Coconut Flour Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Last Updated on February 8, 2024

Looking for a healthy carrot cake recipe using coconut flour? These light and moist coconut flour carrot cupcakes are topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting.

I’m pretty much obsessed with carrot cake cupcakes and I love the cream cheese frosting. (who doesn’t, right?!)

What you’ll find in this recipe are shredded carrots and other real food ingredients in this recipe. It’s a great recipe for using coconut flour to create delicious carrot muffins for the kids.

Paleo coconut flour Carrot Cake on a table top

Carrot Cake is my favorite cake hands down so it’s no surprise that it was my first gluten-free recipe. My mother only bought vanilla cake or chocolate cake mixes, so I can remember clearly the first time I had it. I was living in Australia and attending the birthday of a friend who turned the old age of 6.

Make certain to check out my   German Chocolate Cake Frosting for even more of that sweet flavor and taste.

Delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes

n my family, food comes first, so I checked out the cake early on and saw that it was a strange gold color with specks of orange.  Little did I know that by the end of the party I would be a carrot cake convert and want it for my birthday every year. You can easily turn these coconut flour carrot cupcakes into a cake but you will want to double the recipe. I personally don’t want another pan to clean.

I think that you’ll find that once you make this gluten free carrot cake, you’re really not going to want any other recipe out there. There’s just something about using that gluten free grain in the recipe that makes you feel like you’re “cheating” when you’re really not.

three Coconut Flour  Carrot Cupcakes on a plate

Tips for Making Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Coconut Flour

The biggest thing to keep in mind when you make this recipe is that you need to finely shred the carrots so that they have the consistency that you want. You’re going to find that this might add to your prep time but it will not only look amazing but will create a cake that you can’t wait to try.

The other big thing to consider is that you need to let the cake cool completely before you attempt to add on any frosting. If you try to frost these carrot cake cupcakes too fast, you’re going to end up with a coconut flour carrot cake that has the frosting sliding right off the top.

Coconut Flour Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

You’ll find that this gluten free carrot cake recipe is a fast and easy way to make a grain free carrot cake dessert.

Ingredients to make gluten free carrot cake recipe

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and finely shredded
  • 1/3 cup raisins

Ingredients to make this homemade frosting for the coconut flour cupcakes recipe

  • 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
  • 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

How to Make Gluten Free Carrot Cake

Making a coconut flour carrot cake is really quite simple to do. You just need to gather up the ingredients listed above for the carrot cake and the cream cheese frosting and you’re well on your way to making the best coconut flour carrot cake cupcakes, ever.

Don’t forget to preheat the oven to 350 degrees as well before getting started.

Mix together the wet ingredients

In a large bowl mix together the eggs, ghee, vanilla, honey, and applesauce until completely blended with an electric beater. You can also add in some maple syrup as well in place of the honey if you want.

Add in the dry ingredients

Next add the baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and sifted coconut flour into the wet ingredients.

Mix until fully blended.

Add in the grated carrots

Last but not least add the grated carrots and raisins and mix with a spoon.

Pour the carrot cake cupcakes mixture into the pan

Pour your batter into 12 cupcake tins and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.

Start to make the frosting

For the frosting, add the cream cheese, maple syrup, and lemon to a blow, and with a hand mixer blend together all the ingredients until smooth.

Apply to the cooled carrot cake cupcakes. You shouldn’t have to alter your cook time for this but just add in a bit more rest time.

Enjoy!

Do you really have to wait for the carrot cake cupcakes to come to room temperature?

If you’re going to add frosting, the coconut flour carrot cake dessert needs to be nice and cool. If you’re not worried about the frosting at all, you can add other toppings to these carrot cake cupcakes for whatever suits your tastebuds.

Carrot cake cupcakes taste great with powdered sugar, chopped walnuts, or anything else that you think might taste great. As long as whatever you’re adding to these carrot cake cupcakes keeps them being a gluten free carrot cake, you don’t have to stress or worry.

How do you store these leftover carrot cake cupcakes?

The best thing to keep in mind when it comes to store paleo cake and paleo carrot cake is that you need to have them stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The carrot cake cupcakes should be kept cold because of the added ingredients. Even if you’re making something that is dairy free, I’ve always found that things last longer when stored in cooler temperatures.

Why are my coconut flour carrot cake cupcakes dry?

If you’re noticing that your coconut flour carrot cake dessert is bit drier in texture, you may have added in too much coconut flour to this gluten free carrot cake. You may also need to add in a tad bit more coconut oil to help balance it out.

There is also such a thing as adding in too little coconut flour to this gluten free cake so don’t try and overcompensate by not putting in enough. After making this gluten free carrot cake once, you’re going to find out the best way to make this work for you.

Is the cream cheese frosting soft?

It is. The added cream cheese frosting recipe is what makes this one of my favorite recipes. It’s a simple way to add a ton of flavor to these cupcakes. In fact, you could use this easily on any other type of gluten free baking recipe as well.

Because once you have recipes that you love, why limit yourself?

How long does it take to make these Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes with coconut flour?

You’re not really looking at that much prep time when it comes to making these coconut flour cupcakes. The biggest thing that you need to remember is that you need to sift the coconut flour which can add a bit of prep time.

You’re also going to want to remember to set the cream cheese out ahead of time to let it get to room temperature. Doing that will speed up the process of making these gluten free coconut flour cupcakes.

What other toppings can you add to this simple recipe?

That’s totally up to you. I love adding honey or even whipped coconut milk as well. (whipped coconut milk is seriously the best!) You can also add shredded coconut as delicious topping to these cupcakes. I never try to limit myself on an optional recipe or two for toppings.

I also love the simple sweet flavor that the coconut oil adds to these dairy free cupcakes as well. This means that this recipe might not even need anything extra to take it over the top. No matter how you make this recipe, add on whatever you’d like to these dessert muffins.

I’ve even been known to just drizzle honey once I’ve pulled them from the oven. I typically do this while they’re cooling right in the muffin pan.

I’ve made this simple recipe so many times that I love to change it up a bit. As long as the recipe is staying true to my gluten free recipe needs, I see no harm in adding in a few other fun ingredients. And for an extra added flavor, vanilla extract and lemon juice are both super fun additions, too. See why this is one of my favorite recipes?

Do all gluten free recipes use coconut flour?

Not all of them use coconut flour but a lot of them do. You’ll find that some gluten free recipes use almond flour which is another option, too.

Coconut flour tends to be a big choice because it adds in sweetness and flavoring that enhances the flavor for gluten free baking items. I love coconut flour because it’s versatile and has a good texture.

Have fun making these cupcakes using coconut oil! It’s a simple recipe that can give you a delicious gluten free cupcake with huge flavor and taste!

You can even add in 1 cup of extra carrots to have it be an even more carrots focused recipe! Don’t forget the shredded coconut as well as the extra honey if you want that, too. You’re going to think that these dessert muffins look amazing with all the added carrots and flavor!

Paleo Carrot Cake using Coconut Flour
Yield: 12

Coconut Flour Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Looking for a healthy carrot cake recipe using coconut flour? These light and moist coconut flour carrot cupcakes are topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

cake

frosting

  • 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
  • 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, ghee, vanilla, honey and applesauce until completely blended with an electric beater
  2. Next add the baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and sifted coconut flour into the wet ingredients.
  3. Mix until fully blended.
  4. Last but not the least add the grated carrots and raisins and mix with a spoon.
  5. Pour your batter in to 12 cupcake tins and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.
  6. For the frosting, add the cream cheese, maple syrup and lemon to a blow and with a hand mixer blend together all the ingredients until smooth.
  7. Apply to the cooled carrot cake cupcakes.
  8. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

12 Servings

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 244mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

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22 thoughts on “Coconut Flour Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting”

  1. Hey! Thx for the coconut flour recipe! I won a free bag of coconut flour several months ago and had no clue what to do with it. lol Couldn’t find any recipes online. Go figure. My son’s on a gluten free diet, and I’m sure he’ll love this!
    ~Wendy

    Reply
  2. This recipe is great. My 6 yer old was just diagnosed with a wheat sensitivity and I stumbled upon your recipe. Just made the cupcakes tonight. So good! My son likes them without icing. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Any idea how to effectively substitute that much egg?! I usually use apple sauce but last time with a different carrot cake recipe and all it did was make breadcrumbs! I know I can use chia seeds or the no egg but anyone tried it and how much? Should the cake consistency be a bit runny and sticking together rather than bread crumbs?! Thanks for any advice, guidance or help!

    Reply
  4. Thanks for this recipe…for some reason (most likely user problem), my muffins came out very wet…. is this how it is supposed to be?

    Reply
  5. My SO has gluten sensitivity and recently said “I miss carrot cake :(” So I embarked on an exhaustive internet search and found these beauties! he LOVED them….thank you for the post! It’s nice to make things he enjoys since his medical condition has sucked the joy out of much of his diet.. They do come out a bit wet, but I just flip them over in the same cupcake tin and put them back in the oven for a few minutes with the over off (after cooling them a bit) and that dries them up. nicely

    Reply
  6. Can the cupcakes be frozen as well as the frosting separately please. I also assume the ghee mentioned should be the coconut oil. Thank you so much. I am going to add some finely chopped pineapple with the raised and carrots
    Diane

    Reply
  7. Hi! In the ingredients you list coconut oil and in the instructions you say ghee. Which is the correct ingredient, and if it’s ghee, how much? Thank you!

    Reply

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