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
Hey Amy,
I made the carrot cake today and my cakes didn’t rise hardly any. I wonder what I did wrong? I followed the recipe exactly.
Thanks
That’s strange Lori! The cakes should rise somewhat, but no more than 1.5 times as tall as they look when you spread the batter into the pans. Did you happen to make any ingredient substitutions? And are your baking powder and baking soda fresh? Those are usually the culprits when cakes fail to rise! 🙂
Is there something I can substitute the stevia for? I don’t have any 🙁
I answer that in the Notes section underneath the Instructions! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the cake!
Would it work to use whole eggs for this carrot cake? Carrot cake is one of my favorites and I was so excited to see that this doesn’t use any refined sugar! (I’ve also been wanting to use that vanilla stevia more so win-win 🙂 ). I’m having a birthday party soon and was thinking of making it for the party…hope it turns out!!
Whole eggs should work! I’d recommend decreasing the butter/coconut oil to 1 tablespoon if you do that. I’m touched that you want to include my recipe as party of a special celebration! Is it your birthday Anna?? 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake!
Ok cool thanks! It’s actually in June but I’m having the party a little early this year. I’ll let you know how it turns out if I decide to go with the carrot cake! 🙂
Happy early birthday Anna! (Mine is in June too!) I’m excited to hear what you think if you do try this cake recipe! 🙂
Hi Amy,
In order to make the cake Gluten-free, do I have to get all of the extra ingredients listed bellow? Will using just the gluten-free flour, not give me the same results?
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 will work as well, if measured like this
You can either use all 4 ingredients (millet flour, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, and xanthan gum) that I listed or 2 ¼ cups of a store-bought gluten-free blend. Those 3 flours that I listed are gluten-free flours. It’s important to use a blend of gluten-free flours because each gluten-free flour, when used on its own, has a very different texture than wheat-based flour. Combining multiple types of gluten-free flours allows their texture to better emulate the smooth texture of wheat-based flour. 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of the carrot cake!
Thank you Amy.
I am very excited to try this recipe. I will let you know how it goes!!
I will also like to know if I can replace greek cream cheese with regular cream cheese.
Also, if I can use almond milk instead of non-fat milk?
Yes, regular cream cheese can be substituted for the Greek yogurt cream cheese (make sure it’s well-softened!), and I already answered your milk question in the Notes section. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear what you think of the cake Melody!
Amy can I substitute the almond flour for whole wheat flour to make this low carb? What ratio should I use?
You can try substituting the same amount of almond flour, but the cake will turn out denser because almond flour doesn’t contain gluten, and gluten is what allows baked goods to maintain their shape after rising while baking. I’d recommend adding the amount of xanthan gum that I include in my preferred gluten-free blend to compensate because xanthan gum imitates gluten’s structural properties. I’d love to hear what you think if you try the carrot cake Omair!
Amy, unfortunately I had already made my attempt by the time i got your reply. So to be safe I used 2/3 whole wheat flour and 1/3 almond flour but did not know to add the gum. And as you said my cake was denser and didn’t rise as much. But it tasted nice and was promising enough that I am motivated enough to make it again!
I’m really glad you enjoyed the flavors Omair! Even with the xanthan gum and 100% almond flour, the cake will still be slightly denser. All gluten-free flours have a different taste and texture, so it’s really important in gluten-free baking to use a blend to better simulate the taste, texture, and rise of wheat-based flours. That’s why I always recommend a blend in the Notes section of my recipes as my preferred gluten-free option. 🙂 I’m excited to hear how the second cake turns out for you!
I bought 1:1 stevia particularly for baking. It’s stevia but somehow mimics sugar so it’s not too sweet. I want to try this recipe for my sons Peter rabbit themed first birthday. Could you suggest what the equivalent amount would be?
Happy first birthday to your son Magdalena! He’s so lucky to have you to bake him a healthy homemade cake. 🙂 If you wanted to use your baking stevia in place of the maple syrup and vanilla creme stevia, I’d recommend using about ¾ cup of your baking stevia. Start with ½ cup of milk, and add up to an additional ¼ cup if the batter seems too dry. I can’t wait to hear how that turns out!
I too am considering baking a carrot cake for my son’s first birthday! Is there any way to use applesauce (homemade puree) for the sweetener?
Happy first birthday to your son Emily! I really appreciate that you’d consider baking my recipe for such a special occasion. 🙂 I don’t recommend substituting applesauce because it isn’t sweet enough, and it’d affect the final texture of the cake. I’d love to hear what you think if you try it!
Sweet and sour… Half and Hour… Gotta be…. Veggie Tales!
YES!! So many fond memories of that song! 🙂 I’m so glad I’m not the only one who watched Veggie Tales Ashley! 😉
Planning to make this here shortly. I don’t prefer the Sweet Drops brand of stevia. Can I use powdered stevia in the same amount?
The amount of powdered stevia will be different than the amount of vanilla creme stevia because they have different concentrations of sweetness. I included the equivalent amount of maple syrup (it’d be the same amount if substituting granulated sugar as well) that you’d need in the Notes section underneath the Instructions, so adjust the amount of powdered stevia based on that. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake Stacey!
I was looking for the perfect {healthy} carrot cake today and came across this one! It looks so good!! Well, it’s baking in the oven right now and I do hope it turns out alright…..is it usually really thick? Had to add a bit more milk and maple syrup.
Thanks MarinaRose! The batter should be very thick, similar to thick muffin batter. I’m excited to hear what you think of the cake!
The cake turned out wonderfully delicious!! And I actually used my mom’s special icing recipe for magic nut cake, but other than that I followed the recipe exactly and everybody loved it! There were some laughs at how thin the layers were….thanks Amy! 🙂
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it MarinaRose! That means a lot to me. I’m sure your mom’s special icing made it even better! 🙂
I made this for a dinner party tonight and it was a huge hit.
After several courses, everyone said they didn’t have space for dessert … but once it was on the table… people found space and kept on asking for second or third slices.
My husband who is a bit of a foodie said it was the best carrot cake he had ever had. He was eating the frosting by the spoonful while I was making the cake 🙂
It was a little dense (I used more maple syrup instead of stevia in the batter) but I also think it was because I used some older baking powder. Super moist.
It was just the right amount of sweetness. Not overly sweet like traditional carrot cake. I can understand some people saying it isn’t sweet enough if you’re used to a traditional carrot cake. The balance of sweetness to salt was perfect.
I put some blueberries in between the layers and on top…and put a crust of almonds on the edges.
I don’t live in the USA and can’t get your stevia required. Used unflavoured stevia in my coffee and added some vanilla essence into the frosting.
My husband was not entirely convinced when I told him I’m making an oil-free, refined-sugar free cake but by the end of the night he told me he was happy there were two slices left so he could sneak a slice in later tonight!
My usual “Desserts” are nice-cream or yoghurt with fruit salad or raw vegan cakes so this was a nice change of pace for him!
The kids also loved it very much! With many pleas for “more cake! more cake!”.
Sorry for the long post. It was just spectacular and I had to come rave about it 🙂
Will be trying more recipes from you!
P.S. Took a picture for you … no where near as beautiful as yours and only did one layer (cut in half) but the taste was spot on!
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Oh my goodness Jovana — I’m truly touched!! That means SO much to me that your foodie husband called this the best carrot cake he’s ever had… And that your kids couldn’t get enough of it either. WOW! I’m completely blown away by your family’s and your kind words. That means the world to me — thank you SO much!!! And I’m even more honored that you made it for a dinner party to share with company! ♡ And thank you for taking the time to write such a long and sweet comment and share your lovely picture with me!!