Healthy Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Paleo & Vegan Options!)
You can leave your mixing bowls in the cupboard for this healthy, gluten free carrot cake recipe! The batter gets whizzed up right in the Vitamix or food processor, and the result is seriously amazing. [Step-by-step VIDEO below!]
Ingredients
The cake is made with almond flour and shredded unsweetened coconut, which give it a seriously tender texture (and make it gluten free and paleo friendly).
Why this recipe is great
A few other simple ingredients add flavor to this gluten free carrot cake recipe and lighten it up:
- Unsweetened applesauce lends moisture, allowing us to cut back on the oil.
- The cake contains more carrots than most carrot cakes, which provide natural sweetness and contribute more moisture.
- Finally, a mix of warming spices, including cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg and ginger, as well as maple syrup, give the cake an incredible flavor.
- This carrot cake is made without grains or sugar, meaning it's also paleo without the frosting!
How to make a healthy gluten free carrot cake:
This is the easiest carrot cake you'll ever make. You can put your mixing bowls away, as the batter gets made right in a high speed blender or food processor (no shredding of carrots required!)
- Pulse carrots in a Vitamix or food processor until finely chopped. Transfer the carrots to a bowl.
- In the same blender or food processor (no need to wash it!), add eggs, maple syrup, applesauce, milk, coconut oil (or vegetable oil), spices, salt and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Add almond flour, unsweetened dried coconut and baking powder. Pulse until just incorporated.
- Add the shopped carrots, raisins and chopped nuts (if using). Pulse a few times to combine, then stir with a rubber spatula. Transfer to a cake pan, and bake!
Maple cream cheese frosting
This Maple Cream Cheese Frosting might just be my favorite frosting (tied with this chocolate whipped cream frosting!). It’s made with just room temperature cream cheese and maple syrup, and it provides the perfect creamy counterpart to the spiced carrot cake. I go for a high ratio of frosting-to-cake, because we love the frosting so much.
Dairy-free, vegan variation
You can easily make this cake vegan (and nobody will have a clue!). Swap out the eggs for 6 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas). Whisk the aquafaba until it's white and foamy, then add it to the batter when you add the carrots and raisins. The cake will be more delicate, so take care when removing it from the pan. Use a dairy-free cream cheese in the frosting, or top the cake with coconut whipped cream instead.
Gluten free carrot cake tips and ingredient swaps:
- You’ll need a Vitamix blender or food processor to make this gluten free carrot cake recipe.
- This cake gets baked in an 8-inch square pan. I prefer a metal pan, which allows for even browning (and sharp corners!), but you could use a glass dish—just start checking for doneness about 5 minutes early.
- I always suggest using an inexpensive kitchen scale when baking, not only because it's more accurate, but also because it's much easier (no messing with measuring cups!).
- Be sure to let the cake cool completely before slicing. Since the texture is very moist, the cake can benefit from refrigerating (and it gets even better with time!).
- I prefer to use dried currants in this cake since they distribute evenly in the batter, but raisins work great as well.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup in the cake batter.
- Frost the cake with this Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.
- For a dairy free cake, simply omit the frosting, or serve the cake with a dollop of non-dairy coconut whipped cream instead.
*This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links to products I use and love (from which I earn income, at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting From Scratch Fast!
FAQs
Yes! This healthy carrot cake recipe is dairy free as long as you use nut milk in the batter. You can omit the cream cheese frosting, or you can serve the carrot cake with a dollop of non-dairy coconut whipped cream (homemade or store-bought) instead.
Most carrot cakes are made with all-purpose flour, but this cake is made with almond flour, which is naturally gluten free and high in protein (this cake is also paleo!).
Almond flour gives this gluten free carrot cake an ultra moist and tender texture without any gumminess. Applesauce and maple syrup provide moisture.
Yes! Baking powder is a leavening agent made with baking soda, cream of tartar and sometimes cornstarch. It’s naturally gluten free.
Other gluten free recipes you might like:
- Paleo & Gluten Free Apple Cake Recipe
- Healthy Almond Coconut Cake
- Paleo Banana Cake
- Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake
- Healthy Gingerbread Cake
- Black Bean Brownies
- Cassava Flour Chocolate Chip Blondies
- Healthy Apple Crisp
Watch the video!
I'd love to answer any of your questions and see what you're cooking!! Don't forget to give this recipe a star rating and leave a comment below. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube & Pinterest, and be sure to tag @nickisizemore so that I can share your creations!
Get the recipe!
Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (Grain Free, Sugar Free, Vegan Option)
Ingredients
- Cooking spray or oil, for pan
- ⅓ cup currants OR ½ cup raisins
- 3 medium carrots (7-8oz /220g), peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup milk or nut milk
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly (or you can use butter or a neutral vegetable oil)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (165g) almond flour
- ½ cup (42g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup (38g) chopped walnuts or pecans, plus more for garnish (optional)
- Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe link in header)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan with coconut oil or cooking spray. Line the pan crosswise with parchment paper, leaving an overhang (this will make it easy to pull the cake out of the baking pan later, but you can skip this step and simply serve the cake in the pan).
- Put the currants (or raisins) in a small bowl and cover them with warm water. Let sit.
- Put the carrots in the Vitamix or food processor. If using a Vitamix, turn the machine on and gradually increase the speed to medium (Variable 6 or 7), stirring with the tamper. Blend until the carrots are very finely chopped but not pureed (it will only take a few seconds)—the carrots should look a bit bigger than rice. If using a food processor, pulse until very finely chopped. Scrape the sides and give the carrots one more pulse to make sure they're evenly chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
- Put the container back on the base (no need to wash it—it’s ok if there are still some carrots around the edges and bottom), and add the eggs, maple syrup, applesauce, milk, coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, salt and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Add the almond flour, shredded coconut and baking powder. Blend on low (Variable 2 or 3) or pulse (if using a food processor) until incorporated.
- Drain the currants (or raisins), and add them to the batter along with the chopped carrots and nuts (if using). Blend on low (Variable 1), stirring with the tamper, or pulse if using a food processor, until just incorporated (don't over-mix). Using a rubber spatula, scrape the sides and stir to fully incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it in an even layer. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Set the pan on a cooling rack and let cool 10 minutes. Run a thin knife along the sides of the pan then carefully use the parchment handles to transfer the cake to a rack (if you prefer, you can skip this step and serve the cake straight from the pan). Let the cake cool completely.
- Spread the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting evenly over the top of the cake. If you’d like, sprinkle the top of the cake with chopped nuts. Refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes, or until you’re ready to serve.
Notes
- You’ll need a Vitamix blender or food processor to make this gluten free carrot cake recipe.
- This cake gets baked in an 8-inch square pan. I prefer a metal pan, which allows for even browning (and sharp corners!), but you could use a glass dish—just start checking for doneness about 5 minutes early.
- I always suggest using an inexpensive kitchen scale when baking, not only because it's more accurate, but also because it's much easier (no messing with measuring cups!).
- Be sure to let the cake cool completely before slicing. Since the texture is very moist, the cake can benefit from refrigerating (and it gets even better with time!).
- I prefer to use dried currants in this cake since they distribute evenly in the batter, but raisins work great as well.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup in the cake batter.
- Top the cake with this Maple Cream Cheese Frosting!
- For a vegan carrot cake, swap out the eggs for 6 tablespoons of aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas). Whisk the aquafaba until it's white and foamy, then add it to the batter when you add the carrots and raisins. The vegan cake will be more delicate, so take care when removing it from the pan. Use a dairy-free cream cheese in the frosting, or top the cake with coconut whipped cream instead.
Hello! Do you have metric measurement for this recipe instead of cups? Thank you
Hi Latisha, unfortunately I don't have metric measurements for this recipe. I'm so sorry! I know there are several recipe converters online, if that helps.
Just made this today with some carrots I had left over. It was delicious.
Quick and easy to make in my food processor. My family loved it.
Thank you for your comment, and I'm so happy to hear!
I have made this recipe a few times now, easy to make in nutrabullet and everyone that has has some has absolutely loved it! Highly recommend the maple cream cheese frosting as well! Perfect carrot recipe.
I really appreciate your comment and am so happy to hear you love the cake!
I'm so happy to finally find an easy recipe that is naturally sweetened and gluten free. Made this twice so far and my husband and I absolutely love it. It's definitely a go to dessert!
Woohoo! Thank you so much for sharing! 😊
This sounds so good, but I can't eat applesauce. What could I substitute for that?
Hi Julie! While I haven't tested it, I've had some readers swap out the applesauce for more coconut oil with success. Happy baking!
Great recipe!
To substitute almond flour, you can also use oat flour (I made mine own it´s very easy). I also substituted maple syrup with date syrup since it doesn´t contain added sugars and adds a little more flavour. Lastly, I highly recommend adding orange/lemon zest. If someone doesn´t have applesauce, you can also make yours at home (just cook some apples with water and date syrup).
Hope this helps, and thank You for the recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake, and thank you for sharing your swaps!
Hi,
I don't have any almonds or almond flour in within reach.
Would the recipe work with rice flour or coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Hi there! I don't recommend using coconut flour, as it absorbs too much liquid and will result in a dry cake. I haven't tested this cake with rice flour but suspect it will work, although the cake won't be quite as tender and moist. Let me know if you give it a go!
Hi,Nicki thank you so much for your carot cake recipe it's exquisite, I didn't have any maple syrup I used golden syrup instead that's the only substitute,didn't put any cream cheese topping as I have problem with lactose,it was so easy to prepare just like you said lam so grateful to you for sharing your recipes,its such a pleasure to bake in the long dark evenings, I'm so happy I can still enjoy eating tasty gf cakes😄
I'm so glad you loved the cake, and that's a great tip about using golden syrup in place of the maple syrup!
Hi there ! Loved the recipe ! Can I use just old plain flour ? For a tea party so I don’t want to cut down on calories for my ladies. Do help
I'm so happy you love the cake! I haven't tested this cake with regular flour so can't make any guarantees, but I do suspect it will work. The cake won't be as tender, however, as the almond flour provides additional moisture. Let me know if you give it a try!
Looks delicious! Your recipes look fantastic. I have a family member with a wheat AND egg allergy. Any suggestions for egg replacement? I have been trying to find a cake that is wheat and egg free and it is proving to be difficult. Thank you for any feedback.
Hi Camille! I've tested the cake using flax eggs and found the texture to be rather heavy, but I've had several readers use and like them. I think beaten aquafaba could work as an egg-free substitute, but I haven't tested it. Let me know if you give it a go!
Hi Nicki,
Absolutely loved the cake!!!. So moist and packed with an explosion of flavours.Definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing such a scrumptious recipe.🎂🙂.
Hi Cindy, I'm so happy to hear you loved the cake!
Hi,
I was just wondering, what kind of almond flour should I use? I've heard that superfine almond flour brings different results then "regular" almond flour.
Hi Dana! I do prefer a super-fine almond flour, but if you have a kitchen scale and can weigh the flour you will get good results with any brand you have. I hope you enjoy the cake!
Hi, do I have to use shredded coconut? I have a bag of unsweetened toasted coconut flakes. Can I use that instead? I’m not sure what’s the purpose of coconut in the batter.. or could I just omit it?
Hi Esther! Are the coconut flakes you have large flakes? If so, I don’t suggest using them. The shredded coconut lends a bit more structure to the cake. I haven’t tested the cake without the coconut so can’t guarantee the results, but I do think it would be fine to omit it (add another 1-2 Tbs of almonds d flour if the batter looks too wet). Keep me posted, and I hope you enjoy!
Thank you very much for the recipe. The flavor is spot on! The cake is wonderfully moist, tasty and holds its shape well. The recipe is certainly a keeper!
I'm so glad you enjoyed, and thank you for your comment!!
We love this cake. I’d like to double and make it in 2 round pans and stack for a birthday cake. It may be tricky to handle stacking?
Hi Sophie, I'm so glad you hear you love the cake! I do think you could try doubling the recipe and stacking it. I suggest using 8-inch cake pans if you have them - be sure to oil them well and line the bottoms with parchment paper. The cakes will be a bit delicate to handle, so transfer them with care. Please let me know how it turns out!!
It appears as we are the only ones who did not have a good experience with this recipe. Followed your instructions to the letter, exact amounts and all the ingredients listed. Noticed the Vitamix had a difficult time combining everything once I placed the flour mix in on top of the wet. It literally had to be scrapped out and combined in a large bowel with a wooden spoon? It was VERY thick and hard to mix even by hand. Double checked amounts to be sure we hadn't shorted any of the wet mix or over did the dry. Nut flour 1.5 cups? Finally, although the frosting was delicious, the cake itself was extremely hard (bearly able to cut it with a knife) and not even close to the texture you show on the video. Please help, we love the idea of this recipe, but it is not edible the way it came out. If the measurements you list are accurate, then there is nothing more we can do to make this work. What am I missing here? Kind Regards; John & Mary
Hi John and Mary, I'm so sorry to hear you had trouble with this cake! I'm especially stumped about the texture, as this is a very tender, moist cake. My suspicion is that there was too much flour, which would result in batter that's too thick and a drier cake. Did you use a kitchen scale or measure the flour using cups? Almond flour can be tricky, because if the flour is packed into the cups the result will be much different than flour that is spooned into the cups. I always recommend using a kitchen scale if you have one. If not, spoon the flour into the measuring cups (it should be lightly packed into the cups, not compressed). I hope this helps!!
Oh my goodness. THIS IS SO GOOD!
I made this for my family and they all loved it!
I didn't have coconut so I omitted it completely. I added 2 more tbsp of flour and more grated carrot.
I used 1 cup almond flour then ran out and used 1/2 cup oat flour and they turned out well.
I don't like raisins so I left those out, too. I added chopped walnuts which gave the loaf a nice texture!
One comment I would make is that you can really taste the eggs, not sure what you can do about that, though. I'm sure the coconut helps mask the flavour.
Thanks for this awesome recipe! Will make it again.
Thank you so much for your comment, and I loved seeing your swaps! The coconut will mask the egg flavor. I'm so glad you enjoyed!
How many calories are in a slice of this?
Hi Robin, unfortunately I don't calculate calorie counts for my recipes; you can read why here.
I counted it and if you cut it in 4 it's about 500 calories without frosting.
I guess you can cut it in 6. It's still in the oven so i will see how I cut it 🙂
Hello, what can I use to replace eggs for a vegan version.
Thank you
Hi there! I haven't tested this recipe without the eggs so can't guarantee the results, but I've had some readers use flax eggs instead. Let me know if you give it a try!
Sometimes I use flaxseed but this time I used chia - 1 tbsp chia and 1/3 cup of water for each egg, came out great! Thanks!!!
Hi Shayna, this is so great to hear. Thank you for sharing!!
Made this cake today it’s delicious. I substituted a ripe banana for the apple. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
HI Susanne, I'm so glad you enjoyed!
Question: why the instruction “don’t over mix”. According to what I know about cakes, you should not over mix because when using gall purpose flour, if you over mix, you create the gluten chains that after baked make the cake feel bready… but in this cake the recipe calls for a completely gluten free flour, so why the instruction?
Hi there! In this recipe, you don't want to over-blend the batter as it could pulverize the carrots, nuts and currants. You want them to retain their textures, so it's important to blend just until everything is incorporated. I hope you enjoy the cake!!
Hi Nicki,
I would like to add canned crushed pineapple to this recipe. Can you please advise me if this will work and if I should add the pineapple juice (in the can) in the mixture as well? If so please advise me the measurement as well. Many thanks!
Hi Tina, Sorry for the delay!! This cake is moist and sweet enough without canned coconut, so I don't recommend adding it to the cake. I hope you enjoy!