Healthy Carrot Cake – Keto & Sugarfree

Made with pillowy almond flour batter and cinnamon and pecans tucked into every cranny, this Healthy Carrot Cake recipe is a delicious must-try recipe. It’s also minus the calories and saturated fat traditionally found in carrot cake and gets its heavenly moist crumb from truly healthy ingredients. With 2 healthy frosting options for this low-carb, protein-rich carrot cake, you can make the ULTIMATE DECADENT carrot cake that is secretly healthy.

Healthy Carrot Cake with sugarfree Keto Cream Cheese Frosting.

Or try frosting low-carb carrot cake with sugarfree Cream Cheese Avocado Frosting.

The secrets to a delicious, Healthy Carrot Cake

Use avocados instead of butter in your carrot cake

I rarely use butter in my cakes anymore, because avocados aren’t just a lot healthier. They also make cakes incredibly moist, tender and silky, so every bite simply melts in your mouth. And don’t worry, the flavor of avocado fully vanishes when it mixes with the other ingredients in this healthy glutenfree carrot cake. So, forgo the saturated fat of butter and go green!

You might also like the BEST Keto Red Velvet Cake.

Replace refined sugar with a healthy sugar substitute

One way to make this a super healthy carrot cake is to drop the cake’s carbs and calories which are impacted by several factors including sugar. Simply replace refined sugar with one of the many zero-calorie sugar replacements available in supermarkets today. For example, try monk fruit, a one-to-one sugar alternative that closely approximates sugar and doesn’t have an aftertaste. So, no one will know that this soft, moist carrot cake is actually low carb and sugarfree. Another plus if you use monk fruit: No more crashes from sugar highs since monk fruit doesn’t spike your glycemic index. That also means that this is a “clean” or DIABETIC FRIENDLY carrot cake recipe.

Prep fresh, juicy carrots properly and give your healthy carrot cake a beautiful fresh flavor

Firstly, select fresh, juicy carrots and use organic carrots, if possible, since they are richer in nutrients and minus the pesticides. Secondly, brush the carrot with a nylon bristled brush while holding it under cool, running water to remove any dirt and pesticides that might remain. Thirdly, hold the carrot between your thumb and middle finger and peel it with a peeler – or simply place the tip of the carrot on a cutting board and use a paring knife to scrape down the carrot from top to tip. Finally, grate the carrot to make this healthy carrot cake recipe.

Looking for something savory? Try Keto Chicken Pot Pie in a Cheddar-Chive Crust.

Use naturally glutenfree almond flour

Apart from adding a tasty, mildly sweet, nutty flavor to the cake, almond flour is naturally glutenfree, low carb and high in protein. In fact, almond flour has a glycemic inex of under one, so it won’t spike your blood sugar. That makes this a healthy, low-carb, protein carrot cake that is suitable for diabetics and anyone on a low-carb diet.

Prep your cake pans for the perfect release

To make the best carrot layer cake, line 2 nine-inch cake pans with parchment paper, if necessary, and grease the sides, so the cakes release easily. Tip: Run a plastic knife or similar knife along the edge of the cake pans before releasing. If you do this gently with a plastic knife, you won’t ruin your pans and the cakes will slide right out.

Or try Keto Chocolate Raspberry Cake.

Ingredients & tips for healthy low-carb carrot cake

The Cake

• Avocado – soft and puréed
• Carrots – peeled and grated
• Pecans – chopped
• Almond flour – blanched or super-fine almond flour, not coarse almond meal. Naturally glutenfree almond flour helps make this a healthy protein carrot cake with over 11 grams of protein per serving.
• Granulated sweetener of choice – I use monk fruit, so there are no carbs or calories from sugar. If you’re not familiar with monk fruit, it’s a natural sugar replacement that does not have an aftertaste.
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Ginger powder – adds some spice and complements the cinnamon.
• Eggs – add protein, volume and act as a binder since almond flour doesn’t contain gluten, which is what traditionally holds cake batter together.
• Vanilla extract – adds flavor

The frosting for healthy carrot cake: traditional or super green!

• Sugar-Free Keto Cream Cheese Frosting – Also delicious, and if you use a sugarfree sweetener like monk fruit, it’s minus the carbs and calories of refined sugar. The recipe provides enough frosting to frost the tops of 2 cakes. If you want to substantially frost the sides, double the recipe.
• Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Avocado Frosting – You really NEED TO TRY this unique low-carb frosting. Thick, creamy and so tasty, it is the healthier frosting with less than 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. With puréed avocado and 8 oz of low-fat cream cheese, the recipe makes enough frosting to frost the tops of 2 cakes and to lightly frost the sides. Don’t miss out on making a clean, green cake even greener! But please note that avocado oxidizes so consume the cake within 3 days. If you plan to store the cake longer, then make the white keto frosting recipe.

Also make this Keto Coconut Cake.

How to make this Healthy Carrot Cake recipe

You’ll have it done in no time, since it’s a straightforward cake to make. This is just a summary of the steps. The full instructions are in the Recipe Card below.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
2. Chop the pecans.
3. Grate the carrots.
4. Purée the avocado.
5. Whisk together the almond flour, granulated sweetener of choice, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and optional ginger powder.
6. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, avocado purée, and vanilla extract. 
7. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
8. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes.
9. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Then flip.
10. Let the cakes cool fully before assembling, frosting and decorating with pecans.

Or try my Keto Orange Indian Spice Cake.

FAQs about heart-healthy carrot cake

Kitchen equipment to make Healthy Carrot Cake

• 2 nine-inch cake pans – to make the layer cake.
• An immersion blender or blender – to purée the avocado.
• An electric mixer or Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer – to mix the wet and dry ingredients.

How to store healthy low-carb carrot cake

To store: Refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. I highly recommend using a special cake storage container that clicks shut. Other options include an airtight plastic container.

To freeze: If you make this healthy glutenfree carrot cake recipe with Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Avocado Frosting, I don’t recommend freezing it, since the avocado may discolor and get watery when dethawing. If you make it with Sugar-Free Keto Cream Cheese Frosting, you can freeze it in a sealed container or bag for up to 3 months.