These paleo carrot cake cupcakes are are free of grains, dairy, and refined sugar but they’re just as delicious as a traditional carrot cake.
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Every day is worth celebrating for something, don’t you think? So let’s have cake! Or cupcakes, at least. These paleo carrot cake cupcakes are grain-free, making them perfect for your friends following a gluten-free diet, too.
This recipe is a re-working of my Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe. This time, I used coconut oil to produce a product that holds its shape a little better, as coconut oil becomes solid at room temperature. I also frosted them with Coconut Butter Frosting, using my recipe for homemade Coconut Butter that I used on my Carrot-Ginger Muffins, but you could use store-bought if you’re in a hurry.
These Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes are moist, tender and absolutely delicious. They have become a favourite in our family. The lemon frosting has a hint of ginger and puts them over the top! I find this coconut butter frosting easier to work with and more reliable than Whipped Coconut Milk. If you’ve made that often, you’ve probably been as aggravated as I have to find there are some cans that just won’t whip. Check out my tips for whipping coconut milk here.
With or without frosting, these cupcakes are a healthier alternative to traditional carrot cake, but they have all the flavour and texture you’d expect. Celebrate and surprise someone you love today!
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup finely grated carrots
- ½ cup crushed pineapple, well-drained if using canned
- ½ cup almond flour, packed
- ¼ cup coconut flour, packed
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 350F and line 8 muffin tins with paper or reusable liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sweeteners and eggs.
- Stir in carrots and drained pineapple.
- In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients
- Add dry ingredients the large bowl and stir until well blended.
- Stir in pecans.
- Pour batter into lined cupcake tins.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool completely. Serve as is, or top with Coconut Butter Lemon Frosting (see recipe below)
- 1/2 cup coconut butter, make your own or use store-bought, solid
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (not melted)
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 -3 tbsp maple syrup
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Variation: substitute orange zest for the lemon zest. The frosting will be a pale orange colour. See it here on my Carrot Ginger Muffins.
- You may need to chill the frosting slightly first before frosting the cupcakes.
I’ve been asked about the mini cupcake stands in the photo. Here’s a set that is similar:
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These look delicious!
Thanks, Emily. They are! 🙂
Hello there! I have really enjoyed discovering new baking recipes and am looking for something Paleo for Easter. I came across your cupcake and was immediately drawn to its loveliness. I have a question though…is it possible to use ghee only for the frosting? Or does ghee lack some quality that makes it “un-whippable?” Thank you for your reply.
Hi Vrk,
Thanks for your question. I have not tried the frosting with ghee, so I can’t tell you if it would work, but I highly doubt it. Ghee is clarified butter which has had the solids removed. The solids either in butter or in coconut manna are what give the frosting its substance. Maybe you could just decorate them with whipped coconut milk? They’re good all by themselves, too!
Hi again, I made the cake portion of your recipe and it turned out very well! Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know how much you liked it Vrk!
Looks great! Do you melt the coconut oil first, or just blend in as is in solid form?
Hi, Use it in solid form for the frosting and in liquid form for the cupcakes. I’ve added that instruction to the recipe now to make it more clear. Thanks for commenting!
I just made these. They were so delicious! I didn’t even get to the frosting yet. I added about 5 dates.
Hi Natalie,
So glad you liked them. They don’t really even need frosting, do they!
Can you make the frosting without the shredded coconut?
Thanks!
Hi Amanda,
Yes, it should work just fine. The shredded coconut adds a little texture and will make it a little stiffer, but it should be oksy to keave it out. Thanks for your question! Let me know if you make it!
Hello, I have made these twice already. They taste great. Do you happen to have the nutrition facts for just the cupcakes? TIA—Diana
Hi Diana,
Glad you liked them enough to make them twice. Sorry, I don’t have the nutrition data for these. Thanks for stopping by!
This frosting came out looking like applesauce…what could I have done wrong? I processed it in food processor and it wasn’t getting smooth then put it in vitamix and still wasn’t smooth. I melted coconut butter and oil before blending.
Hi Jenny,
How disappointing for you! I just whipped up a batch of this now to see what could have gone wrong with yours. I used room temperature coconut butter and room temperature coconut oil (both solid). The only thing that is not smooth in mine are the little flakes of coconut. I’m wondering if the fact that you melted yours first was the problem. You might try refrigerating what you’ve made and seeing if you can gently process it again once it has been chilled and hardened. I just used my food processor for this. Sometimes if I’m using my Vitamix, I have to remind myself that the heat from the friction of the blades heats the ingredients too much and turns it to soup! I hope this helps. I’ve made a note in the recipe to use solid coconut oil and coconut butter. Thanks for reaching out and asking! Now I guess I should make a batch of cupcakes to go with this frosting! 🙂
hi, do you think i could replace the almond and coconut flour for all purpose flour, since I am not gluten free? would these delisious looking cupcakes turn out ok?
Hi Kaitlin, I’m just not sure how they’d turn out, so I’d hate to tell you to go ahead, in case they don’t! Maybe try googling Carrot Cake Cupcakes sugar free or something similar to find a recipe you’d like! Good luck!
I’ve had problems with coconut flour upsetting my stomach. Would these work with all almond flour?
Hi Tamera,
Coconut flour absorbs a lot more liquid than almond flour, so it wouldn’t work to replace it in this recipe. I do have other muffin recipes on this site that only use almond flour if you’re interested. See Paleo Pear and Cranberry Muffins or Blueberry Orange Muffins. I hope you can find some recipes that work for you!
Made these yesterday. Really delicious and easy to make.
Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
Thanks.
Thanks Annie! So glad you liked them. Thanks so much for commenting!
Thanks so much for the recipe. Could i use coconut flour only? Im allergic to almond. Thanks!!!
Hi Astrid, I don’t think this recipe would work well only using coconut flour. Coconut flour is very absorbent and the cupcakes would be too dry. However, you might want to try this recipe for Crowd-Pleaser Paleo Carrot Cake. It only uses coconut flour. I haven’t tried it as cupcakes, but it would probably work if you reduced the cooking time. Thanks for your question!