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
Overall, I loved these cupcakes! I followed it to a T, measuring by weight. The only thing I would do differently is cut the sugar in the frosting, it was REALLY sweet. I’m glad I tested it on one cupcake (“for science,” lol) – I’m going to mix in another brick of cream cheese just to cut the sweetness a little bit. But the cupcakes themselves were tender and delicious. I opted to not include the raisins or nuts, and used Greek yogurt instead of applesauce. No regrets.
Hello! Can we use canola oil instead of vegetable oil? Thank you
Yes, you definitely can. Enjoy!
These are the best! I’ve been making them on repeat!
Any tips for making these egg free? Could I sub applesauce for eggs and then do yogurt or sour cream as the other ingredient?
Hi Allie, we haven’t tested an egg-free version of these cupcakes. While you can certainly try substitutions, expect the results to be a bit different. If you’re interested, here are all of our naturally egg free recipes.
These are spectacular! They are moist, perfectly sweet and smell amazing.
Thank you so much!
These are spectacular. They are moist, perfectly sweet and smell amazing.
This was my first time making carrot cake cupcakes and frosting from scratch. I decided to make them and I sent a few with my husband for him to share with his coworkers for Valentine’s Day. They were OBSESSED with the cupcakes. This recipe was so easy to follow and turned out amazing! I doubled all the ingredients to make 24 cupcakes and the batter was enough to make just that – 24 beautiful cupcakes!!! I doubled the quantities for the frosting and I did have plenty left over (and I was very generous on each cupcake). So maybe if I had just kept the quantities same as this recipe I would’ve had just the perfect amount for each cupcake.
Btw, I hate ultra sweet cream cheese frosting and this recipe was just the perfect amount of sweetness.
I am always on the lookout for new recipes online and I had never taken the time to comment on any of them but I just had to comment on this one.
BEST RECIPE EVER. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This one goes to the books!
We’re so thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, Marlene! Thank you so much for giving it a try.
Oh dear me, these were so very good!! Made these for a Super Bowl party and baked the cupcakes the day before. On the morning of the game, I whipped up your cream cheese frosting and gave them a generous scoop – I couldn’t find my pastry bags and tips anywhere!! That frosting was – oh dear, how can I describe it? It was like frosting crack! Even my husband couldn’t keep away. Then, the dogs came in the kitchen and they practically nabbed the spatula right out of my hand. I put the cupcakes in the refrigerator and left them out an hour before eating. They were truly, truly out of this world. The cake was moist and so delicious too. I’m thinking of your Red Velvet Cupcakes and that frosting for Valentines Day. It was perfect and thank you for all your great recipes.
Made these and everyone loved them ! Would I be able to make this into a 6×6 cake ?
So glad everyone loved them! You can follow the instructions on this 6-inch cakes post for converting this recipe. Enjoy!
I was planning on trying to make these using gluten-free flour (using Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour), would I need to change anything else about the recipe if I did that or do you think it would work as is? Thanks!
Hi Scott, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, but let us know if you give it a try.
I love your recipes and helpful notes.
I would like to make these in a mini muffin pan using muffins liners
How long should I bake the mini muffins and are there other changes I need to make if using the recipe this way?
thanks so much
Hi Lila, For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 12–13 minutes, same oven temperature.
This recipe was perfection. Total hit with family and coworkers. I used the finely shred option with my grater and was a little nervous the batter was too liquid, but it baked great. New favorite cupcake!
So Good!!
These were easy and fantastic! I like the use of applesauce and cut down the oil.
These were so moist but not oily, dense but still light. Great recipe, thank you. Have been using your recipes for years!
Could you substitute cake flour? Or would that change the texture completely?
Thank you so much for these recipes! I always reach for yours when looking for something special. 🙂
Hi Brittany! Cake flour is a bit too light for a “heavier” cupcake batter like this (with the carrots in the batter). We recommend sticking with all-purpose flour for best results. Hope you enjoy them!
Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe and added walnuts as well. Now both my husband and I are addicted!
LOVE this recipe! I make them in the mini muffin pan and they’re a perfect little snack, even without the icing. I was out of applesauce, sour cream and yogurt so I used canned pumpkin puree instead and they came absolutely delicious! Thanks, Sally!
Excellent recipe! I used Pamela’s Gluten Free flour mix and they were perfect. Fill the papers just a little more. My drumming friends all said these were keepers!
I haven’t made these yet. I would like to make them mini sized for a large party and serving other deserts, Should I still use paper liners or put them directly into a greased mini muffin tin? Thanks.
Hi Norma, you can really do either, but I’d recommend using mini liners. Hope this helps!
I made these for my mom’s birthday and they were soo good! Love love this recipe and will totally be using it again!
The texture was great and they’re really flavorful without being overly sweet.
I didn’t have applesauce, sour cream, yoghurt, or pineapple, so I ended up just mashing up a pear that i had and it still worked perfectly. (Though i definitely plan to make them with crushed pineapple next time)
This recipe is so delicious! Thank you Sally for sharing it with the world! My boyfriends favorite cake is carrot cake and after 3 years of dating i decided to finally bake him his favorite cake. I was so scared as I hadn’t baked in a long time and I had never ever made a carrot cake. This recipe is moist, perfectly sweet and perfectly spiced! Delicious!!!
I lovee this so much
Hi Sally, i have 2 questions:
1) My oven is pretty small so it doesnt fit a 12 cup muffin pan in a single rack, it fits only a 6 cup muffin pan. Do i need to adjust the baking time?
2) Or would you recommend that I put two 6 cup muffin pans in like the lower and middle rack at the same time and bake together? In that case, what would be the baking time?
Please guide. Thank you in advance!!!
Hi Avani, is your 6-cup muffin pan standard sized cups? If so, same baking time. If they are larger jumbo-sized cups, you will need to extend the bake time. We’re unsure of the exact time for jumbo cupcakes, but keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. We recommend baking only one at a time rather than on separate racks. Baking on separate racks will cause the cupcakes to bake at different rates. Hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
I want to make these today, I have a bunch of extra carrots and carrot cake is my favorite dessert!!! Can I make this into a Bundt cake, would I have to change anything???
Btw, I’ve made 6 different recipes from you so far and every single one was amazing!!!!
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad that you’re loving the recipes on my website. Instead of adapting this recipe, I recommend making my carrot Bundt cake. You can leave out the cream cheese swirl!
This was amazing. I used pre shredded carrots from Trader Joe’s chopped tiny and added a couple of teaspoons of carrot juice for them to soak in. I soaked about 1/3 rd cup of golden raisins after soaking in water for 1/2 hour. Everything was perfect. Since I used my toaster oven, I tried a 4 cake mini Bundt pan (silicone) well greased with Pam baking. I went up each crevice with the Pam. It bake for 25 minutes to perfection. The recipe yielded 8 regular cupcakes and 4 mini Bundt’s. I halved the frosting recipe and all was perfection. Thank you, I’ll definitely bake this again.
I need 24 cupcakes can I double this recipe?
Hi Fran, for best results (and to prevent over or under mixing), we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
I’m so excited to try this! I love all your recipes! Any tips for adjusting for high altitude (I’m in Denver at 5,000 ft). Thank you!
Hi Marissa, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Your carrot cake has become a birthday must in our house and I’m looking forward to trying this cupcake rendition instead this year. I love doing candied carrot curls on top, which look super impressive with minimal effort. Just a question for you. Can I use avocado oil or extra light olive oil in place of canola/vegetable? Thanks!
Hi Alix! So glad this cake is a favorite. You can, though the flavor may slightly change.
I am planning on making these soon. I looked through comments looking for the answer but was not successful. Would time/temp change for jumbo cupcake pans? Would I still increase temp for 5 min to get the nice round top and then decrease temp for the remainder of cooing time? I saw the article on the different sized pans but did not see reference to cupcake pans. Thank you for your help and I look forward to using this recipe.
Hi Trish, you can certainly make these as jumbo cupcakes. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but you can bake at 350 degrees throughout (no need for an initial high burst of heat like we do for thick muffin batters). Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
I made 6 muffins in a large silicon tin. It was 4 additional minutes for the larger muffins