Healthy Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These moist fluffy carrot cake cupcakes are easy to make and topped with a delicious dairy-free cream cheese frosting. A vegan and gluten-free healthy spring baking recipe!

I have created and shared an obscene number of carrot CAKE recipes around here, but not nearly enough carrot cake CUPCAKES. Actually I think the current count is zero, so that changes today. Because a little hand held cake sized just for you with a more generous frosting to cake ratio that still packs all the spices and sweetness of the best spring cake is just a most delightful thing. And this gluten-free + vegan friendly recipe is the perfect fluffy one!

Baking The Perfect Healthier Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Cupcakes are typically easier to pull off than a full 3 layer cake, but I will admit these gave me a bit of a run for my money when it came to recipe development. Fluffy but not crumbly, moist but not mushy, rise but not overflow – it took 4 or 5 tries to get all those balanced just right. But I finally figured it out and fell in love with their soft, moist, fluffy perfection.

Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Ingredients

• Flours. Unfortunately one flour alone will not get you the gluten-free cupcake texture you desire. A combination is required, and in this case we are using a mix of almond flour, gluten-free all purpose, and coconut flour. The almond flour offers moisture and a beautiful crumb. The gluten-free offers binding power and gluten-ish spongy-ness. The coconut flour offers structure and sturdy fluff. Trust me, you need all three.
• Baking powder and baking soda. The combination is ideal for achieving as much rise as possible without eggs.
• Spices. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You will see some carrot cake recipes that just use the first two, but personally I prefer all four.
• Salt.
• Brown sugar. Or coconut sugar, brown sugar will yield a slightly better texture and sweeter cake.
• Avocado oil. Or melted coconut oil or melted dairy-free butter even.
• Almond milk. Or whatever variety of milk you prefer.
• Flax eggs. Chicken eggs will work too if you aren’t vegan.
• Unsweetened applesauce. Or non-dairy yogurt, both offer good moisture without having to add more butter/oil.
• Vanilla extract.
• Grated carrots. The most important ingredient, and how you prepare them matters a lot too. Grate them as fine as possible and press out excess moisture with paper or kitchen towels, otherwise you may end up with a mushy cake.
• Walnuts. I like a little nutty crunch in my carrot cake, feel free to skip the walnuts if you disagree.

Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

I sometimes ponder whether I truly adore carrot cake itself or whether I love it for its ability to complement cream cheese frosting SO WELL. And honestly I’m still not sure, it really is the perfect CCF vehicle. Fluffy + spiced meets creamy + tangy…ugh, it doesn’t get any better! And this is the perfect easy dairy-free recipe for topping those beautiful cakes.

It starts with softened dairy-free cream cheese and dairy-free butter. Whip these thoroughly with a hand mixer (preferred) or stand mixer (fine too) until fluffy and light. Then add the vanilla, a pinch of salt, and slowly the powdered sugar. Slowly so you don’t make a sweet snowy mess, but after it’s incorporated crank the mixer back up and get a little extra whip at the end. If your frosting seems a little soft, add some extra powdered sugar or pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Dairy-free cream cheese/butter softens faster at room temp than their dairy alternatives, so this is to be expected. You swirl it on with a piping bag or just spread it on with an offset spatula. Presentation matters MUCH less than flavor imo.

If you are looking for a more wholesome cream cheese frosting option, try this cashew + yogurt based version instead.

More Carrot Cake Recipes You’ll Love

• Grain-Free Vegan Carrot Layer Cake
• Carrot Cake No-Bake Bites
• Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies
• Carrot Mini Bundt Cakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze

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