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Almond Flour Carrot Cake

Almond Flour Carrot Cake made with all wholesome ingredients! A grain-free, refined sugar-free, and dairy-free dessert that’s lower in sugar than traditional carrot cake. You’d never guess this moist and fluffy carrot cake is actually better for you!

Two slices of healthy carrot cake made with almond flour on plates with cups of tea.

Alternatively titled: The Best Carrot Cake You Ever Did Eat.

Carrot cake. Do you have preferences?

My guess is the first thing that pops into your head when you think about your ideal carrot cake is whether or not it has pineapple.

Whether or not it includes shredded coconut. Whether or not it’s studded with walnuts.

Do we dare bring up the topic of raisins??

I’m getting heart palpitations just thinking of all of the carrot cake variations.

If you’re like me and you’re easily overwhelmed by options, you probably don’t know where to start when it comes to the never ending supply of carrot cake recipes floating around the internet.

Recipe Highlights:

I’m heavily biased, but I think this healthy carrot cake recipe is a great place to start and finish. This may just be the ONLY carrot cake recipe you’ll ever need.

This dream boat of an almond flour carrot cake is:

a.) refined sugar-free

b.) gluten-free and grain-free

c.) dairy-free

d.) easy to prepare

e.) made with wholesome ingredients

Let’s discuss the ingredients for almond flour carrot cake.

two slices of carrot cake on two plates with a cake stand with the rest of the carrot cake in the background.

Ingredients for Grain-Free Carrot Cake:

Almond Flour and Tapioca Flour: The base of this grain-free carrot cake recipe is a almond flour and tapioca flour, which take the place of all-purpose flour. The combination of these two flours generates a tender crumb that you’d never guess is grain-free!

I used Bob’s Red Mill Super-Fine Almond Flour to prepare this cake. I have found the combination of fine almond flour and tapioca four to yield the fluffiest grain-free treats. While I recommend a finely-ground almond flour for the best results, almond meal works too.

I don’t recommend substituting coconut flour for the almond flour, but cassava flour works as a 1:1 substitute.

Dating further back than this iconic recipe for Almond Flour Pancakes, BRM’s almond flour has been my go-to for years.

Avocado Oil: The fat portion of the recipe. I like using avocado oil because it has neutral flavor but melted coconut oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil work too.

Pure Maple Syrup: Used to sweeten the carrot cake and keep it refined sugar-free. Coconut sugar and keto sweeteners also work here.

Large Eggs: We need some large eggs to fluff up the cake and ensure it holds together. Bring the eggs out of the refrigerator 10 minutes before you start the recipe to bring them to room temperature if you have the time.

I haven’t tested this cake recipe with flax eggs. I believe it would work but I think the cake would turn out thin and dense.

Vanilla Extract: For warm flavor. Skip it if you don’t have it on hand.

Shredded Coconut: Unsweetened coconut is a customary addition to carrot cake recipes, although you can absolutely skip it if you don’t like coconut flakes.

Baking Powder, Baking Soda, and Lemon Juice: The leavening agents here. Lemon juice is used to create a chemical reaction with the baking soda to bring more rise to the cake.

Ground Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Sea Salt: Using warm spices like ground cinnamon and ground ginger give the carrot cake that iconic traditional carrot cake flavor.

Raw walnuts, raisins (or golden raisins), and grated carrots: These are the classic carrot cake goodies! If you aren’t a fan of walnuts or raisins, you can skip them, but my favorite cake includes those sweet bursts and the nutty flavor.

You can’t even tell this cake is gluten-free, not to mention grain-free and paleo!

Now that we’re familiar with the simple ingredients for this healthy carrot cake recipe, let’s make the best almond flour carrot cake recipe!

Whole carrot cake on a cake stand.

How to Make Paleo Carrot Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper liners.

Add all the ingredients for the cake except the walnuts, raisins and carrots to a high powered blender or food processor. If you don’t have a high-speed blender or if you prefer making cake batters using mixing bowls, feel free to make the cake batter in a large mixing bowl instead of a blender.

Blend the carrot cake ingredients until a smooth batter forms.

Food processor with carrot cake ingredients inside.

That’s right – both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients go in the blender at the same time.

Stir in the walnuts, raisins, and shredded carrots until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Carrot cake batter in a mixing bowl, ready to be baked.

For those of you who prefer using a stand mixer or mixing bowls to prepare your cake batter, feel free to take that approach! You can use an electric mixer and a large bowl to prepare the cake batter.

Divide the carrot cake batter between the two parchment-lined spring form cake pans, then bake!

Hand holding a cake pan with carrot cake batter.

Once the cake has cooled, you can frost it with the vegan cream cheese frostingI recommend preparing the frosting the day or night before to cut down on some of the prep.

I also recommend giving yourself plenty of time to allow the cakes to cool before frosting them.

Place the cake layers on a cake stand or a serving dish to frost. Frost between the two layers as well as the top of the cake and the sides of the 2-tier carrot cake.

You can decorate the top of the cake with shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, or colorful frosting carrots.

Hand spreading cream cheese frosting over baked carrot cake.
Spreading cream cheese frosting over the cake.

If you prefer regular cream cheese frosting or a dairy free cream cheese frosting, feel free to go that route as well!

How to Store Carrot Cake Leftovers:

Should you end up with leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

After about 5 days, the cake will begin to dry out, so if you can’t get through the cake in 5 to 7 days, you can freeze it! 

Simply wrap the cake securely in plastic wrap then stick it in a zip lock bag, and freeze it. I like to wrap in plastic wrap AND put it in a zip lock in order to ensure the cake doesn’t get freezer burned. Freeze the cake for 2-3 months.

Paleo Carrot Cake - grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and healthy! | TheRoastedRoot.net #recipe #dessert #easter #glutenfree

This cake isn’t as sweet as your run-of-the-mill carrot cake. 

For me, it’s the perfect sweetness, but you can 200% add more pure maple syrup, brown sugar, or a sugar-free sweetener to further sweeten it.

If you follow a keto diet, you can make this a low carb carrot cake by using your favorite sugar-free sweetener.

My intentions for you and the cake is to share it with your family on Easter.

But make no mistake, I’m a year-round carrot cake consumer, as well as a dessert hogger. So if you feel compelled to bake this gorgeous thing for your onesie on any given Sunday, you do you like you’ve never done you before!

Paleo Carrot Cake - grain-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free, and healthy! | TheRoastedRoot.net #recipe #dessert #easter #glutenfree

Recipe Adaptations:

  • Try a sugar-free version by making my Low-Carb Carrot Cake.
  • Add 1/3 cup of crushed pineapple (get the canned kind that’s stored in juice, not syrup) and omit the oil.
  • Use a combination of carrots and parsnips – I used parsnips in my Grain-Free Carrot Cake recipe a couple years ago, and it turned out marvelously!
  • Make it vegan by following my Grain-Free Vegan Carrot Cake.
  • If you’re not into the 2-tier action, you can bake the cake in a single layer in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish.

And that’s it!

Make your super tender, moist, fluffy perfectly textured paleo carrot cake for your every brunch gathering.

Thick slice of carrot cake on a decorative plate with a flowered napkin to the side.

Paleo Almond Flour Carrot Cake

You'd never guess this Paleo Carrot Cake is grain-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free! Incredibly moist and flavorful, this healthier carrot cake recipe is a true delight.
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
1 8-inch 2-tier cake

Equipment

Ingredients

For Frosting:

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two 8-inch cake pans (or spring form pie pans) with parchment paper.
  • Add all of the ingredients except for the walnuts, raisins, and grated carrot to a blender or food processor and blend until combined. Note: If you prefer using a mixing bowl, feel free to prepare the batter in a mixing bowl instead of a blender.
  • Add the walnuts, raisins, and grated carrot and fold into the batter until well-combined.
  • Divide the cake batter between the two cake pans and spread into an even layer. Bake on the center rack 20 to 35 minutes, or until cakes are golden-brown and test clean when poked in the center.  Cake is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of at least 190 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have an instant read thermometer, insert it into the center of the cakes to be sure they are fully cooked.
  • Allow cakes to cool completely to room temperature before releasing them from their pans.
  • Place one of the cakes on a cake stand or large plate and frost the top with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (or cream cheese frosting of choice). Place the second cake on top and frost the whole cake with the remainder of the frosting. Garnish with chopped walnuts and cacao nibs, cut into thick slices, and serve!

Video

Notes

*You can also use olive oil, vegetable oil, melted coconut oil, grapeseed oil, almond oil, algae oil, etc.
**I used pre-grated carrots, but you can also chop up whole carrots and toss them in your food processor to quickly grate them. Or use a box grater 🙂
Carrot cake tastes even better the next day, and the 2-3 days following preparation! For this reason, I recommend baking the cake in advance for the best results!

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 12Calories: 342kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 8gFat: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 12g
Course: Desserts & Treats
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake, dairy free, grain free, healthy carrot cake, paleo, paleo carrot cake
Servings: 1 8-inch 2-tier cake
Calories: 342kcal
Author: Julia
Healthy Carrot Cake recipe

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.

Recipe Rating




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Amy

Wednesday 27th of March 2024

I want to make it as mini muffins or muffins. Looking for advice on cooking time

Christine

Sunday 24th of March 2024

Hi,this cake looks fantastic!Please could you print your recipes in metric?

Julia

Monday 25th of March 2024

Hi Christine! I added the metric units to the recipe :)

sheri

Sunday 24th of March 2024

I love all your recipes as is including this one! Wondering though, how would I make this without nut flour? And, would ground cloves ruin this? If not, how much would you suggest?

sheri

Sunday 24th of March 2024

Nevermind! I looked at your email more closely and found the almond free recipe :) yay

Shea

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

I found a paleo baking flour blend that contains almond flour, arrowroot starch, coconut flour, and tapioca flour. Can I just use that in place of the flours? Would I use 2 cups or 2.5 cups?

Julia

Wednesday 13th of April 2022

Hi Shea!

Without having tested it myself, I can't be 100% sure, but in my limited experience with paleo baking flours, they work pretty well as a 1:1 replacement for almond flour. So I believe it would work, and I'd go for 2 cups to start out and add another 1/2 cup if it seems too runny :) Hope that helps! Enjoy! xoxo

Martha

Sunday 20th of December 2020

Hi! I’m wondering if you have any tips or pointers about baking time for making these into cupcakes.

Julia

Tuesday 22nd of December 2020

Hi Martha! I would bake them for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 :D Hope you enjoy!

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