Filled with earthy carrots, cozy warming spices, beautiful color, and a decadent creamy frosting, carrot cake is a favorite for a reason. It's sweet enough to feel dessert-worthy, yet loaded with enough veggies and fruit to still feel brunch-worthy. Thanks to all the complex flavors (I love to load mine up with cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, and cardamon), it's more balanced and nuanced than most desserts. Plus it works year-round, seamlessly transitioning between seasons thanks to its diverse flavors. Simply put, carrot cake is an overall winner.
Traditional carrot cake, however, isn't great nutritionally. Of course some are better than others, but many recipes rely upon refined flours, lots of added sugar, oils, and a bunch of heavy dairy. Accordingly, carrot cake has mostly been something I enjoy as an occasional treat. That pattern ends here. With my Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes, you can have carrot cake for breakfast, lunch, or an everyday dessert!
These vegan carrot cake bites are made with a short list of simple, whole-food, raw ingredients. Plus they come together quickly, in less than half an hour, so there's no reason not to make them weekly. I'm beyond excited about this recipe and intend to enjoy healthy carrot cake much more frequently now.
An additional reason why I love carrot cake so much: it was our wedding cake! We eloped and got married on the beach, so we just had a tiny cake. But it was more than perfect, filled with an abundance of carrot, lots of cozy cinnamon, and both pineapple and coconut for tropical flair (since we got married on Kaua'i). It was even decorated with edible orchids! We of course had slices during our sunset/moonrise picnic after our ceremony, but we also had a slice in bed the next morning for breakfast, and saved a few slices for desserts the following week.
Needless to say, carrot cake is a very nostalgic dessert for us. I've always wanted to make a healthy carrot cake on our anniversary, but I've just never found a recipe with ingredients I really love. Further, it seems silly to make a whole big cake for two people. So, although we both love carrot cake, it hasn't made a very frequent appearance in the almost ten years since we got married.
This raw vegan carrot cake cupcake recipe solves all those problems. It's a nutritional powerhouse, makes a relatively small batch, and makes single-portion, transportable cupcakes rather than an unwieldy cake. Plus it's all raw, so there's no fussing with the oven, and it's fast and easy to make. Now I can pretend it's always our anniversary and make vegan carrot cake every week!
Vegan desserts are often misunderstood and have an (undeserved) reputation of being less tasty than "real" desserts. As with many of my dessert recipes, I'm here to prove that misconception wrong. Desserts don't need to be loaded up with heavy dairy to be delicious. In fact, I'd argue that getting rid of all the fillers (white flour, white sugar, vegetable oil, cream, etc., none of which have much taste) actually yields a dessert with more intense flavors.
In this vegan carrot cake recipe, there are no filler ingredients. Everything is there for a reason, and every item on the ingredient list is packed with flavor. While these cute healthy carrot cake cupcakes might be small, their flavor is mighty! They're loaded with sweet and chewy dates, earthy carrots, crunchy walnuts, fragrant coconut, zippy ginger, and a bunch of warming spices. You can really taste all those beautiful, nourishing ingredients because there's nothing obscuring them. They're topped with a decadent layer of coconut butter, which is tastier (and much better for you) than traditional frosting.
These Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes are a breeze to prepare. You'll just add all the ingredients to a food processor and blitz them, then press the mixture into a miniature muffin tin. Top each cupcake with a thin layer of coconut butter and let them set in the freezer. That's it! They take less than half an hour from beginning to end, and you only have one thing to wash.
You'll see in the directions that I suggest using a silicone mini muffin pan for these cute, healthy carrot cake cupcakes since it makes them a breeze to unmold. If you don't have a silicone one, a metal mini muffin pan is fine too, but in that case I'd use mini muffin liners. Only have a regular-sized muffin pan? No problem. Just make a smaller number (maybe 6-8) of slightly bigger cupcakes, again using muffin liners if you work with a metal pan. Because these are a no-bake treat, you don't have to worry about size and cooking time, so feel free to experiment with whatever sizes and shapes you like.
Good news! Because these cupcakes need to set in the freezer before you unmold them, they're by definition a make-ahead dessert. Isn't that great? You can make these healthy carrot cake cupcakes up to a few days ahead of time. Just store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator, then serve them chilled since they'll hold their shape better. They make for a great dessert for a party or even a brunch since all the prep can be done ahead of time.
Here's what you'll need for this recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.
Doesn't this recipe make all your vegan carrot cake dreams come true? It's everything I've always wanted in a carrot cake. These cute cupcakes are jam-packed with nourishing ingredients, very easy to make, no-bake, and absolutely delicious. I'm confident they'll become a near-weekly treat for us.
How will YOU enjoy these Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes? Will you make them for a spring brunch or a summer party? Perhaps have one as a post-workout treat since they're high in protein and healthy fats? Have a few for breakfast since they're just veggies and nuts? Thanks to the nourishing ingredients in these cupcakes, there's no reason not to have carrot cake every day!
It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.
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Carrot cake gets a nourishing makeover with these nutrient-packed, protein-rich, adorable Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes. Because carrot cake should be for everyday, not just special occasions, right??
Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.
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