The Best Dang Healthified Carrot Cake Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Frosting

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Introducing… THEE best dang carrot cake cupcakes and creaaaam cheese frosting.

YUP. The most accurate title I could come up with.

I’ve been on this major carrot cake kick for about the past month or so. I think the obsession really took flight after indulging in Carrot Cake Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. If you’re gonna get cheesecake you gotta get it from the pros, right?

Carrot cake is especially wonderful because you can trick yourself into believing it’s good for you. I mean, you’re eating a vegetable… DUH. And it’s also wonderful because it pairs ever so perfectly with my favorite icing — CREAM CHEEEESE.

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

Each cupcake is its own little carrot cake cheesecake on its own. And they’re cute. Y’all know how I feel about bite-sized food. So, mini cakes = heaven.

While developing the recipe I (of course) had to find the best baking swaps to make it “healthy” but also not taste like cardboard. And lemme tell ya…

I. STRUCK. GOLD.

They’re so good (!!!!) And i’m not just saying that because it’s my recipe… I wouldn’t post it for the world to make if they didn’t taste absolutely diviiiine.

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

And I definitely wouldn’t have made them for Michael’s birthday if they weren’t super duper tasty.

  1.  because i made them for his BIRTHDAY… can you say bad girlfriend if I did that? “Here’s some cupcakes! They taste like dirt! luv u. mean it.”
  2.  he can eat 18,000,000 cookies and not gain an ounce so he doesn’t care to waste his time on something “healthy.”

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

After I gave them to him this is how the conversation went:

E: Did you like them?? How’d they taste!?

M: Well I ate the first one so fast I couldn’t really taste it. But then I ate three for lunch the next day and they were literally the best cupcakes i’ve ever had. { E: gives eye roll because he has about 2% body fat } I couldn’t stop. I’m serious. those things are dangerous. Do you do testimonials on your site!??

E: *Editing blog post beside him and shows him a picture of cupcakes*

M: TURN THAT AWAY. You do realize we are like 5 mins from our apartment and I WILL drive back to get them.

End scene.

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

I like having options so if I were to make them for myself, I probably would have left half “naked” AKA no frosting.

Because, muffins.

Anyone else think the only thing that separates a muffin from a cupcake is icing? Or maybe I just want an excuse to eat cake for breakfast..? Oh welllll.

Now, I URGE you to run along and make them for yourself.

x, elizabeth

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

Ingredients —

i’ve linked my favorite brands below!

  • 1 Cup Flour
  • 3/4 Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1.5 Cups Grated Carrots (heaping)
  • 1/3 Cup Oil
  • 1/4 Cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
  • 1/4 Cup Applesauce
  • 2 Eggs, beaten

For The Frosting

  • 4 ounces (1/3 less fat) Cream Cheese
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 2+ Cups Powdered Sugar
  • 1  tsp Vanilla

healthy carrot cake cupcakes

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, & baking soda in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine the grated carrots, oil, apple sauce & greek yogurt.
  4. Slowly add the flour mixture, stirring until just mixed.
  5. Add the beaten eggs and stir as few times as possible while combining all ingredients.
  6. Grease a muffin tin or use paper liners. Scoop the batter into a muffin tin, filling each muffin tin about â…” of the way up the side.
  7. Bake around 13 minutes. Ovens vary but you want the muffin tops to be springy and bounce back to the touch. You can check with a toothpick, too.
  8. Frosting: blend the cream cheese, butter & vanilla until smooth.
  9. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.
  10. Frost them as desired!

x, elizabeth

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126 Comments

  1. Hello! Do you need to squeeze the juice from the carrots please? I tried other carrot muffin recipe twice and I also failed twice. Thank you so much!

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much!! Haha that’s what I’m sayinn! Cake for breakfast. Please and thank you 🙂

      Reply

  12. Congrats on the new name and making that big move. I remember when I moved to wordpress. It was exciting but a little stressful too.
    Those carrot cake cupcakes look quite enticing! It’s a great idea to have them without the icing and call them muffins! YUM! Pinning.

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much! It’s been quite the transition but I’m sooo glad I did it! I hope you’re all settled into wordpress now 🙂 Thank you for sharing!! Means a lot, xx

      Reply

    1. They really weren’t difficult at all! I’m allll for easy recipes. Less expensive and less clean up haha. Yay! I hope he loves them!!

      Reply

  18. Omg – MUST make. These look so insane, and I’m sure my friends would love me for making them. Must give them a go! Thank you for sharing this yummy recipe 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much!! My boyfriend keeps bringing them up haha so I’m positive your friends would love them! Thank YOU for reading 🙂

      Reply

    1. Haha cupcakes are just way more fun than regular cake! And carrot cake is alwayssss a good idea! Thank you!

      Reply

  22. Oh my goodness! This looks so delicious. I love carrot themed anything and cream cheese is just always a good idea.

    Reply

    1. Haha no worries! I hope my site isn’t weirding out on you! But thank you 🙂 and I agree. ANYTHING from scratch is a million times better!

      Reply

  27. Who doesn’t love carrot cake! These look to die for and you have beautiful pictures too! I pinned this for later!

    Reply

    1. Hi! I’d absolutely LOVE if you shared them! Thanks for asking 🙂 Let me know when it’s live so I can check out your post!! x

      Reply

  29. These look and sound amazing! I love cream cheese on just about anything too. Thanks for sharing these beauties.

    Reply

  30. These look and sound amazing! I love cream cheese on just about anything too. Thanks for sharing these beauties.

    Reply

  31. These look and sound amazing! I love cream cheese on just about anything too. Thanks for sharing these beauties.

    Reply

  32. Your pictures are gorgeous! You make the cupcakes look so inviting that I want to eat them all immediately. =) I am a sucker for carrot cake, and this recipe looks so moist and delicious. I can’t wait to try it! Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Awh thanks SO much!! The photography is still one big learning process for me, so your comment means the world! Let me know how they turn out! 🙂

      Reply

  34. These look so tasty and moist! I could definitely use one as a mid afternoon snack at the office 🙂

    Reply

    1. Well then this post was designed for you! Haha. And yesss, icing is my weakness! I eat it on graham crackers all. the. time. Thanks for reading!

      Reply

  36. I can’t tell you how hungry you’re making me right now. I love carrot cake. And the fact that your version is healthy is a big bonus.

    Thanks for posting this!

    Reply

  37. Carrot Cake is by far my favorite type of dessert!! I love that your recipe doesn’t have pineapple or raisins in it – those are my least favorite add-ins when people try to be ‘creative’. LOL – Katy

    Reply

    1. Hahaha your comment made me lol for sure. But yeah I agree! I feel like its better to just have a plain recipe and let people get "creative" on their own 😉 But as for me i’ll just take a huge blob of icing please!

      Reply

    1. Hmm.. is it a savory puree or just plain? Some are made with garlic and broth which could get kinda funky as a dessert haha. It might be kinda gooey but it’s worth a shot! You might be on to something 🙂

      Reply

  44. These look amazing! I only wish my husband loved carrot cake as much as I did. These healthy versions might do the trick though, then I won’t feel so guilty if he doesn’t eat any and I eat them all 😉

    Reply

    1. Haha exactly!! The recipe only makes twelve cupcakes, and 2 cupcakes = 1 piece of cake. SO basically you’re just meal prepping for the week.. at least thats how I see it 😉

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Jennifer! It’s slowly becoming my absolute favorite! And girl, you’re not joking. So. Much. Work. But so worth it! xx

      Reply

  49. It looks good but I’m not so sure how really healthy it is with all that frosting. Maybe without the frosting it will be a bit healthier. The kids won’t however eat it without the frosting. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Haha that’s why I said "healthified" instead of "healthy" 😉 Still a better option than most desserts you’ll find!

      Reply

    1. Exactly! I had to be sneaky with the ingredient swaps, but as you can see Michael was still a HUGE fan!

      Reply

  55. I usually don’t like carrot cake but this actually looks good!!! Great recipe Great post xx felinebykatsaris.com

    Reply

  59. Yum! I love carrot cake! It is one of my favorites, and what we have used for birthday cakes some in the past. I will have to try this recipe, I’ve never used yogurt before.

    Reply

    1. It’s so overlooked! People immediately think CHOCOLATE (!!!) when they hear "cake".. but i’m so over that! Carrot cake is my jam haha. And greek yogurt is such a life saver in baking!!

      Reply

  62. I love cream cheese frosting! I am going to have to try this recipe with it on carrot cake! It sounds amazing!

    Reply

  63. Love carrot cake… I will have to make these soon! I am going to be changing domains soon too… when the name no longer feels right I say take the leap and change it! I love the new name!

    Reply

  68. Congratulations on the move. Your new site looks fabulous! Carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are a bit part of our lives! They are my husband’s favorite and I make them at every opportunity.

    Reply

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