Healthy Carrot Cake Breakfast Quick Bread
Yields: 1 loaf, 12 slices
 
This is one of my favorite healthy breakfast loaves! It tastes just like carrot cake with plenty of cozy spices and sweet carrots, and it’s perfect for serving company or just lazy weekend brunches. The leftovers will keep for at least one week if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
  • 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!)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with foil.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
Notes: For the gluten-free flour, use the following: 1 cups (120g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends (like this one!) will work as well, if measured like this.

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}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2018/03/07/healthy-carrot-cake-breakfast-quick-bread/