Paleo Carrot Cake with “Cream Cheese” Frosting (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Our paleo carrot cake recipe is an absolute dream! So easy to make, and made completely gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, and dairy free. With ingredients like grated carrots, crushed pineapple, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and ginger (to name a few), each bite of this super moist springtime cake is rich and full of flavor. Perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, or anytime you’re craving a better-for-you sweet treat!

🥕 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This carrot cake recipe not only gives you a perfectly paleo, refined-sugar-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and gluten-free carrot cake, but it gives you one that checks all those boxes WHILE ALSO tasting exactly like a traditional carrot cake. Seriously, no one would ever know you didn’t use regular flour or granulated sugar or dairy-loaded cream cheese.
• Because it’s made with oil, fresh carrots, and juicy crushed pineapple, there’s a ton of moisture in the sponge of the carrot cake. Don’t worry, it doesn’t feel oily or wet or mushy. Just unbelievably moist and tender! Pepper that with pieces of crunchy pecans and slather it with a rich paleo “cream cheese” frosting, and you’ve got a decadent, indulgent spring dessert.
• If you’re prepping for a holiday meal or a big party, add this carrot cake recipe to your list of dishes you can make ahead of time. Your first option is to bake the cake layers the day before, let them cool completely, then wrap each layer tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you’re ready to frost them. If you’ve already stacked the cake layers and frosted everything, pop the cake straight into the fridge, uncovered. As long as you haven’t cut into it yet, it can stay uncovered until you’re ready to serve it.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• Not feeling a layered carrot cake? You can totally make this as a carrot cake sheet cake instead! Just keep in mind that this is written to give you three 8-inch round layers of carrot cake. If you use the same quantities for a single layer 9×13 cake, you’ll have a little batter leftover. Don’t fill your baking dish more than ⅔ of the way, though, or the batter can overflow as it bakes. You’ll also need to adjust the bake time – one large cake generally needs a little more time.
• Like any good carrot cake recipe, this paleo carrot cake is finished off with a thick “cream cheese” frosting. If you’re new to this frosting, just know that it’s not as thick and fluffy as a buttercream, which means it also won’t cover quite like a buttercream. Chilling it can help thicken it up, but don’t panic if you end up with spots where the cake shows through.
• Speaking of the frosting – even though there’s no dairy in the recipe, you’ll still want to store your carrot cake in the fridge rather than at room temperature. Keeping it at room temperature can make the frosting too warm, which may cause it to slide off the cake. Plus, there’s a lot of moisture in the cake itself, so it can go bad pretty quickly if it’s left out for too long.
• Don’t use prepackaged shredded carrots. I know they can be a time saver, but they’re usually pretty dry and bland – two things you definitely don’t want for a cake. Trust me when I say that whole carrots grated specifically for this recipe are the way to go!

🌷 More Delicious Springtime Recipes You’ll Love

• Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Amazing Creamy Grape Salad with Pecans
• Air Fryer Hard Boiled Eggs
• Paleo Lemon Bars
• Whole30 Quiche Lorraine with Hash Brown Crush (Paleo, Gluten Free)
• Perfect Easy Peel Hard and Soft Boiled Eggs
• Carrot Cake Paleo Breakfast Bake with “Cream Cheese” Glaze (Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free)
• Ham Gravy
• Gluten-Free Lemon Cake
• Tarragon Chicken Salad with Almonds