These Paleo And Keto Carrot Cake Cupcakes are the real deal! They're soft, tender, have a great spice flavor, and are topped with silky keto cream cheese frosting! They are also gluten-free, grain-free, and can be made dairy-free too so everyone in your life can enjoy them.
These keto carrot cake cupcakes are the real deal! They're soft, tender, have a great spice flavor, and topped with cream cheese frosting! And even though many people think 'carrots aren't keto' they work fine in this recipe!
Yes, carrots are higher in carbs, but in small amounts, you can still incorporate them into your diet without ruining it.
Keto Carrot Cake Cupcakes are fairly easy, but let's run through it together!
Toasting the pecans
Start by toasting the pecans to get a rich, deep flavor. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and toast the pecans for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Then, set aside to cool.
Grating the carrots
Next, you need to grate the carrots. To do this I recommend using the grating attachment on your food processor and then briefly pulsing them in your food processor for finer shreds of carrot.
The picture above shows the carrots grated before pulsing in the food processor. While they're nicely grated and they can certainly be used like this, they're still just a bit too big.
Be careful not to overdo it, though, or you'll have carrot juice! If you don't have a food processor, you can use a hand grater to grate them.
Don't be tempted to save time by using pre-shredded carrots at the store, please grate your own! The pre-shredded carrots are often hard and dry. When you grate the carrots at home you'll notice how wet they are. This is needed moisture so don't skip it!
After you have the carrots and nuts to toasted, whisk together some almond flour, sugar of choice, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a pinch or two of cloves.
For the sweetener
I use either Swerve Brown Granulated Sweetener or Lakanto Golden Granulated Sweetener.
The brown sugar versions add a nice deep flavor that the white versions don't impart. However, the white variety will still work, as well as sifted coconut palm sugar if you follow more of a Paleo diet.
For the spices, I use the traditional cinnamon and nutmeg, but I also add a small amount of cloves and ginger. The cloves and ginger add a nice flavor without being too overpowering.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together some eggs, avocado oil, and vanilla.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until just combined.
Fold in the shredded carrots and pecans.
Line a muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners and evenly distribute the batter. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon the smooth out the tops.
Bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes, or until the tops are a deep, golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the tops come out clean. If they start to brown too early, cover with aluminum foil.
Allow to cool in the pan 10 to 15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Keto cream cheese frosting
For the cream cheese frosting, you will beat together 8 oz. of full-fat cream cheese and ½ cup of room temperature butter. Be sure that you use a block of cream cheese and not cream cheese spread or the frosting will turn out runny.
For the butter, I highly recommend using organic and grass-fed. Not only does it taste 1000 times better, but it packs a nutritional punch that regular butter just doesn't have.
It's also important that the butter is softened to room temperature. If you don't have all day to let the butter set on your counter, though, check out this tutorial on How To Soften Butter Quickly from Sally's Baking Addiction.
After you beat together the butter and cream cheese, slowly add in keto powdered sweetener, a tsp. of pure vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt. Beat until thickened and smooth.
Note-If you are dairy-free, feel free to use non-dairy butter and non-dairy cream cheese. Just make sure that you like the taste of both as they will determine what the frosting tastes like! You can also check out my other Paleo & Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe that doesn't use a cream cheese sub.
The best keto sweetener for frostings
When sweetening frostings, I prefer to use powdered monk fruit with allulose. It tastes just like powdered sugar and results in a super-smooth texture. However, any keto powdered sweetener will work.
While powdered erythritol can be used, there might be a slight cooling-like aftertaste. Some people don’t notice it while others don’t like it – it depends on your taste buds.
Or you can use a powdered monk fruit erythritol blend to reduce the aftertaste.
However, if you use the Besti Erythritol Sweetener, it’s only 70% as sweet as sugar because it has no fillers. For every 1 cup of sugar, you’ll need 1 ⅓ cup of the Besti brand. This is also true of Besti’s Allulose Sweetener.
For more information on the pros and cons of the different keto sweeteners, you may want to check out this Ultimate Guide To Keto Sweeteners!
If you use any of the Besti Erythritol blends or the Besti Allulose blends, they’re just as sweet as sugar and can be used as a 1:1 substitute.
*Note- As a special gift to my readers, I’ve teamed up with Besti Sweeteners to give you guys 10% off! Simply use the code “CRAVEABLE” at checkout.
💭 Top tips
- To grate the carrots, I recommend using the grating attachment on your food processor and then briefly pulsing them in your food processor for fine shreds of carrot. If you just grate them, they seem a bit too big. Be careful not to overdo it, though, or you'll have carrot juice! If you don't have a food processor, you can use a hand grater to grate them.
- Feel free to leave out the nuts if you prefer a smoother cupcake.
- Don't be tempted to save time using pre-shredded carrots from the store. Please grate your own! The pre-shredded carrots are often hard and dry. When you grate the carrots at home you'll notice how wet they are. This is needed moisture so don't skip it!
- To sweeten the cake I use either Brown Swerve granulated sweetener or Brown Lakanto granulated sweetener. The brown sugar versions add a nice deep flavor that the white versions don't impart. However, the white variety will still work, as well as sifted coconut palm sugar if you follow more of a Paleo diet.
- To sweeten the frosting, I prefer to use powdered monk fruit with allulose. It tastes just like powdered sugar and results in a super-smooth texture. However, any keto powdered sweetener will work. While powdered erythritol can be used, there might be a slight cooling-like aftertaste. Some people don’t notice it while others don’t like it – it depends on your taste buds. Or you can use a powdered monk fruit erythritol blend to reduce the aftertaste.
- For the frosting, be sure to use a block of cream cheese and not cream cheese spread, or the frosting will turn out runny.
- If you are Paleo & Dairy Free, you may also like my Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes With "Cream Cheese" Frosting recipe. That recipe is sweetened with honey and doesn't require the use of dairy-free cream cheese or butter if you are dairy-free.
Looking for more Keto recipes?
Or these Keto Muffins from My PCOS Kitchen look amazing too!!
Have you tried this recipe? If you’ve tried these Keto Carrot Cake Cupcakes or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Keto Carrot Cake Cupcakes {Paleo & Gluten-Free}
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Blanched Almond Flour finely ground
- ¼ tsp. Baking Soda
- ½ tsp. Baking Powder*
- ¼ tsp. Sea Salt
- ½ Cup Brown Erythritol-Based Granulated Sweetener see notes below, white variety can be substituted (use coconut palm sugar for paleo)
- ¾ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- 2 pinches Ground Cloves
- ⅛ tsp. Ground Ginger
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 Tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 Cup Finely Grated Carrots
- ⅓ Cup Finely Chopped Pecans
- 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz Full-Fat Cream Cheese can use non-dairy if needed
- ½ Cup Softened Butter can use non-dairy if needed
- 1 Cup Powdered Keto Sweetener see notes below
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla
- 1 Pinch Sea Salt if too sweet
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat baking mat. Place the pecans on the baking sheet and toast for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Then, set aside to cool.
- Turn the oven up to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners.
- Use the grating attachment on your food processor to grate the carrots. Then, very briefly pulse them in your food processor for finer shreds of carrot. If you do not have a food processor, grate by hand.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups almond flour, ½ cup sugar of choice, ¼ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. salt, ¾ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. nutmeg, ⅛ tsp. ground ginger, and 2 pinches of cloves.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the 3 eggs, 2 Tbsp. avocado oil, and 1 tsp. pure vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and, using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix until just combined. Then stir in the 1 cup of grated carrots and toasted pecans.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the muffin cups and use your fingers or the back of a spoon the smooth out the tops.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 18-23 minutes, or until the tops are a deep, golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the tops come out clean. If they start to brown too early, cover with aluminum foil.
- Allow to cool in the pan 10 to 15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Keto Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Add the room temperature butter and cream cheese to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly beat in the confectioner's sweetener until thick and creamy, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
- Beat in the vanilla until incorporated and a pinch of sea salt if it's too sweet.
Notes
- For grain free baking powder, combine 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar and 2 parts starch (such as arrowroot, tapioca, or potato)
- To grate the carrots, I recommend using the grating attachment on your food processor and then briefly pulsing them in your food processor for fine shreds of carrot. If you just grate them, they seem a bit too big. Be careful not to overdo it, though, or you'll have carrot juice! If you don't have a food processor, you can use a hand grater to grate them.
- Feel free to leave out the nuts if you prefer a smoother cupcake.
- Don't be tempted to save time using pre-shredded carrots from the store. Please grate your own! The pre-shredded carrots are often hard and dry. When you grate the carrots at home you'll notice how wet they are. This is needed moisture so don't skip it!
- To sweeten the cake I use either Brown Swerve granulated sweetener or Brown Lakanto (use code "CRAVEABLE" for 20%off!) granulated sweetener. The brown sugar versions add a nice deep flavor that the white versions don't impart. However, the white variety of any erythritol-based granulated sweetener will still work, as well as sifted coconut palm sugar if you follow more of a Paleo diet.
- To sweeten the frosting, I prefer to use powdered monk fruit with allulose. It tastes just like powdered sugar and results in a super-smooth texture. However, any keto powdered sweetener will work. While powdered erythritol can be used, there might be a slight cooling-like aftertaste. Some people don’t notice it while others don’t like it – it depends on your taste buds. Or you can use a powdered monk fruit erythritol blend to reduce the aftertaste.
- As a special gift to my readers, I've teamed up with BESTI SWEETENERS to give you guys 10% off! Simply use the code "CRAVEABLE" at checkout.
- I use the traditional cinnamon and nutmeg, but I also add a small amount of cloves and ginger. The cloves and ginger add a nice flavor without being too overpowering.
- For the frosting, be sure to use a block of cream cheese and not cream cheese spread, or the frosting will turn out runny.
- If you are Paleo & Dairy Free, you may also like my Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes With "Cream Cheese" Frosting recipe. That recipe is sweetened with honey and doesn't require the use of dairy-free cream cheese or butter if you are dairy-free.
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
These cupcakes came out so moist! However, I'd add a little more carrot next time, but that's just personal preference. Excellent recipe. My fiance's favorite dessert is carrot cake and it's something he's missed since going keto. This scratches the itch!
I'm so happy you and your fiance liked them!!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
-Cassidy
I doubled the recipe and made carrot cake lined 2 8inch round with parchment paper and greased pans well with grass fed butter turned out amazing
Oh YAY I'm so happy this recipe worked as a double-layer cake! Thanks so much for letting me know, I'm so excited it turned out for you 🙂
-Cassidy
How many carbs are in just the frosting?
Hi Anna, sorry I didn't back with you sooner!
For 1/10 of the frosting, there are 106 calories, 2 carbs, no fiber, 4 protein, and 9 fat.
I hope that helps!!!
-Cassidy
Turned out GREAT!!! Is the nutrition information for a cupcake with frosting?
Oh YAY Tessa M, thank you!!! And yes, the nutrition info includes the frosting 🙂
I'm so happy you liked them - thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
-Cassidy