13 Carrot Cake-Inspired Recipes You'll Want to Make ASAP By Dillon Evans Dillon Evans Dillon Evans fell in love with cooking at a very young age. He remembers the novel experiences of microwaving a bowl of oatmeal without his parents' permission and asking to make his mother's morning pot of coffee. These moments became catalysts for his interest in cooking and baking. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 10, 2024 Close Carrot cake is most known for its delicious flavor and moist texture, making it the perfect inspiration for many different dishes. Whether you’re hankering for a two-bite carrot cake-flavored snack or a satisfying breakfast inspired by the classic dessert, we’ve got you covered with these mouthwatering recipes. Make our Carrot Cake Overnight Oats for the perfect start to your day or our Carrot Cake Cheesecake for a fun take on the fan-favorite dessert. 01 of 13 Carrot Cake Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect--people think it's health food, but it's usually very high in fat and calories. But our version has about 40 percent less calories and 50 percent less fat than most. First, we use less oil in our batter. Then we skip the butter in the frosting (don't worry, it's still light and smooth). To ensure the cake is moist, we add nonfat buttermilk and crushed pineapple. View Recipe Save 02 of 13 Carrot Cake Overnight Oats Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Catherine Jessee, Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle Carrot cake for breakfast? We say yes! These carrot cake overnight oats taste just like the classic dessert—complete with a frosting-like layer—but with far less added sugar. We like layering some of the frosting in between layers of oats, but you can just dollop it all on top if you prefer. View Recipe Save 03 of 13 Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bars Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Lauren McAnelly, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco Enjoy these delightful carrot cake oatmeal bars, perfect for a snack or dessert alongside a steaming cup of coffee. Made with a blend of shredded carrots, oats and a hint of brown sugar, these easy bars capture the essence of carrot cake, while offering a boost of fiber and less sugar than cake. Portable and convenient, these bars can be enjoyed on the move. To make these bars gluten-free, opt for gluten-free oats. View Recipe Save 04 of 13 Carrot Cake Energy Bites These no-cook energy bites keep well in the fridge or freezer and are easy to grab on the go for a healthy snack. View Recipe Save 05 of 13 Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins Carrot cake meets muffins in this healthy breakfast recipe. Whole-wheat pastry flour along with plenty of carrots and toasted walnuts add fiber while applesauce keeps the muffins moist and helps cut back on sugar. View Recipe Save 06 of 13 Vegan Carrot Cake Photographer: Stacy K. Allen. Food Stylist: Ana Kelly, Prop Stylist: Christina Brockman This vegan carrot cake recipe with almond flour is packed with carrots, raisins and pecans, which add wonderful texture. Vegan butter and vegan cream cheese combine with rice flour to create a creamy, tangy frosting. Letting the frosting chill in the fridge is crucial so it thickens, giving it a more spreadable consistency. View Recipe Save 07 of 13 Carrot Cake Cheesecake Will Dickey This orange-scented carrot cake cheesecake has a wonderfully moist and flavorful carrot cake shell which holds the creamy cheesecake portion. The swirl effect of dollops of cheesecake batter is a fun and festive way to round out this rich dessert. View Recipe Save 08 of 13 Breakfast Carrot-Cake Oatmeal Cakes Sara Haas Enjoy all the classic flavors of carrot cake in these healthy oatmeal cakes. Shredded carrot, raisins and walnuts are packed into each bite. Chopping the raisins helps distribute them throughout the batter. These oatmeal cakes are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast, but also make for a great snack. View Recipe Save 09 of 13 Carrot Cake with Miso Cream Cheese Frosting Rick Poon Cookbook author and cooking teacher Sonoko Sakai extends her passion for miso to this cake recipe. She explains, "When I moved to Los Angeles from Tokyo, my mother took us to a diner where she ordered us carrot cake for the first time. She was always encouraging us to try things, but a vegetable cake? I was skeptical at first, but when I took the first bite, I fell in love. Soon, I began making my own. I'd never baked with any of these ingredients before, so I felt a little more American every time. Later in my life, the Japanese in me wondered about adding miso to the frosting—after all, mochi sweets are often flavored with miso. I found it offsets the sweetness and gives it a punch of umami. I like to use both white and red miso. Since the flavor of miso varies, start small, taste and adjust to suit your palate." View Recipe Save 10 of 13 Carrot Cake with Candied Carrot Curls Our 30th anniversary deserved a cake, and what cake better represents EatingWell than one with vegetables? While many homemade carrot cakes include pineapple in the batter, we made a jammy filling with it instead to tuck between the layers. View Recipe Save 11 of 13 Diabetes-Friendly Carrot Cake With this luscious take on an all-time favorite, you can fit this low-added sugar cake into your eating pattern. View Recipe Save 12 of 13 Carrot Cake Bars Photographer / Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist / Kay Clarke, Food Stylist / Emily Nabors Hall Classic carrot cake flavors abound in these easy bars. They're rich like brownies, but their cake-like texture helps keep them light. A yogurt and cream cheese-based frosting topped with nutty walnuts completes this crowd-pleasing dessert. If you're avoiding gluten, look for gluten-free oat flour or make your own by processing gluten-free oats into powder in your high-speed blender. View Recipe Save 13 of 13 Vegan Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting Classic carrot cake goes vegan in this easy recipe, and gets covered with coconut whipped cream to replace the traditional cream cheese frosting. A mixture of flax and water makes a sturdy substitute for eggs in this vegan cake. Plus, sweet crushed pineapple helps to make this cake delicious with less added sugar. View Recipe Save Explore more: Healthy Recipes Dessert Cake Carrot Cake Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit