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4.93 from 13 votes
Home By Course Desserts Cake & Cupcakes

Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Healthy Carrot Cake has the perfect balance of sweet and spice, a decadently moist texture, and a smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. And it's only 170 calories per slice! Easy to make and made with simple ingredients, this dessert is a win for all and will be loved by your whole family.

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By: Lauren published: May. 11, 2021 updated: Mar. 18, 2024 6 Comments

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Healthy carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting on a plate.
Contents hide
About This Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Carrot Cake
Ingredients and Substitutions
How To Make
How To Store
FAQ: Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
More Delicious Cake Recipes To Try
Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
MyFitnessPal Entry
Did You Make This?

About This Recipe

Carrot cake is one of my favorite types of cake! Maybe it’s the perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Or maybe it’s the decadently moist texture. Or the creamy, smooth cream cheese frosting.

This Healthy Carrot Cake is lightened up but doesn’t sacrifice amazing flavor and texture! The grated carrots create incredible moisture that makes the cake melt in your mouth and the cream cheese frosting packs all of the nostalgia and sweetness of a traditional carrot cake.

And at just 170 calories per slice, you can feel good about eating it, too!

And if you want more healthy ways to enjoy carrot cake, be sure to check out my Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake or my favorite Carrot Cake Blondies with Cream Cheese Frosting!

Looking for more healthy cake recipes? Try my lightened up Strawberry Crunch Cake!

Healthy carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This Healthy Carrot Cake

  • It’s dense, moist, and perfectly sweet with a hint of spice!
  • Lightened up from your traditional carrot cake recipe.
  • Just 170 calories per slice with frosting!
  • Easy to make with simple ingredients.
  • Husband, boyfriend, fiancé, children, and picky-eater approved!

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • All-purpose flour
  • Grated carrots
  • Unsweetened applesauce
  • Eggs
  • Brown sugar – I used Truvia Brown Sugar Blend.
  • Granulated sweetener – I used Stevia In The Raw Granulated Sweetener.
  • Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger!
  • Light butter – I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light.
  • Greek cream cheese – I get mine from Publix, but you can easily use 1/3 reduced fat, fat-free cream cheese, or a non-dairy cream cheese, too.
  • Milk of choice – I used almond milk, but fat-free milk, 1% milk, cashew milk, or any other milk would work!
Overhead view of healthy carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on a plate.

How To Make

  1. Preheat oven to 350 °F degrees. Spray a 9-inch bundt pan or 9-inch regular cake pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, unsweetened applesauce, brown sugar blend and sweetener. Whisk until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda.
  4. Add dry ingredients into the wet slowly as you stir. Before the two are fully incorporated add in melted butter. Stir just until barely combined. Fold in grated carrots. DO NOT OVER MIX. (The number one tip is to not over mix or the texture of the cake will be off).
  5. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
  6. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until cake comes out clean with a toothpick (Be careful not to over-bake which can make the cake more dry).
  7. While cake is cooking, combine all ingredients for the frosting using a hand held mixer.
  8. Allow cake to cool for 10-20 minutes before drizzling the icing over the top.

How To Store

Keep cake stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

For a Whole Cake:

If the cake has yet to be cut, you can store in a Cake Keeper. A large overturned bowl also works well in a pinch. Don’t use plastic wrap. That would only mess up the frosting, which also acts as a barrier and protects the cake from air and moisture.

For a Cut Cake:

As soon as you cut a cake, whether frosted or unfrosted, moisture begins to escape and the cake begins to grow stale. To prevent this, cover the sliced edges with more frosting to protect the cake from moisture loss. Or, firmly press a piece of plastic wrap directly on to the exposed sides.

A piece of healthy carrot on a small plate with a the rest of the carrot cake on a plate in the background.

FAQ: Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Can I use another flour for this Healthy Carrot Cake?

I haven’t tried this, but I don’t see why whole wheat flour, 1-to-1 gluten-free flour, or almond flour wouldn’t work. Coconut flour would not be a good substitute because it doesn’t bake like other flours.

Can I use shredded carrots instead of grated carrots?

I wouldn’t recommend using shredded carrots. They are larger and won’t create a moist texture like grated carrots do.

Can I replace the applesauce with something else?

This is another ingredient I wouldn’t recommend subbing if you can help it! I haven’t tried, but canned pumpkin would likely be your best option. Greek yogurt may work, but I am not sure it would bring as much moisture to the cake as the applesauce does.

Can I use a pan other than bundt cake pan for this recipe?

Yes. You can use a 9×13 cake pan if you choose. If you wanted to make a a double layer cake, you would need to double this recipe to fill the two cake pans.

Can I use a different sweetener?

For the brown sugar blend, you can replace with light brown sugar or coconut sugar. For the granulated sweetener, you can replace with normal white sugar, Splenda, erythritol, honey, or any other sweetener you choose. Different sweeteners have different amounts of sweetness, so be sure to make the appropriate conversion if necessary.

More Delicious Cake Recipes To Try

Strawberry crunch cake topped with straberries on a cake stand.

Strawberry Crunch Cake (Lightened Up and SO GOOD)

Healthy yellow cake topped with chocolate frosting and sprinkles cut into nine squares.

Healthy Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Healthy protein angel food cake topped with strawberries on a plate.

Strawberry Protein Angel Food Cake (Low Carb)

Healthy Pumpkin Coffee Cake squares topped with glaze on a plate.

Healthy Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Crumb Topping!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!

Healthy carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on a plate.
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4.93 from 13 votes

Healthy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

? Dairy-Free ? Gluten-Free ? Macro-friendly ? Vegetarian
This Healthy Carrot Cake has the perfect balance of sweet and spice, a decadently moist texture, and a smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting. And it's only 170 calories per slice! Easy to make and made with simple ingredients, this dessert is a win for all and will be loved by your whole family.
Yield: 12
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 30 minutes mins
Total: 45 minutes mins
Calories: 172kcal
Protein: 6.4g
Fat: 4.8g
Carbs: 26.4g

Ingredients

Carrot Cake:

  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.25 cups unsweetened applesauce (305g)
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (50g)
  • ½ cup granulated stevia or other sweetener of choice
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g) use gluten-free if needed.
  • 1 Tbsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups carrots (180g) grated
  • 1 Tbsp butter (14g) melted

Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 oz. Greek cream cheese (226g) room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp almond milk (30g) or milk of choice
  • ¼ cup granulated sweetener
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tbsp butter (14g)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes. Scroll for macros and MyFitnessPal code.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 °F degrees. Spray a 9-inch bundt pan or 9-inch regular cake pan with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, unsweetened applesauce, brown sugar blend and sweetener. Whisk until combined.
  • In a separate bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda.
  • Add dry ingredients into the wet slowly as you stir. Before the two are fully incorporated add in melted butter. Stir just until barely combined. Fold in grated carrots. DO NOT OVER MIX. (The number one tip is to not over mix or the texture of the cake will be off).
  • Pour batter into prepared cake pan.
  • Cook for 30-35 minutes or until cake comes out clean with a toothpick (Be careful not to over-bake which can make the cake more dry).
  • While cake is cooking, combine all ingredients for the frosting using a hand held mixer.
  • Allow cake to cool for 10-20 minutes before drizzling the icing over the top.

Notes

How To Store:
For an uncut cake: If the cake has yet to be cut, you can store in a Cake Keeper. A large overturned bowl also works well in a pinch.
For a cut cake: cover the sliced edges with more frosting to protect the cake from moisture loss. Or, firmly press a piece of plastic wrap directly on to the exposed sides.
If you want to use fat-free cream cheese instead: Macros would be 152 calories 27.1C | 2.5F | 6.4P for same size slice.
Cake with frosting total = 1130g
To make this cake gluten-free, use gluten-free flour.
To make this a dairy-free carrot cake, sub dairy-free butter and dairy-free cream cheese.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/12 of cake (94g), Calories: 172kcal (9%), Carbohydrates: 26.4g (9%), Protein: 6.4g (13%), Fat: 4.8g (7%), Saturated Fat: 1.7g (11%), Fiber: 1.5g (6%), Sugar: 7.2g (8%)

Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.

MyFitnessPal Entry

LFF Healthy Carrot Cake

© Author: Lauren

Healthy carrot cake topped with cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts on a plate.

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Lauren

Lauren

Lauren lives with her husband, Simon and two dogs, Finley and Cookie, in the Carolina’s. She has college degrees in Nursing and Exercise Science, is a NASM certified trainer and spent many years as a macro coach before transitioning to full time blogging. She loves staying active, being creative and recreating her favorite comfort food dishes into healthier, lightened up versions. Desserts are her speciality!

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I’m Lauren, a food lover sharing healthy, macro-friendly recipes that taste good and you can feel good about eating. Here you’ll find everything from breakfasts to easy dinners to lightened up desserts because desserts are absolutely mandatory around here!

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