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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
Once the cake has cooled, you can frost it with the vegan cream cheese frosting. I 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.
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.
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!
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.
Paleo Almond Flour Carrot Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml, 4oz) pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (80ml, 2.3oz) avocado oil see note*
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) lemon juice
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (224g, 8oz) Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup (65g, 2.2oz) tapioca flour
- 1 cup (85g, 3oz) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup (65g, 2.2oz) raw walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup (71g) raisins
- 2 cups (110g, 4oz) grated carrot see note**
For Frosting:
- 1 batch Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 Tbsp raw walnuts chopped, optional
- 2 Tbsp cacao nibs optional
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
Nutrition
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.
This looks AWESOME! I love carrot cake and several family members don’t eat gluten; I’ll have to make this for them. Have a great weekend Julia!
Carrot cake is the only cake I asked for growing up! Our family version is decades old and super heavy on the oil…why did old recipes have to do that?!? We lightened it up over the years but I’m betting this one of yours is WAY better. I’ll definitely have to try it out. Oh, and Bob’s Red Mill for life 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I’m making this for Easter!!!!
I am picking jaw up off floor. Totally making this
This looks perfect!
Me again ???? I’d like to cut into bars…could this be made in an 8×8 pan?
Oh heck yeah, You can definitely make the cake into bars/squares! I would use a 13×9 baking dish, because there will be too much batter for an 8×8. Or if 8×8 is all you have, you can halve the batter and bake two batches in the 8×8! Hope you enjoy!! xo
Nope, I’d never know this was a “clean” cake by looking at it — it looks super moist and fluffy and PERFECT. I love coconut in my carrot cake and love toasted walnuts or pecans on the outside, and besides that anything goes. You did a bang-up job on this carrot cake!
I LOVE carrot cake. Love the healthier version, I’m am definitely all about this cake!
You are the best! W are traveling in our RV. I have all the ingredients, except for a cake pan! Out to get one and this baby is getting made! Thank you.
Aaaah that’s awesome! What a fun experience! I hope you enjoy your trip, and the carrot cake!! xo
Girl, you always know how to make me drool! Carrot cake is in my top 5 for favorite desserts and I love that this version is dairy-free and healthified. I also appreciate your choice for add-ins because I am not a fan of pineapple in my carrot cake. But raisins and walnuts are totally my jam. Looks so good!
My husband ranks carrot cake as one of his favorite birthday confectionary indulgences. Although I avoid sugar and all but a few carbohydrate sources (ketogenic lifestyle) I excitedly decided to try my hand at baking with almond flour for this occasion.
This recipe is simply incredible. Thank you for sharing this for so many of us to enjoy. Our house guests (very typical Standard American Diet, “S.A.D.”) were so impressed with this cake.
I used a different brand of almond flour, substituted avocado oil in place of grape seed oil, and omitted the ginger. I made an exception to my avoidance of sugar as the maple syrup was tapped from my aunt’s Vermont Maple trees which made the recipe even more fun to whip up! I greased the round pans with coconut oil as well since I do not routinely bake with parchment paper. Additionally, I added a block of cream cheese to the frosting recipe because none of our guests are vegan; this worked quite well even though I would have liked to follow the frosting recipe as written…it’s just that my guests are used to their “S.A.D.” tastes and textures. I tasted the frosting prior to adding the cream cheese and I think it was very close to a traditional cream cheese frosting, but I noticed the fresh squeezed lemon was somewhat overpowering. In the future, I may swap out the maple syrup for a keto approved sweetener.
Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m so glad you and your house guests enjoyed the cake! It’s one of my favorites! The lemon juice in the cashew-based frosting was to give it a sort of cheesecake flavor, since cashews don’t have the same tang as cream cheese, so in essence, if making a cream cheese frosting, there’s no need for lemon juice 😉 Thanks so much for the sweet note!! xoxo
My husband LOVES carrot cake and gave this an AMAZING report! He is trying to eat healthier but also have a little bit of ‘sweet’ to enjoy. This was absolutely perfect! He said is was even ‘restaurant worthy!’ Since it is just my husband and me at home now, I decided to cut this recipe down and make just 1/4 of the recipe. I baked it in two ramekins to make a mini-cake that was just the right size without having too much leftover for days which would be sooooo tempting to eat! Thanks for this great recipe!
Yaaaaay I’m so happy to get such a rave review from a carrot cake aficionado! I love the idea of scaling the recipe down to size to have individual-sized cakes – this is brilliant! I’ll have to do this, myself! xo
I love this carrot cake recipe. It’s delicious. Julia, can you offer any tips for how to modify this recipe to leave out the coconut? I’m planning to make this cake for a friend who loves carrot cake for her birthday, but she does NOT like coconut. Do you have any recommendations? Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth! I’m so happy you like the carrot cake recipe! It’s one of my favorites, too! I would just leave out the coconut. If you’d like, you can add just a little bit more carrot to make up for some of the volume, but I wouldn’t be too concerned about omitting the coconut. Hope your friend loves the carrot cake too!
Thank you I needed to know how to leave out the coconut too! X
what can you use to replace eggs?
Hi Parita,
You can use this recipe instead for a vegan version: https://www.theroastedroot.net/grain-free-vegan-carrot-cake/ 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
What could I replace the maple syrup with that would make it “very” low to zero % glycemic Keto friendly? I often use stevia drops or pulverized Xyla as sweetenerrs. for baking due to health issues regarding high glycemic sweeteners. Thankyou for this recipe btw!!.
Hi there,
You can definitely use stevia, xylitol, or erythritol to replace the pure maple syrup. You’ll need to compensate for the loss in liquid, so I’d add some coconut milk to offset the loss. Hope you enjoy!
Ahh the coconut milk replaces the lack of liquid sweetener.That is the info I was seeking. Thanks so much!!
You got it!
I had never tried or had any reason to try making a dairy-free, grain-free cake before but I’m so glad I took a chance on this recipe! I didn’t doubt Julia because she has never steered me wrong before but I will stop hesitating to make try these types of baked goods in the future. This was an easy and DELICIOUS carrot cake! It is super light and airy and so darn satisfying. I will be making this again, and soon. Thank you Julia!
I’m so happy to hear you love the recipe, Shoshana! I appreciate the kind words and you taking the time to share your experience. Many hugs and blessings to you! xo
I just made a small batch of this to test for Easter and it’s absolutely amazing! I love that it isn’t overly dense like many grain free cakes are. The only think I want to fix before Easter is its lack of sweetness. It wasn’t as sweet as I would like my carrot cake to be, so do you have any suggestions for how to make it sweeter without adding refined sugar or altering the texture of the cake too much?
Hi Renee,
I’m so glad you like the cake! You can add some coconut sugar to make it sweeter. I’d start with 1/4 cup and go from there. It shouldn’t mess with the texture of the cake and should bump up the sweetness quite a bit. Thanks for the sweet note! Enjoy! xo
Can I sub the tapioca flour for anything? We recently discovered my son has a potato/potato derivative food intolerance and the list of foods to avoid our ND gave us includes tapioca & arrowroot. Thank you!
Hi Yvette,
Can your son have rice flour? If so, replacing the tapioca flour with either rice flour or more almond flour should work nicely. Just note that the cake will not hold together quite as well without the tapioca flour, but it will still taste fabulously 🙂 Hope you enjoy!xo
This looks amazing!! I am going to make it for Easter, thank you. Quick question. Can I blend this in my Kitchenaid instead of in a food processor? Or does it need to be pureed? Thank you!
Hi Danielle,
Oh yes, you can use your KitchenAid for sure! Hope you enjoy! xo
This was a great recipe! I made it with pineapple chunks, no oil. Unfortunately, I couldn’t divide the batter between 2 8′ inch pans. I just didn’t have enough batter to spread across both pans, so I just used 1 8′ inch pan. I baked it for 37 minutes. I skipped the frosting and yet, the cake was great. It was not overly sweet however, it had the moistness (carrots/coconut), crunch (walnuts) and the subtle natural hint of sweetness from the raisins. We baked and ate it on Easter Sunday, but I am thinking it will taste even better next day. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This looks delicious! Can I sub arrowroot powder for the tapioca flour?
Also, if I swap the pineapple for the oil, should I drain it first?
Do you have nutritional info for a serving? Thanks!
I was looking for a cake recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this
Yaaaay, that’s great!! I’m so happy you and your family are enjoying the cake! xo
hi julia, I just made it today. I hv browsed this recipe few years ago, but did not make it. today I did and I did not regret it. it is so fluffy and moist. I love it. since it is only me eating it, I make 1/4 of d recipe and have 2 cute bake glassware just nice for 2 person. but I ate it all. going to bake again tomorrow but without d oil. if I replace oil with homemade unsweetener applesauce, will it change d texture n taste? I use applesauce to replace oil in another choc cake recipe and d texture n flavour changed.
Hi Amira,
I haven’t tested the recipe using applesauce instead of oil, so I can’t be certain what the result would be. My guess is the cake would still turn out well but won’t be quite as moist or flavorful. Let me know if you try it! 😀
hi julia, just made it for breakfast today. I used my homemade applesauce and replaced it with oil with same ratio. I halved d 1/8 cup of maple syrup and add d other half with water. ( note : I use 1/4 cup of d recipe) . The cake texture is not fluffy like yesterday, but dense. sweetness is nice because d raisins is already sweet. d taste is 1/2 similar with using oil. maybe because very little oil is used in this recipe. to be honest, I prefer the texture and taste of the cake using oil. applesauce make the texture denser and it definitely ruined the paleo choc cake I baked previously.
I made this for Easter this year. Everyone loved it! I made the frosting with honey like you suggested. Incredible!
I’m happy to hear it, Whitney!! It’s amazing how similar the frosting tastes to cream cheese when you use honey! Thanks so much for your sweet feedback! xoxo 😀
Thanks so much for a yummy paleo carrot cake recipe! We loved it without any icing! We omitted the raisins and nuts due to preference and allergy. Next time I want to try it with pineapple! Thanks again!
I’m so glad you like it, Andrea! I love the cake without the icing too…it has so much flavor and texture. Thank you for the sweet note! Let me know how it turns out with pineapple! xoxoxo 😀
Wow wow wow! This carrot cake is AMAZING! even with a few little things I did….I reduced the maple syrup as we don’t love cake too sweet, I used home laid bantam sized eggs, so increased the number from 4 to 6 ( they are tiny eggs! ) and I added in 2T of oil AS WELL as the pineapple ( chopped pieces as I couldn’t find a small tin of crushed ). I also baked it in a 20x20cm pan at 160C for 1hr 10mins and it came out PERFECT! Only minor issue was I’m not sure I love it with the coconut…but honestly, it doesn’t make it any less amazing! My kids also love it, so my job here is done. Thank you for a perfect carrot cake recipe!
I’m so thrilled you and your children like it! Thank you for sharing all of your changes…that’s awesome it worked out so well! Thanks for the sweet note, and my love goes out to you and your family! xoxo
Hi! I’m wondering if you have any tips or pointers about baking time for making these into cupcakes.
Hi Martha! I would bake them for 30 to 35 minutes at 350 😀 Hope you enjoy!
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?
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
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?
Nevermind! I looked at your email more closely and found the almond free recipe 🙂 yay
Hope you enjoy it, Sheri! xoxo
Hi,this cake looks fantastic!Please could you print your recipes in metric?
Hi Christine! I added the metric units to the recipe 🙂
I want to make it as mini muffins or muffins. Looking for advice on cooking time
Hi Amy! When I google how long to cook mini muffins, I’m seeing 12 to 15 minutes at 350. I hope they turn out great! xo
Made it today for Easter. I did a taste test!! Delish! I was pleasantly surprised how moist it is. Nice flavor. Another Roasted Root recipe in the books. Thanks for sharing all recipes with hints and tips. Very helpful…
I’m so happy to hear you enjoy the carrot cake, Denise! Thanks so much for following up with your experience 🙂 Happy Easter! xo
This carrot cake was phenomenal!! Seriously one of the best paleo cakes I have ever had. So easy to prepare too. Thank you so much!!!
Wahoo!! I love hearing that, Lauren! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! xoxo
Can I make this into cupcakes instead?
Hi Peg! Absolutely! You can bake the batter in a muffin pan. I would do 350 for 20-30 minutes. When I make cupcakes or muffins, I typically check the internal temperature of a cupcake using a digital thermometer to check for doneness. Simply insert at thermometer into the center of one of the cupcakes and if it is 190 or higher, the cupcakes are done 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Hello!
I read through all the comments and I didn’t see an answer, so I wanted ask, if honey is a possibility for a sweetener?
Thanks!
Hi Carey! You can use honey! Honey tends to burn at a lower temperature than pure maple syrup so I would just check on the cake a little early to be sure it isn’t browning up too much. Enjoy!
This came out great! Moist and not too sweet, but I could even lower the amount of maple syrup and I think it would still be delicious. I didn’t have lemon juice, so I used acv and I think it was a decent substitute! Thanks for this recipe.
My pleasure, Marie! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the cake and I appreciate you sharing your feedback 🙂