Carrot Cupcakes

These charming Carrot Cake Cupcakes are full of warm spices and tons of carrot flavor. They’re perfect for Easter or anytime you have a hankering for classic carrot cake topped with the creamiest cream cheese frosting. Plus, there’s no pineapple, nuts or raisins here! 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe 

Carrot cake season is year-round, if you ask me. Lots of people make it for Easter celebrations and other springtime gatherings, but I love it any time. 

These  are REALLY carrot-forward and delightful. They’re full of warming spices, which compliment the carrots without overwhelming them.

These cupcakes have a moist crumb and are just utterly delightful when paired with delectable Cream Cheese Frosting.

That’s why I make these carrot cupcakes for birthdays, holidays and anytime I get a craving for some carrot cake. They are bite-sized versions of carrot cake, but without all the cake layer stacking and perfect icing woes. 

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Another thing I love about these cupcakes? There’s no raisins, nuts or pineapple — because eff that!

These are great for people who don’t love those things or need an allergy-friendly carrot cake option. (Well, I did sprinkle pecans on top, but you don’t have to!) 

Why I love this recipe:

What is it about this cupcake recipe that I love so much? Let me count the reasons why these are the PERFECT Carrot Cake Cupcakes…

• No raisins, nuts or pineapple here!
• No layer cake skills necessary here, either!  
• These mini cakes bake up beautifully and have a lovely crackly top, which is not what you would normally see or expect in a cupcake…
• … but fluffy cream cheese frosting is the perfect pairing for the cake and the crackly texture.
• They’re a great Easter recipe, but honestly, would anyone ever turn down cupcakes like these? No! Carrot cake is delicious any time. (Let me just go out on a limb and say these would also be lovely for Mother’s Day if your mama likes carrot cake.) 

More cupcake recipes to try:  Sour Cream Funfetti Cupcakes | Bourbon Maple Bacon Cupcakes | Margarita Cupcakes with Salted Tequila Frosting | Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Cupcakes 

What you need to make this recipe:

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• Cupcake pan or muffin pan
• Cupcake liners or parchment paper liners
• Large bowl
• Whisk
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Small bowl 
• Box grater
• Nutmeg grater
• Cookie scoop, for doling out batter
• Cake tester or toothpick 
• Hand mixer or stand mixer
• Piping bag and 1M star tip, or offset spatula for spreading icing on top
• Cupcake storage container

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the cupcakes: 

• Vegetable oil — you can also use any neutral-tasting oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil. 
• Granulated sugar — this is also called white sugar and provides the sweetness we need for our cupcakes.
• Eggs — use the best eggs you can afford. I use large eggs whenever I am baking.
• Pure vanilla extract — using quality vanilla extract will make a huge difference in your baking adventures, trust me!
• Finely grated carrots — you can do this yourself with a box grater and fresh carrots.I do not recommend using pre-shredded carrots because they are thicker and drier than freshly grated carrots.
• All-purpose flour — we like to use unbleached AP flour in our household, but the regular kind works, too. I have not tried this with a gluten free flour blend, so I do not recommend making that swap, but let me know if you try it!
• Baking powder — make sure yours is fresh! If you don’t, you may wind up with gooey, flat cupcakes.
• Ground cinnamon — ceylon cinnamon has a sweeter, more delicate flavor and is great if you prefer a more subtle cinnamon flavor. Cassia cinnamon is what you’ll typically find in grocery stores and has a bolder cinnamon flavor. 
• Kosher salt — this medium-grain salt is the best for baking. Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand.
• Ground ginger — ginger adds the loveliest flavor to this cupcake recipe! You can also grate a piece of fresh ginger root and put it in with the carrots. 
• Ground allspice — allspice has a warm, sweet and spicy flavor and adds so much complexity to this recipe! 
• Fresh ground nutmeg — if you don’t have whole nutmeg and a grater, you can use bottled nutmeg. But if you have the real deal, it adds the best flavor. 
• Milk — I prefer baking with whole milk, but you can use 2% or a non-dairy milk if you prefer. 

For the cream cheese frosting:

• Cream cheese — I suggest using whole fat cream cheese. If you really want a lighter option you can use Neufchâtel cheese or low-fat cream cheese, but I don’t recommend using fat-free cream cheese. 
• Unsalted butter — if you end up using salted, reduce the amount of salt you add, to taste. 
• Pure vanilla extract — again, use the best vanilla extract you can afford. 
• Kosher salt — if you are using salted butter, be careful with adding salt! It’s better to use unsalted butter. 
• Powdered sugar — also called confectioner’s sugar, it’s key to the fluffiest frosting ever. 

Customizations and substitutions

Mix-ins: If you want to add raisins or nuts for extra texture, feel free to mix them into the batter. Chopped walnuts or pecans are delicious here. 

Other frostings: If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, a regular vanilla buttercream or brown butter frosting will work nicely. 

Extra frosting? You can use the cream cheese frosting on so many other treats! Try it on these fresh strawberry cupcakes, cozy pumpkin cookies or chocolatey Guinness brownies. 

Toppings: I used chopped pecans, but you can also put grated carrots on top. Lemon or orange zest, ground cinnamon or grated nutmeg would also be really nice. You could also add edible carrot candies or Easter cupcake toppers.

How to make Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Here’s how to make the perfect carrot cupcakes: 

Preheat the oven. Place 12 cupcake liners in a cupcake pan, and set aside.

Grate those carrots! For best results, grate them before assembling the cupcake batter.

Whisk together the oil and granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined.

Pour in the grated carrots and mix until combined.

It will be lumpy because of the carrots, so do not fret.

In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. This includes the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger, allspice and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.

Sprinkle in half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, and stir to incorporate it. 

Pour in the milk, and mix to combine.

Add the rest of the flour, and mix until just combined.

Measure 3 tablespoons of the batter into each cupcake liner. I personally like to use a cookie scoop for evenly-sized cupcakes, but you do you.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. (Keep an eye on these because if these carrot cake cupcakes overbake, they will become tough.)

Allow 30-45 minutes to cool on a wire rack before frosting. They need to cool completely so the frosting does not melt.

How to make Cream Cheese Frosting

Next, make the tangy Cream Cheese Frosting! 

While the cupcakes bake, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula!

Next, measure in the vanilla extract. Beat to combine. The frosting will smell wonderful! 

Finally, add the powdered sugar and salt. Use the hand mixer to incorporate into the mixture.

When the icing is silky smooth, chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to ice the cupcakes. You can transfer the icing to a piping bag, or you can simply dollop it onto the cupcakes.

How to store

Once the cupcakes are cool and frosted, you can serve them. However, cream cheese frosting should only be left out at room temperature for two hours. 

Keep frosted cupcakes in the fridge in a food-safe, airtight cupcake container. Refrigerate the cupcakes until 1 hour before you plan to serve them. Then you’ll have another hour for people to enjoy them. 

You can also keep the frosting in the fridge and keep un-iced cupcakes in a food-safe, airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

​You can also freeze the cupcakes! Freeze on a sheet pan until frozen solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 3 months and defrost in the fridge. You can also freeze the frosting in an airtight freezer container.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

This Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe is a huge hit for all kinds of occasions! 

​Here’s what I would do when serving these for an event:

• Serve these for a light dessert after a hearty Easter brunch of honey ham.
• For safe consumption of cream cheese frosting, keep frosted cupcakes in the fridge until 1 hour before you’re ready to serve them. 
• If you do use nuts on top, reserve some without nuts for anyone who doesn’t like or can’t eat them due to allergies. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick tips and tricks to making the best Carrot Cake Cupcakes

• There is a LOT of carrot in here, and finely grating whole carrots is key. Otherwise, the chunks are too big and make it awkward.
• Use a cookie scoop to dole out equal amounts of batter into each cupcake tin cavity.
• Cupcake liners help to keep your cupcakes from sticking to the pan. 
• For the most silky smooth Cream Cheese Frosting, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to really whip the ingredients together.

More Easter recipes to make:

• Deviled Eggs
• Easter Snack Mix
• Peeps Rice Krispie Treats
• Easter Fruit Buns