These decadent tender low carb keto carrot cake cupcakes with keto cream cheese frosting are so quick and easy to make and have just 3 grams of net carbs so they won't spike your blood sugar and can be enjoyed on a keto diet, low carb and sugar free diet.
Are Carrots Keto?
No food is keto. Ketosis is a nutritional state for your body to use stored body fat as fuel. Foods that have less carbohydrates can help your body get into ketosis.
100 grams of carrots or about ½ cup has 9.6 total grams of carbs which may be too much if you are on a ketogenic diet and having only 20 total carbs a day.
There are 12 keto cupcakes in this keto dessert recipe and it includes a ½ cup of grated carrots. So these keto carrot cupcakes each have a very small amount of carrot.
Having one delicious cupcake with such small amounts of carrot, less than 10 grams, will not kick you out of ketosis. Certainly better than indulging in classic carrot cake that is very high in sugar and carbs.
You can see all the nutritional information below in the recipe card.
Keto Carrot Cake Muffins or Cupcakes
The difference between cupcakes and muffins is that cupcakes are often fluffy and light and have more sugar and muffins tend to be denser.
Since our we top our cupcakes with a creamy delicious but sugar free cream cheese frosting, our cupcake recipes need to be store in the refrigerator. This keeps the carrot cake cupcakes nice and moist but they do tend to be denser than traditional cupcakes.
My original keto carrot cake recipe is from my Sugar Free Low Carb Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake recipe which I adapted these from.
You could call them keto muffins if you skip adding the cream cheese frosting and serve them for breakfast if you prefer, but not matter what you call them, this sugar free, nut free carrot cake cupcake recipe is fantastic and your whole family will love them.
I served them to my family who are not low carb or keto, and they loved them. My dad who does not often eat any desserts really liked them as well as my mom, brother, his wife and of course my hubby and sons. I'd say that's a win for us and hopefully it will be for your family too!
How to Make Sugar Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
eggs
heavy cream
avocado oil
lemon juice
vanilla extract
pre-shredded carrots
coconut shredded, unsweet
Allspice ( this contains nutmeg ground cloves and ground cinnamon for great spice flavor)
pinch of salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
cream cheese, room temperature or mascarpone cheese
heavy cream
Optional Drizzle
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the first 6 wet ingredients into a stand mixer or large bowl and blend until combined.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend until combined.
Pour batter into a greased or cupcake liners 12 capacity muffin tin.
Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick in center comes out clean and they are golden brown.
Allow to cool 1 hour on a cooling rack before frosting.
Prepare frosting by adding all ingredients into a stand mixer. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed. Decorate each cupcake with a piping bag or Wilton decorating tool. Drizzle optional yacon syrup.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container until serving.
Can I change the sugar substitutes?
Yes if you don't want to use the low carb monk fruit granular sweetener i used in this recipe, you can change it to something else. My Sweetener Guide and Conversion chart will help you decide which and how much to use in reference to what I've used.
Can I change the oil?
Yes, you can swap the avocado oil with coconut oil that is melted or olive oil.
What is Yacon Syrup?
Yacon syrup is made from the Yacon plant which is native to Peru. It is a low glycemic sweetener with a molasses like flavor and consistency. It does contain fructose, but in small amounts it should not spike blood sugar.
I used it sparingly to decorate the cupcakes. Drizzle over cupcakes before serving if desired.
More Keto Recipes for Easter
Low Carb Keto Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Low Carb Carrot Cake Cupcakes (Nut Free, Gluten Free)
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ cup carrot shredded
- ½ cup coconut shredded, unsweet
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ cup Monk Fruit/Allulose blend
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese softened or mascarpone cheese
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia
- pinch salt
Optional Drizzle
- 1 tablespoon Yacon syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the first 5 ingredients into a stand mixer and blend until combined.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend until combined.
- Pour batter into a greased or paper lined 12 capacity muffin pan.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick in center comes out clean and they are golden brown.
- Allow to cool 1 hour before frosting.
- Prepare frosting by adding all ingredients into a stand mixer. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed. Decorate each cupcake. Drizzle optional yacon syrup.
- Keep refrigerated until serving.
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Angie H
Same great satisfying taste as Brenda’s carrot cheesecake, but easier for me to have this done in one day. This is a keeper! Thank you!
Louise Robbins
Love this recipe.
Making a double batch today as work colleagues loved the cake!
This time I'm making buns and a small cake.
Oh and I solved the frosting issue, I. Was being a bit dense and had forgotten to whip the cream first!!😂
Ginny
I love this recipe and have everything to make it except the vanilla stevia. I clicked the link and it's almost $10! I'm on SS. Is there a substitute that isn't so expensive?
Brenda Bennett
You can use more vanilla extract and choose another sweetener of choice, my conversion chart can help you:https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/natural-sugar-free-low-carb-sweeteners-guide-conversion-chart/
Louise Robbins
Cake has turned out fabulous, but the mascarpone frosting!??? When does it set? I just have a slop, that tastes nice but is just making a mess every where!
Ashley Berkenhoff
Hi Brenda,
Do you suppose this could be made into a cake instead of cupcakes? If so what size pan and time do you recommend?
Brenda
Yes I adapted from this recipe but just follow the carrot cake directions. https://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/low-carb-carrot-cake-cheesecake-nut-free-gluten-free/
Tonya
I cannot do Flax because of the Estrogen properties; I was going to try wheat germ. what is the specific reason the Flax is necessary. I googled substitutes for ground flax and several things came up and wheat Germ was one of them.
Brenda
I like to use flaxseed to add fiber to baked goods as well as texture.
Alice
Hi Brenda, I’m wondering if the ground flax seed can be left out, or maybe your brand is better than mine. I made something with it, and all I could taste was the flax seed. So strong. Is this typical?
Brenda
I wouldn't recommend leaving it out, and it is only 1/4 cup. I think the other flavors will be more prominent that the flax.
Megan
Any substitutes for flaxseed? We have nut, seed, and gluten allergies in our household. This recipe is almost there, except for that! Thanks!!