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
Hi Amy this is a great reipe! I am baking it for my son’s birthday next week for kindergarten.
I have tried it a few times, just to master the recipe before sending it to school along with the orange poppy seed cake, but they always cone out a bit ..muddy. What could be wrong?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Maria! It means so much to me that you’d want to bake it for such a special occasion. I’m truly honored! 🙂 I’m not entirely sure what you mean by “muddy.” Can you describe the issues that you’re seeing in a bit more detail? That will really help me out! Also, let me know if you’re following the recipe exactly as written or if you’ve made any substitutions! We’ll get this sorted out — I promise!
Thanks for saying that Amy, I am actually following to the letter but I’m thinking my problems is with baking time, maybe it isnt fully baked…? Although I am baling for the maximum time. Also, is it better to freeze the frosting before spreading it on top?
My pleasure, Maria! You can always bake it longer if you feel that your carrot cake isn’t done! Not all ovens perform exactly the same. It could be that yours requires more time than mine, so go based off of the toothpick test (it should come out clean!). It isn’t necessary to freeze these cake layers before frosting, but you’re welcome to do so if you feel more comfortable with that method! 🙂
Hi Amy!
My mum and I tried making your carrot cake and it smells and looks absolutely amazing but when we tried it the texture was pretty dense and gluggy! We followed the recipe exactly and tested the cake with a skewer before taking it out .. what do you think could have gone wrong?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Ava! Let’s figure out what happened. 🙂 Did you make any substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section? How did you prepare your carrots?
Can I add some nuts especially chopped up almonds, to the cake.
Definitely! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this carrot cake Chandra!
Hi Amy!
Is it possible to replace the vanilla crème stevia with normal stevia? I am from indonesia and there is nothing like the one you’re using here.
Oh and about the cream cheese, I’m also not sure I can find anything like that here. However, I found this online and is it possible to create cream cheese from Greek yogurt like in this link?
http://lifeshouldcostless.com/2016/10/diy-how-to-turn-greek-yogurt-into-cream-cheese.html
I’m sorry for asking so many things, but I wonder if there is any substitute for the use of nonsticky cooking spray? The problem is still the same, I cannot find it in my country, at least to date.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Inas! What’s the exact stevia product that you wish to use? Every stevia product has a different sweetness level, so they’re not always a 1-to-1 substitute for each other. I haven’t tried making cream cheese from Greek yogurt, so I honestly don’t know whether that will work. From the pictures, that DIY “cream cheese” looks too soft for this frosting recipe. I already included the best substitute for the Greek yogurt cream cheese in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. If you don’t have cooking spray, then pour oil onto a paper towel (anything except coconut oil!), and liberally wipe your pans with that. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this carrot cake! 🙂
Thank you so much for your reply!
As for the stevia, this is the only one I can find so far
http://herbabagoes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/stefia-gula.png
As for the oil for the cooking spray substitute, what kind of oil do you suggest?
Olive oil?
Honestly, I think I’m going to try your other recipes first, because this one seems a bit too ‘expert’ for me (I’ve never baked anything in my whole life). Perhaps I’m going to try your cookies recipes first as they are easier to make. But I will definitely try this recipe one day!
My pleasure Inas! Any oil will work except coconut oil. Olive oil, canola oil, etc. are all fine. I think starting with something a little easier is a great idea, especially if you haven’t baked anything before. I’m truly honored that you’d want to use one of my recipes as your first baking adventure! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how your cookies turn out!
Hi Amy,
I love this recipe! I made a few changes based on personal preference. I made this cake for my Mom’s (diabetic) Birthday and replaced a portion of the carrots with shredded coconut, and therefore put some moisture back in with some apple sauce. I used Truvia with brown sugar instead of just stevia, and since fat content wasn’t as much of an issue on this occasion, I used regular cream cheese along with 2% Greek yogurt. The recipe was a hit and most certainly a keeper. Thank you for sharing!!
Oh my goodness Asha, I’m truly honored that you made my recipe to celebrate such a special occasion! That means so much to me! 🙂 I’m really glad everyone loved the cake, and that’s the best compliment that you’d call this recipe a keeper! Thank you! And happy belated birthday to your mom!!
Hi Amy- I’m planning on making this for a super bowl party this weekend and I have two questions… 1- can I make cupcakes instead? 2- we are supposed to get snow on Sunday so there is a possibility that we may not go to the party. I plan on baking on Saturday- can these be frozen for future use?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Brooke! I actually have a recipe for carrot cake cupcakes here that’s really similar. It might be easier for you to use that recipe than try to modify this one! The unfrosted cupcakes can easily be frozen, so my best advice would be to bake those on Saturday, then wait to make the frosting until Sunday when you know whether you’ll get too much snow. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try them! And have a fun time at the Super Bowl party!
Hello! I have a diner party tomorow night and would
Love to try this cake. How ever I do not have vanila cream stevia. Can I substitute with granulated stevia (the brand I am using is Truvia)
Thank you!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Jaelle! In the cake batter, you may substitute ½ cup of Truvia for the vanilla stevia and reduce the milk to 9-10 tablespoons. However, the vanilla stevia is required in this particular frosting. You can use Truvia in this other cream cheese frosting recipe of mine, though! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this cake!
Hi I am interested in trying this cake for my boyfriends birthday on Sunday and just wondering instead of using maple and stevia could I just use coconut sugar? 🙂
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Emma! If you’d like to use coconut sugar in place of both the stevia and maple syrup, use ¾ cup of coconut sugar and just 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’d love to hear what you think if you try this carrot cake! But I understand your boyfriend’s birthday has already passed and you may not end up trying it after all. Regardless, I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating with him!
awesome shall try it haha no 25th of Feb I’m in Australia so Yesterday was Monday when I wrote this so your all good 🙂 Thankyou I’ll let you know how it goes
Whew!! Time difference to the rescue! 😉 My pleasure Emma! I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of the cake! 🙂 And happy (actually early) birthday to your boyfriend!
Amy, I made this cake yesterday without the frosting though. It is delicious, however didn’t feel sweet enough. I did not add vanilla stevia, do you think that could have contributed to it?
Oh my goodness, YES! The vanilla stevia is the equivalent of ½ cup of sugar / maple syrup. Without it, your carrot cake will definitely taste bland and not nearly sweet enough! See the Notes section on how to substitute for the vanilla stevia. 🙂
Hi Amy,
After reading this recipe and seeing your photos I am suddenly craving carrot cake (it’s 12:30am here in Perth, Australia). Like you, I have a real sweet tooth so I’m really excited that I can indulge in my cravings by taking a healthier approach to the ingredients I use in my baking! So back to what I wanted to ask you! In your recipe you used 2x 9” round baking pans, if I use 2x 8” pans would this be okay. Also, for the frosting you listed 1 block of Greek cream cheese which works out to be approx 225g. My local shop sells the Greek cream cheese in 200g portions. Will this amount be enough or will I need to buy another block of the cream cheese? TIA
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Tee! I’ve had many late-night cravings for carrot cake just like that. 😉 Yes, two 8″-round cake pans will be fine. You’ll probably need to bake them slightly longer, but they’ll be done when the centers feel firm and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. One 200g block of Greek cream cheese should be fine! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how your carrot cake turns out!
Hi Amy,
Sadly my carrot cake turned out dry, dense and flat. It rose beautifully whilst in the oven but seemed to have collapsed whilst cooling! ? I did substitute the 1/2 cup of maple syrup in the cake batter to replace the vanilla stevia and used store brought gluten free flour instead of the whole wheat (we call it whole meal flour in Australia). I really wanted to use the exact ingredients listed in your recipe but I couldn’t find any health food stores in my area who stocked the vanilla creme stevia. Every store I checked with was out of stock of the vanilla creme flavour! You mentioned in the frosting recipe that we shouldn’t omit the vanilla stevia so better to use the frosting recipe from your carrot cake cupcakes recipe. Unfortunately in Australia, our stores don’t stock the cheesecake cream frosting. Coz the cake didn’t turn out as well as I was expecting I didn’t bother to make the frosting but will give it another go when I can get my hands on the vanilla creme stevia! I was reading back through the comments and think I have figured out why my cake turned out dense! I got a bit too greedy with the shredded carrots and added more than you had listed in your recipe! ? hence, too much moisture so my cake collapsed! I also added walnuts but forgot to chop them up into smaller pieces! My husband seems to think otherwise and thinks my cake tastes really yummy! At least it won’t go to waste. Do you think it makes a difference to use gluten free flour as opposed to the whole wheat you always use in your recipes? I’m definitely going to give it another go but my husband isn’t really into icing so may bake the cake to taste sweeter next time to replace the missing icing and not have 2 layers, just the one. What size baking pan do you recommend and do I add more vanilla stevia next time to have a sweeter tasting cake? Thanks Amy!
Yes, fewer carrots will definitely help! When you substituted maple syrup for the vanilla stevia, did you remember to reduce the milk? Also, did you use 3 large egg whites? (The protein in the egg whites helps the cake hold its shape while cooling!) Does your store-bought gluten-free blend include xanthan gum? That’s the ingredient that imitates gluten’s structure properties. If your gluten-free blend lacked xanthan gum, then that would also contribute to your cake collapsing. If you don’t want two layers, then use a 13×9″ cake pan — or just make them as muffins! 😉 The baking time may vary with either of those pan sizes. The cake (or muffins/cupcakes) will be done when the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean!
Hi again Amy,
Yes I did reduce the milk and used 3 large egg whites. I’m not sure if the gluten free flour I purchased includes the xanthan gum, I will have to check. I’m finding it readily hard to find the brand sweet leaf in Australia. We have our own Australian brand here called Nirvana. Can you tell me if this would be a 1 for 1 substitute for the sweet leaf brand? Here is the link:
https://www.healyourself.com.au/product/nirvana-organics-vanilla-liquid-stevia-50ml?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5Iit38yV2gIVDXS9Ch0EPAGTEAQYASABEgLNk_D_BwE
Thanks Amy!
It’s my pleasure, Tee! I’ve been poking around the internet trying to find more info on Nirvana’s vanilla stevia, but I can’t find anything about the serving size. Will you do me a favor and tell me what the bottle says? If the serving size is between 4-6 drops, then it should be a 1-to-1 replacement for the vanilla stevia that I use! 🙂