These carrot cake cupcakes are the best! They are wonderfully moist and fluffy and topped with a cream cheese frosting.
We are absolutely in love with these carrot cake cupcakes. The recipe is based on our delicious carrot cake recipe but we wanted to do a stand alone recipe for a perfect twelve cupcakes and this is it.
They are made from scratch using freshly grated carrots for maximum flavor and spiced to perfection with cinnamon and nutmeg.
And of course the perfect topping for these cupcakes is a cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.
And if you love these cupcakes, you’ll also love our pumpkin cupcakes and our cinnamon cupcakes.
How To Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a mixing bowl and mix them together.
- Add eggs, grated carrot, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and vinegar and mix into a thick batter. If it seems like there isn’t enough moisture for the batter to come together, then leave the bowl for a minute or two and then come back to it and mix again. The carrots will release more moisture into the batter and it will come together perfectly.
- Divide the batter among twelve cupcake liners and then place into the oven to bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with a cream cheese frosting and decorate with chopped walnuts.
Recipe Tips
Fresh grated carrots are essential. You must grate the carrots yourself from fresh carrots. Don’t use a store-bought pre-grated option as they will be too dry to work in this recipe. We usually use our food processor to grate the carrots which works great.
There is enough moisture in the batter. It may seem like we’ve forgotten an important ingredient, but the freshly grated carrots release moisture into the batter which enables it to come together into a thick batter. If you start mixing and it looks like it won’t come together, leave the bowl for a couple of minutes and then return to it and mix again. The carrots will release more moisture into the batter and it will come together.
We used applesauce to add extra moisture. Applesauce can be ideal to add extra moisture to your baked goods without having to use extra oil. However, you can also use crushed pineapple.
The vinegar gives the cupcakes extra rise. It reacts with the baking soda in this recipe to give your cupcakes some extra rise.
You can add chopped nuts to the batter. We didn’t add nuts to the batter in this recipe, but we did in our carrot cake. It’s entirely optional, but this recipe can accommodate up to a cup of chopped nuts. Pecans and walnuts are both great options.
Recipe Q&A
You can if you like and if your carrots are looking like they’d be better off peeled then you can go ahead. But if they’re looking good, then a simple wash and cutting off the tops and tails before grating is just fine.
They can be stored at room temperature for a few hours and up to a day or two if the temperature is cool, but since there is a cream cheese frosting they are better stored in the fridge. They will keep for 5 days (covered) in the fridge.
Yes, these cupcakes are freezer friendly! They can be frozen either frosted or unfrosted for up to 3 months.
More Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Biscoff Cupcakes
- Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour Measured Correctly*
- 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¾ tsp Nutmeg
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 and ¾ cups Grated Carrot (192g)
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil
- 2 Tbsp Applesauce
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
For the Frosting:
- 1 Recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
For Decorating:
- Chopped Walnuts Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a mixing bowl and mix them together.
- Add the eggs, grated carrot, oil, applesauce, vanilla extract and vinegar and mix into a thick batter. If it seems like there isn't enough moisture for the batter to come together, then leave the bowl for a minute or two and then come back to it and mix again. The carrots will release more moisture into the batter and it will come together perfectly.*
- Divide the batter among the 12 cupcake liners and place into the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost with a cream cheese frosting and decorate with chopped walnuts.
Video
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly using the spoon and level technique for measuring flour which is to spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup. Alternatively, weigh your flour on a food scale. Click ‘metric’ below the ingredients list to get the ingredient weight in grams.
- The carrots must be freshly grated from fresh carrots. Don’t use a store-bought pre-grated option as they will be too dry to work in this recipe. You can use a food processor to grate them or a box grater. The carrots don’t need to be peeled, they can just be washed and the tops and ends cut off.
- There is enough moisture in the batter from the grated carrots. It may seem like we’ve left an ingredient out when you start mixing the batter, but the freshly grated carrots release moisture into the batter which enables it to come together into a thick batter. If you start mixing and it looks like it won’t come together, leave the bowl for a couple of minutes and then return to it and mix again. The carrots will release more moisture into the batter and it will come together.
- The applesauce can be replaced with crushed pineapple.
- The vinegar reacts with the baking soda and gives the cupcakes extra rise.
- Chopped nuts are an optional add in to the batter. This recipe can accommodate up to a cup of chopped nuts. Pecans and walnuts are both great options.
- Nutritional information is for the cupcakes only and excludes the frosting. The nutritional information for the cream cheese frosting can be found on the linked recipe.
- Keep the cupcakes stored in the fridge (covered) for up to 5 days.
Amazingly good cupcakes! They are super quick to make and makes my home smell like a bakery! Love this recipe!!
Awesome Nadine! Thank you!