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.
sharon
Can I add rasins? If so, how much should I add? I plan on havingk them for Easter brunch with my family.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Sharon! You can add raisins if you wish. I would just eye-ball it, and add as you see fit, maybe 1/2 cup. 🙂
Jess M
This is the best carrot cake (and cream cheese frosting) I have ever tasted and my husband agrees. I hand grated the carrots and nutmeg and added some fresh lemon zest. Saving this recipe forever!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Jess! I am so glad that you both enjoyed the cake! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
Jenn
I absolutely love this recipe! Would it be enough to make a full size Bundt cake?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Jenn! Yes, someone recently made this recipe in a bundt pan and had success. 🙂
Ashley
Could I use olive oil instead of canola?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ashley! I recommend using a neutral oil when baking cakes (vegetable or canola). I do not recommend olive oil since it has such a strong flavor and will alter the taste. 🙁
Dave Minden
I put in 1/2 the oil and subbed in an equal quantity of crushed pineapple – still very moist and great flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it turned out so well and you enjoyed the cake, Dave! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
Merc2020
Thank you Sugar Spun Run! This was a fantastic recipe; always skeptical on baking in convection oven but all came out well with Easy Convect function and these cupcakes were truly amazing!
Kind regards and my hats off to the chef who provided this wonderful recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed my recipe, Merc! Thanks for trying it! 🙂
Carley Carter
My recipe turned out more oily than moist, and I weighed the oil. I’d make it again as a tester but if these had frosting on them, it would be a little much in the fat realm (not in terms of calories, in terms of textures and tastes).
Sam
Hi Carley, what do you mean that you weighed the oil? How much oil did you use? They shouldn’t be oily.
Jamie
I do believe I just replaced my old recipe… this one is FANTASTIC with simple ingredients! No applesauce, pineapple, etc. The cream cheese frosting recipe is also probably my favorite now too! The only change I made was that I made 6 jumbo cupcakes rather than the 12 standard sized ones for my mom’s birthday/Mother’s Day treat. The jumbos were baked for apx 26 mins. They’re FABULOUS! Moist, flavorful, and super delicious! I’ll admit… although I’ve stalked your recipes before I haven’t actually tried many (or any?). That’s going to change!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed these so much, Jamie! I hope you love everything you try! I look forward to hearing from you again. 🙂
Allison
Totally worked with gf flour one to one substitute. Delicious! Thank you! Cream Cheese Frosting is so yum too!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it worked so well with the 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour and that you enjoyed the cake, Allison! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Julia
I love these and have been making them for a while 🙂 I’m wondering, could I replace the carrots with 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach and blend it all together in the blender before putting in the muffin tins? Would it turn out okay?
I like spinach muffins but a lot of the recipes out there have things I don’t always have on hand such as honey, applesauce, whole wheat flour and bananas.
Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Julia! I have honestly never tried it. I think its worth a shot. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Mike
We are starting our first day of “shelter at home”.
Wife said she could tolerate the time better if I made a batch of her favorite carrot cupcakes.
This is the 4rd go round of cupcakes. I double the recipe and it makes 18 large cupcake/muffins.
Thanks again!
Mike and Michelle
Sugar Spun Run
If you have to shelter indoors, a sweet treat and time baking is the perfect way to spend the day, Mike! I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe. I appreciate your feedback and hope that you stay well. 🙂
Kenna
These cupcakes are absolutely delicious, and were a big hit at my sister’s birthday. However, I do not think that the frosting recipe pairs very well with these cupcakes. The frosting is so thick and dense, and the cupcakes are very light and fluffy. The flavors went together very well!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Kenna! I am sorry that you found the cream cheese frosting too dense for this cake. Next time, you can substitute it with a classic vanilla frosting that is lighter if you prefer. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! 🙂
Kim Gill
I like to fold in an equal amount of whipped cream to my cream cheese frosting when I’m going for a lighter fluffier frosting. Doesn’t alter the flavor. You may try this if you’re looking for a lighter frosting.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for sharing, Kim! 🙂
Dee
Can I use coconut oil instead of canola?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Dee! I haven’t tried coconut oil, but I think that it will be fine. The coconut oil may alter the taste slightly. I hope that you enjoy the cupcakes. 🙂
Amy Proctor
Hi do these freeze well?
Without the frosting.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Amy! I personally have never frozen this cake, however, someone else mentioned that they have with success. I hope that you do too. 🙂
Maria
These were delicious (as always 😊). I was thinking about making mini versions of these for Easter, do you happen to have any suggestions? Thanks for the great recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Maria! I have baked many of my cupcakes into mini cupcakes so I am sure this will do just fine. I have not tried it myself, so I have no personal recommendations. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Dawna
S#2
Can I halve the recipe? What size of pan should I use? Thank you. I’d like to try this recipe but for a smaller size first.
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Dawna! You can most certainly adjust to the recipe to accommodate the size of pan you are trying to bake in. I have a carrot cake recipe that will work as well. What size pan do you have on hand? The carrot cake recipe yields two 8″ pans. You can easily half that to make one 8″ pan. 🙂
Lisa A Watson
Super moist very easy to make. Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the carrot cake cupcake, Lisa! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Nana
Hi. Can I substitute regular flour for gluten free flour?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Nana! I do not have experience baking with gluten-free flour so unfortunately, I can not advise. I know others have tried it and it has worked well for them, so I hope that it will for you as well. Keep me posted on how your cupcakes turn out. 🙂
Nana
They turned out great! Very nice and fluffy. I used my measuring cup for the flour and for some reason 1 1/4 cup seemed too much. I am not sure why. I only realized that once I mixed all the ingredients together and saw the consistency of the mix. I then doubled all the other ingredients to make the mix more liquidy and they turned out so tasty.
Sugar Spun Run
Hmmm… Could you have over measured the flour possibly? This is a common mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to properly measure flour that can be used as a reference. I am happy that you were able to adjust it and your cupcakes turned out well. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Ellen Mackay
Hi! Can I double this recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Ellen! Yes, this recipe can be easily doubled. 🙂