As a young girl, I always looked forward to Easter. It meant Mom took me shopping for a fancy new dress to wear to church, usually something with a full skirt perfect for twirling, and it also meant a visit from the Easter Bunny.
On Saturday evening, my brother and I set out our pastel blue and pink straw baskets with fake opaque grass in the bottoms. Although not as exciting as Santa’s visit on Christmas Eve, it still took a little extra cajoling to get us to go to bed on time because…
In the morning, we woke up to find those baskets full of plastic eggs, each hiding a different type of candy! Sugar-coated marshmallow Peeps, Starburst-flavored jelly beans, small milk chocolate eggs, and sometimes even a few Hershey kisses wrapped in pale yellow or green foil.
Mom usually let us eat the contents of one plastic egg along with our typical bowl of Life or Raisin Bran cereal before driving across town to church. After the service, the church hosted a special potluck brunch, and we stood in line to grab sugary donut holes and slices of cake… Along with a piece or two of fruit to appease Mom!
As an adult, my stomach feels a bit queasy at the thought of that much sugar in the morning… Which is why I’m planning on baking this Healthy Carrot Cake Breakfast Quick Bread for Easter morning instead! It has the same flavors as the iconic dessert, but it has no refined flour or sugar—and just 104 calories!
And with how easy it is to make, I have a feeling it’s going to be a huge hit with my family this year!
To make this healthy breakfast loaf, you’ll start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!) and lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. There’s something so cozy about those spices, don’t you think? This is my current favorite cinnamon. It tastes warmer, richer, and brighter than the brand name red-capped bottles I grew up using!
To keep this quick bread on the healthy side, you’ll just use ½ tablespoon of butter or oil. Yes, that’s it! The rest of its tender texture comes from… Greek yogurt! I bet you knew I was going to say that! I ♡ baking with Greek yogurt because it adds the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oil—but for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy baked treats a protein boost!
To sweeten your healthy breakfast quick bread, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!). This is the kind I use because I love its warm flavor and don’t notice any funky aftertaste like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it in many health-oriented grocery stores, I actually 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!)
Time for the star of the show → freshly grated carrots! Yes, you must use freshly grated carrots, not store-bought pre-shredded carrots. The latter are thicker and drier, and they don’t soften properly while baking. I promise it’s worth the extra effort of grating your own!
Then spread your batter into a loaf pan, pop it in the oven, set a timer and…
Wait {impatiently like me} until it’s ready 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 breakfast quick bread!
| Healthy Carrot Cake Breakfast Quick Bread | | Print |
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk
- 2 cups (180g) freshly grated carrots (about 2 medium, peeled first!)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the carrots.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes or until the top feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat flour.
The quick bread requires 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the loaf maintains its shape and texture while cooling. Without both egg whites, the loaf will collapse while cooling and turn out much denser.
I do not recommend substituting for the vanilla stevia, if at all possible. (It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) I buy mine online here because that's the cheapest price I've found. However, if you really prefer to omit the vanilla stevia from the quick bread, substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar and reduce the milk to ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (135mL). You may also substitute ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and reduce the milk to ¼ cup (60mL) instead. The baking time may vary with either of those substitutions as well.
Do not substitute store-bought pre-shredded carrots (aka matchstick carrots). They’re thicker, drier, and don’t have as good of a flavor as freshly grated carrots.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
Do not use an electric mixer to mix up the batter. This will result in a dense or tough quick bread. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Snack Cake
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
♡ Healthy Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Loaf
Major yes to this superior Easter (or anytime) treat! And yes to fresh carrots.
So glad you approve Liz! 🙂
Amy do you know how many smart points with WW for s slice of your carrot loaf?guessing I could make this recipe as mini muffins too
Yes! The Nutrition Information and Weight Watchers Points are included directly beneath the recipe. They can be easy to miss! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this quick bread Deb@
I can’t even SEE the type on your blog site. It’s WAY too faint. It might be ok for someone else with much better vision, but it sure is tough on someone whose vision is less than 20-20 or such. Just so you know….there are those of us out here that would probalby benefit from a bolder typeface. And, yes I zoomed in. Thanks for listening.
I appreciate your feedback Marilyn! I’ll bring it up with my website designer the next time we speak. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try this quick bread recipe!
Your recipes look delicious! Do you think I can use Tapioca flour or Spelt flour instead of normal or gluten free flour in your recipes? Also, what could I replace non-fat greek yogurt with?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Lindie! From what I’ve heard from other readers, spelt flour should work in this quick bread. Regular (non-Greek) yogurt would be the best substitute. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread!
Thanks Amy! Will let you know how it goes. If I can’t do yogurt, can I just increase the milk maybe?
It’s my pleasure, Lindie! The yogurt isn’t just adding liquid in this recipe, like milk. It also affects the texture. Without some type of yogurt, your breakfast quick bread won’t be as moist and tender. 🙂
I’d try a buttermilk substitute for the yogurt. Warm up 1/2 cup milk, add in 1/2 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice, stir and let rest for 5 minutes.
Amy – Thank you so much for this recipe! It is truly one of my favorite go-to breakfast breads and I love to make it for company! I will surely be making this for Thanksgiving family visits! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying this breakfast quick bread Jessica! That means the world to me that you’d consider making it for your family when they visit for Thanksgiving. I’m truly honored, and I hope they enjoyed it just as much as you do! 🙂
I’m learning a lot from you! Going to try this recipe next but without the Stevia since I won’t be getting that for a few days. Wondering just how the substitution of either brown sugar or the agave syrup (in the quantities you recommend) will actually affect the outcome? And what should I look for in judging the correct baking times w/these adjustments? Ok, Thank you all!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Linda! If you follow the alternative for brown sugar or agave in the Notes section, then the texture should remain the same. If the baking time changes, it would only be by a few minutes — not too much time at all! If the center feels firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, then you’ve baked your quick bread long enough. 🙂 I’m so excited to hear how it turns out!
I just want to say thank you for the including the various substitutions with your recipes. I made your carrot cake for my husband’s birthday (everyone loved it) a year or two ago? But we have since found out he’s allergic to stevia! I’ll be trying this recipe this weekend with the agave substitution.
It’s my pleasure Maggie! I’m always happy to do whatever I can to make it so anyone can enjoy my recipes. I’m so honored that you’d make my carrot cake to celebrate such a special occasion too! Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread too!
I baked it in the oven for 45 mins, the toothpick came out clean, it looked well done. And now when I sliced it, it’s stiff and sticky as if it is raw. I dont know why. 🙁
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kate! That sounds disappointing and not like how this recipe should turn out, so I’d love to help you figure out what happened! 🙂 Did your quick bread also collapse while cooling, or did it maintain its shape? Did you use an electric or stand mixer to make the batter? Did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? Did you measure using a kitchen scale or measuring cups, and if the latter, can you describe in detail how you used them? I know that’s a lot of questions, but once I know the answers to all of them, we should have a much better idea of what happened and how to prevent it from occurring again!
You had me until the stevia, which I do not like or use. I’d love for you to put together a recipe for healthy carrot breakfast quick bread using maple syrup, my sweetener of choice. I saw it in your note on substitutions, but I’d love it if you put together a real recipe for this. My experience suggests that you can use less than 1/2 cup of syrup per quick loaf and still have a more than adequately sweet product.
thanks
Laura
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Laura! I’m not sure why the maple syrup option in the Notes section wouldn’t qualify as a “real” recipe. I’ve tested this quick bread with different sweeteners and had them turn out just as well as the stevia-sweetened version, which is why I’ve included them as alternatives in the Notes section. If you’d like to use less maple syrup than the amount that I provided, then substitute an equal amount of milk for the rest. For example, if you’d like to use 6 tablespoons of maple syrup, then use ½ cup of milk. I’d love to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you try making it!
Sorry, poor vocab choice. A “real” recipe would be if you rewrote the recipe, and tried it, with the alternate ingredient, adjusted measurements, explicit changes in baking time, as part of your blog experience. It’s just easier for the reader. I used a recipe similar to yours and sweetened with 1/3 cup maple syrup, a truly unprocessed natural sweetener with sublime flavor.
Ultimately I realized that this really is a stevia recipe, since substitution is not recommended, and I moved on.
This looks like a nice recipe and I like the idea of using two as opposed to the standard one cup of carrots!
No worries, happy baking Amy.
Would full fat milk and yogurt work for this recipe?
Yes, both will work! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this quick bread Donna! 🙂