This keto carrot cake recipe is moist, fluffy, and made in just one bowl! Simple ingredients and easy to prepare, it is a low carb dessert that is sure to impress!
Cake is something that should be part of any diet out there.
As someone who follows a low carb diet, desserts are something I continue to enjoy on a regular basis. There is an unfair stigma that cake is a high carb dessert. When made with sugar and flour, that is the case. However, with a few simple swaps, you can replicate many popular cakes without all the carbs.
My favorites include a German chocolate cake, lemon cake, and a carrot cake.
Are carrots keto friendly?
Carrots are one of the higher carb vegetables. Per one cup serving, there are 9 grams of net carbs.
While eating carrots alone on a keto diet isn’t recommended, you can add into recipes without affecting the carb count too much. One delicious way to use it is in a carrot cake…low carb style!
Why you’ll love this keto carrot cake recipe–
- Just 3 grams net carbs. Each slice yields less than 3 grams of carbs, so no fears of kicking yourself out of ketosis.
- Made in one bowl. No multiple mixing bowls or kitchen mixers are required.
- No coconut flour. Unlike other low carb desserts, this cake doesn’t use any coconut flour. Instead, we use almond flour!
The texture of the cake is super moist and fluffy, with a tender crumb, and the frosting is creamy. The cake is sweet and with hints of spice, without being overpowering. This is the kind of cake that will have people sneaking a second slice, keto diet or not!
How do you make a low carb carrot cake?
The Ingredients
- Almond flour- It is best to use blanched almond flour, not almond meal. While the latter can be used, you’ll need to adjust the cooking time to avoid the cake sinking in the middle.
- Baking powder and baking soda- A combination of the baking powder and soda is used to give the cake some fluffiness and rise.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg- A mix of the two spices are necessary for any good carrot cake!
- Salt- Brings out the sweetness of all the other ingredients.
- Eggs- Room temperature eggs. If you’d like to make this eggless, try one of these substitutes.
- Granulated sweetener of choice- I used a brown sugar substitute, but allulose will also work.
- Vanilla extract- A must for any excellent cake!
- Oil- Any neutral flavored oil can be used. I used vegetable oil, but canola and avocado oil can also be used.
- Carrots- Finely shredded carrots.
- Shredded coconut- Unsweetened shredded coconut flakes or finely milled coconut flakes (desiccated/macaron style) can be used.
- Shredded Apple- While apples are not technically keto, a small amount is used to give extra moisture and sweetness to the cake. It’s a replacement for pineapple, which is extremely high in carbs. If you are worried about using apples, you can also use shredded zucchini.
- Walnuts- Optional, but gives some delicious crunch throughout.
- Cream cheese frosting- I used a simple keto frosting.
The Instructions
Prepare the cake batter: Start by mixing your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix-ins and mix until a smooth batter remains.
Bake the cake: grease two 8-inch cake pans and lightly dust with extra almond flour. Evenly distribute the cake batter amongst the two pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool the cake: Let the cakes cool completely.
Frost, layer, and decorate: layer the cake with the frosting and let sit for 30 minutes, before serving.
Tips for success
- For decorative purposes, I made this an 8-layer cake. None of the proportions change, each cake was just sliced into 4 thin pieces.
- Greasing and dusting the pan with flour prior to adding in the batter is important to ensure the cake can easily be removed.
- Avoid over-baking the cake, as it continues to cook as it is cooling down.
Storing and freezing instructions
- To store: The cake should be stored in the refrigerator, covered, to ensure it does not become soggy in the middle and dry around the sides. The cake will keep fresh for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Place slices of the carrot cake in a sealable container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More keto cake recipes to try
Frequently Asked Questions
Each slice of this almond flour carrot cake has just 3 grams of net carbs.
Contrary to popular belief, carrot cake is not healthier than a traditional cake. It can contain just as much fat (or carbs) as one another.
If you don’t want to use carrots, you can use shredded zucchini (with moisture squeezed out) and add carrot extract. The carrot extract has no carbs or sugar, but adds a delicious carrot flavor.
You can try an egg substitute or make a vegan carrot cake.
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Keto Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sweetener of choice I used keto brown sugar, but erythritol or monk fruit sweetener can be used
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup oil I used canola oil but any neutral flavored oil can be used.
- 2 cups carrots shredded, approximately 3 large ones
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup apple shredded, approximately 1 large apple * See notes
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1-2 cups cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and lightly dust it with almond flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and mix well. In a separate bowl, using a stick mixer, beat together the eggs and sweetener until smooth and almost double in size. Add in the vanilla extract. In a third bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients, until combined.
- Fold through the dry ingredients into the egg/sweetener/vanilla mixture, until just combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
- Distribute the cake batter amongst the two cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes, before carefully turning them on to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, layer and frost, before letting it sit for 30 minutes, before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
THAT TEXTURE. So good. You know I really don’t know what my ideal breakfast is… I definitely prefer eggs+toast but then sometimes I find myself hungry 2 hours later (<<story of my life though).
Okay, can we discuss this crapola- I had eggs this morning for the first time in ages and was ready for lunch an hour later.
These pictures are killing me! I normally don’t crave cake in the morning but I want this right now!
If you ever deter from eggs and bacon I will cry!
Great minds think alike! Did you know that Wednesday is National Carrot Cake Day!? I have a carrot filled recipe going up tomorrow to celebrate too!
I didn’t know that- What a coincidence I share a recipe the same week it is!
i swear you just have the power to read my mind. My breakfast is always a combo of P,F,C or else I get hangry real fast, and of course the coffee, because you wouldn’t wanna forget that liquid gold. I would eat cake for breakfast much more often if my cake looked like this and had this perfect balance of macros. Plus it’s carrot cake which is my fav! This one get’s a perfect ten!
Right? Seriously. One time I ate hard boiled eggs and I couldn’t even cartwheel.
How dare this gets a 10. I wanted an 11.
Whaaa? This looks awesome! I normally go for more savory breakfasts, but I could live with cake too. My perfect breakfast has equal amounts carbs/fat/protein. It’s usually right after I work out, too, so I feel like I need to get a little bit of everything to get me going for the day.
Your breakfasts leave me craving savory. ALL. THE. TIME.
I love me some carrot cake! I used to hate it when I was a kid because I thought it was a cake made of veggies. But then I actually ate a slice, and that was the end. Now it’s up there at the top of the list! Also, my macro is cake + cake = good.
Cake and cake is THE ultimate macro.
I honestly eat what I have or what will go bad the quickest. It’s almost always high carb unless I have yogurt that needs to be eaten. That’s what works for me. Cake is always welcome
Nice! Enjoy those carbs!
Seems like it really doesn’t matter WHAT I eat for breakfast. I always want a snack before lunch time ?
😀 Love it! You also have an epic excuse 🙂
Eggs and toast are my standart breakfast. Sometimes it is boring, but always perfectly satisfied. But I change for oatmeal sometimes (yes to sweets in the morning!).
🙂 That sounds delicious!
As if it was possible to love you any more than i already do… you go ahead and make some more friggen carrot cake. as if i needed another reason to eat more cake for breakfast 😉 and marie antoinette is one of my favorite people to quote even if she only said one thing before she lost her head..
p.s. i’m making way on looking into santa monica so please compile your thoughts and let me know yay or nay and ill make this carrot cake my bae <3
😀 Are you coming to Expo West?!
UMM ARE YOU COMING TO EXPO WEST!?!?! I will be working, so there’s a 100% chance that it’s already raining 😉
IS there something that can replace the nut butter? Allergies.
Hi Nan! Absolutely- Switch it for sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter!
like you even have to ask what I have for breakfast! lol…this carrot cake looks really good 🙂 And easy!
😀 thanks Meredith! You’ll love it!
Yes please, I’m definitely on the “cake for breakfast” team! Or oatmeal 🙂 actually more like oat bran porridge, I’m on a major fiber kick lately – I love how much longer fiber rich breakfasts keep me from craving sugar 🙂
Right?! Oat bran is SO much more satisfying that oatmeal!
How about if I just make this healthy cake and then slather it with decadent cream cheese icing? That way it’s somewhere in the middle. Ok, sounds like a plan.
um…YES.
A cake to suit all macro needs? Maybe you should call it mix-and-macro cake ;)? Pretty macro cake.
As shocking as it might sound cake for breakfast wouldn’t work for me but that’s because – no matter what the macros – I’ve found savoury options work best for me.
Oh nice! I wish savory worked for me better!
jWow. I never think that hard about macros at all. But I love baking with oat flour–looks delicious!
Right? It’s my favorite behind coconut flour!