Our Gluten-free Carrot Cake Cupcakes are moist, fluffy, packed with warming spices and carrot flavor! They're made with healthy ingredients in just 1 bowl! Perfect for Easter, spring, or any time!
This recipe was updated on 08/04/2022 to include better content.
Tender, light, and fluffy, these easy carrot cake cupcakes will be your new favorite gluten-free treat! Perfect for a mid-day snack or a quick healthy breakfast.
They are naturally sweetened with dates and packed with crunchy toasted walnuts. Top with carrot cake frosting if you're feeling fancy, or enjoy them on their own!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy and sweetened with dates. These cupcakes are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free. They're made with whole plant-based ingredients and are high in fiber.
- Made right in the food processor! You'll need only one bowl to make them.
- They taste like an actual carrot cake! Even though they're healthy we haven't compromised with the flavor.
- Budget-friendly. You may already have the ingredients in your kitchen. And if not, everything is easy-to-find and accessible.
Ingredients and Notes
- Carrots: Use your food processor to quickly shred them.
- Oat flour: To make your own oat flour place rolled oats in a blender or a food processor and blend for 1 minute or until a fine flour is formed.
- Milk: We suggest using either soy, pea, or regular milk. These two seem to work best for making homemade buttermilk.
- Oil: I think that olive oil makes the cupcakes fluffier and slightly better than coconut oil does. Having said that, any oil can work here.
- Walnuts: If you want to make this recipe nut-free, you can skip them.
- Vanilla extract: it's optional but gives a wonderful flavor.
- Spices: we use cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg.
How to Make Gluten-free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Step 1: Make the buttermilk
In a small bowl combine soy milk with vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes or until it clumps.
Step 2: Shred the carrots
Shred your carrots using the food processor. Then measure out 2 cups and set them aside.
Step 3: Blend the wet ingredients
Add eggs, dates, buttermilk, and oil, and blend until the mixture is smooth and no clumps of dates appear.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients
Next, add the dry ingredients - shredded carrots, oat flour, baking soda, spices, and vanilla extract (optional). Pulse a few times until everything is well mixed. Add the walnuts and stir using a spatula.
Step 5: Bake
Divide the batter evenly between muffin liners and top with more chopped walnuts. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until the top appears golden. After they cool, you can top them with powdered sugar glaze, or cream cheese frosting.
Expert Tips
- Use soft Medjool dares. This is a key part of this recipe. If your dates are too dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, then make sure to drain really well.
- Let the cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes after baking. They will continue to firm as they cool, and if you try to eat them right away, they may be too soft and crumbly.
- Fill the cupcake liners close to the top. The batter makes enough so you can fill each tin to the top.
- Don't over blend! You don't want to lose that texture from the grated carrots, so blend just until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Toast your nuts before adding them to the batter. Toasting really brings out the flavor of nuts, so I always take a few extra minutes to do it. It's so worth it!
- If you don't have a food processor, you can make this recipe in a large mixing bowl. You'll still need to puree the dates with the rest of the wet ingredients.
FAQ
I don't think this is going to work. Eggs play a big role in this recipe, they help the cupcakes to rise and firm up. If you're wanting your cupcakes to be both vegan and gluten-free check out this recipe by Loving It Vegan.
With gluten-free baking, it's not a good idea to change the type of flour you're using, as they're all different. I think that using a gluten-free flour blend that has xanthan gum in it can work. However, I haven't tested it and can't say for sure.
Yes! You can freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or a plastic bag. Let thaw before serving.
Since these cupcakes are pretty moist, the toothpick test is not reliable. They're ready when the tops are golden and they've risen above the cupcake tin.
How to Store
Once cooled, you can store these gluten-free carrot cake muffins in an air-tight container. If stored at room temperature, consume in 3 days. If stored in the fridge, they last for up to 5 days.
Optional Add-ins
- Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar
- Nuts such as pecans, almonds, or cashews
- Dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries
- Seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- Orange zest to brighten them up a little bit
More Gluten-free Desserts
Vegan Lemon Pie with Oat Crust
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Equipment
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 2 cups (~160g) shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp olive oil (or sub with coconut oil or canola oil)
- 15 Medjool dates, pitted (130-140g)
- ⅓ cup soy milk (or regular milk if not dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 ⅔ cup oat flour* (make sure it's gluten-free!)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
- A healthy pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts* (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, make buttermilk by combining soy milk and vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes or until it clumps.
- In the meantime, shred your carrots using the food processor if you haven't already, Measure out 2 cups and set them aside.
- To the same food processor bowl, add dates, oil, eggs, and buttermilk. Blend until no clumps of dates appear and the mixture is smooth.
- Add shredded carrots, oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract (optional), and pulse a few times to mix. Don't overmix! Add walnuts (optional) and mix with a spatula or a spoon.
- Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners filling almost to the top. Top with chopped walnuts (optional) and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden. We don't recommend a toothpick test for this recipe.
- Let the muffins cool at least 30 minutes after baking. They will continue to set as they cool.
Video
Notes
- Use soft Medjool dares. This is a key part of this recipe. If your dates are too dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes, then make sure to drain really well.
- Let the cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes after baking. They will continue to firm as they cool, and if you try to eat them right away, they may be too soft and crumbly.
- Fill the cupcake liners close to the top. The batter makes enough so you can fill each tin to the top.
- Don't over blend! You don't want to lose that texture from the grated carrots, so blend just until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
- Toast your nuts before adding them to the batter. Toasting really brings out the flavor of nuts, so I always take a few extra minutes to do it. It's so worth it!
- If you don't have a food processor, you can make this recipe in a large mixing bowl. You'll still need to puree the dates with the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Fridge: Once cooled, you can store these gluten-free carrot cake muffins in an air-tight container. If stored at room temperature, consume in 3 days. If stored in the fridge, they last for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Once cooled, you can freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or a plastic bag. Let thaw before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Fari says
It's crazy how everything you post is so good! Waiting for more recipes. Congratulations keep going! 🙌
Petranka says
Thank you so much for the review! Much love xo
Silviya Alexandrova says
Scrumptiously delicious!