These paleo carrot cake cupcakes are so perfect: moist, tender, and flavorful. On top of that, they’re super easy and quick to pull together. Perfect for Easter or just for a healthier snack or dessert. Gluten free, grain free, and dairy free option.
Let’s put carrots in cake, they said! It’ll be delicious, they said! And, well, as much as I hate admitting when other people are right, they were really right.
And these paleo carrot cupcakes are especially right. In fact, you’d never know they’re gluten free, healthier, paleo, and refined sugar free (with a dairy free option!). You just wouldn’t! They’re moist and perfectly spiced and tender and ugh ugh ugh, I could eat them all the time. And have eaten them for breakfast. You see, they have a vegetable and also a fruit and some nuts and eggs, too, so what part of that doesn’t sound like breakfast to you? Challenge me!
Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These carrot cake cupcakes are paleo, gluten free, grain free, and dairy free, too! But here’s a fun dose of trickery: you would seriously never know they’re grain-free. Try it as a parlor game with your friends! See who says, “Weird, is there, like, no all-purpose flour in here or something? I don’t quite taste the super refined sugar, either.” Literally no one will say that. Literally zero people. In fact, they’ll all be like, “That’s so weird, because I could’ve sworn you said you’d gone paleo.”
Joke’s on you, suckers! Just kidding. Joke’s on no one, because we all win with these fab paleo carrot cake cupcakes.
There’s a regular ol’ dairy cream cheese frosting option that I highly recommend, if you’re into that kind of thing. Oh, and they’re damn delicious without the frosting, too, so you can leave that swipe of tangy, creamy deliciousness off entirely and call it a [paleo carrot cake muffin] day.
But like, why would you ever opt out of frosting? Just saying.
Why These Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes Are So Dang Good
- They’re moist and tender, and they’re loaded with flavor.
- This paleo carrot cake has pineapple, pecans, cinnamon, ginger, and, of course, carrots. All the classic ingredients for a carrot cake in a little paleo package!
- These paleo carrot cake cupcakes are also gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, and dairy free (as long as you use dairy-free cream cheese, of course!).
- This recipe is crazy easy to make, and it comes together very quickly!
How to Make Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Start by grating your carrots. I prefer to to do this in a food process with the grating attachment attached; it goes super quickly and I don’t grate the skin off any of my fingers. You can, however, go about this the old-fashioned way: grate carrots on a box or hand grater until you produce 1 1/2 cups. That’s about 3 medium carrots.
Next, whisk your eggs in a large bowl, then add in your sugar, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk well, then stir in the drained crushed pineapple and your dry ingredients. That means the almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk well until flours are all incorporated, then fold in the chopped pecans.
Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners, preferably parchment paper liners. Fill the liners completely full, then bake in a 350º F oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, then remove cupcakes and cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, make your cream cheese frosting. Add softened cream cheese (dairy-free or conventional) to a medium bowl, along with maple syrup, softened coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Using a handheld mixer, beat on high until completely smooth.
Set the frosting aside until cupcakes are completely cooled, then frost. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped pecans, if desired.
Cream Cheese vs. Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
If you’re avoiding all dairy, definitely go with the dairy-free cream cheese frosting option. I personally like Kite Hill and Miyoko’s the best and find them to be the closest to the real thing. The texture won’t be quite as thick as traditional cream cheese. However, it’ll make the entire recipe dairy free, so that’s a big win!
I recommend using regular, organic cream cheese, as it’s tangier, thicker, and richer than dairy-free cream cheese. If you typically avoid dairy, you may want to consider cultured cream cheese, as this, like yogurt, will be easier on your digestion than conventional cream cheese. Nancy’s is a great brand to try!
Baking Tips
Use parchment paper liners for the easiest ever muffins and cupcakes. I actually have trouble with these sticking to the cooled carrot cake cupcakes at all, they’re that nonstick!
Test the cupcakes with a toothpick after 20 minutes. You’ll see a couple crumbs but the toothpick will otherwise be clean. Test early so as not to overbake.
Bake the paleo carrot cake cupcakes in the middle rack of your oven where the heat is most even. I have not tested this recipe using convection.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Best Chocolate Paleo Cupcakes Ever with Dark Chocolate Frosting
- Peach Ginger Paleo Muffins
- Carrot Cake Paleo Breakfast Bake with “Cream Cheese” Glaze
- Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting (Dairy-Free, GF)
Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Moist gluten free carrot cake cupcakes topped with creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting. Packed with pineapple, pecans, spices, and carrots, like a traditional carrot cake, but gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, and with a dairy free option.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup refined coconut oil melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 8- oz. can crushed pineapple in juice drained, about 1 cup
- 1 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- 2 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese softened, see Note 1
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch ground ginger
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners, preferably parchment paper liners.
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In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Stir in coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir together until well combined. Add in drained crushed pineapple, carrots, and dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Whisk well until well combined and smooth, then fold in chopped pecans.
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Portion out batter into lined cupcake tin, filling each completely full. Recipe will make approximately 11-12 cupcakes. Bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, then remove cupcakes from the tin and let fully cool on a wire rack.
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In the meantime, make your cream cheese frosting. Combine softened cream cheese, maple syrup, softened coconut oil, vanilla extract, and ground ginger in a medium bowl. Beat with a stand or handheld mixer until completely smooth. Set aside.
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When cupcakes are completely cool, frost with an offset spatula or butter knife. You can also pipe a swirl onto the top of the cupcake then smooth with a spatula or butter knife. Garnish with a sprinkle of finely chopped pecans, if desired.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1
For dairy-free cream cheese, I like Kite Hill and Miyoko's. If you are paleo but eat some dairy, try a cultured dairy cream cheese like Nancy's! I definitely recommend the dairy version of this frosting if you tolerate it.
Note 2
To test cupcakes for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. The toothpick should come out clean with a few crumbs.
Note 3
I love parchment paper cupcake liners because they're so reliably nonstick. In fact, they're so nonstick that they have a little trouble staying on these muffins. If you're displaying or transporting these, you might want to use regular paper muffin liners here.
Note 4
For the frosting, make sure the coconut oil is quite soft. Otherwise, you will have a lumpy frosting full of little beads of solidified coconut oil. Using melted to make the frosting is OK, so long as you give the frosting plenty of time to solidify before frosting.
Hello, I am craving carrot cake and these cupcakes look delicious. I do not like pineapple though so was wondering if I could leave it out or do they depend on it for moistness?
It’s for moisture content and flavor!
Looks amazing. We have so many carrots right now that carrot cake just seems like the best use of them haha 🙂 thank you!
You are so welcome! Let me know how you like it!
Think this would make a good cake? I’ve made these a handful of times and they are DELISH. Always a hit! Any suggestions on time to bake?
I actually made a really similar recipe in cake form this spring! https://40aprons.com/paleo-carrot-cake/
I just tried making these tonight and they were delicious. Aside from being a bit too wet (I might’ve used too much pineapple??) the flavour was great! I cut down the sugar by a bit because the pineapple already seemed so sweet and it was perfect for me. I’m definitely going to try these again but with less pineapple. I also skipped the icing cause the muffins themselves were enough for me. Great recipe.
Pineapple could definitely be the culprit. I’m glad you liked them, though!
I made it today!. OMG, It was good… The only thing is that it was not that strong, perhaps I did not drain well the pineapple. I will give it a second try, in a few weeks.
Is there a difference in using unrefined coconut oil instead of refined coconut oil?
Refined coconut oil is more processed, so it has less of a coconut flavor. Unrefined has a deeper coconut flavor!
Just made these today and they are delicious! I love that they aren’t too sweet. I had a 20 oz can of pineapple, so wasn’t sure how much to use. I guessed 6 oz drained (not sure how they measure the cans—with juice or without!) and it worked out perfectly. It may help others if you can tell them how much measured in a measuring cup. I also used unrefined coconut oil and it still tasted delicious and skipped the walnuts as I didn’t have any. Finally, I used silicone muffin cups and they popped out perfectly. Thank you for this tasty recipe!
Thank you for the suggestion! I’m glad they turned out great!
These are absolutely delicious! This is the first paleo cupcake recipe I’ve made in which I can’t tell the difference from the original version. I didn’t have as much luck with the icing but I’ll keep working at it!
Sometimes it just takes practice! So glad you loved the recipe!
Damn.. this cake was GOOD. Gave my gluten living, sugar loving boyfriend a slice and he couldn’t even tell a difference!! I did use my own frosting recipe but this batter recipe, a keeper!! Thank you for the awesome recipes:)
Absolutely fantastic! You’d never know they’re Paleo! The cream cheese frosting is also delicious and I would eat it by itself in a heartbeat.
Sooooo good. Glad you loved them!
I just made these delicious Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins, low carb and gluten free..
The Cream Cheese frosting was also very tasty, I might use it on a Paleo Strawberry Cheesecake recipe. Thank you for sharing the recipe..
I made this recipe for my husband’s birthday last night. I used dairy cream cheese since we are flexible on the dairy. I baked it in a 8″ square cake pan for 30 minutes. It was really delicious. It was just as good as anything made with wheat and sugar. Sometimes Paleo baked goods can taste like a poor substitute. Not this. It was perfect.
These are really delicious!
Everyone loved these!!! I served them for a birthday celebration and whoosh!! They were gone.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of almond and tapioca flour? If so, do I need to adjust the any amounts in your recipe?
Can I sub the Almond Flour for something else?
Yes, the almond flour is just used to make it gluten-free.
Can I omit the coconut sugar or may I replace it for raw honey?
Sure, however, you may need to add a bit more honey to the recipe to match the flavors.
If I’m not concerned about not using refined sugar, would I use the same amount of cane sugar as you have listed for coconut sugar?
Yes!
Do you know if flax eggs would work well in this recipe?
Give it a try!
Can I substitute the tapioca flour out for something?
Totally! Any type of flour you prefer. If you use wheat flour please keep in mind it will no longer be GF, but that is okay!
These are spectacular as written! I am going to try these without the coconut sugar this weekend….just wondering if they will still be sweet enough. I follow whole30 and am eliminating any kind of sweetener. Has anybody tried it with no added coconut sugar?