Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like carrot cake, but not as overly sweet as most grocery store carrot cakes!
Texture: Moist and tender with that luscious cream cheese frosting on top.
Ease: Very easy, especially if you use a food processor to grate the carrots.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Delicious spring recipe, perfect for Easter brunch or a sweet snack.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting is everything you love about classic carrot cake, served in cozy, easily sliceable form.
This loaf is packed with warm spices, shredded carrots, and crunchy walnuts, all topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting. Springtime perfection!
It’s simple, nostalgic, and just elevated enough to feel special. Even carrot haters love this loaf!
Free Baking Science Mini-Course!
From cookies that spread to undercooked brownies, this FREE 5-day Baking Science course helps you conquer common baking challenges and make bakery-worthy treats every time.
A great option for Easter brunch, springtime parties, or just a homemade treat, this loaf delivers big carrot cake flavors with minimal effort.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
The Baking Pan
- I highly recommend using a light-colored metal loaf pan.
- Anything too dark in color will risk scorching the edges and drying out the loaf.
- Glass and ceramic loaf pans will take about 15 to 20 minutes longer to bake, and run the risk of the loaf collapsing and being underbaked or gummy in the middle. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Shred Your Own Carrots!
Avoid using pre-shredded packaged carrots. Freshly grated carrots add more flavor and moisture, making your Carrot Walnut Loaf beautifully tender and delicious.
If you have a food processor, the grating attachment makes shredding carrots super quick and easy, but a simple box grater works just fine too.
The Spices
Please note that fresh spices impart a lot more flavor. If your spices have been sitting in your pantry for years and no longer have a strong smell, they won’t impart enough flavor, and your loaf will be bland.
The Walnuts
I love the crunch that walnuts provide in this Carrot Loaf. If you prefer, you can toast and cool the nuts before adding them to the batter or garnishing the frosted loaf.
Not a fan of walnuts? You can swap them for pecans or skip the nuts entirely.
Can I Add Raisins?
I’m not a raisin fan but feel free to add a few tablespoons of raisins along with (or instead of) the walnuts.
How to Store Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
The frosted loaf can be left at room temperature for up to 8 hours (since the sugar in the cream cheese frosting acts as a preservative). After that, refrigerate inside an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
More Spring Recipes You’ll Love:
Carrot Walnut Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting
Email This Recipe
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox.
Ingredients
For the loaf:
- 2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (300 grams) freshly shredded carrots (about 6 to 7 medium carrots)
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) walnuts, roughly chopped
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
- 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- Chopped walnuts, for garnish
Instructions
Make the loaf:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and eggs. Stir in the vanilla and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 65 to 75 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. At this point the loaf can be wrapped well and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Make the cream cheese frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. On low speed gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy.
- Spread evenly over the loaf. Sprinkle with walnuts. Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
Preheat oven at what temperature. Can you freeze loaf of bread
Hi Janet, you will preheat your oven to 350°F as stated in the first sentence in the recipe 🙂 We haven’t tried freezing this loaf, but I don’t see why you couldn’t! Just wrap well in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. We recommend thawing in the fridge overnight. Enjoy!
A bit disappointed. Recipe makes a giant loaf. It tasted good but was very dry. The yummy frosting saved it.
maybe add some sour cream next time. ovens differ and also the type of loaf pan you use.
Made this recipe, was surprised it said a 8×4 loaf pan. Put it in filled it right to the top, thought ok maybe it raises up and not out. It is in my oven right now making a big fat mess! I should have listened to my baker instinct and put it in a 9 inch pan. Can’t believe the mess I have!
Can this be made in a 9 x 5 loaf pan? If so, what would the cooking time be?
Thanks!
Hi Charlotte! We haven’t tried that, but it should be fine! You’ll want to watch the baking time, reducing by about 5 minutes or so. Let us know how it goes!
I substituted Spends Brown Sugar for the brown sugar and it was delicious! I didn’t frost it, but spread the slice with fluffy cream cheese! Everyone loves it!
Can coconut be added?
We haven’t tried that, though it sounds delicious! Let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Lovely recipe! Just tried it tonight and it came out perfectly. I didn’t add all the amount of sugar mentioned but that’s a personal choice.
Thank you!
I’m so happy you tried this recipe out!
What would be the baking time if i halve the recipe?
Hi Angelina, we can’t say for sure as it completely depends on the size of pan you use to bake it in. Good luck!
The loaf itself is not sweet like a carrot cake. It is just a very plain carrot walnut loaf. It was not moist enough for my liking either. It’s not nasty but not the greatest. Only the best recipes make it into my collected book of recipes. I personally will be on the hunt for another carrot cake loaf. Being my favorite kind of cake and all.
Very tasty & I turned the recipe into muffins, which were light and fluffy.
That’s wonderful to hear!
I just made this loaf today and it’s AMAZING.
It was so light, the frosting tasted great and the overall taste was just yum.
Hooray! Glad you enjoyed!
I am pretty bummed about this recipe. I decided to make it, but the top and sides came out burnt and the middle wasn’t cooked at all. I think this would’ve been super yummy if it had turned out. The frosting was amazing tho!
Sounds like a problem with the baking pan, what kind did you use?