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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. Ā
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 Santaās visit on Christmas Eve, it still took a little extra cajoling to get us to go to bed on time becauseā¦
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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 cakeā¦ Along with a piece or two of fruit to appease Mom!
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As an adult, my stomach feels a bit queasy at the thought of that much sugar in the morningā¦ Which is why Iām 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 sugarāand just 104 calories!
And with how easy it is to make, I have a feeling itās going to be a huge hit with my family this year!
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To make this healthy breakfast loaf, youāll start with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!) and lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. Thereās something so cozy about those spices, donāt 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, youāll just use Ā½ tablespoon of butter or oil. Yes, thatās it! The rest of its tender texture comes fromā¦ Greek yogurt! I bet you knew I was going to say that! I ā” baking with Greek yogurt because it adds the same moisture to your batter as extra butter or oilābut for a fraction of the calories. It also gives your healthy baked treats a protein boost!
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To sweeten your healthy breakfast quick bread, youāll use another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka itās clean-eating friendly!). This is the kind I use because I love its warm flavor and donāt 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 thatās the cheapest price Iāve found. (And youāll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Time for the star of the show ā freshly grated carrots! Yes, you must use freshly grated carrots, not store-bought pre-shredded carrots. The latter are thicker and drier, and they donāt soften properly while baking. I promise itās worth the extra effort of grating your own!
Then spread your batter into a loaf pan, pop it in the oven, set a timer andā¦
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Wait {impatiently like me} until itās 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 Iāll see your picture! ?) Iād love to see your breakfast quick bread!
| Healthy Carrot Cake Breakfast Quick Bread | | Print |
- 2 Ā¼ cups (270g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Ā½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 Ā½ tsp baking powder
- Ā¾ tsp baking soda
- Ā½ tsp salt
- Ā½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Ā½ tsp vanilla stevia
- Ā½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- Ā¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk
- 2 cups (180g) freshly grated carrots (about 2 medium, peeled first!)
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F, and coat a 9x5ā 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 350Ā°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. (Itās one of my favorite ingredients, and youāll 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 Ā½ cup + 2 tablespoons (120g) granulated sugar, brown sugar, or coconut sugar and reduce the milk to Ā½ cup + 1 tablespoon (135mL). You may also substitute Ā½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and reduce the milk to Ā¼ 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). Theyāre thicker, drier, and donāt 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
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You may also like Amy’s other recipesā¦
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Carrot Cake Mini Muffins
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Snack Cake
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Carrot Cake Bran Muffins
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
ā”Ā Ā Healthy Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Loaf
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I baked this exactly as written, except for the dates. I didn’t have any, so I added dried cranberries instead. It baked up beautifully and tasted great. My husband has gone off sugar and especially loved it! Thanks for a great recipe!!
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed this quick bread Nancy! Thank you for taking the time to let me know — that truly means a lot!! š
Is it ok to use the whole egg, not just the whites? I noticed that some of your other recipes don’t have the yolk either
Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Barbara! It actually depends on the specific recipe whether it’ll work to use whole eggs (and whether you’ll need to make any modifications to compensate!), but for this breakfast quick bread, you can use 2 whole eggs without needing to make any other adjustments. š I can’t wait to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you try making it!
Hi, could this recipe work with part whole wheat and part oat flour? Or would it become to dense? Thank you!
I’m honored that you’d like to try making this quick bread Meisje! If you use half whole wheat flour and half oat flour, the quick bread might not rise as much and will be somewhat denser — but not incredibly so. If you decide to try that, be extra careful when measuring the oat flour because it tends to be more absorbent than whole wheat flour, so too much can dry out the batter. The flavors will remain the same with that modification though! š I’d love to hear what you think if you try making this recipe!
Great recipe!
Regarding the use of vanilla stevia, which I would like to start using for some of my recipes as well, how would I use it in recipes that require maple syrup or regular sugar? Is there a quick table of conversions?
And since I like to experiment with different flours, is there a reliable source of information online that explains how to use different types of flours? I’ve read much about the different benefits and different results but still cannot really figure out how to use one flour instead of another.
Thanks!
Carolina
I’m so glad you enjoyed this breakfast quick bread Carolina! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! š
Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick table of conversions. This is because substituting stevia, with its highly concentrated sweetness level, almost always requires tweaking multiple other ingredients in each recipe (as one example, increasing liquids to compensate for the missing maple syrup or regular sugar!), and it doesn’t work as a substitute in every single recipe that calls for maple syrup or regular sugar. However, you can find all of my recipes that use vanilla stevia here! (I currently have 240+ recipes and counting!) The vanilla stevia in this recipe and the liquid stevia that I use in other recipes are completely interchangeable — just wanted to mention that before I forgot!
As for different types of flours, that also depends! Do you mean different types of wheat-based flours? Or any type of flour (including all of the various gluten-free options out there)?
Hi Amy
Thanks very much for your response!
I like experimenting with flours such as quinoa, almond, oat flour. However I find that even if I follow the recipe closely, the resulting bread from these flours is always more sticky and it grows less than using normal flour. Is it normal?
Best
Carolina
It’s my pleasure, Carolina! I’m always happy to help! š Unfortunately, all of the flours that you just listed generally aren’t good 1-for-1 substitutes for wheat-based flours. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Almond flour, quinoa flour, and oat flour all lack that, so when you substitute them for wheat-based flours in recipes that rise (like cupcakes, cakes, muffins, scones, quick breads, cinnamon rolls, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and may collapse while cooling.
If you’d like to experiment with these flours, then I recommend using them in baking recipes that don’t rise, like cookies or brownies. That way, you’re not impacting the structural integrity of the recipe nearly as much since it’s not really possible for cookies or brownies to collapse the same way that muffins, quick breads, etc can! š
Does all of that make sense? š
Great advice, thanks so much!
All the best
Carolina
You’re welcome, Carolina! š
Hi, I was wondering if it’s ok to sub psyllium husk for a xanthan gum in GF flour mix. I am assuming the gum’s purpose is to bind the flours? The husk has the same binding purpose. And also can I sub coconut flour or almond flour for a brown rice flour when making your GF flour mix. It’s kinda hard to find brown rice flour right now. Thanks.
I’m so honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Lara! I’ve never used psyllium husk in place of xanthan gum in my homemade gluten-free flour blends, so I’m not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. The xanthan gum imitates gluten’s structural properties, so your gluten-free baked goods don’t collapse while cooling. Coconut flour won’t work in place of brown rice flour (and I recommend only using it when explicitly called for in my recipes because it behaves so differently than any other flour!), but almond flour will be just fine to substitute for the brown rice flour in this recipe. š I can’t wait to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you end up trying it!
Hello! Can i use Erythritol or the stevia food sweetener in place of the vanilla stevia? š Excited to make this now!!!
I’m so honored that you’d like to try making this recipe, Jeanne! If you’d like to substitute erythritol in place of the vanilla stevia, you’ll need Ā½ cup + 2 tablespoons of erythritol. I’d recommend starting with just Ā½ cup + 1 tablespoon (135mL) of milk to compensate for the added volume. Since erythritol dissolves and absorbs liquids differently than regular sugar, it could be that you’ll need the full amount of milk {an additional Ā¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (75mL), for a total of Ā¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL)}, but it’s always easier to add more milk to your mixing bowl than it is to remove milk! š The batter should actually be fairly thick, almost like really wet cookie dough, rather than thin like cake batter. Does that make sense? š I’d love to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you try making it!
is it supposed to be soft and kinda moist on the inside ? Mine turned out really soft. Did I do something wrong?
I’m honored that you tried making my recipe, Stacy! Yes, this quick bread is really moist and tender, but it shouldn’t be raw or underdone. As long as it isn’t wet and raw, then you probably baked it long enough! It’s not supposed to be dry like sliced sandwich bread you can buy at the grocery store; it should be closer in texture to banana bread or zucchini bread. Does that make sense? š
Hi Amy
Can I replace the vanilla stevia? What about brown sugar instead? I really want to try your recipe. Thanks
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, April! I’ve actually included 6 different alternative sweetener options in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!), including brown sugar. I know it can be easy to miss! š I can’t wait to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you try making it!
Can i replace vanilla stevia with natural applesauce or mashed bananas? How is the measurement for this?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Diane! I actually don’t recommend that substitution because neither applesauce nor mashed banana are nearly as sweet as stevia. Your loaf will taste somewhat bland and not very sweet at all (similar to bagels or sandwich bread!), rather than like a true quick bread. If you’d rather not use the stevia, then I’d recommend using one of the six options I’ve included in the Notes section instead (located directly underneath the Instructions!) for the best taste and texture. š
I’d love to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you end up trying it!
Can I use parchment paper instead of foil to line the pan?
Yes, that should be fine. š Iād love to hear what you think of this breakfast quick bread if you try making it, Bonney!
The parchment paper worked fine. I really liked this recipe, but the stevia I have isn’t the one you recommend, and it had an aftertaste. I’ll try one of your other sweetening suggestions. I used sorghum flour instead of millet, and buckwheat and quinoa flours instead of rice due to some sensitivities we have (and due to thyroid issues for millet). I also want to try adding walnuts and maybe some raisins. Thank you for a healthy recipe with lots of options!
Iām so glad the parchment paper worked! Whatās the exact stevia product that you used? Many brands and products have slightly different sweetness levels (and some have a much stronger aftertaste!), so itās not always a 1-for-1 substitution. If youād like to retry with the stevia that you already have, instead of buying a new or different sweetener, Iād be happy to make recommendations about the best way to substitute it! I also completely understand not wanting to use it again, if its aftertaste is that off-putting. š
Iām happy to hear you were able to modify the flours in this recipe to suit your needs! I love your idea of adding raisins too. I usually hydrate mine before using them in baked goods; it makes a big difference in their taste and texture! If youād like to try doing that too (no pressure ā just thought Iād offer to share!), then hereās what I doā¦
Add the raisins to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them with water, and cover the top of the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Let the raisins sit for at least 10 minutes (or while you measure and mix together the rest of the ingredients). Thoroughly drain the excess liquid before folding them into the batter. This makes them really plump and juicy! š