After a crazy month of December this past year, my family changed our holiday plans at the last minute, bought plane tickets to fly to Arizona, and spent Christmas with my grandparents. Since my parents always host the holidays at their home in California, seeing cacti all decked out in festive twinkling lights was quite a treat!
To keep things simple, we decided to skip almost all presents and focus on spending time together. We didn’t even decorate a tree while in Arizona! However, I drew the line at stockings—everyone deserves to at least open something on Christmas morning!—so I volunteered to put those together. Everyone in our family has a huge {chocoholic} sweet tooth, so there were lots of smiles and empty wrappers by midday on Christmas… I stuffed at least ten different types in those stockings!
Although we usually cook a Thanksgiving-style feast for our Christmas dinner, Mom voted for a low-key meal instead and bought ham, honey mustard and chutneys as toppings, potato salad (as requested by Grandma… when she gets a craving, there’s no stopping her!), ambrosia salad (again, Grandma’s request!), a baguette, and pecan pie for dessert.
After spending the afternoon listening to Grandpa’s stories about his childhood growing up on their Colorado farm and coloring in these fun coloring books, we settled into the comfy couches and chairs with plates of food balanced on our laps to watch the original “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” After she cut everyone else a piece of the pecan pie, my mom quietly handed me a big slice of carrot cake from the grocery store bakery as a special surprise dessert instead. She knew I had been craving it all week, and I slowly savored every single bite of that colossal piece!
Because calories don’t count on Christmas, right??
While I really enjoyed that layered carrot cake on Christmas, I had one main problem with it… Like many store-bought carrot cakes, it was really lacking in veggies and tasted more like a spice cake with a few itty bitty, almost imperceptible orange flecks sprinkled in here and there. Don’t get me wrong—I love cinnamon and cozy spices—but I want my carrot cakes to taste like carrots!
So when we returned home after the holidays, I started working on developing a better carrot cake recipe in my kitchen. After lots of testing, I finally have the perfect one: this Ultimate Healthy Carrot Cake! It’s full of those classic cozy spices we all know and love, and it’s finished with sweet cream cheese frosting. But unlike those bakery-style cakes, this one contains a lot fewer calories—and it’s almost healthy enough for breakfast!
It has carrots… And no butter, refined flour, or sugar… And lots of protein… So that should basically count. Right??
The veggies truly star in this carrot cake show! (I’m suddenly having flashbacks to my childhood with dancing cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots in “Veggie Tales…” Please tell me I’m not the only one who watched those movies!) For the best flavor and texture, you’ll use a full 2 ½ cups of freshly grated carrots. Don’t substitute the pre-shredded kind you can buy at the grocery store! Those are thicker and drier, and they won’t soften enough while baking.
Because grating all of those carrots can be tedious (and dangerous—I have a brand new scar on my pinky from battling my box grater!), I have a special tip for you… Use a food processor with the grater attachment instead! It makes the process go a hundred times faster, which means you’re that much closer to eating cake!
Many traditional carrot cake recipes depend on anywhere from half to a full cup of butter or oil to make them moist or tender, but… There aren’t exactly enough hours in the day to exercise and burn off all of those calories! Instead, this lighter recipe of mine uses my favorite ingredient in healthier baking: Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt provides the same moisture and extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked goods a protein boost, too!
To keep this cake clean eating friendly, you’ll skip the refined sugar and sweeten this cake with two different ingredients: pure maple syrup and liquid stevia. Be sure to buy the good stuff when it comes to maple syrup! It’s sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs, generally near the oats at the grocery store, but I’ve also bought it online.
As for the stevia, it’s a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener and is very concentrated. A little goes a long way—you’ll only need slightly more than 1 teaspoon to sweeten both layers of cake! I typically buy this brand because it has a lovely sweet flavor and no strange aftertastes, and you can find it in many health-oriented grocery stores. However, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found! (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Once the cake has cooled, it’s time for the cream cheese frosting. You just can’t have carrot cake without it! A bakery once tried to sell me a slice with plain vanilla buttercream instead, and I nearly walked out of the store… No thank you!
For this healthier version, you’ll skip the butter and powdered sugar. It’s made with protein-packed Greek yogurt and Greek yogurt cream cheese! I found my Greek yogurt cream cheese at Safeway (their own Lucerne brand), and many Walmart stores sell this brand. And it’s sweetened with that same liquid stevia you used in the cake, so it’s completely sugar-free!
Time to eat! ♡ And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy carrot cake!
| The Ultimate Healthy Carrot Cake | | Print |
- for the cake
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 ¼ tsp liquid stevia
- ¾ cup (180mL) nonfat milk
- 2 ½ cups (265g) freshly grated carrots (about 4-5 medium, peeled first!)
- for the frosting
- 1 cup (240g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 (8oz) block Greek yogurt cream cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ tsp liquid stevia
- To prepare the cake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut two 9”-round circles out of wax paper to fit inside two 9”-round cake pans. Lightly coat the two 9”-round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Gently press one wax paper circle into the bottom of each cake pan, and lightly coat the wax paper with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, and vanilla. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Mix in the maple syrup and stevia. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the carrots.
- Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 24-28 minutes, or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before inverting, peeling off the wax paper, and transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- To prepare the frosting, add the Greek yogurt, Greek yogurt cream cheese, and stevia to a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
- To assemble the cake, spread a generous dollop of frosting on top of one of the cake layers. Place the second layer on top. Frost the tops and sides.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. I do not recommend substituting sugar-free maple syrup; your cake will collapse and turn out really dense if you do so.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
Neufchâtel (⅓-less fat) cream cheese may be substituted for the Greek yogurt cream cheese. Regular cream cheese and brick-style fat-free cream cheese will also work. Regardless of which cream cheese you use, for the smoothest frosting texture, just make sure it's well softened first!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following: 1 cup (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ¾ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.
LIQUID STEVIA IN CAKE BATTER NOTE: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It's one of my favorite ingredients, and you'll use it in all of these recipes of mine. I buy my liquid stevia online here because that's the cheapest price I've found. If you prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the carrot cake batter, you may replace it with an additional ½ cup (120mL) of pure maple syrup AND reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60mL) to compensate for the added liquid volume. Alternatively, substitute ½ cup (96g) of coconut sugar or brown sugar AND reduce the milk to ½ cup (120mL) to compensate for the added volume.
LIQUID STEVIA IN FROSTING NOTE: For sweeter frosting, add an additional ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of liquid stevia. I do not recommend substituting other liquid sweeteners (ie pure maple syrup, honey, agave, etc) for the liquid stevia in the frosting. These sweeteners will make the frosting too liquidy, and it won’t stay put once spread onto the cake. For frosting that does not require liquid stevia, use this cream cheese frosting recipe of mine instead.
IMPORTANT CARROT NOTE: Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots. They are too thick and dry, and they won’t soften while the cake bakes.
OTHER MIX-INS: You may add raisins, chopped walnuts, or shredded coconut to the cake if you prefer. However, I do not recommend adding diced or crushed pineapple. The extra liquid in the fruit and juices will cause the cake to collapse while cooling and make it extremely dense.
9X13" CAKE PAN:I haven't yet tried baking this cake in a 9x13" pan, but some readers have said it works! They recommend baking the 9x13" pan at 350°F for 26-32 minutes, or until the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. (As soon as I test it myself, I'll share my experience here too!)
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, lower sugar, higher protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
Just wondering if this could be made in a 9×13 pan. I don’t have enough room to store a full sized cake in the fridge, plus it would be way too much for just 2 people, but cut in squares the leftovers could then be frozen. Also I’m not a big icing fan so I’m not sure i would ice it. Sounds like it would be good enough to stand on it’s own without the icing!
Yes, that should work Candee! The baking time may be different, so keep an eye on it. It’ll be done when the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake! 🙂
I was so excited to make this recipe after reading the ingredients and seeing how healthy it is but it ended up horribly. I followed the instructions step by step but the cake ended up not sweet at all, hard, dense and chewy. I see all these good reviews and I’m wondering what went wrong with my batch 🙁
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Chloe! Let’s figure out what happened. (Also, I’m actually sharing a video tutorial of this recipe next Tuesday, so that should help you determine exactly what happened!) 🙂 Did you make any substitutions, including those mentioned in the Notes section of the recipe? Did you use an electric or stand mixer to make the batter? How did you measure the flour — with measuring cups or a kitchen scale? If the former, can you describe exactly how you measured? All of that info will really help us solve the issues that you saw!
Wow I’m so excited to try out this reeeeecccciiiipppe! Yippee 🙂 thank you for the detailed instructions and alternative ingredients 🙂
My pleasure Molly! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this carrot cake! 🙂
Hi Amy
This looks delicious. Can I make the cake without the frosting? Would it taste good?
Yes! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this carrot cake!
Hi Amy
I tried it without the frosting and stevia. It came out well but wasn’t sweet. It also had a strong Nutmeg punch to it. Is that expected?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Riddhi! If you completely omitted the stevia and didn’t substitute for it, as outlined in the Notes section, then that’s why your cake wasn’t sweet. The stevia is what provides 80% of the sweetness, so without it… Your carrot cake would definitely turn out bland and taste overly spiced. (Yes, the stevia omission is also the reason for the strong nutmeg flavor!) If you’re able to get the stevia, your cake will turn out MUCH better! 🙂
My mom would love this cake! I will definitely be making it for her for Easter!
You’re so sweet to do that for her Shannon! I’m excited to hear what both of you think of the cake!
This carrot cake looks delicious, and the cream cheese frosting looks super creamy. I totally agree with you about store bought carrot cakes, and I l love how this recipe is generous with the carrots.
Thanks Elaine!
Yay Amy! I’m so excited to see a layered cake and not to mention my favorite. Make more please!
It’s hard to say no to making more cake recipes! 😉 I’m excited to hear what you think of this one if you try it Mandy!
Do you think pureed carrots would work? My husband doesn’t like carrot cake because of the carrot texture. If you think it would work any suggestions? Thanks!
I’ve never baked with carrot purée before, so I can’t confidently say whether that substitution would work. My main concern would be that the purée would add too much moisture to the cake batter. I think that the best thing to do, if you’d like the try the purée, would be to add that in place of the milk to start, and then add a little milk a few tablespoons at a time until the batter reaches a thick muffin-like consistency. I’d love to hear how that works if you try it Rachel!
You can look up the many recipes with carrot cake using a blender. Usually the carrots are blended with the liquids on those recipes. I’m from Brazil and that’s how we make carrot cakes over there. And usually we don’t use the spices, so, the carrot is the only flavor of the cake plus a chocolate frosting (delicious btw).
Thanks for sharing Natasha! 🙂
YAY layer cake!! This is gorgeous and looks delicious!!!
Thank you Andrea! 🙂
The cake looks delicious. My daughter loves carrot cake.I should make this for her birthday next week.
And I luv veggies tales. ???
Had my kids watching it growing up.
Thanks Sue! I’d love to hear what you and your daughter think of the cake if you try it. Happy early birthday to her! 🙂 And I’m so excited to hear that you and your kids watched Veggie Tales — such fun movies!!
Hi Amy! Can I substitute light brown sugar in place of pure maple syrup, for the cake batter?
Love your amazing recipes! 🙂
Yes! Use ¼ cup light brown sugar plus an additional 2 tablespoons of milk in place of the maple syrup. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake Vanessa! 🙂
Thanks, Ami! I baked the cake this morning and it’s DELICIOUS, best carrot cake in the world!!!!!! Your blog and your work are pure inspiration!! 😀
Looking forward to try more of your recipes, the ones I tried so far are great!!! <3
You’re so sweet Vanessa — I’m truly touched! Thank you!! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you try next!
I don’t do stevia. You said replace 1/2 cup maple syrup for 1-1/4 tsp stevia. Unfortunately, I’m out of maple syrup as well! But I have brown sugar and milk…So based on your calculations I am going to use 3/4 cup light brown sugar + 6 tablespoons of milk. Do you think I should reduce the original milk quantity? Or will it work out ok?
If you’d like to use brown sugar instead of the stevia and maple syrup, use ¾ cup of brown sugar and ½ cup of milk. If the batter is way too dry, then continue to add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until all of the ingredients are incorporated. (The batter should be very thick!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake Prajakta!
I made this cake last weekend using the substitution guidelines posted here. The spices were spot on! The cake rose very well. It took me about 35 mins for complete doneness. The only feedback I have is that as I didn’t do frosting, I believe the cake could’ve benefited from a tablespoon or two of extra brown sugar. Although, I didn’t mind it too much, as I prefer eating muffins and cakes that are not overly sweet. I may try adding some date puree or crushed pineapples next time to balance out the sweetness without frosting. The recipe, as always, is a keeper…
I’m so glad you enjoyed this carrot cake Prajakta!! That means so much to me that you’d call it a keeper too. Thank you SO much!! 🙂
Okay, this is me again lol telling you 3 and a half years later (time flies!) that this cake is gold! Its now an old time fav of me and my best friend and it actually bacame a trafition of ours to bake it almost everytime we hang out! Thank you so much for everything you do, your recipes are awesome and you’re the bast baker ever!
(i put 1 star bc the website was lagging and couldn’t send more!)
I’m SO glad you still love this cake Vanessa!! It truly means the world to me that you’d take the time to come back 3.5 years later (oh my goodness, time certainly does fly — I can’t believe it’s been that long!) to share this with me. You just made my ENTIRE day with your story about your and your best friend baking this cake so often. My heart is going to burst! I’m so incredibly honored!! ♡ If you two ever decide to try any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think of them too! 😉
I just made this for Easter in hopes of having a healthy alternative to the traditional carrot cake. I have to say that it turned out extremely dry and tasteless. I followed the instructions perfectly and no one cared for it. I’m u sure how it got so many good reviews!
Oh goodness, that sounds really disappointing Monique. The cake should be the opposite of dry and tasteless — it should be tender and sweet! I’d like to work together to figure out what happened so the same thing doesn’t happen again in the future. 🙂 Did you measure the flour as directed in the link in the Ingredients list, and did you substitute for or omit any of the ingredients?
Hi Amy,
Vvery interesting recipe. I am cooking it today first time in my life, and i picked your recipe. I made several adjustments (my 2 layers are cooling on the rack now).
1) i cant stand stevia, i replaced it with sugar alcohol, definitely the amount you recommended is nowhere near sweet enough. It needs more sweetener.
2) this amount of salt is way too much! Incredibly salty batter, like a beer cracker LOL. I’ll lightly sprinkle when i cook it next time.
3) i replaced whole wheat flour with my home custom made bran and flour blend – and it worked super well.
On a bright side:
1) the amount of spices you recommended is perfect. The smell is not overpowering, and it is a big win for me ( i have a problem with spices being too strong).
2) the greek yogurt instead of oil/butter is a million dollar switch! THANK YOU for discovering it for me.
Thank you for this recipe, i am looking forward to tasting my carrot cake!
Thanks for your feedback Evge! I’m really glad that you appreciate the Greek yogurt swap. I use that trick in at least half of my recipes! Both maple syrup and vanilla creme stevia tend to be sweeter than sugar alcohols, so it’s understandable that the cake batter didn’t taste sweet enough. I’m not entirely sure why it tasted so salty to you though! Did you use ½ teaspoon, rather than ½ tablespoon? I’d love to hear what you thought of the cake once it cooled! 🙂
Hi Amy!
The cake is good, i just enjoyed a piece.
The cake body tastes a tad too salty (i used half a teaspoon), but definitely less salty than the raw batter. It maybe because i tend to cut down salt and sugar in all of my food, maybe it altered my taste and now i am more sensitive to salt than people in general.
I added more sweeteners into the frosting, so the taste is balanced now, not too sweet, just how i like it.
The good news is that Husband is ecstatic, i observe happy convulsions when i serve him a slice.
Question: can i add more carrot next time? I didn’t feel carrot as much as i would like to.
How much for this amount of batter would be the maximum (i followed your recommendations to the letter, armed with my kitchen scale, 265g of fresh grated organic carrots).
Let me know your thoughts,
Thanks again, your recipe is the money!
I’m so thrilled that your husband enjoyed the cake so much — I’m touched! Thank you for sharing that with me Evge! 🙂 If you’re used to very low-sodium food, then I could see how the batter would taste more salty to you. I do not recommend adding more carrots. I tested the cake with more shredded carrots than listed in the Ingredients, and the extra moisture caused the cake to collapse and turn very dense while cooling. Again, I’m so happy you both loved the cake!