Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are moist, tender, easy to make and topped with a homemade cream cheese frosting. They’re the perfect Easter dessert or just a fun Spring recipe!
It’s carrot cake season! While I love a full blown gluten free carrot cake, sometimes cupcakes are a better approach for smaller gatherings. These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are moist, tender, packed with flavor, fresh carrots and topped with a simple cream cheese buttercream.
I opted to make these nut free, but you can definitely add in some chopped walnuts or pecans if you like a bit more of a crunch. These cupcakes are dairy free optional and I promise you will not be able to tell they are gluten free! If you love this recipe, try my gluten free carrot cake banana bread next!
How to make gluten free carrot cake cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 cavity cupcake tin with liners and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine all wet ingredients. Beat on medium/low speed until well combined.
Add in the dry ingredients, aside from the carrots, and beat just until combined. Fold in the carrots until well incorporated.
Scoop into the prepared tin, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Meanwhile, prep the frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined, about another full minute. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix until combined.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost using a piping bag or just a cake knife. Enjoy and try my carrot cake muffins next!
Key ingredients and swaps
FLOUR. I used the Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 All Purpose Baking Flour for this recipe which I recommend, though King Arthur also works well.
SUGAR. A mix of white sugar and brown sugar add such a nice flavor to these gluten free carrot cake cupcakes. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners here, but you can safely sub with coconut sugar. Keep in mind the color will be darker if you use all coconut sugar.
OIL & BUTTER. Any plain, neutral flavored oil will work here and then either dairy or dairy free butter. The butter as a richer flavor, but the oil keeps the texture nice and light.
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MILK. Dairy or non-dairy milk works well here!
SPICES. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves make up the delicious carrot cake favor.
EGGS. Two eggs will help bind all ingredients together and help make the cupcakes nice and fluffy.
CARROTS. I highly recommend using freshly grated carrots and not pre-grated carrots from the grocery store. Those tend to be a bit drier and can change the texture a bit.
How to store and freeze
Once prepared, these cupcakes will store for about 3-5 days. Keep them in an air tight container in the fridge for best results. Keeping them sealed will ensure these cupcakes stay nice and moist. Usually I suggest keeping cupcakes on the counter, but because of the cream cheese in the frosting, they will keep for longer in the fridge.
To freeze, you will want to do so before they are frosted. Just let cool, place in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw before frosting and serving.
Tips to keep gluten free cupcakes moist
These gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are made extra moist with the help of some milk, eggs, butter and oil. Gluten free desserts definitely have a reputation of being dry (because they can be) but I promise these are anything but!
These cupcakes will be (and stay) nice and moist as long as they are not over baked and store properly. Be sure to bake just until a toothpick comes out clean and keep them in a container so they don’t dry out.
More gluten free cupcake recipes!
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Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
by: claire cary
Equipment
Ingredients
Wet
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup oil
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all purpose baking flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- 1 ¼ cup freshly grated carrots
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 8 ounces cream cheese block not tub, room temperature
- ½ cup butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 cavity cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine all wet ingredients. Beat on medium/low speed until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients, aside from the carrots, and beat just until combined. Fold in the carrots until well incorporated.
- Scoop into the prepared tin, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cool in the tin for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Meanwhile, prep the frosting. Add the cream cheese and butter to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Beat for about 2 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and beat until combined, about another full minute. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix until combined.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, frost using a piping bag or just a cake knife. Enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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Wow!! Our family was blown
away at these moist and flavorful cupcakes. We all love carrot cake and my son’s girlfriend is gluten free. I wanted an Easter dessert that she could enjoy with us. These were easy to make and delicious! I added pecans to the batter and icing for half of them and loved them. A new favorite recipe!
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I made these for Easter and they were amazing! Followed the recipe exactly, except I added a tiny amount (probably less than 1/4 c) of applesauce. I will try the banana carrot cake bread next!
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Absolutely fabulous recipe; a big hit
I added walnuts and raisins
Next time I will 1/2 the icing recipe…. Had plenty left over-
Amazing, thanks Patty!
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hi! i’m making these now.. it says 29-23min. how long do you bake these at 350?
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Sorry about that! Typo and should say 20-24 minutes. Let us know how they turned out!
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