On a low carb diet and craving delicious carrot cake? This Easy Keto carrot cake recipe has great taste AND texture - in the form of super cute mini bundt cakes!
Originally published on June 20, 2022. Updated on 4/28/2023.
I was working on a recipe for carrot cake pancakes for my husband, and just... yeah. Those classic carrot cake aromas got to me, I guess.
It’s one of my favorite cake flavours - one of my favorite desserts in general - I suppose I should have known better, LOL.
I’m a sucker for the warm spices, I guess!
Anyway, I decided to design a low carb carrot cake recipe, based around my usual best carrot cake recipe.
I had to get a bit creative with this flavorful keto carrot cake - even beyond the wheat flour / all purpose flour /sugar substitutes.
Unlike my regular carrot cake, I wouldn’t be able to use pineapples in this and still make the carrot cake keto - way too high carb for my needs. Also had to leave out raisins, for the same reason - doesn’t quite fit the keto lifestyle.
In the end, I managed to come up with this delicious keto carrot cake recipe - it’s low carb, has 9 grams of protein per serving, and is an easy recipe to throw together.
TBH, it’s a pretty amazing carrot cake recipe, if I do say so myself!
Low-Carb Carrot Cake Nutritional Information
Unlike your average traditional carrot cake recipe, this sugar-free carrot cake is perfect for anyone on a low carb or keto diet.
With the majority of the actual sugars coming from carrots - a low glycemic food - this sugar-free cake isn’t likely to raise your blood sugar by much at all, if anything.
The carb count is good, too - without the optional keto cream cheese frosting, each of these mini keto cakes weighs in at 20 grams of carbs in total, with 3 of those carbs coming from the fiber, and 13 grams of carbs from the erythritol.
Add those up and you're looking at only 4 grams of net carbs per serving! A delicious way to stick to your ketogenic diet.
Just a heads up though - the delicious cake taste and the fantastic texture of the cake make this low-carb carrot cake RIPE for refrigerator sniping!
Err, I mean... they’re great for the whole family. It’s not like I hoard my almond flour carrot cake like a cranky dragon or anything ... 😉
Keto Carrot Cake Ingredients
Keto Specialty Ingredients
These are the low carb ingredients I use to make the “keto flour”, you may need to visit a specialty shop for, or order online.
- Super Fine Almond Flour / Almond Meal
- Keto sweetener - I use an Erythriitol / Monk Fruit Blend. Use your sweetener of choice.
- Unflavoured Whey Protein Isolate Powder*
- Coconut Flour
- Xanthan Gum
* Note: Not all protein powders are created equal! You want whey isolate, specifically - and be sure to check the carb count. You want one that is 0 or 1 grams per serving. Other types may not bake up the same way.
More Common Ingredients
These are the simple ingredients you’re likely to find in any grocery store.
- Carrots
- Almond milk (Unsweetened, plain)
- Chopped Walnuts (or Chopped Pecans)
- Large eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Baking powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Pineapple Extract
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
If you’re making my sugar-free cream cheese frosting (recipe further down in the post), you’ll also want to have:
- Cream cheese
- Powdered Sweetener (I used Wholesome Yum's Besti Powdered Allulose)
Ingredient Notes
- For best results - and the best texture - finely grate fresh carrots when making this keto recipe. Store bought grated carrots tend to be drier and not a great size/texture for this use. I use my food processor to make freshly shredded carrots, it goes quickly!
- For a dairy free cake, you can swap the melted butter out for an equal amount of oil of choice. Vegetable oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil are good options, I wouldn’t bother with olive oil - too strongly flavoured.
- I used a small amount of Pineapple Extract / Pineapple flavoring that I bought at an Asian grocery store. If you’re using Lorann Pineapple Flavor Oil, you’ll want to cut the amount used in half.
Equipment
Mini Bundt Pans
The success of my Keto Paska and Keto Rum Cake nonsense recently was still fresh in my mind when I gave in to my carrot cake craving, so I decided to design the best sugar-free carrot cake recipe as a set of mini bundt cakes.
Not only does it work well for the constraints of a gluten-free / flour free batter, it’s far less hassle than making a layer cake, fussing around with cake layers and all.
Also? It’s great for portion control! Much easier to grab an individual little bundt, than to face down a whole cake!
I used all 3 pans that came in this 3 piece set of silicone bundt cake molds, and they worked perfectly!
If you have different mini bundt pans, just know that different sizes or materials may change the yield or baking time. Just keep an eye on it!
Other Stuff
Large Pastry Bags - These are optional, but make getting the batter into the pans a lot neater.
Electric Hand Mixer - If you’re making the glaze, an electric mixer comes in handy. I prefer using my hand mixer to my stand mixer, when it comes to the smaller volume recipes, like this glaze.
How to Make Keto Carrot Cake
The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is a pictorial overview.
Preheat oven to 350F (180 C), arrange 3 sets of silicone mini bundt pans on a large cookie sheet, spray with pan spray, making sure to coat the bottoms and sides of the pans.
Combine almond flour, sugar substitute, whey isolate powder, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt in a large bowl. Add carrots and walnuts, stir to combine.
Divide batter into prepared the prepared mini bundt pans, filling each about ¾ full. I like to spoon the carrot cake batter into a large pastry bag and pipe it in, I find it a lot less messy.
Bake for 20 minutes.
The baking time will depend on the size and type of mini bundt pan you use, so keep an eye on it!
Allow cakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes (you can place the pan on a cooling rack to help it along, if you like), before turning them out onto a plate or parchment paper covered work surface.
Notes
- These can be eaten warm, room temperature, or chilled. I prefer warm.
- If you’re going to top these with my delicious cream cheese frosting (recipe follows), allow them to cool to room temperature before glazing them.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container - or on a plate covered with plastic wrap - in the fridge for about a week.
Optional Cream Cheese Glaze
This cake recipe is fantastic on its own, but is also great when drizzled with a rich cream cheese frosting.
If you’re looking to really indulge your sweet tooth, here’s the glaze I designed for this recipe:
4 oz Cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoon Unsalted butter, softened
1 cup Powdered Allulose*
1 tablespoon Unsweetened Almond milk
Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together in a medium bowl, until smooth and well combined.
Add powdered allulose a little at a time, beating to combine.
Add almond milk, mix until smooth and well combined.
Test for consistency, add a little more powdered allulose or almond milk to adjust to your tastes.
Spoon glaze into a large pastry bag, cut the tip off, and drizzle each low carb carrot cake.
I like to sprinkle finely chopped walnuts or pecans on top, after glazing.
*Note: I used Wholesome Yum's Besti Powdered Allulose for this, as the “cooling” effect from powdered erythritol doesn’t work well with the carrot cake flavour, IMHO.
More Low Carb Dessert Recipes
Looking to indulge your sweet tooth in a way that won’t spike your blood sugar? Here are some delicious keto recipes to try - including a couple other keto cake recipes!
Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip Truffles
Keto Cheesecake
Fudgy Keto Brownies
Keto Raspberry Coconut Bars
Low Carb Bananas Foster Truffles
Keto Biscotti
Protein / Keto Chocolate Cookies
Low Carb Ladyfingers
Keto Tiramisu
Low Carb Cream Cheese Mints
Keto Chewy Lemon Bars
Keto Chocolate Mousse
Low Carb Holiday Desserts
Keto Creme Brulee
Keto Rum Cake
... but wait, there's more! We have a whole Low Carb Dessert Recipe section! Check it out!
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @LowCarbHoser - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!
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... and hey, if you love the recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and comment! (Sharing the post on social media is always appreciated, too!)
Keto Carrot Cake [With Low Carb Cream Cheese Glaze]
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Superfine almond flour
- 1 cup Granulated sugar substitute
- ⅔ cup Whey protein isolate
- ¼ cup Coconut Flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoon Xanthan gum
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Finely grated carrots
- ¾ cup Chopped walnuts or pecans
- 4 Large eggs
- ½ cup Almond milk
- ½ cup Unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon Pineapple extract
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 batch Cream cheese glaze Optional - see post for recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180 C), arrange 3 sets of silicone mini bundt pans on a large cookie sheet, spray with pan spray.
- Combine almond flour, sugar substitute, whey isolate powder, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add carrots and walnuts, stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, almond milk, melted butter, and extracts. Pour into bowl of dry ingredients, mix until smooth.
- Divide dough into prepared the prepared mini bundt pans, filling each about ¾ full. I like to spoon the dough into a large pastry bag and pipe it in, I find it a lot less messy.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Check for doneness - insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the bread. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, continue baking until it's fully baked.
Notes
Nutrition
Your nutritional information seems off? I’m reading 20 carbs, minus 3 grams of fibre = 17 carbs.
The software doesn't account for sugar alcohols, which is why I have information about that in both the post and the recipe card notes.