Carrot Cake Cupcakes Recipe – Shugary Sweets

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Love Carrot Cake? These delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes are the best handheld version of the classic dessert. Covered in rich cream cheese frosting, these moist cupcakes are made for sharing.

When spring time rolls around, I start to crave all things Carrot Cake. Especially with a thick later of Cream Cheese Frosting!

Why this Recipe Works

The search for the tastiest ever carrot cake cupcakes is over. These single serving treats check all the boxes. Here are a few reasons these are the absolute BEST!

Sweet carrot flavor. Using freshly shredded carrots makes all the difference!
Super moist. These cupcakes stay soft and moist–even after storing.
Hint of cinnamon. A pinch of cinnamon spice compliments the sweet cupcakes beautifully.
Cream cheese frosting. This frosting is full of fragrant vanilla and tangy cream cheese.

I love these carrot cupcakes all year long. But they’re especially wonderful for Easter! Easy to make, transport and share with friends.

Try our carrot cake muffins for another tasty holiday treat.

Ingredient Notes

Carrots. Buy whole carrots and shred them yourself at home for best results! Store bought shredded carrots don’t contain as much moisture and can make cupcakes taste drier.

Vegetable oil. Make sure to use a vegetable oil with a mild flavor. (Do not use olive oil or peanut oil here!) The oil keeps the cupcakes extra moist, for days!

Vanilla. Try these with my How to Make Vanilla Extract if you have time to plan ahead!

Cream Cheese. When making frosting, use the blocks of full fat cream cheese here!

Pecans. Learn how to toast pecans in minutes with our simple method. Provides great flavor in the cake!

Tips and Tricks

Use a stand mixer or beaters. An electric mixer is the easiest (and fastest) way to make fluffy spreadable cream cheese frosting.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way. Avoid overfilling the cupcake tins. These cupcakes don’t dome up on top as much as traditional chocolate cupcakes. The heaviness from the carrots keeps them flatter. Still delicious but much easier to frost.
These can be made with or without nuts. Simply omit the chopped pecans from the batter for a nut free carrot cupcake.
Love carrot cake? Use our recipe to make a traditional layer cake, or make carrot sheet cake!
Cookies. Try our carrot cake cookies for the same great flavor in a chewy cookie!

Recipe FAQs

Can I remove nuts from the cupcake batter?

Feel free to make these nut free by keeping the nuts out of the batter.

Do carrot cupcakes have to be refrigerated?

Yes, because of the cream cheese frosting you should store these in the refrigerator. Place them in an airtight container and keep chilled until 1 -2 hours before serving.

Can you freeze carrot cupcakes?

Carrot Cupcakes freeze beautifully! Place cooled unfrosted cupcakes in freezer bags and store for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight and top with freshly made cream cheese frosting before serving.

Carrot cake cupcake with paper wrapper undone.

Love Carrot Cake? These delicious Carrot Cake Cupcakes have a delicious Cream Cheese Frosting! Perfect for a weekday dessert or weekend potluck!

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots, or finely shredded
1 cup chopped pecans

For the Frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
Mix sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Beat for 2 minutes until fully combined and fluffy.
Fold in carrots and chopped nuts.
Fill cupcake tins ⅔ full. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove and cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, cream together butter and cream cheese (about 3 minutes). Add vanilla and powdered sugar, beat well. Use an open tip to pipe onto cupcakes.

Notes

Carrots. You can grate carrots for carrot cake using either a box grater or a food processor. Make sure to start with washed, peeled carrots. If using a box grater, place the carrot against the side of the grater and run the carrot downward to grate. When you use a food processor, use the grating attachment. You want the pieces very fine without turning into a puree.
Use a stand mixer or beaters. An electric mixer is the easiest (and fastest) way to make fluffy spreadable cream cheese frosting.
Fill cupcake liners ⅔ of the way. Avoid overfilling the cupcake tins. These cupcakes don’t dome up on top as much as traditional chocolate cupcakes. The heaviness from the carrots keeps them flatter. Still delicious but much easier to frost.
These can be made with or without nuts. Simply omit the nuts from the batter.
Store. Frosted cupcakes should be stored in airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 cupcake

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 373Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 151mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 35gProtein: 3g