Soft, fluffy, and moist carrot cake cupcakes! Made completely from scratch with real grated carrots and the option to add nuts or raisins, these cupcakes are always a hit! Make sure to top them off with the absolute best cream cheese frosting.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes will forever be my favorite way to get my daily serving of vegetables. Give me a cupcake and a zucchini muffin for each hand and I’ve got the bottom of the food pyramid covered.
Alright, maybe carrot cake cupcakes aren’t the best way to get your daily vegetables, but it’s definitely the tastiest, especially when topped off with a very generous swirl of cream cheese frosting. They’re soft, moist, and cheerfully fluffy, these cupcakes taste like springtime and sunny weather (which I could really, really use right now!).
These carrot cake cupcakes are a modified version of my favorite carrot cake. The recipe is almost identical to the cake portion except for a bit more liquid in the batter — the original is perfect for cake but I found it to be too dense in the small space of a cupcake liner and added some milk for a bit of levity.
I use all oil in this recipe (no butter) for the moistest (sorry if you hate that word, if you have a better substitute I’m happy to hear it!) cupcakes, and thanks to the spices you’re not missing anything in terms of flavor, I promise! I found that butter just didn’t give these cupcakes the texture that they really needed.
I have a few tips on how to make your own carrot cake cupcakes turn out perfectly, so let’s get into that!
Tips for Making Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- I recommend using the grate setting on your food processor to prepare your carrots, and then briefly pulsing them in your food processor for fine shreds of carrot. I feel like just grating them leaves carrot pieces that are too big, but don’t overdo it when you pulse or you’ll have carrot juice and it will impart way too much carrot flavor into your cupcakes!
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a hand grater to grate your carrots.
- While I didn’t use them for my carrot cake cupcakes, you can add walnuts, pecans, or raisins (why, though!) to this recipe, if you’d like. This batter can hold about ½-1 cup of add-ins.
- This recipe can be doubled to make 24 cupcakes.
Enjoy! The full printable recipe is just below the video, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you enjoy watching these videos!!
How Do You Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (157 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar packed
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¾ cups (180 ml) avocado, vegetable, or canola oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) grated carrots
- ½ cup (60 g) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- 1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a 12-count muffin pans with paper liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl using an electric mixer), whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.1 ¼ cups (157 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar packed, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Stir in oil. Add eggs, one at a time, pausing to scrape down sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat until well-combined.¾ cups (180 ml) avocado, vegetable, or canola oil, 2 large eggs
- Stir in vanilla extract and milk.1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 Tablespoons milk
- Add carrots and nuts (if using). and stir until combined.1 ½ cups (170 g) grated carrots, ½ cup (60 g) chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- Evenly divide batter into cupcake liners, filling each ⅔-¾ of the way full. Transfer to oven and bake on 350F (175C) for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool in the baking tin for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating with cream cheese frosting*.1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Rachel
These are by far the best carrot cake cupcake myself and my work colleagues have ever had.
But is it possible to make these gluten free? I have my gluten free flour to substitute but do i need to tweak the recipe at all?
Thank you so much!
Sam
Hi Rachel! I haven’t tried making them gluten free so I can’t say for sure exactly how it would go. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Rachel Iannazzo
Hello sorry have only just seen this, so sorry!!
I did make them using Orgran Gluten Free Plain Flour, and added a 2 teaspoonsof apple sauce to keep them moist 🙂 these also kept fairly well in the fridge considering they’re gluten free 🙂
Patty Palmer
Did you try making them gluten free? I was going to make them today with Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF. Would love to know if you tried, what you used, and how they turned out. Thanks!
Rachel Iannazzo
Hello sorry have only just seen this, so sorry!!
I did make them using Orgran Gluten Free Plain Flour, and added a 2 teaspoonsof apple sauce to keep them moist 🙂 these also kept fairly well in the fridge considering they’re gluten free 🙂
Melissa Marshall
Can I freeze the cupcakes a week before frosting them?
Sam
Hi Melissa! That will work just fine. 🙂
Carrie
Soooooo easy and sooooooo good. Made them for a friend’s birthday. May or may not have some in the oven for no reason right now 😂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Carrie! My reason is always, “because I wanted it,” and that’s good enough in my book. 🤣
Janette
Can these be frozen, unfrosted?
Sam
Hi Janette! That should work just fine. 🙂
Hope
I love this recipe I make it all the time. My family always enjoys it and they are so moist and fluffy.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Hope! 🙂
Ami
Hello. Are these mini cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Ami! They are standard-sized cupcakes 🙂
Michelle
I made these for a family picnic and topped the with the cream cheese frosting…they were uh-mazing! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Michelle! 🙂
Kate
Amazing! Super easy recipe, turned out super moist and delicious.
Daisy
Excellent recipe. My cupcakes turned out light, soft, and delicious. I will definitely make again,😀
Sam
So glad to hear this, Daisy! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!!
Emma
Great
Cassi
hi! I’m about to start making them but I’m just wondering if nutmeg is needed or if there is an ingredient that can substitute it instead.
Sam
Hi Cassi! You can just leave it out, that’s probably what I would do if I didn’t have it. I hope you love the cupcakes!
Melody
My whole family loves them! i also used vegetable oil instead of canola and they turned out fine. I recommend cutting down the frosting recipe if you don’t like that much frosting (I actually used 1/2 of the frosting recipe and it was still too much).
Catherine
Hi there!
Do you think I could bake this recipe in a loaf pan instead of making cupcakes?
TIA!
Sam
Hi Catherine! This should work just fine in a a loaf pan. I’m not sure on a bake time though. Enjoy! 🙂
Rebecca
Hi there!
Just curious if the nutritional information is for 1 cupcake with the generous frosting?
There seems to be a bit of a discrepancy between the info here and the information under the cream cheese frosting recipe.
I may just be reading it wrong but any help would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Sam
Hi Rebecca! I’m sorry for the confusion! I have updated the description. It should have read without frosting, not with frosting. 🙂
nina
hi! will this recipe stay good unfrosted and covered for two days?
Sam
As long as they are kept in an air tight container that would work just fine. 🙂
Jen
Will olive or avocado oil work instead of canola?
Sam
Hi Jen! It will work, it will just change the flavor of the cupcakes. I really recommend sticking with a neutral oil if possible. 🙂
Denise
Hi!
I’ve made your cupcake recipe several times now and my family absolutely loves it! I’m wondering if I can use this same recipe to make individual sized bundt cakes versus cupcakes? Would that be possible??
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Denise! I don’t see any reason why making them in a mini bundt pan wouldn’t work. 🙂