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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Recipes

    Published: Apr 8, 2022 · Modified: Feb 28, 2024 by Petra · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Gluten-free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    A collage of photos of gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes with text overlay "Healthy carrot cake cupcakes". A photo of gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes with text overlay "Healthy carrot cake cupcakes".

    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!

    Five carrot cake cupcakes on a marble platter. On one of them was taken a bite out of it.

    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!

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients and Notes
    • How to Make Gluten-free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQ
    • How to Store
    • Optional Add-ins
    • More Gluten-free Desserts
    • 📖 Recipe

    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

    Gathered ingredients for making gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes.
    • 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.

    A food processor bowl filled with a mixture of eggs, buttermilk, oil, and dates.
    Cupcake batter in a food processor bowl.

    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.

    Blue muffin tin filled with cupcake batter.
    Baked carrot cake cupcakes in a blue muffin tin.

    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

    Can I omit the eggs to make this recipe vegan?

    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.

    Can I use a different flour such as almond flour?

    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.

    Are they good for freezing?

    Yes! You can freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or a plastic bag. Let thaw before serving.

    How to tell when gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes are ready?

    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.

    Six carrot cake cupcakes on a marble platter, topped with carrot cake frosting without cream cheese.

    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
    A carrot cake cupcakes on a marble platter, with a bite taken out of it.

    More Gluten-free Desserts

    Gluten-free Apple Crisp Without Flour

    Baked Apples with Cinnamon

    Carrot Cake Smoothie

    No-Bake Brownie Bites

    Vegan Lemon Pie with Oat Crust

    📖 Recipe

    Five carrot cake cupcakes on a marble platter. On one of them was taken a bite out of it.

    Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    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!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine: Gluten-free, Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Cooling time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 muffins
    Author: Petra
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Food processor
    • 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)
    Step-by-step imagesScroll back to find detailed recipe photos!

    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.
    •  
    Storage
    • 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.
     
    *You can make your own oat flour by blending old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender. Make sure to blend for at least 1 minute (or more as needed), until they've turned into a fine powder.
     
    **As of April 2022, this recipe was updated with a few changes that yield a better result.
     
    ***Calories per muffin. Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 206kcal

    Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.

    Tried this recipe?Leave me a rating and a comment telling me how it went. Or tag me at @sunglowkichen and hashtag #sunglowkitchen on Instagram!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Silviya Alexandrova says

      November 11, 2021 at 9:00 am

      5 stars
      Scrumptiously delicious!

      Reply
    2. Fari says

      July 23, 2021 at 1:15 pm

      5 stars
      It's crazy how everything you post is so good! Waiting for more recipes. Congratulations keep going! 🙌

      Reply
      • Petranka says

        October 26, 2021 at 7:37 am

        Thank you so much for the review! Much love xo

        Reply
    5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Petra!

    I'm a professional chef and a certified nutritionist! Sunglow Kitchen is all about easy vegan and vegetarian recipes that anyone can make at home, even if you're a beginner. Learn more about me here!

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