This gluten-free carrot cake recipe has the moist texture and spiced flavor of the original, but it’s made using almond and quinoa flours! Plus, it’s naturally sweetened and uses applesauce to cut down on the added oil.
A good carrot cake is something special—full of warm, cozy flavor, with a tender crumb and lots of tasty add-ins. Not all carrot cake recipes qualify, but I’m happy to report that this gluten-free carrot cake does. It's perfectly moist, has a soft texture, a slight crunch from the walnuts. All without regular flour!
The flavors that go into this carrot cake are what I love the most, though. I'm a sucker for anything with cinnamon in it, and I can't resist tossing in a sprinkle of nutmeg and ginger to spice things up a little more. Finish it with a (generous!) drizzle of coconut butter and you’ll never miss the sugary frosting.
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Only two flours needed. The cake is a blend of almond flour, which is low in carbs and packed with omega-3 fats and protein, and quinoa flour, which is also high in protein. Unlike other gluten-free cakes, there are no starches or rice flours.
- No refined sugar. This gluten-free carrot cake is sweetened with a simple blend of maple syrup and the natural sweetness from the applesauce. I love the flavors of both, and really enjoy the level of sweetness they bring to the cake.
- Less oil. I use a combination of applesauce and yogurt to create a tender, moist crumb without adding tons of oil like traditional carrot cake recipes do.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Flours – You’ll need almond flour and quinoa flour.
- Baking powder
- Spices – Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger for warm, cozy flavor.
- Sea salt
- Eggs – Let these come to room temperature before starting the recipe.
- Coconut oil – Melt this in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use real maple syrup, not pancake or breakfast syrup!
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Coconut yogurt – Or your yogurt of choice. Make sure it’s plain, not flavored.
- Carrots
- Almonds – Or your favorite nuts for a carrot cake.
How Do You Finely Grate Carrots?
There are two main ways to grate carrots: with a box grater or in a food processor. To grate your carrots using a box grater, just use your hand to move the carrot up and down along the largest blade. To use a food processor, swap out the standard S-blade to the grating blade, turn the machine on and run your carrot through the top hole. It's super fast, but it means cleaning your food processor, which to me is a deterrent!
How to Make Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and grease a bundt pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk everything together in a large bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together the wet ingredients, ensuring that the eggs are fully incorporated.
- Combine wet and dry. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the carrots and nuts.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the pan and bake on the center rack for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let it finish cooling completely.
- Serve. Drizzle with coconut butter before serving, if desired.
Tips and Variations
- Don’t let the cake cool completely in the pan. There is a sweet spot with Bundt cakes for perfect unmolding. If you turn them out too soon, they’ll fall apart, but if you leave them in the pan too long, they’ll be difficult to remove. About 10 minutes it the perfect amount of time to wait before turning the cake out onto the wire rack.
- Switch up the add-ins. Not a fan of nuts in your cake? Swap in raisins! To keep the cake moist, you can soak them in warm water, apple cider, or spiced rum; that way, the raisins won’t absorb the moisture from the cake.
- Ice it. You can use your favorite icing or frosting recipe, but I love melting coconut butter. I melt 1/4 cup in the microwave and if it’s not pourable, I mix in some melted coconut oil. Then I pour this over the cake.
How to Store
Store this gluten-free carrot cake at room temperature for up to 3 days. Wrap it tightly or transfer it to an airtight container.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can freeze this cake for up to 2 months, either wrapped tightly, in an airtight container, or in a freezer bag. Let it thaw at room temperature or warm it up in the microwave before serving.
Other Healthy Carrot Cake Inspired Recipes
- Vegan Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Bars
- Healthy Carrot Cake Smoothie
- Raw & Vegan Carrot Cake Bites
- Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Healthy Carrot Cake Blender Muffins
- Healthy Carrot Cake Pancakes
- High Protein Carrot Cake Chia Pudding
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Ingredients
dry ingredients:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of sea salt
wet ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup coconut yogurt or yogurt of choice
mix-ins
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup almonds chopped (or nuts of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a bundt pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together until fully combined. Fold in grated carrots and nuts.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking tin. Bake on the center rack for 40 – 45 minutes until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to rest for at least 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.
- For serving, we love it with some drizzled coconut butter on top!
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