This recipe for Keto Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is the PERFECT springtime dessert. With only 3 net carbs per slice, it’s a great, low carb alternative to traditional carrot cakes. Serve it as is – or toss in some chopped pecans for some extra crunch!
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Despite the snow that we have been getting this week here in southern Indiana – it is officially springtime! This carrot cake is perfect for springtime gatherings such as Easter or mothers day and with the carbs super low, it would also be a great anytime treat!
No carrot cake is complete without a cream cheese frosting, and this recipe is no exception. The frosting is a must and sets this recipe over the top.
After all, a carrot cake without frosting is really just a muffin, right?
I’m not a huge fan of nuts mixed into desserts, but you could certainly toss some chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter of this mix or even into the frosting if that’s your thing.
If you watch the video, you may notice that I used pre-shredded carrots. This was just an act of pure laziness 😏 It certainly worked, so if you are not about that grating life, then you could also use them. Just do yourself a favor and pop them in the microwave for about 2 minutes before adding them to the batter to ensure that they get cooked through.
Also, this recipe makes a single layer cake. You can easily turn this into a 2 layer cake by simply doubling the recipe.
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Keto Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup erythritol (granular or confectioners)
- 5 tbsp butter softened
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups Almond Flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 cup carrot (about 1 large carrot) finely grated
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tbsp butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Confectioners Erythritol
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together the erythritol and butter until fluffy.
- Beat the eggs in, then the almond milk and vanilla.
- Next, beat in the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and spices.
- Fold in the shredded carrot and mix just until it is well integrated into the batter.
- Transfer to prepared pan and bake for 18-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and uniform. Add the erythritol and vanilla and continue mixing. Add the heavy cream and stir until you have a smooth frosting. Add more heavy cream 1/2 tbsp at a time if your frosting is too thick.
Video
Notes
Can you please post the nutritional information?
The nutrition info is posted in the recipe notes at the bottom of the recipe card 😊
Like so many low-carb recipes posted on the internet it’s amazing how far off the posted carbs are from the actual real carbs. Without knowing the brand names of the items you used, I would still bet that there are a lot more net carbs in the recipe then 12 or 13. Can you provide a recipe breakdown by ingredients for gross carbs and fiber cards for each item? If you do, I’ll show you where you made your mistakes. For example, 1.5 cups of almond flour usually has 9 net carbs. One tablespoon of baking powder has 6.6 cards. Two tablespoons of coconut flour has 3 net carbs., half a cup of grated carrot has approximately 4 grams net carbs, four eggs has about 1.5 grams of net carbs, cream cheese typically has about 2 grams per ounce of net carbs, or 8 net carbs, and one tablespoon of heavy cream has 0.4 net carbs. These numbers add up to 32.5 net carbs for the recipe, not the 12 or 13 that you list. Please show me where I’m wrong. Thanks
The nutrition info is per serving, which is pretty standard practice.
The serving size is 1/12 of the cake. Using your numbers that would be 2.7 carbs per serving. Her numbers are spot on.
This recipe calls for a total of 3/4 cup of sweetener (erythritol) between the cake mix and icing. That alone is 144 total carbs… her numbers don’t make sense. There is typically 4 grams of carbs per tsp in erythritol.
I’m just curious on how she got her breakdown. I’d love to know if I should change something to make it less carbs.
Omg so stupid eggs do not have carbs lmao
What can be substituted for almond milk
I only have heavy cream in the house
I would try a 50/50 mix of heavy cream and water.
Yummy 😋
Yummy . It turned out great!
All it says on the Nutrition box at end of recipe is that each serving has 148 calories. Everything else is listed as -0-. Is there any way you can update it before I print it out? Thank you.
BTW … Carrot Cake is my all time favorite and I just want to say thank you for this recipe. Looking forward to making it soon.
I just went back and looked at notes at end of recipe as was mentioned in another comment. It does tell all the info I need. Thank you.
It’s under the notes
How does 14g carbs = 1g net carb? Is 14g for the WHOLE cake then you divide that by 12?
One serving of cake has 3 NET CARBS. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (in this case erythritol) from the total carbs.
Generally fiber and most sugar alcohols don’t effect blood glucose levels or ketosis, so many people (myself included) only count net carbs.
Hope this help to clarify 🙂
Im confused;
14g carbs, 1g fiber, 12g erythritol, 4g protein. 3 net carb per serving!
Is it 3 carb or 14??
Total carbs – fiber – erythritol = net carbs
One serving of cake has 1 NET carb. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (in this case erythritol) from the total carbs.
Generally fiber and most sugar alcohols don’t effect blood glucose levels or ketosis, so many people (myself included) only count net carbs.
Hope this help to clarify 🙂
Hi !!! can i use only egg whites ? and greek yogurt instead of butter ? my diet is not exactly keto but more low calorie
thanks
I think that these would both work! If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Made this today smells delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Has anyone tried freezing it?
Hi Lindsay!
Thank you so much for the review!
The cake freezes really well, but I recommend freezing it without the frosting.
How long does this cake stay fresh in the fridge.
Just made it as muffins. I whipped the egg whites and put in after the carrots.
It should be fine for at least a week 🙂
Whats erythritol?
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol. It is sweet but has no calories and no effect on glycemic index. For these reasons it’s a go-to sweetener in many keto/low carb sweets. I usually buy it under the brand name swerve.
Just want to say I like your site.
Thank you so much Karen! I have had so much fun with it, and it is so reassuring to know that it is appreciated 🙂
Can i use swerve for this recipe is it granular or confection
Love your site
Do I need the parmant paper can I bake without
If you have some it wouldn’t hurt, but as long as you thoroughly grease the baking ban you should be fine 🙂
The recipe is delicious, however, the nutritional information is very inaccurate. I recalculated based on the ingredients listed and it comes to 3.5g per slice, versus your 1g per serving stated in comments, and your 2g per serving written on the picture. Very confusing.
Thanks for the review! I am so glad that you enjoyed the cake 🙂
The nutrition info I provide is calculated using the brands that I used to make the recipe. I also weigh everything for the most accurate measurement. However, I always recommend that you calculate using the brands you will be using since there can be so much variation.
Thanks for pointing out the error on the photo, I totally missed that and will get it corrected ASAP 🙂
Your patience is excellent! I woulda flipped my lid by now with all the same scrutiny related to the nutritional information! Well done.
Thank you! Trust me, it’s definitely a test sometimes lol
Agreed. Your calm is commendable.
Thank you so much for this — Absolutely delicious. I made these into carrot cake muffins instead (this recipe made 10) and they were an absolute hit!
Thanks for the review! I’m so happy you liked it 🙂
This looks sensational. Can I substitute the almond milk for whole milk and coconut flour for additional almond flour?
That should work just fine! You may need to add a little extra almond flour since it isn’t quite as absorbant as coconut flour. I would just start with 2 tbsp and keep adding a little extra until you have a good cake batter consistency.
My 9 year old & I made this yesterday. Wish I knew how to post a picture on here. Came out fantastic! For just a couple carbs I can completely maintain my weight eating like this.
LOVE IT!!!
That’s so awesome that you are getting your kiddo in the kitchen! Thanks for the review 🙂
I made it today, It was delicious. I used Stevia for the sweetner.
Hi! I can’t find erythirol, how many grams of stevia did you use pleaseeeeee
Did you use the same amounts of Stevia as the recipe call for? It looks delightful.
There is a website that lists the equivalents of sugar with mom-sugar sweeteners. I used 3.5tbsp stevia granules for every 2/3 cups Erythritol ( 3.5 / 0.6666 ). That’s the ratio tbsp stevia per cup of Erythritol.
I made this today and it is SO delicious , I can’t wait to check out your other recipes. Thank you for sharing!! 😊
Thank you!
I made this once before and added some coconut. It was delicious. The next time I made it I substituted the almond flour for coconut flour and some psyllium husk powder and swapped the carrot for zucchini and added some pecans. Again a great outcome and managed to reduce the net carbs a bit more. Thank you for the recipe
Hi! Would love to know the measurements you used for trading out the coconut flour and psyllium husk please?
Can you use monk fruit instead?
I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tried it personally, but I am *pretty* sure it would work just fine. Be sure to check the conversion ratios since you may need a different amount of monk fruit sweetener compared to the erythritol
I noticed you have listed ingredients used in this recipe…with 4 photos, almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon & Swerve. The Swerve I have is mostly stevia. Is there a Swerve that is Erythritol?
I have never seen swerve with stevia. The one that I use is 100% erythritol. I have used a product called pyure that is a stevia/erythritol blend
How do i find conversion ratio if i want to use swerve
swerve is erythritol, so it converts equally 🙂
Can I use coconut sugar or monk fruit
Both should work, although coconut sugar will substantially increase the carbs and you will want to check the conversion ratios xo
I made this tonight and it was amazing! My boyfriend and I are on keto and he loves carrot cake. We haven’t been able to have it until I find this recipe. SO GOOD and moist and flavourful . Definitely recommend
Thanks for sharing! This fits into my Keto/low carb style of eating! Love carrot cake, can’t wait to try!👌
OMG just made this last night and it is perfect, the best low carb thing I have made yet and I make a lot!
Thank you for this great recipe!
Thank you so much for this amazing review!
Can’t wait to make this!😍😍😍Thank u!
Hope you like it!!
Can this be converted to zucchini bread?
If so how much zucchini would I use?
I think it would make a great zucchini bread! I would just sub zucchini for carrots. Before you add the zucchini, you would probably need to squeeze out as much extra liquid as you can.
If you try it be sure to let me know how it goes!
This is awesome. Do you think substituting the carrots for strawberries would work?
I am not 100% sure, but if you try it, you will likely need to add a little bit of extra coconut flour to compensate for the moisture of the strawberries.
If you try it let me know how it goes!
I made this also…and it was Devine! Can’t wait to make again!!
Thank u very muchie!🌹
Hi! This recipe looks delicious! Although, I just wanted to check in with the oven time…. I put mine 25 minutes and it wasn’t cooked at all. I’m leaving it longer but is it normal?
Thanks!
oven times can vary quite a bit, so I would say that it is pretty normal. When this happens to me, I just continue checking it every 3-5 minutes until it is finished.
I hope yours turned out well!
Mine took about 40 min, I did not use parchment paper.
These are amazing! I used monk fruit for the sweetener (there is a golden and classic version). With the brands of almond and coconut flour that I used and adding 1/4 c of walnuts, my muffins had 2.5 grams of net carbs.
Please keep developing delicious recipes like this!
I definitely need to try monk fruit sweetener. I keep hearing so many people raving about it.
Thanks for the review!
My understanding is that you can subtract sugar alcohols but only to a maximum of 5g.
Hey Dianne! unfortunately not all sugar alcohols are created equally, so you really have to look at the specific type used. I pretty much only use erythritol (aka swerve) when I’m baking because it has little to no effect on blood glucose.
For more info, check out this post from ruled me: https://www.ruled.me/keto-diet-plan-best-and-worst-sweeteners/
and this awesome video from Keto Connect: https://youtu.be/CYfqvTZWilw
My advice is to always pay attention to what works for you and then go from there. Hope that helps!
One word. PHENOMENAL.
No joke. I found my birthday cake this year!!!
I made them today for the first time as muffins. They made 12 regular sized muffins. Perffffffecto!
If i could rate this 10stars I would!
Thank you!!!
Very moist! Great flavor! Made this tonight and we really enjoyed. It cooked through in my oven in 30 min. The only change I’ll make next time is to increase the sweetener. It was not sweet enough for us, but everything else was great!
Made this tonight and it was exactly the same texture and mouth feel as regular cake! Tasted like carrot cake. Delicious. thank you!
I just made this today and added walnuts! So delicious, other than the grainy icing. Anyone else use granular Erythritol and had the same outcome? What can I do for it not to be grainy?
Granular erythropoietin, will almost always result in a somewhat gritty texture. If you don’t have confectioners erythritol, you can make some by running the granular through a food processor. It will likely still have some graininess but this should greatly reduce it!
Haven’t tasted the cake yet, but the batter and the smell of it are amazing! The frosting is delicious!
Had to cook the cake a bit longer, but no biggie!
Can’t wait to eat it!
Thank you for providing this recipe! I can’t wait to make it! It really bothers me that so many people are commenting on the calculation of the net carbs per serving. People should do their research on how to calculate net carbs before criticizing someone. What happened to being nice and saying “thank you”?
This is so sweet of you to say 🙂 Let me know how the cake turns out!
Totally amazing! It was moist and flavorful and didn’t taste like egg. It tasted like regular carrot cake. My 15 yr old son, his friend, my husband and my grandma all LOVED it. Where has this been all my life? Great job! Keep ’em coming.
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so glad that it was a hit 🙂
I have an egg allergy but so early t to try this! What can I substitute for the 4 eggs?
Does this have to be stored in the refridgerator?
I really dislike swerve so I left it out and added a few drops of stevia! Worked out great. Not sweet enough for the rest of my crew but I like it.
Just tried it hubby and I loved it ! So tempted to have a second slice
This cake is delicious and easy to make. We have been following the Keto diet for months and are loving the results so far. We splurged and had a cheat meal a few weeks back and split a small slice of carrot cake for dessert. My husband tasted your carrot cake recipe and ranted about how much better this cake was over the traditional one. I made it in an 8 x 8 square pan and cut it into little squares. Everyone in my house devoured it! I will definitely make this again soon!
I’m planning to make this for myself for my upcoming bday and I can’t wait! It will be my first dessert item with keto. I’m not much of a baker, so can you please clarify if it’s vanilla or vanilla extract. Also, any brand recommendations on the baking powder?
Hi, wanting to make this today and wondering if I can use stevia instead of erythritol? Thanks!
I think it would work, but it will obviously change the taste a little. Be sure to check the conversion ratio between the stevia you are using and erythritol.
Hi Sabra,
I am making this for my daughter-in-laws 40th birthday but want to double the recipe. Can I just bake it in a bigger tin and just adjust the baking time? Last time we had a birthday celebration my husband and I couldn’t have any of the cake but 11 weeks later I’m 8 kilos lighter and my husband is 5 kilos lighter so we want to take something we can eat too!!
Hi Susan! Congrats on you and your husbands weight loss!!
Yes, you should be able to double the recipe without any issues. I hope you enjoy!
OMG this was delicious. I didn’t end up doubling the recipe just used a ring tin and it rose perfectly. We were able to enjoy this cake while the other party goers tucked into cream cake!! I’ve now wrapped the remaining portions and frozen them for future treats. I added walnuts in both the cake and the cheese frosting so I guess that may have added a few more carbs! But the added crunch and flavour was delicious!! Thank you!!
Hi Sabra,
I made this again today but substituted carrot for zuchinni and almond meal for the almond flour which is much cheaper than the flour here in Australia. I also added sunflower seeds to the mixture and a little lemon juice to the frosting! Once again it was a wonderful success!
What can I use instead of coconut flour ? Husband is allergic to coconut .
I think you would be fine to just add in a little more almond flour, or some vanilla protein powder!
Help! I just made this and it’s in the oven, but it’s been almost 30 minutes and it’s still goo! I double checked ingredients several times and my oven is at 350° and completely functional. Did this happen to anyone else??
Smells delicious though and the icing is to die for!
I just made it this weekend and didn’t have any issues. I followed the recipe to a T other than using an 8×8 glass pan. It was really yummy. My family loved it too (and they are not keto), but suggested more carrots.
Several comments have stated that they had to bake it longer then the recipe stated. I have a commercial oven, so it may just be that. I would just watch it and take it out when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
I always have to cook mine longer. Test with skewer as it cooks!!
Hi! Do you think that replacing erythrotol with protein powder would have a similar result (at least texture wise)?
It would be worth a try, but I’m honestly not completely sure. The cake is already pretty mildly sweetened, so you may need to add a little stevia to get the sweetness where you would want it for a cake, but that’s more of a personal preference anyway.
if you try it, let me know how it goes!
Amazing cake! My whole family loved it.
Since I cannot have anything dairy, I tried using dairy free alternatives.
Subtituted the Daiya Cream Cheese, Ghee butter and
Coconut Cream. Measured it like the recipe said and it
turned out Yummy.
Thanks for this yummy carrot cake!!!
First thank you for your recipe for a comfort food for my family, All I have to say is you must really love what you do to put up with all the stupid questions, I would have just deleted the asinine questions that you have answered time and time again, in the comments, I guess it is the entitlement syndrome, So once again thank you for your patience with the masses
We added walnuts, shredded coconut and a tad bit of molasses, plus extra spices and baked as muffins. Without the frosting, this is really yummy. Thank you!
I only found your site tonight, when your carrot recipe was advertised under kept recipes for PinInterest.
I’ve read through the comments, to get a feel for the ingredients I was unfamiliar with and just out of interest. It cleared up various questions I had about the ingredients. For example, I’d never used Erythritol before and did not know it was a fruit sweetener. I also did not know what I could replace it with, until reading through the comments.
Now, fully armed with all the variations and explanations, I’m ready to go! Thank you!
“kept” should read “KETO”!
Rosanne
INCREDIBLE! Seriously this is insanely delicious. Im far from a keto loving queen. Honestly I hate 9/10 recipes I try. I have yet to find a good dessert recipe after 5 months. This is IT! I can stop looking. It was incredible for sure!!
I absolutely love this, I added some chopped walnuts. I haven’t added the frosting yet & I might not, it’s great plain. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Can I substitute the erythritol with Lanko’s monkfruit sweetener? Thanks in advance 🙂
Yes! I have just recently started using Lakanto sweetener as well and I really like it. Just be aware that it is twice as sweet as sugar and erythritol, so start by adding 1/2 of the amount of erythritol called for in the recipe, then add more to taste.
For the frosting, you will get the best results with the confectioners Lakanto
Wow, thanks for such a quick response. Happy to hear I can use the confectioners Lakanto also because I just recently purchased those two plus the syrup & was looking for a recipe to use all three lol. Thank you!!
What to use in place of erythritol. I have xylitol and splenda. Thx
Mine seemed a bit dry but it was still delicious!
I had to cook it longer too like others are saying next time I’m going to try monk sweetener 1/2 the strength as you said and maybe take it out of oven just alittle earlier.. ty for the recipe.
I couldn’t find lankato confectioners I think I’ll just do the swerve I thought the frosting was good! I was wondering do you know of any white cake that is low carb ? In summer my kids love white cake that you pour liquid of jello over top then top with whip cream & berries it’s so good .. I thought I could still make it but with maybe sugar free jello I’m not a real fan of artificial ingredients but we really love this recipe ? I’ve seen coconut cake recipes but what do you think would be closest to white cake ?
That sounds delish! Check out my recipe for Tres Leches! I think that the cake portion would work well for that kind of recipe. If you try it, let me know how it goes! xo
Hi! I am about to start on the Keto diet & was looking for some very easy recipes for 2 people. I am not a good cook at all!!!! And I saw your recipe for my Favorite Cake ever!!!! I was so excited & cant wait to try it!!! I was wondering if the Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener, which I hope is the correct kind you changed to) can be used in place of any kind of Sweetner allowed on the Keto Diet? For instance in other recipes & of course my coffee. I can’t wait to start trying some of your other recipes also!!
Thanking you in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!
Helen
Hi Helen! Welcome to the Keto Diet! I hope that it’s going well for you so far! You can generally use Lakanto sweetener in most recipes, and certainly in coffee! When baking just be mindful that Lakanto is twice as sweet as sugar and erythritol.
Made this yesterday and it was amazing! I will definitely be making this again!
I looooove this cake ! I’ve been Keto for 12 months and this is my favorite recipe so far !
It’s delicious, I only added walnuts, it’s perfect. Thank you !
Just wanted to say I ran out of carrots so added zucchini to make up the amount. It turned out well. So delicious!!
Thank you for your recipes.
Thanks for the great review, Sheila!
I’m just wondering, do you think I could substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? Its all I have on hand. If so, what do you think the amount of coconut flour would be in total, and would it come out with similar texture?
I can’t say for sure since I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work.
In general coconut flour is substituted for almond flour at a 1/3:1 ratio, so I would start with 1/3 of the amount.
The texture will be slightly less ‘cake like’ but it should still taste great!
I love this recipe i have made it about 5 times within the last 3 weeks. It’s probably my favorite keto dessert. And friends and family that aren’t keto love it too.
I just made this today and it was delicious and moist!
YUMMMMMMM. I just made this with half the total amount of flour (coconut) and liquid organic 100% monk fruit for sweetener in the cake and frosting. I’m serving these as muffins to good friends. Hubby says YUM
This isn’t probably the first low carb dessert that my family and I both loved. Thank you!
You’re welcome Terra! Glad to hear that it was a hit 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
WOW. Delicious! Threw a few raisins in which adds a little less than 1g NC per slice but otherwise followed the directions to a T. Just had a slice and it’s the best keto dessert I’ve made so far. Thank you for helping me satisfy my sweet tooth
Should the baking powder measurement be 1 Tablespoon or 1 Teaspoon? I made the recipe as directed but I could taste the baking powder.
one tablespoon is the correct amount. If your cake tastes metallic or bitter, then your baking powder is likely old. Sorry that it didn’t turn out well for you, if you try it again I would love to know how it goes!
I love this recipe. My question is if I were to make this as cupcakes, how long would I bake them for?
Thanks Sylvia! I would just start checking them about halfway through the suggested cooking time. Usually, cupcakes take about 5-10 minutes less time then a whole cake – hope that helps!
Hi. Would like to know if liquid sweetener works with this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Liza, Unfortunately, the cake needs the volume of the sweetener to rise properly. You should be able to use only liquid sweetener in the frosting though.
Made this it wwas delicious!!. took some to work a mine on keto co-worker eat all. Will make again.
This cake is fantastic. Thank you
Loved it, easy & fast..
This is the first low carb cake I have made with almond flour that I actually enjoyed. Very good! Great frosting! It will help with any craving for sweets.
This is easy to make and tastes great! I just added lemon to the cream cheese icing as I am not a huge fan of vanilla.
Thanks👌
Followed directions except for Allspice (didn’t have any, replaced with more cinnamon). The cake was pretty and got good reviews from my taste testers but I wished it was more moist and more spice cake tasting. There is no brown “sugar” in the recipe to help give it more flavor, so I when I make it again I will add blackstrap molasses or SF maple syrup, and a lot more spice, maybe ginger and nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon. Thanks for all your hard work and sharing, I love your site.
Thanks Rhonda! I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it with the modifications that you mentioned 🙂