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    Home » Recipe Archive » Snacks and Treats » Healthified Carrot Cake {Gluten Free, Refined-Sugar Free}

    Healthified Carrot Cake {Gluten Free, Refined-Sugar Free}

    May 19, 2017 · Modified: Sep 14, 2020 by thegranoladiaries · 45 Comments · About 5 minutes to read this article.

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    This Gluten Free Carrot Cake is made with an oat flour base, sweetened with maple syrup, and can easily be made vegan!

    Pin this Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe for later!

    Healthified Carrot Cake Recipe - gluten free, refined sugar free, best healthy carrot cake. #glutenfree #sugarfree #highprotein #healthycarrotcake

    You don't need to carrot all about eating half this cake - its made with all real, whole ingredients, refined-sugar free (and low sugar), and has a ton of healthy nutrients from superfoods like oats, Greek yogurt, and CARROTS, of course! Its basically the best healthy carrot cake recipe you will find.

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    I did not expect the outpouring of messages I got when I posted a photo of this carrot cake on my Instagram. Almost immediately, I got a ton of messages and comments asking for the recipe - so here it is, sooner than I planned, but I don't want to keep anyone waiting from this delicious cake!!!

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    Other Carrot Cake Recipes

    Robbie is a serious Carrot Cake fan and had kept mentioning his cravings for it. I looked up "healthy" carrot cake recipes and still found the recipes either called for white flour and/or a good amount of brown/refined sugar; or, on the other end, some super-niche healthified baking ingredients, which most people do not have on hand. I wanted to created a simple Healthier Carrot Cake recipe that I could make with everything in my kitchen that moment.

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    Simple Ingredients

    I checked all ingredients I had in my house at that moment, which luckily included some large fresh carrots, and pulled together the ingredients to make this carrot cake. And it turned out pretttty, prettty darn well to my surprise! I am shocked at how easy it actually was. Note you will need a Food Processor to grind up the carrots - I recommend this one, which I got for less than $30 on Amazon!

    • Gluten Free Carrot Cake before baking

    If you make this Healthy Carrot Cake, please leave a comment and tell me what you thought! Everyone has been recreating it lately!

    To stay up to date on the latest Granola Diaries recipes, don't forget to follow me on Instagram or Facebook, and sign up for my newsletter!

    For more Gluten Free Baking Recipes, check out these amazing recipes:

    • Carrot Cake Muffins
    • The Best Peanut Butter Cookies You’ll Ever Eat
    • Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies 
    • Paleo Tahini Banana Bread (Dairy Free)
    • Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Bread 

    Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe

    By The Granola Diaires

    Ingredients:

    • 2 - 4 large carrots
    • ¼ C Almond milk

    DRY:

    • 1.5 C  Oat flour* (simply grind oats in blender/food processor, measure AFTER blending)
    •  1.5 tsp. baking powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
    • ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice**
    • generous dash of salt

    WET:

    • 1 large egg (or flax egg: 1 Tbsp. ground flax + 2 Tbsp warm water, set for 10 min)
    • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
    • 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled (measured when liquid)
    • ¼ C Greek Yogurt, 2% or Full fat (I would not recommend non-fat) (Or sub: coconut yogurt)
    • ½ C Maple Syrup***

    * If you do not have oat flour, simply grind oats in blender/food processor for a few seconds until it resembles a flour. Measure AFTER blending.
    **Can sub with nutmeg, cloves, or more cinnamon.
    ***You can cut this down to ¼ C if you want even lower sugar, but may need to add a splash more Almond milk, to keep everything moist.

    Recipe:

    1. Oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9" cake pan with coconut oil.
    2. Scrub + rinse your carrots and leave on a cutting board or plate to air dry.
    3. In a medium bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix - oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, salt.
    4.  In a large bowl, add egg, coconut oil, and vanilla. Give it a good whisk, you should see little bubbles on the top.
    5. Add Greek yogurt and maple syrup to the egg mixture and give another light whisk, until there are no more clumps. Do not over-whisk!
    6. Cut the carrots into 1 - 2 inch pieces and add to food processor. Its OK if they are still a little wet, as you want your cake to be moist! Pulse a few times until carrots resemble rice-like shapes.
    7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. For best results, use this method:
      • Add about ⅓ of the dry mixture into the wet mixture, folding as you pour.
      • Then, add about half the almond milk (⅛ C).
      • Add the next ⅓ of the dry mixture. Repeat until all the oat flour and milk have been incorporated. Mixture should be liquidy but not TOO runny.
    8. Add in the carrots, ½ C at a time, folding them into the batter. I ended up using about 1.5 - 2 C of carrots, but you can add more/less, depending on your preference, and how the cake mixture looks. It should be fairly thick, but still run off a spoon.
    9. Add the cake to the pan and bake in the oven. Check on it after 26 minutes; it should be done (fork comes out clean). If it needs more time, check on it in 2 minute increments.  Let it cool for at least 10 minutes, then enjoy warm, or bring it to room temperature to frost!

    Make sure to tag me in your creations and use #thegranoladiaries so I can see your creations!

    UPDATE: A note on icing: For my icing, I simply whisked some Greek yogurt, vanilla, and honey to taste. It tastes more like a vanilla/yogurt icing than a cream cheese icing, but I like it. If you prefer a more traditional cream cheese icing, I would recommend throwing some room temperature cream cheese in the mix too. Simply play with the proportions and mix to your taste!

    For a healthy vegan twist on "creamcheese" icing using cashews and coconut cream, check out this recipe by Paleo Running Momma.

    NOTES:

    • I personally do not think its necessary to peel the carrots, but you can if that is your preference.
    • When measuring oat flour, its best to spoon the flour into the measuring cup, rather than scooping it up.
    • For VEGAN option, use Flax Egg and Coconut Yogurt or other non-dairy yogurt
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. threebrits

      May 20, 2017 at 4:47 am

      yummy looks and sounds amazing!

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        May 22, 2017 at 1:49 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
        • Cassie

          March 28, 2020 at 4:18 pm

          Would it be OK to use coconut milk?

          Reply
          • thegranoladiaries

            March 31, 2020 at 5:30 pm

            Yes!

            Reply
      • Emily

        August 01, 2017 at 3:43 am

        What do you use as the icing?

        Reply
        • granoladiaries

          October 26, 2017 at 9:05 am

          I just use a mixture of Greek yogurt, honey, and vanilla to my taste preferences, or some Coconut butter! You could also try some creamcheese mixed with honey.

          Reply
    2. boowholefoods

      May 20, 2017 at 12:53 pm

      I can see why plenty of people requested the recipe - it looks delicious!

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        May 22, 2017 at 1:49 am

        Thank you! It's been a favorite over here!

        Reply
    3. Elana

      May 20, 2017 at 8:23 pm

      Looks amazing. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    4. Rachana

      June 12, 2017 at 7:12 pm

      How is the frosting made??

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        June 13, 2017 at 12:41 pm

        Thanks for your question! For the frosting, I used Greek yogurt + pure vanilla extract + honey. I didn't measure, just mixed to taste and then spread on top! Depends how sweet you like it 🙂

        Reply
    5. jpr1996

      June 13, 2017 at 12:26 pm

      I love carrot cake, this is a great take on a traditional recipe! Thanks for posting.

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        June 13, 2017 at 12:40 pm

        Thank you!!! It sure is 🙂

        Reply
    6. thehoneyfulbaker

      August 05, 2017 at 7:30 am

      Wow this looks really good! I will definitely try out this recipe as it isn't full with nuts so I can actually eat it!

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        August 05, 2017 at 2:40 pm

        Let me known how it turns out!

        Reply
    7. tarabeiser

      August 09, 2017 at 6:48 pm

      This looks amazing! I want to make a vegan version of this so plan to use a flax egg but would you recommend using coconut yogurt instead of the Greek yogurt? Or what substitute do you think would be best for the Greek yogurt?

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        August 10, 2017 at 8:29 pm

        I have tested this with a flax egg and it works great (perhaps even better!) - but I have not tested a sub for the Greek yogurt. I imagine coconut yogurt could be good, but possibly lend a coconut flavor to the cake - let me know if you try it out so we can let anyone looking for a Vegan recipe know!

        Reply
        • tarabeiser

          August 11, 2017 at 5:04 pm

          I made them as mini muffins instead with a flax egg and coconut yogurt. They turned out great! Will definitely make them again.

          Reply
    8. Welsh Wanderlust

      August 09, 2017 at 10:43 pm

      Looks delicious ? carrot cake is my fave ❤️

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        August 10, 2017 at 9:36 pm

        Thank you! Enjoy!

        Reply
    9. myhealthyrecipesweb

      September 14, 2017 at 1:38 am

      Looks delicious. Can't wait to try it.

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        September 15, 2017 at 1:31 pm

        Thank you! Enjoy!!

        Reply
    10. Rochelle

      September 18, 2017 at 12:22 pm

      Oh my!!! *Salivating
      Thank you for sharing this recipe! I cannot wait to try it. 🙂 #gratitude

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        September 23, 2017 at 7:05 pm

        I'm so glad! Let me know how you like it! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Katherine Elizabeth Dorociak

      September 23, 2017 at 12:55 pm

      What a great recipe!!!! Literally the best carrot cake I have had in forever. How do you suggest storing the cake?

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        September 23, 2017 at 7:06 pm

        That's great! Thank you! As the cake is full of perishable ingredients (Greek Yogurt, carrots, eggs, etc), I would recommend storing in the fridge. It usually lasts about 5 days when refrigerated!

        Reply
    12. Nicole

      September 30, 2017 at 2:12 pm

      Looks delicious! How many does it serve??

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        October 02, 2017 at 2:54 am

        Probably 5 - 7! Depends how hungry you are 🙂

        Reply
    13. Leanne

      November 21, 2017 at 7:28 pm

      I love this recipe ♥ Once a week I make it into cupcakes/ muffins and kids love them . Thank you 🙂

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        November 23, 2017 at 4:48 am

        I love that!!! So glad you enjoy!

        Reply
    14. Anna

      March 31, 2018 at 2:01 pm

      One of my go-to recipes! I made these into cupcakes for Easter! Can’t wait to share ??

      Reply
      • granoladiaries

        April 01, 2018 at 7:52 pm

        Hope they were a huge hit!!!

        Reply
    15. Meredith Parrish

      October 01, 2018 at 11:25 pm

      Hiya! Making this for the first time for my sisters birthday cake next week and wanted to clarify if the icing recipe calls for 1/2 C of maple sugar or honey? Saw both in comments and in original recipe. Honey sounds like it would taste better, but wanted to check with you before baking. Thanks so much!!

      Reply
      • thegranoladiaries

        October 04, 2018 at 3:58 pm

        You could use either! Honey will be a tad sweeter, but Maple will add a delicious fall flavor! You can always taste and adjust to your preferences.

        Reply
    16. Stacey Borge

      April 22, 2020 at 1:03 pm

      This was amazing!!! Made it for the Easter weekend and what a delicious and guilt free dessert!! Thank you for sharing your creation. For the frosting I used cream cheese and honey to taste. I really wanted the cream cheese flavor!!
      Muffins wouldn’t be a bad idea for baking too

      Reply
      • thegranoladiaries

        April 22, 2020 at 3:52 pm

        So glad you baked it and liked it, Stacey! This healthy carrot cake is the perfect Easter weekend dessert!

        Reply
    17. Taegan

      January 09, 2021 at 12:14 am

      Can I use applesauce instead of yogurt?

      Reply
      • thegranoladiaries

        January 09, 2021 at 12:40 am

        Yes!

        Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. Healthified Carrot Cake {Gluten Free, Refined-Sugar Free} — The Granola Diaries – Barnsgate Manor says:
      June 13, 2017 at 12:37 pm

      […] via Healthified Carrot Cake {Gluten Free, Refined-Sugar Free} — The Granola Diaries […]

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    2. Berry Oat Crumble Squares {GF, RSF, Vegan Option} – The Granola Diaries says:
      July 8, 2017 at 5:50 am

      […] recipe made healthy enough for breakfast, I’m starting to see a trend… (see my carrot cake or banana […]

      Reply
    3. Chocolate Banana Bread – The Granola Diaries says:
      November 9, 2017 at 12:31 pm

      […] richness of the chocolate, and also adds a ton of protein and probiotics! I loved adding it in my healthy carrot cake for extra moistness in that recipe too. For a dairy free option, another egg would probably suffice […]

      Reply
    4. HEALTHY CARROT-PUMPKIN CAKE with Healthy Frosting {Gluten Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free} – The Granola Diaries says:
      November 11, 2017 at 9:30 am

      […] delicious dessert recipe is adapted from my Healthy Carrot Cake, but I wanted to add a pumpkin twist for the […]

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    5. Healthy Ginger Molasses Cookies {Gluten Free, Paleo} – The Granola Diaries says:
      December 9, 2017 at 8:21 pm

      […] recipe as is, but the final outcome is amazing!  I think it’s my favorite ever, besides my Carrot Cake of […]

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      April 12, 2018 at 8:40 pm

      […] oat flour-based baked goods for breakfast (holla!), these are some other great options: my famous Healthified Carrot Cake, Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal, 5 ingredient blender banana bread, or go crazy with some Chocolate […]

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    7. Carrot Cake Muffins {Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Dairy Free Option} – The Granola Diaries says:
      May 8, 2018 at 1:46 pm

      […] See the options I laid out in my Healthy Carrot Cake recipe (My most poular […]

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