This Healthy Carrot Cake is moist, tall, fluffy and topped with lighter Greek yogurt or cream cheese frosting! Easy to make and perfect for all celebrations!
We also love almond flour carrot cake!
Perfect carrot cake stands tall, has texture and is moist. Its icing is thick and you can taste the creaminess with every bite. People ask you if they can have your recipe. Thatโs this healthy carrot cake recipe!
Itโs one of the top healthy dessert recipes here on iFoodReal!
Readerโs Review
I followed the recipe exactly and made it for my husbandโs birthday who is a โcarrot cake connoisseur.โ He raised his eyebrows when I said this was a healthy version of carrot cake. He took one bite and proclaimed, โThis is a 10-star carrot cake! This could be served in a super fancy restaurant!โ
Lisa Isaacson
Why Youโll Love This Recipe
- Wholesome: Instead of all-purpose flour we use whole wheat flour or spelt flour.
- No refined sugar in the batter: Naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey and carrots.
- Healthier frosting: Make Greek yogurt frosting or healthy cream cheese frosting. Your choice!
- Less of frosting: Cake is so moist, you donโt need the frosting between the layers. But you can, if you wish.
Ingredients for Healthy Carrot Cake
- Whole wheat flour (spelt flour): It is crucial you use one these flours. I have not tested this recipe with white whole wheat flour or pastry whole wheat flour.
- Greek yogurt: Itโs the Greek yogurt that replaces majority of oil. I recommend to buy Greek yogurt between 2% and 10% fat. 10% doesnโt need to be strained, itโs almost like cream cheese. The most ideal would be whole milk (3.5%) yogurt, 2% will do well too.
- Maple syrup or honey: Both add sweetness. You definitely will taste honey more. Any liquid sweetener will work.
- Carrots: Finely grated carrots and not squeezed.
- Eggs, oil and milk: Any light tasting oil like avocado, light olive oil, grapeseed oil will work. Any milk is fine too. These ingredients add moisture and act as a binder.
- Nuts and coconut flakes: My absolute favorite is a combo of toasted walnuts and coconut flakes. I use unsweetened coconut flakes but you can use sweetened ones and cake will be sweeter. Also, I sprinkled coconut chips on top.
- Powdered sugar: We need only 1/2 cup to make healthy frosting unlike traditional recipes that call for 2 or even 3 cups of icing sugar.
- Baking essentials: Vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, salt.
How to Make Healthy Carrot Cake
Here is a quick overview how to make it. You can find full recipe card below. We bake, frost and serve it all in the same pan!
- Strain Greek yogurt: Start this first. Strain Greek yogurt in a colander lined with paper towels or coffee filters to get rid of extra whey.
- Prep: Spray 9 x 13 inch baking dish, or you can use 2 x 6 inch or 8 inch cake pans. Grate carrots, toast walnuts and coconut flakes in a skillet.
- Make the cake batter: Whisk wet ingredients first, then add dry ingredients to the same bowl. Mix but do not overmix. Fold in carrots and toasted nuts and coconut flakes. Perfect carrot cake batter should be more runny than a muffin batter but thicker than a batter for pancakes.
- Bake the cake: Bake carrot cake in 9 x 13-inch pan for 40 minutes, in 6-inch cake pans for 25-30 minutes, and in 8-inch cake pans for 35-40 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean without crumbs or batter, itโs ready. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
- Make frosting and assemble the cake: Combine strained Greek yogurt, icing sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk well, transfer on top of cooled cake, spread with a spatula and garnish with toasted coconut flakes or chips.
Baking Time Tip
All ovens vary. It depends on a brand and age. If you know your oven bakes hotter, reduce oven temperature by 10 F. If your oven is on a slower side, keep it at 350 F.
Tips for Best Results
Here are my top tips for successful healthy carrot cake!
- To grate carrots: Use medium size holes of a box grater. I donโt recommend using a food processor for this task.
- Donโt use shredded carrots: Avoid store-bought shredded carrots aka matchsticks. They are dry.
- Donโt overmix: Combine dry and wet ingredients gently and just until mixed. This way cake will come out tender.
- If your cake starts to brown before itโs ready: If you see that edges and top are brown before middle is ready, reduce temperature by 25 F and cover cake loosely with aluminum foil. You can also move it to a middle rack further away from direct heat.
Variations
Here are a few ideas how to make this healthy carrot cake your own based on your personal preferences and what you have on hand.
- To make a round cake: Divide batter between 2 cake pans. Bake 6โณ cake pans โ for 25-30 minutes, 8โณ cake pans โ 35-40 minutes. Here is a great article about changing the pan size. Then assemble and frost as per your imagination.
- Pineapple: Swap 1/2 cup Greek yogurt for 1/2 cup of drained crushed pineapple.
- Spices variations: Instead of cinnamon or in addition to it you can use pumpkin spice spice. You can also add up to 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger, ground cloves or nutmeg.
- Other frosting: Use healthy cream cheese frosting or healthy buttercream frosting instead!
- More batter mix-ins: Add up to 1/2 cup of raisins or chopped dates.
- Cupcakes: I have not tried these, so not sure if you will have leftover batter but in that case just use 2 muffin tins. Bake cupcakes for about 20 minutes and check with a toothpick.
How to Store and Make Ahead
- Store: Store assembled cake covered tightly with a cake lid for up to 4 days. Airtight is important so Greek yogurt doesnโt start to dry out.
- Make ahead: Store baked, cooled and covered with plastic unfrosted cake for 3 days. Then frost before serving.
- Freeze: I have not and would be hesitant to recommend you freeze assembled cake. Not sure how yogurt will thaw but my gut says 90% it should be fine. You can freeze unfrosted cake tightly wrapped with plastic and then foil for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for 6 hours or in the fridge overnight.
FAQs
Can I replace Greek yogurt with applesauce?
I tried to make carrot cake cake with applesauce but each time it turned out gummy with distinct aftertaste. So I do not recommend it.
Can I use any other flour or gluten free flour?
Baking is a science. All-purpose white flour, almond flour, and coconut flour act differently and need other ingredientsโ adjustments. You might be able to use all purpose gluten free flour but my worry is that cake might be a bit dry as it needs more liquid.
Can I use regular and not Greek yogurt?
Unfortunately not because regular yogurt is more runny and less rich than Greek yogurt.
More Carrot Cake Recipes to Try
More Healthy Cake Recipes
Healthy Carrot Cake
This Healthy Carrot Cake is moist, tall, fluffy and topped with creamy Greek yogurt or cream cheese frosting! Easy to make and perfect for all celebrations!
Video
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2% and higher fat
- 1/3 cup any mild oil, I used avocado oil
- 2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup any milk, I used almond milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 2 cups carrots, finely grated
- Cooking spray, I use Misto
Greek Yogurt Icing:
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt, 2% and higher fat
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Long coconut flakes or chips, for garnish (toasted)
US Customary โ Metric
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Instructions
- Line small colander with a coffee filter or paper towels and place on top of a small bowl. Add Greek yogurt and let it strain in the fridge for a few hours.
- In one large bowl, whisk the eggs for 10 seconds. Add Greek yogurt, oil, maple syrup, milk and vanilla extract; whisk well and set aside.
- In another large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; whisk well breaking any baking soda or powder lumps. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, spray large 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat large skillet on low heat, add walnuts and toast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add coconut flakes and toast another minute, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat. Grate carrots.
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl with wet ingredients and stir gently until combined. Do not over mix. Add carrots, walnuts and coconut flakes; stir just enough to combine.
- Pour into previously prepared baking dish and bake for: 9 x 13" dish โ 40 minutes, 6" cake pans โ 25-30 minutes, 8" cake pans โ 35-40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely, for about 4-5 hours.
- When ready to assemble the cake, discard the whey and add strained Greek yogurt into a medium bowl along with icing sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk well, transfer on top of cake, spread with spatula and garnish with toasted coconut flakes. Cut into 16 slices and serve.
๐ Last step! If you made this recipe, please leave a review and let us know what you think!
Notes
Recipe re-tested in March 2024. Amount of baking powder and baking soda were reduced for better results.
- Store: Store assembled cake covered tightly with a cake lid for up to 2 days. Airtight is important so yogurt doesnโt start to dry out.
- Flour: No other flour can be substituted, baking is a science.
- Sweetener: Unfortunately you cannot use any dry sweetener because it will throw off cake batter consistency.
- Greek yogurt: Unfortunately you cannot use regular yogurt because it is more runny. You cannot replace Greek yogurt with applesauce either.
- Frosting: You can also use healthy cream cheese frosting instead of Greek yogurt one.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.004g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 234mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 11g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I dont want to downgrade it, but, tried it twice and it was both times wet in the middle despite measuring temperature inside and baking it for 1.5 hours in 200 degrees. For some reason moisture gets trapped inside and I never had it with any other recipes to such degree. I suspect it may be quite a lot of soda/baking powder because I read that the ratio of baking powder per flour is like 1 tea spoon to 1 cup.
You are not following the recipe. You should be baking the cake at 350 F for half an hour or so depending on pans you use. Iโm not sure why you would change it and then say it doesnโt work.:)
I made this for my daughterโs first birthday because I wanted her cake to be as healthy as possible while still tasting good. And this recipe did not disappoint. It turned out better than any carrot cake Iโve ever made. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!!
Iโm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Have you baked it in a bundt pan before?
No, sorry, I havenโt.
Hi can I use coconut oil for this receipe?
Hi Louise. Yes, you can. Make sure itโs melted and I would warm up Greek yogurt and eggs on a counter for an hour first to make sure they wonโt solidify the oil when mixing.
How long would you bake for cupcakes? Looking to make a smash cake and cupcakes for my daughterโs bunny-themed first birthday party ๐
I would check at 20ish minutes with a toothpick.
I love this recipe and I made a few tweeks and it came out great so I would like to share. I used egg whites instead of whole eggs, I substituted one cup of the flour for homemade leftover almond pulp from making almond milk and I used maple sugar. Also 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and 1/2 cup of almond yogurt. Itโ came out delicious and nice and soft and moist.
Thank you for sharing, so glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the recipe. I want to try it, but could you please specify the oven temperature for baking the cake? Thank you!
Hi there. If you click on Jump to Recipe button at the top it will take you to full recipe card with full instructions. Enjoy!
Isnโt 3 tsp the same as 1 tbsp? So just double checking those are the right measurements for each? โ 1 tbsp of each?
Correct.
Looks great. Am hoping to be able to serve it out of the baking pan. Do you think if I line the pan and lift it out it will hold its shape? Thankyou!
I think it will work!
Great recipe! I made it in a 2 pound bread machine, put liquids and carrots first, then dry ingredients. I let it mix for 2 min, then changed to Bake setting, dark crust, for the whole cycle, which is 1 hour in my machine. It turned out perfect!! Thank you!
So glad it turned out well with the baking method modification, thanks for sharing!