 mini muffins and took them to bible study today- they were all gobbled up and no one even asked if they were GF- they just tasted great. I skipped the frosting and just lightly sprinkled with conf sugar.
I would def make these again, thanks for a great recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m glad that everyone liked them and that they didn’t even ask if they were GF. That’s always a great sign. :) Thanks for your comment!
These are delicious! I’ve been looking for a gluten-free carrot cake recipe to make for a friend. I didn’t have honey and had to use sugar. The batter was a little thick due to lack of honey. They were still delicious though!
I’m glad to hear that! And good to know that sugar works nicely. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Its so nice to eat great cake again, its been so long.
The only downside is that although I followed the recipe, it’s quiet greasy. That might just be that I’m used to eating cakes made with butter rather than oil.
I’ll try it with less oil next time and see how it turns out.
This is definitively going to be a go-to recipe.
I’m so glad that it came out well for you! What brand of almond flour did you use? Make sure to use a finely ground one. If you use one that’s a little coarse, then the result will be more greasy than it should be. I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment and thanks for your feedback!
I don’t have coconut flour.
The recipe, “Healthier Carrot cupcakes” calls for it , typically a substitution of 1/4 c Coconut flour is equivalent to 4x regular white flour. The recipe calls for 2T. Coconut flour. I intend to substitute 8 T almond flour. Does this make sense?
I’m very sorry for just now seeing your question! I don’t recommend subbing try that or any sub. It might work, but it likely wouldn’t as coconut flour is so much more absorbent. I think the muffins would come out oily and way too moist. Sorry again for my slow reply!
I made this as a loaf, it was so fantastic! I added 1/3 cup of each of raisins and fresh coconut, for a double recipe.
Yum! Sounds delicious. Do you remember the baking time? Thanks for your feedback!
hello there! can i use any other type of flour instead of almond flour? thank you!!
Hi! You can use another type of nut flour or meal. :)
I just made these for my children and added sultanas (raisins). I also didn’t have any honey so I used rice malt syrup. Absolutely delicious. I had to taste test one as they smelt so delicious!
That’s great to know that rice malt syrup works well! Thanks for the tip. :) I’m happy that you and your kid enjoyed them!
Could these possibly be made as cookie shape? I don’t have muffin tins right now.
What about a substitute for coconut oil, melted butter? I loathe coconut.
They can’t be made as cookies but as a cake. Melted butter or olive oil work!
I just made these and I these are the best muffins! Warning if you are on a diet I wouldn’t suggest to make these as you will have a hard time not eating all of them in one sitting.
Yummy muffins made them and thank you and God for such a great tasting yet healthier version.
You’re welcome! I’m glad that you liked them. :)
Haha. That is true! Good warning. ;) Thanks for your feedback! I’m glad that you liked them.
I want to make these as an added sweet treat but I wonder what affect a scope of protein powder would have on this.
I honestly have no idea as I’ve never used protein powder. :( Sorry I can’t be more helpful! I’d love to hear how they come out if you try them.
I’m going to try it and let you know how it comes out.
Great! Thanks and good luck. :)
Hi! Can this recipe be used for a cake instead of muffins? Thanks
Hi! I’m sorry for just now seeing your question. Hopefully you found where I mention this in the post. :) You can double the recipe and bake it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes.
Thanks for the recipe! My kids loved them. They don’t taste eggy like most paleo muffin recipes. Do you store them in the fridge? (unfrosted ones) Thank you
I’m so very sorry for just now seeing your comment. It landed in spam for some weird reason! I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the muffins. :) You don’t need to store them in the fridge unless it’s very humid in your kitchen. Chilling them will keep them longer, though. Thanks for your comment and sorry again!
Ok great thank you! I shall make some more 😊
Have you tried making these with cassava flour?
Nope. I haven’t had got luck subbing cassava for other flours. Sorry about that!
I made these today and they were AMAZING!!
Super moist and the perfect texture. Used Maple Syrup for the muffins. Omitted the frosting, only cause I ran out of vanilla 😬
Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you thought that they were amazing. :D Thanks for your comment!
I want to make this as a cake for my daughters 1st bday. What do you recommend for the cooking temp/time. The cake pan is a 6 inch pan
So far I’ve only doubled the recipe and baked it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes. The temperature would stay the same for a 6″ pan but I have no idea of the baking time. Just keep a close eye on it. :)
Dear Erin, I made these cupcakes earlier but made a few changes. I substituted the coconut oil with canola oil, I added a cup of chopped dates, 3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut and put a quarter cup of xylitol and 1 tablespoon of honey. I’m not going to bother with the icing as these are so delicious just as they are! Thank you for this recipe. Greetings from South Africa.
Hi Adriana! Thanks so much for sharing your version. The dates sound especially yummy! And great that they were good enough without the icing. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Hi! This looks amazing!
Can we replace the coconut oil with any nut butters?
Hi there! I’ve never tried that sub so I really don’t know. Sorry about that!
These were great, but I made them even better by adding 1/4 cup each raisins, crushed pineapple, walnuts, and coconut. I also used vegan butter.
Yum! That sounds delicious. Thanks for the tip!
I never comment on recipes but I just had to for this one. Honestly the best muffins I’ve ever tasted… So moist and delicious!! I made them without the icing and added shredded dried coconut. Perfect for a quick breakfast 😍🥕
Well thank you for taking the time to comment! It’s much appreciated. :) I’m so happy that you liked them! How much coconut did you add? Thanks for the tip and your comment!
Sorry for just now seeing your question! I haven’t made these in a while but I don’t recall them rising much. Did they come out okay? :)
I followed the recipe but the batter was all crumbly. I dont know what I did wrong.
Did you make any subs or any kinds of changes at all to the recipe? None of the other reviewers seemed to have had this problem so I’m guessing something must have gone wrong. Did you use cups or grams? I recommend using grams. Perhaps you packed your flour too tightly?
This looks wonderful!!
Could you use regular gluten free flour in substitute of the 2 flours listed in the recipe?
Thanks! Unfortunately not. Regular GF flour (if you mean a 1:1 sub for all-purpose flour) is really just meant to sub for wheat flour and not other blends of grain-free flours. I have an amazing gluten-free carrot cake that uses a GF baking mix that you might like!
As usual, you are a genius. Followed this recipe with one sub, 200g of mejool dates that I crushed with mortar and pestles subbed for the honey. Made them not quite as sweet and with some date bits running through. Please note I weighed before removing the pits.
Superb recipe!
Aww, thanks. :) I’m so happy that you liked them and that the date sub worked well! I wonder if they’d work with date paste. I might try! Thanks for your feedback (and especially for the note about 200 grams of pitted dates!)
Can you substitute the blanched almond flour with just almond flour? I really don’t know what blanched almond flour is? And omit coconut flour and just use all almond flour? I really want to try these, they look amazing! Thank you!
Almond flour is usually blanched, meaning that the skins from the almonds have been removed. If it’s got the skins on there, it’s usually called almond meal. You can use either one. Unfortunately, you can’t just omit the coconut flour. It’s not interchangeable with any other type of flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that!
I tried this recipe and it was an epic fail for me. I did not have a batter I had a crumbly dough. So it just didn’t “pour” at all. I pressed the dough into a cake pan and hoped for the best. It tasted good but the texture was not good. Do you know what I did wrong?
I’m sorry to hear it failed for you! I’ve gotten so many reviews on this recipe and haven’t had any epic fails yet so I’m guessing something must have gone wrong with the ingredients or the process. Did you make any subs or changes at all to the recipe? It should definitely pour and not have to be pressed and the texture should have been fluffy. Did you use cups or go by grams? It could have been that you packed the almond flour really tightly, which would have created a dry batter.
Are there any changes to make if I sub maple syrup for honey in the muffin mix? I am making for my sons first bday and we haven’t introduced honey yet. Thanks!
No changes! Hope he has a nice birthday and likes the muffins. :)
It was delicious! I logged the info via myfitnesspal. Here it is:
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 256
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 19 g 30 %
Saturated Fat 10 g 49 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 49 mg 16 %
Sodium 127 mg 5 %
Potassium 40 mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrate 17 g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g 14 %
Sugars 13 g
Protein 5 g 10 %
Vitamin A 23 %
Vitamin C 1 %
Calcium 4 %
Iron 7 %
So happy you liked them! Thanks for sharing the analysis. :)
Hi… Was this with the frosting or without? Thank you!
Oops… just seeing this now! The analysis excludes the icing.
Hi,
When you say vanilla, is that Vanilla essence, vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste please? I am in AAustralia, so might be different here…I usually use vanilla extract in my cake baking. Also is there a change to quantities of different?
Thank you
Hi there! Sorry for just now seeing your question. I used vanilla extract. All American recipes use extract unless something else is specifically called for (not that you can actually tell I’m from the US by this recipe!). Hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
do you guys cook these strait in the muffin tin or do you poor into the paper cups and bake them in the paper… i have had problems making similar muffins in the paper, it just sticks to the paper and I waste half the muffins
:(
You line the muffin pan with the muffin liners and bake them that way. You shouldn’t waste half the muffin with this recipe. :)
I have tried so many grain free recipes that just fail. Delightfully surprised this was amazing!
Kids and hubby love them, and I didn’t even get to frost them!
Looking forward to more recipes!!!
I used 1/4 cup MCT oil and a Tbsp of vanilla Ghee. I also added just under the amount of almond flour and added a Tbsp of Milled Seeds and a Tblsp of arrowroot powder. I also used fresh grated ginger instead of powder.
I only substituted because it’s what I had in the house!
Grain-free recipes are tricky and I’ve tried quite a few bad ones, too! I have lots of other grain-free recipes you might like. :) I’m so happy that you and your family enjoyed them and that they came out well with your subs! Thanks a bunch for your comment.
Oh wow! I made this as my birthday cake, this year, with a large batch of paleo cream cheese frosting https://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/cream-cheese-frosting/ (basically the same thing as the included frosting, but on a larger scale, because math is hard. ;) I omitted the ginger; a birthday cake is not worth risking trying something new) and a chopped pecan “crust.” This might be the best birthday cake I’ve ever made. I doubled the recipe and used my two 9″ cake pans (since I didn’t have 8″ pans, as recommended). I baked them for 21 minutes, and the tops were still almost-not-fully-done, but I didn’t want to risk overcooking them. This is definitely going to be a go-to for cake days, around here.
My non-paleo husband said the cake is “solid,” and he would definitely eat it again. I guess I’ll have to share my entire birthday cake with him. ;)
Thanks for the amazing recipe! I can’t wait to try more of your delicious desserts!
Happy birthday! I’m so very happy that the cake was a hit. It’s always nice when non-paleo people like the recipes, too. :) Thank you for sharing the baking time for 9″ pans! I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
I’ve made these several times now. They are always delicious,and I never ice them! I triple the recipe to get 24 muffins and they freeze beautifully.The biggest issue I have is that my 4 and 5 year old boys sneak them out and love eating them frozen! I added organic,unsweetened,shredded coconut once and it was great.Thanks for a healthy recipe that tastes just like the unhealthy version!
You’re welcome! That’s interesting and good to know that they can be eaten straight from the freezer. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
These look so good! Can I substitute canola oil for coconut oil in this recipe?
Thanks!
Thanks! And definitely. :) Hope you’ll enjoy them!
The reviews are amazing on these muffins! I really want to try them. Just would like to know how many days do they last at room temperature?
Sorry for just now seeing this! It depends on how moist your kitchen is but they should be fine for at least 3 days. You could refrigerate them after that.
Crazy good!!!
Yay! Happy to hear that! :)
OMG….Erin this recipe is crazy good. I am on path to eliminate white sugar and flour from my cooking and my Mom’s carrot cake was going to be the hardest treat to release until I found you. I replaced honey for Lakanto granulated sweetner and added a couple tablespoons of unsweetened almond milk to adjust for lack of honey in texture. I intended to add peacans and totally forgot and still they were moist, perfect texture and an easy treat for all.
Thank you.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the Lakanto tip. :) I’ll have to try that! I just got some in the mail. Thanks again for your comment!
Hi Erin, quick follow-up…in addition to baking with Lakanto white granules I also prepared the icing with Lakanto powered sweetner. My picky 17yr old daughter is happily packing one of your muffins in her lunch daily. I’m not sure if I am happy she likes them or sad I am sharing them.. both :) Thanks again! I look forward to trying other recipes.
Haha. Well I’m happy that your picky daughter liked them! :) I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much. And thanks for the tip on the powdered sweetener! I didn’t know that it even existed.
Hi there. I made the muffins and they were awesome! Do yo know how many calories in one muffin? Thank you!
Hi! So happy that you liked them. :) I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer.
In case others want to try lower sugar, and an alternative to coconut oil or butter.
I subbed honey for 3 tbsp maple syrup (only because I prefer the taste of maple syrup), subbed coconut oil for 3 tbsp coconut yogourt (works with dairy yogourt too, cupcakes end up especially velvety if you use Greek yogurt, even more so if you use Icelandic Skyr yogurt) and doubled the amount of grated carrots. When substituting oil or butter, I tried apple sauce first, and it wasn’t as good as the recipe where I tried yogurt. I had to bake my muffins for 25 min to cook fully in the middle. I also halved the maple syrup in the frosting and the kids still love it!
Can I substitute ghee for the coconut oil?
I’ve never baked with ghee so I have no idea. Sorry about that! I believe some of the other reviewers have tried it with success.
I’m not sure how it could be brown from the ingredients used. Did you make any subs or changes at all to the recipe?
Maybe the cream cheese was too cool and not softened enough?? when you added the honey or even maple syrup…it may have not integrated well enough.
Or, rather didn’t mix it first and then add the sweetener??
That could explain it! Thanks for the tip. :)
I made these today. They are delicious! I didn’t ice them, left them plain. I added chopped walnuts and I didn’t have any muffin liners, so I sprayed my muffin tin with coconut oil. I will definitely make them again.
I’m happy to hear that you’ll be making them! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
I made the recipe exactly as posted. Perfection. Very very delicious.
When I make it again, I will add walnuts and maybe raisins.
PS
The cupcakes were moist and full flavored.
Haha. Thanks! I love that you came back to add that. :D So happy you liked them!
Sounds like a yummy addition! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hi Erin,
I added 1/4 cup of crushed walnuts and a little less than a 1/4 cup of raisins. Oh my gosh, so good very moist. I also made this as a 2 layer 4 x 4 cake (I did not double the recipe). The cake was moist as well not dense.
I have made this recipe as cupcakes no less than 5 times.
Thanks for sharing how much walnuts and raisins you added! And awesome that your cake came out moist as a layer cake. I’m not sure why mine keeps coming out dense, but only in cake form! Thanks again for your comment. I’m thrilled that you’ve been enjoying the recipe so much!
I’d love to make this as a cake, layered if I can make it two tiered, any recommendations other than putting in a round pan and baking longer? Thanks! I’m hoping to make this today! 😬
Hi there! You can double the recipe and bake it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes. But the texture is denser and not as fluffy as the muffins. Hope you’ll enjoy it!
I need to do oil and egg free temporarily. Could I substitute shortening for the oil and egg substitute (ground chia seeds) for the eggs?
I’ve never used shortening but I think it’d be fine. I unfortunately don’t recommend egg replacers in this recipe. They didn’t work well for me!
I was also going to ask about egg replacers – did you try flax eggs? I’d love to be able to make this vegan – thanks!
I don’t remember what I used but it was probably a chia egg and the result wasn’t very good. Sorry about that!
I made these for an Easter party yesterday and they were to die for! They were very moist and tasted like regular flour carrot cake cupcakes. Kids and adults gobbled them up! I subbed the coconut oil with butter and added only half the ginger – they were perfectly fine. I did add a little bit of powdered sugar to the icing to make it a bit sweeter. I will definitely make these again! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear that you’ll be making them again and that they were gobbled up at the party. That’s always a good sign. ;) Thanks for your feedback!
Thanks so much for this recipe… I’m on a really strict elimination diet at the moment and I was desperate for a piece of cake! With a bit of tweaking I was able to make a delicious loaf cake using this recipe and the very limited number of ingredients I’m currently able to eat.
In place of the almond and coconut flours I used almond meal and rice flour. I used melted butter instead of oil and I reduced the sugar content and lowered the FODMAPs by using 2 tablespoons of Pure Maple Syrup instead of honey. I doubled the ground ginger and grated carrot.
I baked it in a loaf tin at 340°F (170°C)for approx 35-40 minutes. It turned out great! Dense and moist with a lovely flavour and just a hint of sweetness (I ate it without frosting) Yay, got the cake fix I really needed! Cheered me up no end :-)
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you were able to make it work with your diet. :) Did you replace the rice flour for the coconut flour 1 to 1? Is that a sub that typically works for you? Just curious! And that’s great that just a little maple worked well. Thanks for the tips!
Yep, straight 1:1 substitution…. I swapped 2 tablespoons of rice flour for 2 tablespoons of coconut flour.
To be honest I’ve only just started to bake with these alternatives to standard wheat flours but I’ve had excellent results trading rice flour for coconut flour in the two recipes that I’ve tried so far. Unfortunately I can’t eat coconut at all at the moment so I’m not able to make the original recipes as well and compare them with my amended versions. But both recipes that I’ve made cooked beautifully with the rice flour and they taste great! I’ll continue to experiment and will keep you posted.
I’d definitely be interested to hear how that continues to work (or not work) for you because the two usually aren’t interchangeable. But in this recipe, you only need 2 tablespoons so maybe it’s such a small amount that it doesn’t make a huge difference. Thanks again for your comment! :)
Hi,
I don’t have cases, could I do this as one big cake? If so how would I adjust baking time?
Hi there! You can double the recipe and bake it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes. But the texture is denser and not as fluffy as the muffins.
I was thinking of making this recipe as a bundt cake.. instead of a double layer cake since I want to make this cake with no icing! Do you think it’d be possible to double the recipe and place it in the oven for say 45-50 mins to make one big cake?
I saw a recipe for carrot cake and it gives you the option to make it as a bundt cake or (2) 8″ ones and the baking time is the only thing that was different. Expect that recipe is strictly a coconut flour recipe while yours calls for both almond and coconut flour which I was intrigued by. Let me know if you think this would work nicely as a big cake as I want to make it for easter and dont want to waste any yummy ingredients or have to toss it! thanks!! :)
The problem is that I’ve never tried it so I can’t really recommend it (because like you said, I don’t want you to waste any ingredients!). Sometimes cake recipes convert well to bundt pans, but sometimes they don’t. The volume would be fine. I just worry that it wouldn’t bake up nice and fluffy. Sorry I can’t give you a better answer! If you try it out anyway, I’d love to hear how it comes out. :)
Do you think they will come out ok if I make them mini cupcakes?
Definitely! I’m not sure of the baking time. I’d check starting at 6 minutes, just to be safe. :)
Could you sub the eggs for chia eggs instead to make it vegan? Thanks!
I’m not sure but I think I tried it at some point with chia eggs and it didn’t come out the same. So I wouldn’t recommend it. Sorry about that. :(
My BF loves these. I made them for him dozens for the past couple months. But now he thinks he’s gaining weight from them. Do you know how many calories is in one cupcake? And I didn’t see your post for making it into a cake, I tried it a couple of time cake form, but the top burnt and it took a loooonnnng time. I wasn’t sure what the directions are for that.
Haha. Well they’re not low-calorie. They’re just made with healthier ingredients. :) I don’t know the calories but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for that info. I don’t have a post for how to make this into a cake but just mentioned it in my vegan cream cheese frosting recipe (where you can see what it looks like). I doubled the recipe and baked it in two 8″ pans for 17 minutes.
My littlest is allergies cocnut. I saw you can sub the coconut oil with olive oil. Do you think I could replace the coconut flour with almond?
So sorry for just now seeing your question! Coconut flour isn’t interchangeable with any other flours as it absorbs so much more liquid. :( Sorry about that. Should the recipe be grain-free? If not, I have a gluten-free carrot cake recipe that I just posted, if that’d help!
This is an AMAZING recipe, Erin! My husband and I both really loved these. Thank you for taking the time and effort to produce these delicious recipes.
So sorry for just now seeing your comment! I don’t know how I missed it. I’m happy to hear that you and your husband enjoyed the cupcakes. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Made these with a couple alterations to make them lower carb. I used that fake honey (which horribly has maltitol) as a first run just to see if it turned out before trying to change the sweetener. So I added about 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to activate the baking soda and doubled the baking soda. I didn’t have carrots so I used 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin instead (which is lower carb anyway). I also added about 2 TBSP olive oil because the batter seemed really dry. They came out so AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS. And I’ve tried a lot of low carb recipes that have been anywhere from ok, to barely edible, to just plain G-R-O-S-S. My kids ate regular carrot cake with sugar, flour, the whole thing, and I didn’t feel the least bit deprived. I already know how to make cream cheese frosting with erythritol/xylitol/stevia blend similar to Swerve.
My next batch I used my “Swerve” blend instead of honey, along with 1/2 tsp lemon juice & double baking soda. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the results. I’m going to try it again using olive oil or avocado oil that is not solid at room temp. I’m thinking that will give it a little bit lighter texture that the first go round accomplished. I don’t like using stuff with maltitol, so I will keep working until the texture is right. The flavor is AMAZING. I can’t believe I was eating something low carb that completely satisfied my desire for carrot cake.
I’ve been on low carb for 9 months and I didn’t even eat carrot cake on my own birthday (and every year this is what I request as a birthday present from my oldest daughter). Well next birthday I should be at my goal weight and I WILL eat a piece of regular carrot cake, no matter how many carbs. And in the mean time, this recipe is AMAZING.
I will update after I get it to work with a low carb non-blood-sugar-rising sweetener for anyone who may have landed here in search of “low carb carrot cake” as I did.
THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!!!!
Wow! Thanks for sharing your experiments with us. People keep asking me how to make my recipes low-carb and I never know so this was interesting. Also, I have no idea why this recipe is showing up when people search for low-carb carrot cake! I don’t know a thing about low-carb baking and don’t mention low-carb anywhere in my post. Sorry to the low-carb bakers! Thanks again for your super helpful comment. :) I’m so happy that you found a low-carb alternative that’s tasty.
So I now have a good working low carb version without that nasty fake honey.
use 1/3 c. liquid oil instead of coconut oil (I used EVO)
in place of honey:
add 1/4 c sugar equivalent powdered is best (mine’s a mix of erythritol/xylitol/stevia that measures cup for cup like sugar-powdered in coffee grinder) and 1/4 cup water with the sweetener to replace the liquid in the honey
double the baking soda & adjust salt to taste
add 1 TBSP lemon juice or vinegar to activate the baking soda
also, I didn’t have carrots & used 1/2 cup canned pumpkin instead. I also used 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of the ginger & nutmeg as another reviewer suggested. I added walnuts too, because I LOVE them in carrot cake.
I’ve now given these to several people, non-low carb included and they all loved them. Now I know that’s several changes to your recipe, but I have tried so many low carb recipes that just weren’t good at all. I can now say that this is by far the ABSOLUTE BEST low carb dessert I have had in the 10 months I have been eating low carb. Doesn’t taste weird, texture is excellent.
One more thing, for low carb cream cheese frosting, that’s the easiest because I’ve been making that for a long time.
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
1 pkg 8 oz cream cheese
1-2 tsp vanilla
1-2 c powdered sugar equivalent to taste (I usually end up w/ 1-1/2 cups)
Of course the butter & cream cheese need to be room temp and creamed as in normal frosting. And it may be a little less smooth if your sweetener isn’t powdered really well.
My mixture of sweetener that has same sweetness as sugar:
4 oz xylitol by weight
3 oz erythritol by weight
1/2 tsp pure stevia powder (mine is now brand)
(powder in coffee grinder)
Oh, wow. I think you should start a low-carb baking blog. You sound like quite the expert. :) That you made all those changes and that they came out well is amazing! I think I fixed your comment the way you asked. But did you really use 1 1/4 cups of your sweetener in place of 1/3 cup of honey? May I ask how you would make this coconut flour cookie recipe low-carb? I thought I’d just use 3/4 cup of a low-carb sweetener but after your comment, I’m not sure. Thank you so much for sharing your low-carb version of these muffins as well as your cream cheese frosting recipe! I (and I’m sure lots of others) really appreciate it. :)
Couldn’t figure out how to reply to your last comment. GOOD CATCh. NO I did NOT use that much sweetener. If you can edit it, I used 1/4 cup of the sweetener blend. I have since discovered that the sweetener blend I use is slightly sweeter than sugar, but 1/3 c honey would be like about 1/2 c sugar in sweetness approximately since 2/3 cup honey is generally as sweet as 1 c sugar. The recipe for my sweetener mix is from https://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener/ with the basic info being 4oz xylitol 3oz erythritol & 1/2 tsp now brand stevia (which is equal to 1/4 c. sugar)-she uses larger amounts but I converted it to a lowest practical ratio.
Sorry for my slow reply! I edited your comment to say 1/4 cup. :) Thanks for clarifying that! And thanks for sharing the recipe for your sweetener. I’ll have to try it!
AS for the coconut flour cookies, yes 3/4 cup of the sweetener would work, but you might want a “brown sugar” version of it to get the flavor right. I have a “brown sugar” version which I created by taking 1 cup of that same sweetener and adding a 1/2-1tsp of molasses or black strap molasses and a few drops of flavoring to taste (maple, rum, caramel) I don’t have the exact amounts. Yes, the molasses adds carbs, but it’s like 4 carbs to a whole cup, so across a recipe that’s not much. Also, if using erythritol only without the powdered stevia or xylitol, use enough liquid stevia glycerite to bring the erythritol to the same sweetness as sugar (it’s only 70% as sweet as sugar alone). The stevia glycerite really gives it a nice moist consistency like real brown sugar, but it’s much more affordable than buying ready made “brown” sugar alcohol mixes. I can’t remember where I read that tip about the stevia glycerite to give credit to the author. Chocolate chips for me are still an issue. I haven’t learned to make chocolate chips in a low carb version yet. I have used the prepackaged sugar free crappy ones from the store that have maltitol and for this reason have only made recipes using chocolate chips maybe 3 times in 2 years.
Once I made a low carb recipe that was coconut flour and no almond flour. Don’t remember what recipe it was (it did NOT turn out) but I remember thinking, this would make a great cookie dough & I’ve had in the back of my mind to find a coconut flour cookie recipe since. Think I’ll give yours a try and use the crappy sugar free chocolate chips. That might be sufficient motivation to make some low carb chocolate chips (sorry just can’t choke down the idea of paying $7 for a bag of Lily’s choc chips).
I do wonder about how the coconut sugar makes those cookies taste. Just found out after extensive blood testing that white sugar & the chemicals used to produce it is literally toxic to my daughter. Coconut sugar was one of the options given as an alternative and we made some brownies with it. They tasted like mocha brownies…which I liked, but she absolutely did NOT. Brownies are her favorite so I am on a quest to be able to make her an acceptable version without white sugar. She objects to sugar alcohols of ALL kinds even though erythritol has no blood sugar impact and is supposed to be easy to digest, so that’s not an option for her. Otherwise it would be easy. That sweetener mix works amazingly well in place of sugar. I made those same carrot cake cupcakes for a family gathering with the cream cheese frosting and despite being low carb, they were devoured (out of about 28 cupcakes we had like 4 left and several people commented the cream cheese frosting tasted like normal cream cheese frosting).
You leave such helpful comments! Thanks so much. I’ll have to check out stevia glycerite! Have you tried the low-carb chocolate chip recipe from All Day I Dream About Food? Maybe you could make a big batch, freeze them and have them on hand for your baking! I hope you find a good solution for your daughter. :) My coconut flour cookies don’t taste at all mocha-like with the coconut sugar! Thanks again for your great feedback.
These were so good! Without frosting, they were delicious “muffins”. With, they would be even better. Thank You!
You’re welcome! I’m happy that you liked them as muffins. :) Thanks for your comment!
do you have a good alternative to coconut oil?
Some commenters have used butter in this recipe with success and I know that olive oil would work.
Thank you for this most scrumptious muffin recipe EVER !!!(even without frosting!) I wanted to make a gluten free recipe for a friend but I will definitely make this recipe again for my family. I was a little worried that the batter was kinda thick but they cooked up moist. I used Bob Mill’s super fine natural almond flour, raw honey and added about 1/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple, handful of coconut and chopped walnuts. Yum! My husband agreed too!!
Yay! I’m so happy that you liked them! And it’s great to know that some added pineapple works well. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Thank you so much for the recipe. We made these today and we all liked them very much, but they left an aftertaste- do you know what ingredient this is from? We are going to make for my son’s birthday party so just wondering how I can modify for that :)
Hi there! So happy you liked them. :) None of the other commenters have mentioned an aftertaste so I’m not sure what that could be. Could it be that one of your ingredients was a bit old? I could imagine old rancid almond flour leaving an aftertaste. Sorry I’m not much of a help!
I would like to make 12 regular sized muffins with this recipe. Will the amounts of the ingredients stay the same?
No, because this recipe yields 8. You’d have to 1.5x all the ingredients.
These were absolutely fantastic! Didn’t have me missing the sugar filled ones at all! The only difference between your picture and my reality is 20x more frosting on mine! 😂 loved them! Thank you!
Haha. Well that is the better way! The more frosting, the better (at least when it comes to cream cheese frosting! :)) Thanks for your comment!
Loved this recipe! Turned out to be super moist! I added 1/4 cup of walnuts and turned out to be just perfect. I also weighed the ingredients to be sure. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome! I’m very happy that you liked the muffins. :) Walnuts sounds like a great addition!
Came out perfect! I weighed the ingredients and the muffins are yummy! Thank you
Awesome! You’re welcome for the recipe and thank you for your feedback. :)
Hello Erin, I want to make this recipe, but was wondering if it would be possible to replace the almond flour with whole wheat pastry flour (as I’ve seen in another recipe). Do you know how this would change the texture/consistency?
Thank you for all you do!
Hi Beatrice! I’ve never subbed wheat for nut flour and had it work out. I don’t recommend trying it! Check out the second paragraph, though, for my favorite whole wheat carrot cake. :)
What are the nutrition facts on these without the icing?
I don’t know but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for that info. :)
These are delicious! I added walnuts and it was to die for. Thank yo so much for sharing this recipe. :)
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cupcakes. Walnuts is definitely a tasty addition. :) Thanks for your comment!
I’m diabetic so I tweaked this recipe and replaced the honey with Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener Golden (Golden is more like brown sugar, found on Amazon, and is mostly Erythritol with some monkfruit), using 1/3 of a cup, 1/8 cup of water, microwaved until sweetener is dissolved). I did the same for replacing the maple syrup in the cream cheese icing, since the golden monkfruit has a maple-ish taste to it.
It turned out amazing and aside from the carbs found in the flours and carrots, is low carb.
Thanks for sharing your subs! I’m sure that’ll help the people looking for a low-carb version. :) I’m so happy that they came out well. Thanks a bunch for your comment and sorry for my slow reply (Christmas chaos got in the way!).
Hi! I just made these cupcakes, but the dough was very thick and totally dry…I cooked them anyway and they turned out ok but don’t have the moist and fluff I was expecting…Could you help me understand why? I followed the recipe thoroughly though… The frosting on the contrary came out quite liquid, so I added more cream cheese…it seems I got everything wrong!!! :-)
Hello! I’ve gotten lots of reviews on this recipe but nobody has seemed to have problems with them so far. Do you by any chance live outside of the US? If so, I suspect the problem may be ingredients issues (that I’ll explain more if you do live abroad!).
Hi! Thanks for your reply. Yes, I live in France…
Ah! Then I think I know the issue. As far as I know, you don’t have the same kind of cream cheese in France as in the US. In the US, it’s firmer and less liquidy. In Europe, it seems to come in a small tub and is meant to be spread on toast. It’s also got a lot more liquid in it. So that would be why it’s runny. For the almond flour, did you use blanched and ground almonds? In Germany, there’s something that translates to “almond flour” but is actually another product that is called defatted almond flour in English. If you used this other product, that would explain why it was dry!
I’ll put less maple syrup in the frosting next time then to make it right. For the almond flour, it’s a german product called “Mandel Mehl”. Is that the wrong one? In that case what should I use instead?
You should use “gemahlene blanchierte mandeln.” Mandel Mehl is a product that we don’t even have in the US so if you ever see an American recipe calling for almond flour, use gemahlene blanchierte mandeln. For the cream cheese, you can actually use a tea towel or cheesecloth to drain the extra liquid in the cream cheese. For a recipe calling for 8 ounces (225 grams) of cream cheese, buy a 300 gram package and wring out the liquid until you have 8 ounces of cream cheese left. It’s a huge pain in the butt but the only way I’ve found to make cream cheese frosting with European cream cheese.
Thanks à million! Will definitely follow your advices! 🙏🏼👍🏼
You’re welcome. :)
Can’t wait to try this recipe but I’m on a keto diet so would like to replace the honey with erythritol and how much should I use? Thanks!
I’ve unfortunately never used erythritol so I have no idea. Sorry I can’t give you a better answer! Keep in mind that you’d be subbing a granulated sweetener for a liquid, which will throw off the proportions.
Hi did you try the keto option by substituting Honey with the sweetener
And how did it turn out
As I’m wanting to make a keto carrot muffin
Hi Mona, I’m excited to share that the minor tweet made turns out very well. As I’m writing this I’m reaching out for a 2nd one!;) OK so to replace honey, I used 1/2 cup Swerve (sugar replacement) & 1.5 tbsp flax meal. 1 tbsp water was added to thicken up the flax meal to mimic the honey texture so the cake will turn out moist. Give it a try!
What a great tip! Thank you so much for sharing that. I’ll have to give that a try!
I made this a cake! Double recipe double the carrot and double ginger. Added 1/4 cup coconut flour, chopped pineapple and pecans. Baked 45 minuets. It was awesome!
Awesome! So happy you liked it. :) How much chopped pineapple did you add? Thanks for your feedback!
This is a great recipe. I probably tripled the carrots, added
twice as much ginger and about 1/2 a cup of unsweetend cocconut. And this is plenty sweet with only the 1/3 c of honey. Thanks so much
Wow! I’m surprised and very happy that it came out well with your changes. That’s great! Thanks for your comment. :)
I may have missed it on here somewhere but can you give carb value per muffin as my husband is diabetic & would like me to make them for him
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
Can I put rice flour instead of almond? I don’t have almond flour at home and I want them now!!! :)
Hi! Unfortunately, nuts flours aren’t interchangeable with non-nut flours. Rice flour almost definitely wouldn’t work. Sorry about that!
I made them yesterday with rice flour and they are great! :) maybe not that fluffy, but the taste is great
Wow, that’s surprising! So happy that that worked out well. :) Thanks for letting me know!
if I added crushed pineapple should I use more coconut flour to absorb some liquid when cooking?
You probably would but I unfortunately have no idea of how much you should add. Sounds kind of risky. Sorry about that! Wish I could be more of a help.
Delicious! And not just “good for a healthy recipe,” –declious period. Thank you for the recipe!
FYI: Didn’t do the frosting and baked as a loaf in a bread pan.
Aww, thanks! So happy that you thought so. :) I’d love to hear how you made this in a loaf pan! What size pan did you use, what temp and for how long? I’ve been meaning to try that myself. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
My paleo baked goods never come out quite right but these were AMAZING! Hubby and 3 year old loved them too. I cant wait to make morerecipes from this site. Thanks a bunch.
I subbed the nutmeg for pumpkin spice it was perfect. Did not make the icing so were eating these as muffins. Will be so yummy with a cup of coffee.
Oooh! I need to try these with pumpkin pie spice. And a lot of it! Just to see what they’re like. :) Thanks for the tip and for your comment! I’m so happy you liked them.
Could you use carrot baby food instead of shredded carrots?
I think they’d come out too moist with baby food but I’ve never tried it! Sorry about that.
I used baby carrots and they worked out just fine.
Great to know! Thanks for the tip.
Made these tonight using freshly grated carrots.
Substituted pure maple syrup for the honey.
They came out wonderful! My kids loved them (even with no frosting), and we are brand new to this whole healthier eating stuff!
I’m so happy to hear that you and your kids loved them! Good luck with your healthier eating and thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
I just made these tonight. I ended up with 7 muffins vs 8. I also need to adjust the carrot for next time. I used the pre-shredded carrots from Trader Joes. I think they are too long for the cupcakes.
A little too sweet (just the cupcake, I am not a frosting fan)so I will adjust the amount of honey next time. Nice and moist though.
Hello Erin,
I don’t have any coconut flour. Any replacement for that?
Thank you,
Vivian
Hi Vivian! Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that! I wish I had a better answer.
Thank you for your reply. It is okay. I will give it a try!!!
Is there any changes for high altitude or am I all good?
Thank you!
Sorry, but I have zero experience with high-altitude baking. I found this, though. I hope that helps and that you’ll enjoy the cupcakes!
These are absolutely delicious! I added 1/2 c chopped walnuts to the batter as the last step, and they work great with it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe – it’s outstanding!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! I’ll have to try some chopped walnuts next time, too. Sounds good! Thanks for your comment. :)
I added zucchini to mine and they are devine .Thankyou for your recipe and I will be using them again.
How much did you add? And did you wring out the liquid? I’d like to try, too! Thanks for the tip. So happy you liked them! :)
Hi there! I’m gearing up to make these, and realized I don’t have any coconut oil! Could I use butter or something like Spectrum shortening? I also have avocado oil. These look great and I’m looking forward to eating them!
Butter would work! Never used shortening so I don’t know. I’d probably go with olive over avocado oil. Enjoy!:)
I made these tonight and used butter (my stomach won’t tolerate coconut oil) and they are LUSCIOUS! I had to bake them 25 minutes and the carrots were still slightly chewy but gosh these are so fluffy and light and my husband has bagged them all for his lunch so I have to make another batch for me! Thanks for a great recipe!
Haha. He bagged them all for his lunch?! I love that. It’s great to know that the butter version worked out well! The carrots shouldn’t really be noticeable so I definitely recommend grating them finer next time. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment! I hope you hid that second batch for yourself. ;)
Anything healthier that can replace the coconut oil? I was going to try apple sauce but t I’m not sure how that would turn out
Sorry for the slow reply! I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had internet since Sunday. I’m one of those people who thinks coconut oil is super healthy so I’m not sure what you’d consider healthier. I personally haven’t had good luck with subbing applesauce for fat but I know others don’t mind the change it makes to the taste and texture. Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!
Coconut oil is the very healthy!
You should learn more about it… find some books on coconut on amazon and learn! You will improve your health and many myths regarding the saturated fats!
I totally agree with you. :)
I just started reading The Secret Life of Fat. Fat is being given a very bad name. I’ve started increasing my fat and decreasing my grains and haven’t felt this good in ages!
Same here! I feel much better with more fat and fewer grains.
I’ve made this with the oil and with applesauce and there is no difference! –Except about 700 calories ;)
Good to know! Thanks for the tip. :)
Really good! I wanted to make these for an early first biryhday party for my daughter, so I couldn’t use honey and don’t want her to have sugar. So I replaced the third cup honey with a combo of unsweetened apple sauce and real grade A organic maple syrup and they where still yummy and my dsughter loved them! I just wsnted to share in case anyone else finds themselves in the same sinerio :) Thsnks for the good recipe!
So happy you enjoyed them! That’s great that your sub worked out. I’ll have to try that myself. :) Thanks for your comment and sorry for the super slow reply! I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had internet for a while.
Does anyone know if you can use all coconut flour instead of almond flour? Thank you
Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that
Can this recipe be used to make a carrot loaf / bread, instead of 8 muffins? What would the baking temp & time be then?
I haven’t tried it but I’m doubtful it’d work out well. Grain-free muffins don’t often convert well to loaf pans. I also have no idea of the baking temp and time. Sorry I’m not more of a help!
Thoughts on whether or not this recipe would be good for a small layer cake? Say 6″ diameter? I plan on using agave for the honey for the lower glycemic index.
I’m not sure about a 6″ but I doubled it and you can see it here: vegan cream cheese frosting. Check out the two paragraphs after the second picture.
Has anyone ever tried these with puréed carrots? Just thinking my picky eaters won’t like to see but if carrots :(
Thank you!
**bits of carrots
I haven’t but you can really hardly even tell that there are carrots in there!
These are SOOOOOO good. Thank you thank you for developing a healthy version of carrot cake. They’re simple to make and even kid approved!
Aww, yay! So happy that you and your kid enjoyed the muffins. Thanks for your comment!
this is the first reciepe i have made from your website.. Definately going to try more!! Love using almond and coconut flours and these turned out perfectly! Instead of piping the frosting i spread it and topped with some chopped walnuts :-)
Thankyou for sharing your talents 😘
What a nice comment! Thanks so much. I’m glad that you liked the muffins and that you’ll try out more of my recipes! I hope you’ll enjoy them just as much. Thanks again! :)
Do you have the nutrition info available for these muffins? They look great! Trying to monitor sugar intake
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
These are outstanding. I’ve recently gone gluten free and was excited to try these. I did tweak the recipe a bit, by adding crushed pineapple and raisins, and a bit more almond flour. They turned out great.
Yum! I’ll have to try these with pineapple and raisins. That sounds great. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Amazing! Delicate crumble. Didn’t have coconut flour so substituted 4 tablespoons of oat flour and 2 tablespoons all purpose because it’s what I had on hand. Ran out of honey halfway into pouring it out so used a tiny bit of maple syrup to top it off. They were incredible. Just a light bit of sweetness that was perfect. This recipe is a keeper. We are not gluten-free but wanted to try something different. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! And how awesome that you decided to try them out, despite not being GF. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment! I hope you’re having a nice Easter.
I just made these and they turned out WONDERFULLY!!! Since we aren’t eating them until tomorrow, would you recommend storing them in airtight containers in the fridge or is it ok to leave them in airtight containers on the counter?
I’m so happy that they came out well! An airtight container on the counter for a day or two is totally fine. Hope you have a nice holiday! Thanks for your comment. :)
Looks Delilah. Can this be made with egg substitute? Thanks.
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure. Sorry about that!
UPDATE: I calculated 20 mini muffins to be around 6 carbs each. (I substituted maple syrup for honey). I consider this a keto friendly recipe for sure and I’m making more TONIGHT. Thanks again for sharing this lovely recipe.
That’s great! Thanks for sharing your calculations. I’m happy that they fit your diet and that you enjoy them! :)
I found this recipe while looking for keto or low carb desserts. I haven’t actually calculated the carb count yet but just eyeballing the recipe tells me that these are lower in carbs than standard cupcakes.
I made 20 mini muffins and they were DELIGHTFUL. I substituted olive oil for coconut oil and maple syrup for honey. So yummy and my 4 year old ate them. The icing was perfect for me without any milk but I would like to know how everyone got their icing smooth without tiny cream cheese lumps??? Thanks for the recipe! I’ll definitely be back for more!!!
They’re definitely lower carb than regular cupcakes but not the lowest carb due to the honey. Low-carb is not my forte. ;) I’m happy that you and your little one enjoyed them! I just used a sturdy silicone spatula to make the frosting but if yours came out lumpy, try using a hand mixer. It definitely shouldn’t be lumpy! Thanks for your comment. :)
Just got a tip today regarding the tiny lumps in the cream cheese.(:
You need to whisk well the cream cheese before adding the other ingredients.
Thanks for the tip! :)
Beth, I’m looking to do these mini to increase the chance of my picky five year old eating them. How long did you bake, may I ask?
I don’t think Beth will see your comment so I’m just going to guess that you should start checking at 5-7 minutes. Minis cook so quickly!
I just made these for our family celebrating our chocolate lab Badger’s 10th birthday today! He recently fractured his left limb and was diagnosed with bone cancer☹️ So we are glad to celebrate with him and share in his strict but yummy protein, paleo, gf, grain free diet! I used some garbanzo bean flour we all love the taste of and added a little org. Crushed pineapple for added antioxidant, flavor and moisture. Badger will get his topped with natural fresh crushed peanut butter I just ground at the co-op yesterday😍Thank you for the lovely recipe I was so glad to find!
I love that you made these for your dog’s birthday! I hope he isn’t in a lot of pain and that he enjoyed his peanut butter-topped cupcakes and that he had a nice birthday party. :) Thanks a bunch for your nice comment!
These. Are. Amazing!!! I subbed olive oil for coconut oil, and maple syrup for honey. They baked up beautifully – light and fluffy, and yet holding together well, unlike many grain/gluten-free recipes. The flavor is also perfection – the sweetness is light and yet just enough that they are lovely even without frosting. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that they came out well for you. And thanks so much for the tip on the olive oil! Someone else had just asked about a coconut oil sub. Thanks a bunch for your comment! :)
I’m excited to make these for my friend’s birthday tomorrow! Any suggestions/suitable alternatives for refined coconut oil? I only have unrefined coconut oil on me right now but don’t want there to be an overpowering coconut taste.
I hope they’ll enjoy them! Olive oil should work fine. The last commenter used it with success and I really doubt you’d be able to taste it with all the spices in there. :)
Another successful recipe from you. I won’t even bother making paleo/grain free recipes from anyone else because they never turn out. Thanks for providing weights as measurements. I substituted maple syrup for the honey and it worked great.
Sorry for just now seeing your comment! I’m happy that you appreciate the weights. It’s so much easier, isn’t it? :) Good to know that maple works well here! Thanks a bunch for your kind words. I’ll keep trying to come up with more paleo recipes so you don’t run out of stuff to make. ;)
how many carbs are in the cupcakes with frosting
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
Thank you SO much for sharing this truly delicious and wonderful recipe! I need to eat grain free and I haven’t had a grain free cake since I eliminated it nearly a year ago! I make a carrot cake every year for my husband’s birthday and this year I gave your recipe a try. I had 12 people over for a family party, so it seemed a little risky, but the reviews were so good I felt pretty confident. As it turns out, it was a huge HIT!!! And that says a lot because I have some family members who are not thrilled about gluten/grain free eating. I doubled the recipe and added extra grated carrots (nearly 2 cups) and it was really a thrill to be able to enjoy such a delicious grain free cake. It paired very nicely with vanilla bean ice cream and I used a traditional cream cheese frosting. We will be eating this again before our usual, annual time this year!! Thanks again! :)
Oh my! No cake for a year?! I’m happy that you put that to an end. ;) I’m thrilled that the cupcakes were a hit and that you have cake back in your life! And I need to try these with ice cream. I have no idea why I haven’t ever tried it with carrot cake! Thanks a bunch for your thoughtful comment. :)
I made these today, using all of the ingredients this time ;). I added 1/4 tsp of cardamom, more carrots and a little chipotle pepper, plus I used sugar free syrup. My first batch did not rise, these did, hubby things they need more sweetness but I am fine with less sweet, these are a great treat!
Haha. It’s always good to use all the ingredients. ;) And with chipotle pepper?! That’s an interesting addition! I’m happy that they came out well. :) Thanks for your comment!
I just made these…totally forgot the coconut oil, but they are not bad, a little dryer than I want them to be but with enough whipped cream, it won’t even matter!
I hope you’ll try them again with the coconut oil! They’ll be a whole lot better than not bad. ;)
Actually, they are very good and I will definitely make them again. I had one for breakfast with bacon (no whipped cream), it was a great meal.
These cupcakes are AMAZING! They taste just like the real deal! I used ghee instead of coconut oil and added a handful of chopped pecans and OMG I’m in heaven! Having trouble with the icing, but hoping it will work out. It’s too thin right now. Have it in the fridge going it will thicken as it cools.
That’s great to know that ghee works well! Thanks for the tip. :) I hope the frosting firmed up in the fridge. Chilling it should have definitely helped. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
These are tasty! I sub’d maple syrup for the honey and wasn’t sure how much they would rise so made only 6 instead of 8. They turned out perfect!
Awesome! It’s great to know that maple works just as well. :) Thanks so much for your feedback!
Wow! Just made this for my son’s half birthday. We added a hint of cardamom in all, and a couple of dark chocolate chips in the cupcake for the kid who hates carrot cake. Everyone, even the kid who hates carrot cake, thought these were delicious!
Haha. I love that you added chocolate to distract them from the fact that it was carrot cake. :D Adding cardamom is a great idea. I’ll try that next time! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hello! The recipe’s definitely correct. If you look at the other reviews, they’re all positive so I’m pretty sure something must have gone wrong. Did you make any subs or any kinds of changes at all to the recipe? What kind of almond flour did you use? If you didn’t make any changes, then perhaps you added too much coconut flour. I mistakingly add too much or too little of ingredients sometimes without even noticing it until later. I hope your next attempt will go better! :)
Can this be made with regular all purpose flour rather than the almond and coconut flour?
It can’t but you can use it in the recipe that I link to in the second paragraph (although it says whole wheat, all-purpose flour works, too!). It’d yield 24 cupcakes. Bake at 350F for 14-18 minutes.
Thank you. For this recipe would I be able to use the maple syrup rather than honey?
No problem! Maple syrup works fine. :)
These were PERFECT! Thanks for the great recipe!
Woohoo! I’m so happy you liked them. Thanks for your comment! :)
Can this be made into a cake?
Yup! Check out the last two paragraphs of the post. :)
These were wonderful!! I can’t believe how good the vegan frosting tastes too!! Yum yum!! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Oh, yay! I think you’re the first to comment on the vegan frosting. I’m so happy it worked well for you! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
Do you have the Nutritional Facts on any of your recipes?
I don’t but if you’re interested in one in particular, you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
For three years I think….maybe two, I’ve been dying to try these. I always was missing one ingredient.
I finally made them today!!!
I will up the spice level a bit, maybe add some pepper? But I was so happy with them. Took these tummies to a mom’s night and the dairy free (I went with the vegan icing) and grain free mamas were ecstatic! Thank you so much for your page. I love your baked goodies!
Wow! I’m glad you finally got to try them. :D I’ve been fiddling with this recipe, upping the spices to make a spice cake version. Cardamom’s a nice addition, but I’ll also try some pepper! I’m so happy to hear that the other moms enjoyed them. :) Thanks a ton for your comment and kind words!
Cardamom! Great idea! Guess I HAVE to make them again.
Most definitely! To not make them again would just be wrong. ;)
These are really wonderful! I made them for my sister’s baby shower so I had to triple the batch :). The only thing I noticed, the more the batter sat the more the flours soaked up the liquids which cause them to not raise as much as the first set that went in the oven. So for anyone that may try that, it might be best to make one batch at a time instead of all together :). However, they are still VERY good!! Thanks for the recipe!
That’s an interesting observation! I know that the longer coconut flour sits in a batter, the more liquid it sucks up, but I assumed that the liquid got sucked up, anyway, during baking. If that makes any sense. ;) Thanks for the tip and for your feedback! I’m so happy that you all enjoyed them.
I made these cupcakes last weekend for my Dad’s birthday. Everyone loved them! I love that I can trust your recipes to work out. Never fails!
The vegan cream cheese I had available for the frosting was missing that “zing” so I added a couple drops of lemon and that did the trick. I absolutely love the batter. Can’t wait to try the Paleo Apple Muffins you just posted. too!
Aww, yay! I’m so very happy to hear that your dad and the others enjoyed the cupcakes. :) I hope you’ll enjoy the apple muffins just as much! I’d love to hear how they come out. Thanks for your feedback and your kind words!
Hello from over the pond in Blighty! I just had to post to say how fantastic these little beauties are! I made them yesterday and they have been unceremoniously gobbled up by my husband, daughter and myself ;-) Being gluten and dairy intolerant I have hugely missed my carrot cake and cuppa moments, but no more!!! Thanks again from a very happy (and full!) fan :-)
And hello to you from Germany! :) I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed the cupcakes and that you don’t have to miss carrot cake anymore. Thanks a bunch for your comment!
These carrot cake cupcakes are quite possibly one of my most favorite sweet treats ever! I added 1/4t. salt because I like a little more salt in my baked goods and I did not make the icing. I also added raisins to some of them which tasted great! I warmed them up and ate them with grass fed butter, cinnamon and salt on them, soooooooooooo delicious!! They froze well too. Thank you for using honey as the sweetener as it’s the only one I’m supposed to use! Awesome recipe!
Aww, yay! I was so happy to read how much you liked the cupcakes. :) Added raisins sound great and it’s good to know that they freeze well! Thanks for the tips and for your feedback. :)
My 8-year-old daughter just made these (with some help from me) for her daddy’s bday. We all loved it. We like to try different things bc my daughter doesn’t like traditional carrot cake and sweets in general. These however, weren’t overly sweet and hit the spot. Thank you so much Erin!
That’s great that your daughter (and the rest of you!) enjoyed the cupcakes. :) And I’m jealous of your daughter not really liking sweets. I wish I were the same. ;) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
can i use butter instead of coconut oil?
I haven’t tried it but I think that’d work fine. :) Enjoy!
I think doubling the amount of carrots would make more like true carrot cake, although this is very good, I increased nutmeg and added one ripe banana. I used coconut flower and regular gluten free flour. Texture was perfect.
I’m happy that they came out well, especially with all your changes! Thanks for your comment. :)
Thanks for this recipe it is very easy to follow…quick to make and absolutely delicious! These are some of the best muffins I have ever made!
My son is intolerant to almonds, is there anything i can use to replace it? Thank you!
Nut flours are usually interchangeable with other types of nut flours so you could try that. And I haven’t tried this myself but supposedly you can make your own sunflower seed flour and it works as a sub for almond flour. I hope that helps!
We recently found out that our 4 year old has celiac disease and so all my family recipes are no longer easy to recreate. Thank goodness I found your recipe and it was approved by the whole family including my 4 year old picky eater :)
I used freshly grated nutmeg and maybe next time I will put a little less and more cinnamon. I love cinnamon! Overall it was perfect, very moist. I just had another one for breakfast! I also loved using the weights. Thank you again and have a great day!
I’m so happy that you found something that your 4 year old and the rest of the family could enjoy! And I agree that more cinnamon is never a bad thing. ;) I’ll have to try these with freshly grated nutmeg and see if that yields a stronger taste than the pre-ground stuff. Thanks a bunch for your nice comment!
I rarely leave reviews because I hardly ever follow a recipe closely enough to feel like I can really comment, but I did this time, and they were great! Okay, I maybe skimped a little on the nutmeg and cinnamon, but I weighed all the main ingredients. THANK YOU for giving weights, I love to cook with a scale–so easy. Plenty sweet for my taste, and texture was nice. Just little oily, but that seems to happen with coconut oil sometimes, didn’t detract cuz we’re not afraid of a little coconut oil. :)
I love weights, too! I wish everyone who made my recipes would use them so that the recipes would come out exactly as intended. ;) I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cupcakes! Thanks a bunch for your comment and taking the time to leave a review. :)
These were tasty, but didn’t quite taste like carrot cake. I thought I’d be able to taste all of the different spices, but all I could taste was the nutmeg. There was a bit too much and next time I’ll just use a little less. They were still tasty, though, and the cream cheese frosting was delicious!
Hmm. Did you use freshly grated nutmeg? I didn’t, so I wonder if that could be it. I’ve never noticed these being especially nutmeg-y. But I’m happy you still liked them! Thanks for your feedback. :)
These look Awesome! Thanks for the recipes.
Thanks, Ashley! And you’re welcome. :)
These are great! I made them for Easter for my niece who is GF/DF/SF, and also made a traditional carrot cake for the rest of us at the party. I was hoping there would be extras for me to take home but everyone really enjoyed these and ate them all before I could sneak any away. I’m so happy to have found a healthy alternative to traditional carrot cake!
Aww. I’m sorry there were no leftovers! But I’m quite happy that everyone liked them so much. ;) Thanks so much for your feedback!
Has anyone substitued the almond flour for something different? Or even did half almond half something else? One of my kids is sensitive to almonds and bothered by carrots during pollen season and I’m thinking those 2 ingredients together might be overload for her and induce her asthma? Any ideas????
Almond flour and other nut flours are only interchangeable with other nut flours so you could try a different nut flour / meal. But if she’s bothered by carrots, I’d suggest finding a different recipe because there’s no sub for it in these cupcakes. Sorry about that!
You can make a “One Minute Muffin” for your allergic daughter using coconut flour or ground flax. You can put fruit or nuts in them if you are just looking for a “cup cake” kind of dessert for this child. Look it up online, there are tons of variety out there.
I’d never heard of those! They look so easy. Thanks for sharing. :)
Cheryl, thank you for that info, I’ll definitely have a look for that recipe. :)
I am making these for the second time – they are that good! I have not made frosting -just eat them as is. Delicious! Thanks for creating a healthier alternative for my carrot cake obsession:)
And thank you for your nice comment and feedback! I’m so happy you enjoyed them. :)
Hi Erin, can these be made without an electric mixer? Just by hand? Also, what type of ginger do you mean? Minced ginger like you would use in asian cooking, or is it a powdery dry ground ginger? Thanks for your help! Emma
Hi Emma! No electric mixer is needed. :) Just mix everything together by hand. And you’ll want to use ground ginger. I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Thanks Erin!
can these be made without eggs? like with phylum husks?
I’m sorry but I haven’t tried an egg-free version! I know one person used flax eggs but since I haven’t tried it, I can’t guarantee it’d work. I hope they’ll come out well if you give it a try. :)
I added nuts and raisins and they came out kind of heavy. Do I need to change the recipe?
They’re light and kind of fluffy without the nuts and raisins so I’m guessing they did weigh them down (though I’ve never had that problem in other recipes!) I wouldn’t recommend changing that recipe because you’re not actually adding or changing anything to the make-up of the batter. Perhaps you could just use less? Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!
Do you know if these freeze well? or how long they stay fresh? or… what the best way to store them is?
Thanks! :)
They stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature (without the frosting) and I haven’t tried freezing them but I imagine they’d be fine. And to answer your other question, I’m not sure about subbing maple syrup for honey. A lot of people do that but maple syrup is so much thinner and less sticky than honey so I never recommend it unless I’ve tried it myself. I hope your kid has a great birthday. :)
Hi! I’m thinking about making these for my 1 year old’s bday party. Do you think I can sub maple syrup for the honey?
Thanks!
Oh, no! I remember typing out a reply but I’m not seeing it here for whatever reason. I’m so, so sorry! I said that maple syrup is more runny and less sticky than honey so I’m not quite sure if it’d work out well. Did you try it out? Sorry again! :(
I used sugar free maple syrup…so not real syrup but it worked beautifully. I have to watch my carbs, so I try not to use anything that is an added carb!
That’s great to know! Thanks a bunch for your tip. I’m happy it worked well!
These look amazing! Could I use olive oil instead of coconut oil and almond flour instead of coconut flour, do you think? Thanks
Thanks! :) Olive oil should work but coconut flour can’t really be subbed. It absorbs a lot more liquid than every other flour and so there aren’t really any subs for it. Sorry about that!
Have you tried these with just coconut flour? I made your vanilla cupcakes and they were perfect! Thanks much.
I’m so happy you liked the cupcakes! Do you mean the coconut flour based ones in the Samoa cupcake recipe? And I haven’t tried these with coconut flour, unfortunately. Coconut flour isn’t really interchangeable with any other flours so I’m afraid it wouldn’t work. Sorry about that!
Can I sub stevia for the honey? How much? Do I need to add something else for moisture then?
I unfortunately don’t have any experience with Stevia so I have no idea how much you’d need or how much liquid to add. Sorry about that!
These came out perfect! Thank you so much for this recipe! :)
I’m so happy that they came out well and so sorry for not seeing this comment until now! Thanks for the feedback. :)
Amazing! My mom and I are major food freaks, trying to lay off the junk food, and these were just perfect! Definitely making again!
I’m so happy that you both enjoyed them! Good lucking with the healthy eating and thanks so much for your feedback. :)
I made these up for my dad who is diabetic. He love carrot cake but hasn’t eaten it for years. He ate them as a dessert and for breakfast. He was so happy when his blood sugar levels were in normal range after having these. Thank you so much for this recipe, you have made an old man very happy! And his daughter.
How awesome that your dad could eat these without having any blood sugar issues. :) He must be so happy that he can have carrot cake again! Thanks a bunch for your nice comment and feedback and so sorry for my super slow reply.
I made this for a women’s meeting at church this morning. I swapped out the honey for xylitol. I made the “frosting” with swerve (to taste) and almond milk. They turned out really good. Thank you for sharing.
I’m so happy that they were enjoyed by all! And good to know that xylitol works. Thanks for the feedback and for the tip! :)
I tried these tonight and they were fabulous! I used 2/3 cup honey & added 3-4Tbsp of almond milk to it and it was perfect! I used my almond meal pulp from the almond milk I make. It tends to be a bit dryer than the blanched almond meal. I have to use it in SOMETHING since we make so much almond milk around here:) They were moist and cake like! I put on some vanilla frosting(coconut milk/powdered sugar/vanilla) and it was the best:) High fiber too! Thanks for such a great recipe!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! Your changes sound great and I love that you were able to use your leftover almond pulp. :) So much better than just throwing it away! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
Any idea on nutrition info? Specifically carbs, sugar and fiber grams?? Looks amazing trying to find low carb naturally sweetened muffins/cupcakes.
You can copy and paste the ingredientshere for that info. I hope that helps! :)
What is the cooking time difference if I make a round cake instead of cupcakes?
Check out this post (first paragraph after the second picture) for more info but basically, double the recipe and bake it in 2 8″ pans for 17 minutes. Your cake will be super thin if you don’t double it (there are pictures in that post, too!) I hope that helps and that you’ll enjoy it. :)
For some reason mine didn’t turn out at all. The batter was not really like batter. I had to add about 1/4 cup water and it still just when into muffin cups like a lump. I followed the recipe exactly even weighed it. I used an almond flour I made myself from left over meal I had from almond milk I made. I ground it finer and sifted it and it looked fine. Maybe will try buying the flour next time to compare.
I’m pretty sure the problem was the homemade almond flour (although it still shouldn’t have been lumpy!) Did you dehydrate the almond pulp? If you didn’t, that could explain it. I made these again last week and don’t recall the batter being thick at all. I’m sorry that they didn’t work out! I hope your next version with store bought almond flour will come out better. :)
I will try Bob’s brand and see. Gauging moisture content is a guessing game for me but if it grinds fine I figure I must be in the ballpark. I thought about that factor as well. I’ll let you know how my next batch turns out. Can’t rate recipe yet but the comment response time is awesome. Thanks.
No problem! And I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill in these without issue so I’m confident your next batch will turn out better. :)
These are amazing, I made 24 mini muffins and baked for 10 minutes, worked out perfectly. The kids love them with a bit of cream cheese spread on top.
I’m so happy that they came out well and that you and your kinds enjoyed them! I bet they were cute as mini muffins. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
OMG these are simply the best gf, sugar free carrot muffins in the world!! Thank you for sharing the recipe Erin – you simply can’t go wrong with them and defy anyone not to swoon upon trying them. I decided to bake them in butter lined muffin tin without muffin cases which worked really well because then you don’t have any of the delicious muffin sticking to the paper of the case. I’m going to have to have lots of tea parties now! :-) xxx
Haha. Yes! These are totally a great excuse to have tea parties. :D Buttering the tin sounds like a good idea. Mine is just so unpleasant looking I’d never dare. ;) I’m happy you enjoyed them and thanks so much for the feedback!
Any suggestions on egg substitutes for this recipe?
I don’t really have experience with egg substitutes but I think flax eggs may work here. I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t guarantee it, though. I hope you’ll enjoy them if you try it out. :)
What if I put the batter in cake pans? Is that okay? How many minutes of baking?
A few commenters have done that but since I haven’t, I can’t tell you what size or how long to bake them for. Sorry about that! My guess would be one 8″ or 9″ pan for 12-16 minutes. It’s just a guess, though!
Hi,
I was wondering if the two flours could be substituted with wholemeal flour?
Sorry for my slow reply, Ashley! You can’t sub whole wheat flour with nut flours but I’ve posted a whole wheat carrot cake that’s super yummy. One of my favorite cakes ever! Here’s the recipe. Hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
These were delish! I love trying a new recipe and it turns out awesome and exactly like the illustrations shown in the write up! Thank you for this one!
I’m so happy to hear that! And I like it when my outcome looks like the pictures, too. Always such a disappointment if it doesn’t! Thanks so much for your feedback. :)
Oh My, these baby were THE best i have ever made. I used almond meal and King Arthur GF flour and apple sauce instead of oil for even a healthier approach.
Thank you for this yummy recipe!
I’m so happy the GF flour and applesauce worked out! Sounds like a nice, healthy change. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
just made these yum yum! Going to a 2yr olds birthday and said i would make a cake….so after much googling i made 4 cupcakes carrot spiced and 4 without spice and with cacao and a bit of unsweetened apple sauce. Worked great and just so it looked good in pic’s made fondant hungary hungary catapiller toppers! Next time i am making more carrot for easy lunch treats :-)
With cacoa? That sounds yummy! How much did you add to the 4 cupcakes? And what cute toppers. :) I’m happy that they came out well for you and I hope the little ones liked them! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
1/4 cup of cacoa and 1.5 tbl spoon of applesauce worked well the little one was thrilled and even the adults loved them thx for the great recipe
I’ll have to try your chocolate version! Sounds great. Thanks so much for letting me know how you made them. :)
These were super scrummy! Enjoyed by all the family. Wondered though if you knew the approx calorie count? Often gluten free recipes tend to be quite high.
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! You can copy and paste the recipe here for nutritional info, if you like. :) Thanks for the feedback!
Yum! What a wonderful recipe! Hey, I must ask. What plugin are you using to get your rich snippet (picture) to show in search engines like Google. It was the snippet that drew me to your site! :-)
Erin, these look amazing! What would I use instead of the honey? Thanks so much.
Thanks, Plume! You could try maple syrup but I haven’t tried it myself so I can’t guarantee it. It’s a little runnier than honey but I think it could work. I hope it works out for you and that you’ll enjoy the cupcakes! :)
Loved the look of this recipe, so tried it but substituted the almond flour with chickpea flour! Not a good idea, cakes were tasty but dry :-( Next time I will stick to the Almond Flour – might add walnuts and dates as family members do not like sultanas… Lesson learned!
I’m happy they were tasty but I definitely don’t recommend subbing chickpea flour for almond flour! So I’m happy you’ll use almond flour next time. And you could also try them without any add-ins. That’s how I made them and they’re wonderful that way and nobody can complain. :)
Oh also, is almond meal the same as almond flour?
You can use either! Almond flour is blanched and almond flour unblanched. In some recipes, it can really make a difference but not here. Almond meal is much, much cheaper and easier to find so feel free to use that. :)
These look great! I am looking for a low sugar and preferably grain free cake for my 2yo’s bday on Saturday. This is a definite contender. I want a cake that is light and fluffy though, I know you have mentioned these are moist, what about light/fluffy/airy?
Thanks!
These aren’t as fluffy as a cake made with all-purpose flour but as far as grain-free goodies go, these definitely have a great texture! Not at all heavy or dense. I hope your son will enjoy them if you try them and that he’ll have a great birthday. :)
My grain free daughter would like carrot cake as a birthday cake. Will this recipe work if baked in a round 9″ cake pan?
Several people have made it in cake form (and a 9″ cake pan sounds to be the right size) but I have no idea how long you’d need to bake it. Maybe 12-16 minutes? It’s just a guess, though! I hope she’ll enjoy it and have a great birthday. :)
Tried the recipe twice (using the grams – I’m from the UK) and it did not work at at all. I think you have your gram values wrong. The batter was very firm, I even added an extra egg and oil (second time around) to try and get the batter more runny but it did not work. The mixture then burnt on top……
Some advice would be nice
Thanks
I’m sorry they’re not working out for you. :( I live in Germany and bake using grams as well and the values are correct (I doubled checked to make sure). If you hadn’t weighed the ingredients, I would have suggested that you added too much flour but since you didn’t use cups, I’m honestly not sure what would have caused that if you followed the recipe exactly and didn’t use any subs at all. You didn’t try leaving out the carrots (maybe in hopes of making spiced cupcakes), did you? Sorry I couldn’t be more of a help!
Just made 2 batches, one with walnuts and one with walnuts and mini choc. Chips. These are delicious, moist and not real dense and heavy like many gluten free items. Will be making more and freezing.
I’ve never tried carrot cake with chocolate chips. I think I’ll have to try that! I’m happy both batches came out well. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Thank you so much for the recipie! These are amazing!!!! My family and coworkers really enjoyed these when I made them :)
I’m so happy that you all enjoyed them! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
I love this recipe and was wondering if I can add some raisins or cranberries to the mixture?
Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem! I’m happy it came out well for you and thanks so much for the feedback. :) And sorry for my slow reply. I just got back from a vacation where the hotel had internet issues.
Hi Erin,
I’ve made these cupcakes three times now and they are absolutely delicious! I find they keep well. I brought them to work and people went crazy over them. This is such a great and simple recipe. Thanks!
Wow. I love that people went crazy over a grain-free recipe. That’s awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback and so happy that you and your colleagues like the cupcakes. :)
I love carrot cake and was looking for a healthy alternative. I stumbled on your website and cannot wait to try these cupcakes this weekend. Great comments from everyone! I will let you know how I make out! Looks delicious!
Hi, Debi! I’m sorry for my slow reply. I was on vacation and wasn’t able to log into my blog for some reason. :( I’m happy you found the recipe and I hope that you enjoyed the cupcakes if you tried them! Sorry again for my slowness.
Hi Erin,
I did try the cupcakes and they were delicious. I am making them for another party this weekend. The icing was a little runny and I put in the frig for a few hours and it thickened right up. They were perfect! Thanks again
I’m happy to hear that! I hope the partygoers will enjoy them, too. :) Thanks for the feedback!
These look amazing! I love carrot cake. I like that the recipe is small. I defiantly don’t need 24 cupcakes sitting around.
Haha. Same here! 24 cupcakes around means about 8 cupcakes per day for three days. Definitely not good. ;) I hope you’ll enjoy the cupcakes if you get a chance to try them!
They were amazing! I love your site. This will be my go to site for my cheat days.
Thanks, Mary! I’m honored that I’m your go to site for your cheat days. :) Thanks for the feedback!
I found the cake is rather oily on the outside. Is it normal? Can I freeze the cupcake?
Sorry for the slow reply, Iris! I didn’t consider the cupcakes to be oily… just really moist. Did you weigh your almond flour? I’m guessing if you were light on the almond flour, that would have caused oiliness. I hope you still enjoyed them! :) And yes, you can freeze them.
I love these cupcakes! I doubled the recipe and they turned out great! I don’t know if I misread the recipe for the icing or not, but it turned out very runny. I had to put in more cream cheese and even then it was still too thin. I put in 8 oz of cream cheese, 16 t of maple syrup, and 2 T of vanilla. I’m wondering if it might have been because the maple syrup was very thin.
I’m happy that you liked the cupcakes! And about the icing – do you by any chance live outside of North America? If you do, the cream cheese there isn’t like the brick kind we have in the US and would explain the runny icing. My maple syrup is also very thin (isn’t it all? ;)) so I don’t think that’d be it. My frosting came out pretty thick and was even a little difficult to get through the piping bag so I’m not sure what would cause it to be very runny. Sorry about that! I hope you could still enjoy them nevertheless. :) Next time, if I were you, I’d just try adding some powdered sugar to the cream cheese and when it’s a consistency and sweetness you like, add a little vanilla. Hope that helps!
Absolutely divine. I added a bit more spice and some citrus flavour (lemon and orange zest). Didn’t last very long ;)
Lemon and orange zest?! Sounds good! I would have never thought of adding that. So happy that you liked the cupcakes. :) Thanks for the feedback!
Have my daughter’s first birthday party in a few days. If I make these ahead of time do you need to store the unfrosted cupcakes in fridge? Or is a sealed container on counter ok for overnight storage? Planning on frosting them a few hours before party.
Thanks!
Alyson
A sealed container on the counter overnight or for 2 days is totally fine. :) I hope you all will enjoy the cupcakes and happy birthday to your daughter!
Thanks for your quick response Erin! Tried a unfrosted one and they are amazing! So soft and fluffy, was worried fridge storage might dry them out. Want them to stay just as they are! Thank for the birthday wishes :D
Yay! That’s great. :) So happy that you liked them! I hope that the party went well. :)
These look delicious!!
Definitely on my to do list to try.
I am new to clean eating but my list is growing fast.
Do you have the nutritional values for these beauties??
Sorry I missed your comment, Ellie! I don’t have the nutritional info. I intentionally don’t include the nutritional info (I focus on making healthier choices rather than low calorie / fat / etc.) but you can copy and paste the recipe here for that info, if you like. I hope you’ll enjoy the cupcakes! :)
I LOVE carrot cake. So I am very happy to see you have a healthier carrot cake recipe!!! I’ve been having a serious carrot cake craving and I knew you would have something awesome to satisfy it. Thanks for the great recipe Erin!!! :-)
Thanks, Heather! I hope you’ll like this version as much as the whole wheat one but it’s hard to beat that version. ;)
Just made these in mini cupcakes and they are perfect in every way! I did add grounded flaxseed and chia seed, they still were great. I did make double the topping though. I used greek creamcheese and its just as good. I will make these for the rest of my life. Thank uuuu so much! Xoxo
Picture of the cupcakes in instagram.username gojanett :)
For the rest of your life? That makes me so happy to hear! :D I love that you made these as mini cupcakes. I have a mini muffin pan but I’m not just patient enough to fill all the molds. ;) Thanks so much for the feedback. I’ll go check out your picture!
Made these for my husband for fathers day. Carrot cake is his fave. They were to die for!!!! I used vanilla bean greek yogurt for icing. Thank you and will make again!!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! I hope your husband did, too. :) And vanilla bean Greek yogurt as icing sounds awesome. Thanks a bunch for the feedback and the rating!
I was wondering before I make these around how many calories per cupcake? (not including frosting)
I intentionally don’t include the nutritional info (I focus on making healthier choices rather than low calorie / fat / etc.) but you can copy and paste the recipe here for that info, if you like. I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Hey there, today I juiced up some carrots, oranges, beetroot and kale for a drink. What to do with the left over pulp? I found your lovely moist looking recipe and decided to get busy making some muffins with the pulp……… Delicious!! Thank you…have more being cooked now and will pop them into the freezer for the kids lunch bags. Will be sharing this with my PT clients….Thank you.
Hi Vicki! So happy that you liked the muffins. :) And it’s good to know that you can make these with just leftover pulp. Thanks so much for your feedback and for sharing with your PT clients!
Delicious carrot cupcake.. Feel like tasting
I hope you do get to taste it! :)
Hei Erin!
I just made the carrot cake as a cake and it turned out great! I will make double portion next time to get it taller. Since I now live in Norway in a small town its not always easy to find special ingredients so I made my own almond flower and coconut flower in a coffee grinder! And it is so easy and I bet its better since its so fresh! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Mari
I’m so happy that it worked out for you! :) And homemade coconut and almond flour sound great! Thanks a ton for your feedback and the rating. PS – I’m jealous that you live in a small town in Norway. I love small Scandinavian towns. So cozy! :)
Can these be made with pineapple and raisins added also?
I haven’t tried it but I’m assuming so. You’ll have to add a little at a time (I have no idea how much to add) and perhaps add a few minutes to the baking time because of the pineapple. I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Hi :) this recipe sounds amazing and i want to make it for my dad for his birthday would it be possible to make these in cake form instead of muffins? HAve you ever tried? How long would i have to bake it and What size tin?
Hi there! I’ve never tried baking this in cake form but I’m sure it’d work. The only problem is I have no idea what size tin to use or for how long to bake it for! This yields only 8 cupcakes so if you want a layer cake, I’d double the recipe and bake it in two 9-inch pans. For maybe 12 – 16 minutes? It’s just a guess, though, so you’ll have to watch it carefully! I hope your dad enjoys it and has a great birthday. :)
Thank you for posting this. I am on SCD. Your amazing cherry brownies were the last “normal” treat I made before my dr. put me on the diet 1 1/2 years ago. Dejected, I haven’t visited your website since, until today, when searching for a carrot cake with both almond/coconut flours. We made the cupcakes for Easter dinner tonight, and are also trying detoxinista’s “creamy cashew icing” to go with them. I can’t wait to eat them – they smell great! I am thrilled to have found your website again.
What a nice comment! Thank you, Elizabeth. :) I’m so happy to hear that you rediscovered the site! I have quite a few grain-free recipes now and I think some of them fall under SCD guidelines (grain-free + honey sweetened, or is there more to it? Is it also dairy-free?) I hope that you’re enjoying the cupcakes and happy Easter to you! :)
These are just beautiful and so quick & easy to make. Thanks for this great recipe, will be added to my favourites.
I’m so happy you like the cupcakes, Leah! And agreed on the quickness thing. Nothing beats a quick and easy recipe. ;) Thanks a bunch for the feedback and the rating!
Any chance you know the carbs for these? I wiould love to make these for my nieces as a healthy alternative for Easter but the youngest has Type I Diabetes so I would need the breakdown!
I don’t happen to have that information but you could copy and paste the recipe here for that info. I hope the carb count is okay and that your niece (and you!) will enjoy them. :)
Love them! easy to make and perfectly delicious!!! (clapping). Husband and kid approved too ;) I didn’t make the frosting but quite honestly we did not miss it! Thank you and keep the grain free recipes coming <3
I’m so happy that you and your family enjoyed them, Laura! And awesome that you didn’t miss the frosting. I’ll be sure to keep the grain free recipes coming! Thanks so much for the feedback and the rating. :)
Do you have a suggestion on what to use in the icing instead of cream cheese? I would like to omit the dairy Thanks!
You could get dairy-free cream cheese or get some almond milk Greek yogurt, use just a little bit (maybe 2-4 tbsp?) and add a little vanilla and powdered sugar until it’s sweet enough for you. You could also just do a classic glaze of powdered sugar and milk (any kind) but I personally really don’t like it. Especially not on carrot cake. :( The Greek yogurt yogurt at least adds a little complexity! Good luck and I hope you’ll like the cupcakes. :)
These are beautiful!! Are they ok on day 2? They look so moist I would assume so, but just thinking ahead for Easter. I have never frozen anything made with almond and coconut flour, so I wondered if that can be done, too, if you know.
They’re great on day 2! They’re so moist so they’re even okay after day 2. Just remember not to frost them until the day of serving. I think these are best at room temperature and if you frost them, you’ll need to refrigerate them after 4 hours or so (though you can always let them sit out to come to room temp!) Enjoy! :) And I haven’t tried it but I’m assuming these would be good frozen. I’ve never had an issue with freezing almond / coconut flour goodies. :) Enjoy!
Uh, yeah, healthier cupcakes. More cupcakes for me. Nom!
YES! You can eat ’em all now. They have your name on them. :)
These are beautiful, Erin! Carrot Cake is Ben’s favorite, and lately he’s been trying to eat healthier (he dropped 12 pounds just like THAT…men!). Anyway, maybe I can surprise him with a healthy version of his fave! THanks!!
Haha. 12 pounds?! That’s just kind of mean. ;) I hope you’ll try them and that you’ll all enjoy them! :)
I just made these and they turned out great. Thank you!
So happy that you liked them! Thanks for the feedback. :)
Cream cheese frosting on carrot cake is a must! These sound so good, Erin!
Thanks, Jessica! :)
I’m loving these carrot recipes, Erin! I would definitely eat these for breakfast :)
Thank you! And yeah. Carrot cake all day! :D
When a recipe like this one calls for 1/3 c. coconut oil, melted does that mean it’s 1/3 c. at solid state or 1/3 c. after melted?
1/3 cup solid, and then melt it (but I believe it’ll also be 1/3 cup after melting!) The easiest thing to do is just go by weight. :)
I believe in recipes,
if it states 1/2 c butter, melted….you measure then melt.
If it states 1/2 c melted butter, you melt first then measure.
Have not made this recipe yet. In the process of seraching for one I’d like to try.
Yup! That’s the correct way. I hope you found a recipe you liked! :)
Wow-these look amazing, love how you’ve made the recipe healthy-yet they still look absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much, Phi! :)
Do you have a suggestion of something that can be substituted for almond flour? My fiance has an almond allergy, and almond flour seems to be in quite a few recipes. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it in this recipe but any nut flour or meal should do (check out the paragraph after the second picture! ;))
I was wondering if I could sub in a GF King Arthurs flour to eliminate the nut flours all together. It’s a premixed blend with no nut flours but I’ve had good luck in the past. I’m GF and sometimes cook for someone with nut/tree nut allergies. Can’t wait to try this for Easter.
Have you used that flour as a sub for recipes with nut flours? I think that that generally doesn’t work, but I’ve you had luck with it, I guess you could try! I think a much better bet would be to use the GF baking mix in the whole grain recipe I link to at the beginning of the post. I think that’s much more likely to work (though I haven’t tried it!) Good luck with whatever you decide. :)
These cupcakes look delicious, moist inside.. And with a lovely frosting! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! And yeah, I was surprised at how moist they were. :)
Beautiful carrot cake cupcakes, Erin! I just adore everything carrot cake and cannot wait to try your recipe. They look moist and scrumptious. Thanks for sharing!
I hope you’ll have a chance to try them! :)