Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Warmly spiced carrot cake flavors, perfectly balanced by tangy cream cheese frosting.
Texture: Ultra moist and tender cupcakes with a slight crunch from the walnuts, topped with that luxuriously smooth, rich, and creamy frosting.
Ease: Beginner-friendly recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: All the cozy flavors of classic carrot cake in a perfectly moist, bakery-worthy cupcake. It’s impossible to eat just one!
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Carrot Cake Cupcakes are adorable little treats with HUGE flavor, ready to steal the show!
As if these flavorful, moist, tender cupcakes weren’t already amazing, add a tangy, silky-smooth cream cheese frosting, and you have the most delicious Easter dessert ever.
The flavor combination of carrot cake + cream cheese frosting is magical – but it only works if the cake is moist, spiced, and not too sweet. Luckily, these cupcakes check ALL those boxes.
And yes, they totally count as your daily dose of veggies 😉
Whether you’re making my favorite Classic Scone Recipe for Easter Brunch, or my from-scratch Green Bean Casserole and go-to Ultimate Dinner Rolls for Easter Dinner, these cupcakes are the perfect dessert.
And for those who think that raisins should be banned from baked goods (me!), there are no raisins in this recipe! (but you can add some if you insist).
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Carrot Cake Cupcakes
My #1 Tip: Use Fresh Carrots and Grate Them Yourself
Avoid using packaged pre-shredded carrots! Freshly grated carrots add more flavor and moisture, making your cupcakes extra tender and delicious.
If you have a food processor, the grating attachment makes it super easy, but a simple box grater works, too!
The Spices
This recipe includes the perfect amount of spice for a well-balanced Carrot Cake Cupcake. If you prefer a more spice-forward cupcake, feel free to add more cinnamon.
Note that older spices carry less flavor than fresh spices. If your spices are older, you may need a little more spice to prevent your cupcakes from being bland. Check that your spices are not expired before using.
Applesauce in Carrot Cake Cupcakes
A little applesauce in this recipe provides moisture, helps create a tender texture, and adds more wonderfully fresh flavor. Be sure to use unsweetened applesauce.
The Nuts
I love using walnuts in the batter and as a topping for extra crunch and flavor, balancing the sweetness beautifully. Toasting the walnuts isn’t necessary, but if you like, you can toast them and let them cool before adding them to the cupcakes.
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.
Butter vs. Oil in Cupcakes
This Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe uses oil for beautifully tall cupcakes with a coarser crumb and more spongy texture. I used canola oil, but other flavorless oils (such as vegetable or avocado) will work fine. Give your oil a sniff before using, and don’t use it if it has any off odors, as this will flavor your cupcakes.
I don’t recommend using butter instead, as this will change the texture of the cupcakes. Learn more in my Butter vs. Oil in Baking article here.
This also means that these cupcakes are dairy-free! If you or someone you’re serving is allergic to dairy, simply use your favorite dairy-free frosting on top!
The Cream Cheese Frosting
The shining star of any Carrot Cake Cupcake! This recipe makes enough cream cheese frosting to generously frost 12 cupcakes.
For the best and creamiest frosting, be sure your cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature, and be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl often to prevent lumpy frosting. More tips in my Best Cream Cheese Frosting recipe.
Don’t like cream cheese frosting? Use my Easy Buttercream Frosting Recipe instead!
How to Decorate Carrot Cake Cupcakes
I used a disposable piping bag and a Wilton 1M piping tip to pipe the cream cheese frosting in a pretty swirl on top of the cupcakes.
Feel free to use a different piping tip, or check out my How to Make Decorative Carrots post for an adorable Easter dessert.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Brown Butter Carrot Cake (a layer cake version of this recipe, but made with brown butter!)
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Easter Blondies
- Peanut Butter Pie
- Check out ALL my Easter Recipes here!
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Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons (174 grams) all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (42 grams) finely chopped walnuts, divided
- 1/4 cup (47 grams) neutral oil (like canola or avocado oil)
- 1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (125 grams) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (148 grams) finely shredded carrots* (about 2 medium carrots)
For the frosting:
- 3/4 stick (85 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (67°F)
- 1 1/2 cups (188 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (don’t skip sifting!)
- 6 ounces (170 grams) full-fat cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature (brick-style, not spreadable)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
Make the cupcakes:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and 1/4 cup (30 grams) of the walnuts.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, and eggs until well combined. Stir in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Use a large cookie scoop to divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full, for a total of 12 cupcakes. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, about 19 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sifted powdered sugar on low, then gradually increase to medium-high to prevent a sugar cloud. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth. (It may look dry at first, but it will come together like magic!). Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and paddle, then add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high for 1 minute until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat for 30 seconds until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again as needed.
- Frost cupcakes and decorate with remaining chopped walnuts, if desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
Carrot Cake Cupcake FAQs
Sure! Simply halve all ingredients to yield 6 cupcakes, or double all ingredients to make 24 cupcakes. No other modifications needed.
1. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. If you don’t have a digital kitchen scale (my preferred method), use the spoon and level method explained here.
2. Don’t overmix the matter. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined.
3. Don’t overbake the cupcakes. Bake just until a cake tester inserted comes out clean to avoid over-browned, dry cupcakes.
Yes! The completely-cooled cupcakes can be stored inside an airtight container at room temperature for one day. The frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature and beat until light and fluffy again before piping.
Frosted Carrot Cake Cupcakes 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, I recommend refrigerating inside an airtight container for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Store cooled, unfrosted cupcakes inside an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for about 1 to 2 hours before frosting and serving.
This post was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with recipe improvements, additional Baking Science tips, and new photos. Photos by Joanie Simon.
I made these cupcakes yesterday and it was so good, moist and tasty! Definitely a keeper. Thanks for sharing this.
Wonderful! So happy to hear it.
These were an absolute delight. I didn’t have applesauce on hand, so substituted 1/2 cup full fat sour cream. Will try them with apple sauce next time, but they still turned out moist and absolutely delicious. Will definitely be a new ‘go to’ for my Fam! Thanks!
Glad to hear it! 🙂
Super excited to make these for Easter! Am I able to use vegetable oil instead of canola?
@Kathy – above! I made these with crushed pineapple from a can – just put it in a strainer to get rid of some of the liquid and then use the same amount as you would applesauce. Don’t use fresh pineapple – there is something about the enzymes in it that will mess things up! I found that out the hard way once when making a carrot cake!
Tessa – great recipe – mine really looked almost as perfect as yours which was fun! Nice to have cupcakes that dome up rather than a flat top! Thank you!
Hi Tessa,
I love this carrot cupcake, it looks super yummy. I can’t wait to give this recipe a try.
Thank you for creating and sharing this.
These were so amazing!!!! This is my new go to carrot cake recipe. I loooove carrot cake and I have been looking for a good recipe. I added raisins because whats carrot cake without raisins?! The frosting was to die for! I wanted to eat the whole bag.
My husband loves carrot cake and I was looking for a cupcake recipe for his birthday. I made these just tonight and he loved them!! He ate 2 cupcakes!! This recipe will stay in my favorites to make again!
Hi Tessa!
I want to bake this but it is so hard to find unsweetened applesauce here in my country. Can I substitute it with crushed pineapple instead? How much do you think? Love love love your blog!
Fabulous recipe. My grandson doesn’t like the texture of grated carrots so I finely chopped the carrots in my mini food processor. One time I ussd puréed canned pineapple rather than applesauce! Works perfectly! I cut back the sugar for toddlers! My new go to recipe❤️
So glad you enjoyed these cupcakes 🙂
Can you make mini cupcakes with this recipe?
Hi there, I made these cupcake and used half whole wheat half white, and half brown sugar half white. I also added 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal. They were amazing!! Thanks
Glad you made the recipe work for you!
Hi,
The recipe sounds great but can i substitute unsweetened apple sauce with something else?
I use crushed pineapple always!
How is this cupcake with coconut and pineapple with the recipe?
I have a carrot cupcake I make with the addition above but want to know if your recipe If I would need to adjust anything.
thanks
I’m not sure, Alice! I haven’t tried. Let us know how it turns out if you give it a go 🙂
Hi these look lovely,but what can I use instead of canola oil.