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Five carrot cake cupcakes on a marble platter. On one of them was taken a bite out of it.
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5 from 4 votes

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!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Cooling time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: Gluten-free, Vegan
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 206kcal
Author: Petra

Equipment

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.
  •  
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