This low calorie Healthy Gluten Free Sugar Free Carrot Cake is SO moist and tender! You’d never know it’s low carb and oil and butter-free!
Continuing to obsess over baked goods that allow me to pretend like I’m eating a plate full of veggies.
Well, only one kind of baked good: CARROT CAKE.
I know it’s only been a hot minute since the gluten free carrot cake cupcakes, vegan gluten free dairy free carrot cake and easy healthy gluten free carrot cake muffins but TIS THE SEASON.
Just making sure the Easter bunny has ALL the gluten free carrot cakery that he/she needs to experience this spicy-sweet, MOIST cake deliciousness no matter what kind of eating habits said bunny follows. Even if it’s a WILD bunny, I have gluten free oatmeal carrot muffins with GARAM MASALA for it.
Also, internet BFFS, in this scenario Y-O-U are the Easter bunny that I am trying to cater different-diet-friendly carrot cake to.
Anyway. I KNOW that you’re gonna feel SO good about this sugar free carrot cake recipe.
Why this Carrot Cake is SO Good
I’m all about cake, and no, it DOESN’T have to be a celebration to enjoy a big, thick slice! Gluten free gingerbread cake bars, sugar free angel food cake, and mulled red wine cake – I’ll take them all, especially during the holiday season! Today’s recipe is the BEST gluten-free carrot cake you’ll ever have for so many reasons. It is a carrot cake lover’s dream as it’s extremely moist, thanks to the delicious and protein loaded greek yogurt baked into it. A slice of this cake also boasts warm and cozy flavors like cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as the perfect amount of crushed pecan pieces in every bite. To top it all off, it’s healthy- NO refined sugar and NO gluten are used in the making of this tasty cake, just a whole lot of protein, goodness, and LOVE!
Sugar Free Carrot Cake Ingredients
Looking at the list of ingredients for this low carb carrot cake, you may be surprised to notice that all the ingredients are healthy and wholesome foods and spices with no funny words you can’t pronounce! YAY for delicious dessert that’s also good for you. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Coconut Flour
- Cinnamon
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Ground Nutmeg
- Large Eggs
- Erythritol Sweetener (I use swerve)
- Plain Non-fat Greek Yogurt
- Vanilla Extract
- Grated Carrot
- Pecans
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Light Cream Cheese
- Powdered Erythritol Sweetener
What makes this Sugar Free Carrot Cake Recipe Healthy
This dreamy carrot cake has that moist, carroty, nutty flavor we ALL love but it also boasts a ton of healthy ingredients. There is no refined sugar used to sweeten this keto carrotcake, but instead uses erythritol which still brings that sweetness you need in a dessert. It also doesn’t use any butter, but instead uses greek yogurt to bring on some healthy fats as well as protein! And while we’re on the topic of protein, this cake is also baked with a ton of eggs and uses chopped pecans as well which packs even more of a protein punch!
How do you make Sugar Free Cake from scratch?
Prepare
Turn on the oven and allow it to preheat. Line 2 cake pans with parchment paper and set aside.
Stir
Place all of the dry ingredients other than the sweetener in a large bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, add the eggs, sweetener, greek yogurt and vanilla and stir well. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir until everything is well incorporated.
Fold In
Gently fold in the carrots, nuts and coconut flakes and stir until just combined. Let the batter sit for a little while so that the coconut flour can absorb the moisture.
Bake
Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake them until done! Cool completely, then frost the cake!
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ways to switch things up with this coconut flour carrot cake to suit your needs and preferences:
- Dairy Free: Use dairy free cream cheese and dairy free greek yogurt.
- Paleo: Use plant based yogurt instead of greek yogurt. Also, you may be able to use coconut sugar instead of erythritol but I have not personally tried this.
Sugar Free Carrot Cake FAQ
Great question! You should be able to use any calorie free sweetener for this recipe, but I have not tried any others myself. If you do, let me know how it goes!
These two flours are very different, so I do not recommend using almond flour for this cake recipe as it will not turn out!
No! If you would rather just make regular cream cheese frosting for this cake, feel free to do so!
This carrot cake only has 13g total carbs per slice and only 6g of net carbs! That is a lot less than the usual 22g+ in a normal carrot cake!
This carrot cake is because it uses high fiber coconut flour! At 7g of fiber per slice, this is a very healthy, high fiber cake!
Other Recipes You Might Like:
Low Carb Gluten Free Graham Crackers
Low Carb Sugar Free Keto Blueberry Muffins
Protein Low Carb Keto Brownies
Paleo Carrot Cake with Almond Flour
Gluten Free Coconut Flour Carrot Cake Dip
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/4 Cups + 2 Tbsp Coconut flour, sifted (136g)*
- 4 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 9 Large eggs
- 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve) **
- 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 4 Cups Carrot, grated and lightly packed (392g or about 7 large carrots)
- 3/4 Cup Pecans, diced (85g) *** + additional for garnish (optional)
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened coconut flakes (27g)
For the frosting:
- 12 Oz Light cream cheese, at room temperature (1.5 bricks)
- 3/4 Cup Plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 3 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 Cup Powdered Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve)
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper, spraying the exposed sides with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, salt and nutmeg.
- In a separate, large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, sweetener, Greek yogurt and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the coconut flour mixture and stir until combined.
- Gently fold in the carrots, pecans and coconut flakes until well combined. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can begin to absorb the moisture. Your batter will be thick, this is normal.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans, spreading out smoothly. Bake until the sides are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY before frosting.
To make the frosting:
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and yogurt on high speed until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
- Set the mixer on low speed and gradually add in the powdered sweetener, until you’ve added all of it and it’s well combined. Return to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is fluffy.
To frost:
- Place one layer bottom side up on a cake stand. Spread 3/4 cup of the frosting all over it evenly. Then, place the other cake bottom side up gently on top.
- Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to make the crumb coat. It doesn’t have to be pretty, it’s just to seal in the crumbs. Chill for at least an hour, up to overnight. Put the remaining frosting in the fridge too, so it starts to firm up.
- Once chilled, frost the entire cake. I find an offset spatula really helps! Garnish with extra pecans, if desired.
- DEVOUR!
Tips & Notes:
**You can PROBABLY use whatever sugar free sweetener you prefer. However, only Swerve has been tested with this recipe. You could also use regular sugar, but will obviously change the nutritional information. ***Make sure you cut the pecans very small or it makes it hard to cut the cake as they make it break in areas. Total time includes does not include chilling the crumb coat or letting the baked cake cool.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: FREESTYLE POINTS: 5 POINTS+: 5 . OLD POINTS:4
(per 1/16 of cake)
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Jana says
I made this cake as a dessert for the Easter dinner. We were all fairly disappointed. Though everyone was kind enough to “taste” the cake, the remainder of the cake ended up in the garbage disposal. I found the cake to be much, much, MUCH too sweet tasting. I followed the directions to a “T”. My husband said it reminded him of the fruit cakes from years ago that would remain in the refrigerator well beyond Christmas. I would not recommend this recipe.
Foodfaithfitness says
Hi Jana, I am so sorry to read this. As you can see several people have tried the recipe and it worked well for them. I am not sure what went wrong for you but I can imagine how frustrating it can be not to have a good cake at an important family dinner. Thank for sharing your experience though and hope to read you again soon!
Lisa stearnes says
I made this and followed directions to the tee! It came out perfect! It almost had a pumpkin pie element to it.
Foodfaithfitness says
This is SO nice to read, I am glad you liked it!
Christine says
Hello! This Friday going to be dinner this is the carrot cake that I am going to be making, question could I Macy’s in a cupcake pan? And what would differ between the cupcake versus the pans? I appreciate your attention to this and I look forward to making it tasting it and posting Neighbor the picture 😉
Foodfaithfitness says
Hi Christine, I actually have a carrot cake cupcake recipe if you would like to try it: https://www.foodfaithfitness.com/gluten-free-carrot-cake-cupcakes/
If you want to stick to the original recipe, I think the main difference is the cooking time. Other than that you should be fine!
Enjoy your dinner and let me know how it goes!
Dixie says
This was my first try making a sugar free, gluten free anything! Made it for Sunday School, we have a few diabetics. This was a great success! Some took a piece home for later. I will say the toothpick test was a little scary. My tooth pick was clean, but my cake felt almost like pumpkin pie consistency. Would recommend it, also note the recipe States to let the batter sit so the coconut flour can absorb the moisture.
Laura Almond says
What can you use instead of coconut or Almond flour, but keep it as healthful as possible? Some allergies to consider.
hausea says
Hi Laura! If you’re looking for an alternative to coconut and almond flour, you can try using oat flour or tigernut flour as a healthier option while considering allergy needs. Both flours still maintain nutritional benefits without relying on nuts or coconut.
For this specific recipe, replacing coconut flour might require some adjustments. Keep in mind that coconut flour is highly absorbent, so you might need to use a different ratio when substituting with oat flour or tigernut flour. A good starting point is to use around 2-3 times the amount of the alternative flour (oat or tigernut) than mentioned for coconut flour.
Here’s the modified ingredients list for the cake, replacing coconut flour with oat or tigernut flour:
– 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 Cups Oat flour or Tigernut flour (272g – 408g) adjust as needed
– 4 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
– 1 tsp Baking soda
– 1 tsp Baking powder
– 1 tsp Salt
– 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
– 9 Large eggs
– 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve) **
– 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp Plain non fat Greek yogurt
– 2 tsp Vanilla extract
– 4 Cups Carrot, grated and lightly packed (392g or about 7 large carrots)
– 3/4 Cup Pecans, diced (85g) *** + additional for garnish (optional)
– 1/2 Cup Unsweetened coconut flakes (27g)
Feel free to experiment and adjust the measurements to achieve the desired consistency and texture. Enjoy your allergen-friendly carrot cake!
Rachel Landregan says
Hi I made this and the cake itself is lovely but I cannot get the frosting to be firm, i made it twice and still not right. Can I freeze it to set it?
hausea says
I’m glad to hear that the cake itself turned out lovely, but I’m sorry to hear that the frosting isn’t firm enough. Let’s try to troubleshoot the issue and find a solution for you!
First, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing with the Greek yogurt. This ensures that the ingredients blend smoothly and achieve the right consistency. Beating the cream cheese and yogurt on high speed is important to incorporate air and create a fluffy texture.
Also, while adding the powdered erythritol sweetener, do it gradually and ensure that it’s well combined. Then, return to high speed and continue beating for 2-3 minutes to further incorporate air and fluffiness into the frosting.
As for freezing the frosting, it’s generally not recommended because the texture might change, and become less smooth and creamy. However, you can try to chill the frosting in the refrigerator for an hour and see if that works for you. Good luck!
mary says
i use aguva instead of swerve how much should I use
Foodfaithfitness says
Hi Mary, to you mean guava?
Stella says
She meant agave sweetener. It’s similar to honey and used in mixed drinks. Can you use honey.
Kim says
Do you have the measurements in grams, please?
If I halved the recipe
Foodfaithfitness says
There you go for the full recipe Kim. I will let you halve the measurements as you see fit. Enjoy!
For The Cake:
– 135g Coconut flour, sifted
– 4 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
– 1 tsp Baking soda
– 1 tsp Baking powder
– 1 tsp Salt
– 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
– 9 Large eggs
– 200g Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve)
– 150g Plain non-fat Greek yogurt
– 2 tsp Vanilla extract
– 390g Carrot, grated and lightly packed (about 7 large carrots)
– 85g Pecans, diced + additional for garnish (optional)
– 25g Unsweetened coconut flakes
For The Frosting:
– 12 oz (340g) Light cream cheese, at room temperature (1.5 bricks)
– 3/4 Cup (170g) Plain non-fat Greek yogurt
– 3 tsp Vanilla extract
– 1 1/2 Cup (180g) Powdered Erythritol Sweetener (I used swerve)