These carrot cake cupcakes are everything you love about the cake—outstanding spice flavor, super moist crumb, and velvety cream cheese frosting—in a portioned cupcake wrapper! I’ve scaled down my popular carrot cake recipe to bring you a batch of cupcakes that’s easier and quicker, but just as delicious.
One reader, Leigh, commented: “Followed recipe exactly and cupcakes were delicious! Loved the tip about grating then coarse chopping the carrots. Piped frosting was the perfect consistency and so pretty. ★★★★★“
I think we can all agree that carrot cake and cream cheese frosting is a flavor duo surpassing time—it’s just never going out of style. I love it as carrot cake loaf and mixed up in this carrot Bundt cake. But nothing can compare to original carrot cake and today’s cupcake version. Just CLASSIC!
Tell Me About These Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Flavor: These cupcakes are scrumptiously spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. You also have brown sugar, a little applesauce, natural sweetness from carrots, and the tangy-sweet frosting.
- Texture: The crumb of these cupcakes is soft and moist, but not at all greasy. (A difficult balance to achieve, but this recipe nails it!)
- Ease: Bakers of any skill level can handle this dessert recipe. You can mix the cupcake batter by hand, though I recommend using a mixer to make the cream cheese frosting.
- Time: The batch of cupcakes takes about 2 hours start to finish, and that includes cooling. Cupcakes cook faster than cake layers, but they still need to cool completely before frosting.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: carrot cake is only good if it’s spiced and if it’s moist. Under-spiced carrot cake tastes like nothing. Dry carrot cake tastes like you forgot you were baking a cake and frosted a vegetable instead. Ha! I encourage you to stick to my recipe below for best results.
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
You can make carrot cake cupcakes with a handful of staple kitchen ingredients and these are the most important:
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar not only sweetens the cupcakes, it lends more flavor and moisture than white sugar. I love using dark brown sugar in this recipe.
- Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger add warmth and depth of flavor without overpowering anything else. I usually add some ground cloves to carrot cake recipes, but it’s quite potent and I don’t like it as much in the cupcakes.
- Vegetable Oil: When preparing cupcakes without strong flavors, like vanilla cupcakes, I prefer to use butter as the fat, because it adds flavor. But when I’m making a cupcake recipe with flavorful ingredients like these spiced cupcakes, I find using flavorless oil lets all those spice flavors shine. (Also, oil keeps the cupcakes SO VERY moist!)
- Carrots: Obviously, you need carrots. But actually, this recipe would be tasty if you substituted shredded apple or zucchini instead!
- Unsweetened applesauce: Applesauce adds even more moisture to these cupcakes, without making them oily. I love the subtle flavor that it adds, but you could also use sour cream or plain yogurt. Another popular swap for the applesauce is crushed canned pineapple, an addition many bakers love in pineapple carrot cake!
You may be surprised to see there’s only 1 and 1/3 cups of flour, which isn’t much considering all of the wet ingredients. Keep in mind that shredded carrots, while not necessarily a dry ingredient, bulk up the batter. Any more flour created a denser muffin-like texture. Trust this recipe because it works for cupcakes!
Success Tip: Shredding the Carrots
The bags of pre-shredded carrots you can find at the grocery store are not worth the extra couple of minutes it saves you to peel and shred whole carrots yourself. Store-bought carrot shreds are dry and tough, and that will translate into your carrot cake cupcakes. Grab whole carrots, a peeler, and a box grater, and flex your grating muscles!
And beyond that: After you’ve finished shredding, give the carrots a rough chop, so the pieces are finer and can distribute evenly in each cupcake, like this:
In this photo, you can see the difference. You want more carrots (moisture! flavor!) in each bite, so chop those shreds:
Photos: How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s see a few photos of the process.
Expect a semi-thick cupcake batter:
We’re using my favorite cool and creamy cream cheese frosting recipe, which flawlessly pairs with warmly spiced desserts like carrot cake, spice cake, and pumpkin cake. One question we usually see with cream cheese frosting:
How Can I Keep My Cream Cheese Frosting Thick?
Cream cheese frosting is thinner than buttercream. Putting the frosting in the refrigerator for a bit—while you’re waiting for the cupcakes to cool—helps thicken it. This means your silky cream cheese frosting will hold its shape better when piped. Stick with basic piping tips and nothing intricate; even when chilled, the frosting will not hold shape as well as a sturdy buttercream.
And don’t fret, you don’t have to pipe this frosting; it’s just as tasty swiped on with a knife.
Or take it up another notch and fill your cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, too! Or even pastry cream. See my How to Fill Cupcakes post for more details on how to do so.
Which Other Frostings Could I Use? These carrot cake cupcakes would also taste great with whipped frosting, Swiss meringue buttercream, this caramel frosting, the cinnamon cream cheese frosting from these banana cupcakes, or simply unfrosted as carrot cake muffins (like morning glory muffins!).
What About a Dairy-Free Frosting Option?
Today’s cupcakes are dairy free when made with applesauce, so if you’re looking for a dairy free frosting, try this creamy marshmallow meringue frosting.
I topped this batch of cream cheese-frosted cupcakes with chopped nuts and a white chocolate carrot topper, but both are completely optional. See Notes for instructions on making the white chocolate topper!
Looking for Easter dessert inspiration? These cupcakes are always a favorite alongside a plate of jelly bean sugar cookies, or see 20+ more Easter dessert recipes.
Simply Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 12
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These carrot cake cupcakes are a scaled down version of my popular carrot cake recipe. You can mix this easy cupcake batter by hand, though I recommend using a mixer to make the cream cheese frosting. The white chocolate carrot topper is optional!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cups (166g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) unsweetened applesauce, sour cream, or plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (200g) peeled, shredded, and coarsely chopped carrots* (about 3 large carrots)
- optional add-in: 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans; raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (224g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- optional garnish: white chocolate carrot topper (see Notes) and/or finely chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, brown sugar, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla extract together until combined, and then whisk in the carrots. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold or whisk together until completely combined. Batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only about 3/4 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 21–23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 12–13 minutes, same oven temperature. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds and then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate the frosting as the cupcakes finish cooling—this is helpful if you plan to pipe the frosting with a piping bag + tip. Cold cream cheese frosting holds its shape better.
- Frost cooled cupcakes and top with optional garnish, if desired. I used an Ateco 808 piping tip and then swirled the center with a small icing spatula (you can see me do that in the video—totally optional way of decorating). Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Plain cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator. If frosting is thick/stiff after refrigerating, beat it with your mixer for a minute to help loosen it up. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Box Grater | Piping Bags (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco #808 Piping Tip | Small Icing Spatula | Cupcake Carrier (for storage)
- Vegetable Oil: You can use melted and slightly cooled coconut oil instead of vegetable oil. If doing so, it’s imperative all other ingredients in the cupcake batter are room temperature so the oil does not solidify.
- Applesauce/Sour Cream/Yogurt: You can use any of these options, but applesauce is my favorite because it adds a little extra flavor. Or you could use the same amount of canned crushed pineapple instead (no need to drain).
- Carrot: Don’t use pre-shredded carrots found in the produce aisle because they’re quite dry. Rather, freshly shred large carrots to yield approximately 1 and 1/2 cups (200g) of moist carrot shreds. Before measuring, give the shreds a rough chop so the pieces are finer and distributed nicely in each cupcake. And instead of carrots, you could even use shredded apple or zucchini.
- How to Make White Chocolate Carrots Garnish: In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 4 ounces (113g, usually 1 bar) of white chocolate in 20-second increments, stirring after each until perfectly smooth. Separate into two bowls (don’t worry about making them perfectly equal). Tint one bowl with orange gel food coloring, and the other with green gel food coloring. (Use gel food coloring because liquid food coloring can change the consistency. I like the brand AmeriColor—you can find their gel colors in the baking aisle of craft stores or give it a quick search online. I use and recommend this set of 6 colors or this set of 12 colors.) Pour into two squeeze bottles. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, wax paper, or a silicone mat, drizzle the orange melted chocolate into a carrot shape, then drizzle the green melted chocolate onto the tops to make the carrot stems. Refrigerate the pan until the chocolate carrots are set, at least 15 minutes. The white chocolate carrots do soften up when they come back to room temperature, so if making these cupcakes in advance, make sure to keep them in the refrigerator until it’s nearly time to serve them.
- Adapted from Carrot Cake Cupcakes in Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook. This version yields fewer and the cupcakes aren’t as dense.
Reader Comments and Reviews
New favourite cupcake recipe.
I made it for a colleague’s birthday at work, and everyone absolutely loved it. Definitely my new go-to recipe when I need to bring something for any type of get-together. I can’t wait to make it again and not share 🙂
They came out perfect..airy, moist and not too sweet.
I made these for the second time today, and they’re just perfect. Easy to make, consistent results. I couldn’t be happier. I also used your piping tips blog and got the Wilton 1M tip. I feel like a pro with how pretty they turned out!! Thank you for another amazing recipe.
I’m looking forward to trying this! Have you tried it to make mini cupcakes?
Hi Teresa, for around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 12–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
I made this recipe and substituted sour cream for applesauce. I substituted raisins ( less than the portion 1 1/2 cup). Added cloves & cardamom ( 1/4 tsp or less). Delicious. Served slightly warm, more DELICIOUS .
Hi. Planning in making these tomorrow. What is the best way to store this? In the fridge?
Hi Gaby, See the make ahead instructions in the notes section. We hope you love them!
If I need to make 100 cupcakes using this recipe how many batch would you do?
Hi Robyn! This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, so you would need to make 9 batches to have some leftover. You can also use the batter from our full sized carrot cake, that would yield about 24 cupcakes per batch.
I tried half the recipe for 6 cupcakes. It was so moist n tasted good. However, the amount of confectioners sugar for frosting is too sweet! Would reduce to 1/3 of the recipe.
Made this for family today and went down a treat with everyone! Added the walnuts and it was definitely the right thing to do!
Will definitely make again!
if i make these into 6″ cakes, can i make on the weekend & freeze them for a few days?
Hi Brooke, absolutely, here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cakes.
Can I use this recipe to make a 6 inch layer cake
Yes, absolutely! You can read more about using cupcake recipes to make 6 inch cakes in this 6 inch cakes post.
Sally, could you possibly add the words “rough chopped” in the actual recipe following the shredded carrot ingredient? I often read the recipe well ahead of the baking and print off the ingredients and this would be helpful. Thanks!
Thank you for the suggestion, Carla! I’ve updated the recipe.
Made these for Easter and they were amazing!!! I generally don’t like to bake because measuring all the ingredients is not my temperament, but this recipe was so easy to follow. Thank you, Sally!!
Loved this recibe. Thank You
These cupcakes were loved by everyone at our Easter dinner.
Delicious ! Everyone loved these cupcakes! Thankyou!
These were the BEST carrot cake cupcakes I have ever made. I am still getting compliments on them. I added raisins that I soaked in coconut rum and toasted pecans. These were so good, I want to make another batch right now!
Very good and super moist. Definitely follow the instructions and cut the carrots after shredding them. Really does make a difference. I infused mine with a toasted coconut rum. Got lots of compliments.
If anyone is wondering, I divided this into three six inch pans and baked them for 16 minutes and they came out perfect!
Thank you for this info! It’s exactly what I came to the comments for!
Thanks for the comment! I was wondering if it would translate well to 6in rounds.
Made these for Easter. Came out wonderful. I wish I could add a picture.
I’ve made this recipe thrice. It tasted amazing!!! My family and I really enjoyed them. I reduced the brown sugar to 3/4cup to not make it overly sweet and 1/4tsp nutmeg for extra spiciness. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Such a simple recipe to follow but so tasty! The icing recipe is perfect for piping, definitely put it in the fridge. If you don’t have the large piping tip, I think it’s worth the trip to the store to get one for that beautiful finish.
Cupcakes and frosting were great, white chocolate carrots not so much, consistency was never squeezable
Best carrot cake recipe ever! I decided to try something new this year and I am so glad I did. This will be my go to from now on. Thanks!
These were excellent! I used crushed pineapple instead of applesauce. They were moist and were cooked in 23 minutes. Icing is also delicious! Perfect dessert for Easter Sunday.
I made these as cupcakes and loved it! I have a family party and was wondering, Can we make this as a six inch cake pans? Would there be enough frosting to cover the cake? Do you have any recommendations for fillings or decorations?
Hi Kayla, correct, this is a scaled down version of our carrot cake. It makes the perfect amount of batter for a 3 layer, 6 inch cake!
If I only have regular sweetened applesauce, will it ruin the recipe? Or is there an adjustment to make?
Hi Michele, that should be fine in a pinch. You can also try pumpkin puree, yogurt, sour cream, or the same amount of canned crushed pineapple instead.
How will the cupcakes turn out if I don’t use a cupcake liner?
Hi Camille, if you’re not using cupcake liners, be sure to grease your cupcake pan with non-stick spray before adding the cupcake batter.
I made the 6 inch layer cake from this recipe for Easter. The family devoured it and one person said that he now likes carrot cake! Super cute decorated cake!
can I add coconut to this?
Hi Laura, we’d try these coconut carrot cake cupcakes instead!
These cupcakes sound wonderful!! Would I be able to use gf flour?? Thank you
Hi Peggy, We have not tested these with gluten free flour but let us know if you do!
I made these using gluten free measure for measure flour. They were fantastic!
These cupcakes are delicious! I did use gluten free flour (measure for measure) and it worked perfectly. They were so flavorful, you could not tell they were gluten free. They are the perfect dessert…I will definitely make them again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!