My ultimate carrot cupcakes are moist, rich and mildly spiced, topped with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting. Nothing more, nothing less. Just perfect!
Yesterday was such a beautiful day! Spring is finally here, and calving season is in a full swing now!
I baked my almond berry muffins and these carrot cupcakes to bring to the ranch yesterday. They were such a hit, especially my carrot cupcakes. Mildly spiced carrot cupcakes with pecan bites topped with tasty cream cheese frosting are too good to say “No”, even if you’re reaching for your third cupcake. I baked these cupcakes on Sunday for my blog, but they didn’t last long. I had to bake a new batch for my in-laws yesterday.
It’s super easy to make too. If you don’t have a mixer, you can mix the batter by hand as well. Mixer just makes it way too easy. There are three ingredients that help you to achieve perfectly moist cupcakes: Greek yogurt, brown sugar and carrots. But that’s not enough. Make sure not to over-bake the cupcakes. It took 18 minutes for my cupcakes to bake. I suggest checking for doneness after 15 minutes.
Below is a step-by-step photo instruction for you.
You want to grate your carrots into pretty small pieces. Here is a little trick to achieve finely grated carrots in a food processor. First grate the carrots using the shredding disc of the food processor, then I chop them with chopping blade pulsing a few times.
Are you planning to host an easter brunch, or attending an easter potluck at work? These delicious carrot cupcakes would be perfect. It’s such a crowd-pleaser!
These cupcakes are even tastier on the second day!
Enjoy!

Carrot Cupcakes
Ingredients
For cupcakes:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup Greek yogurt at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup chopped pecans
For cream cheese frosting:
- 8 oz 250gr cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup 55gr unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream, or milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line the muffin cups with cupcake liners. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a small bowl, combined together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment, mix together eggs, Greek yogurt, oil, sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Don’t over mix at this point. Fold in grated carrots and pecans. Fill the cupcake cups ¾ of the way. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the baking pan, then transfer onto wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese on medium high speed until fluffy for 1 minute. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for a minute. Then increase the speed to medium high and continue to beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Frost the cupcakes once they’re completely cooled.
Ann C says
Hi can I substitute sour cream with the Greek yoghurt? I have left over sour cream to finish off. Thank you
Shinee says
Hi, Ann. You sure can.
Jen says
These are the best my husband children and grandchildren love them…I make and freeze so always have them a few minutes in the oven after defrosting and they are like just made….I do not frost but top with Kellogg’s crunchy nut clusters crushed up when putting in oven lovely crunchy topping
Jen says
Sorry I also leave out the pecans not a favourite
Shinee says
Yay, I’m so happy you tried and loved the recipe, Jen. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!! I’m so trying your crunchy nut cluster topping next time. It sounds amazing!
Carolyn harris says
I made this carrot cake muffin, and it was delicious!!! However, I used wheat flour and crushed walnuts. I also used fat free Reddi Wip for my topping.
Shinee says
So happy the cupcakes turned out great with wheat flour. Thank you for sharing your tweaks, Carolyn!
handmade by amalia says
These look wonderful. And so beautifully presented! I love the way you styled them.
Amalia
xo
Shinee says
Thanks so much, Amalia!
Janet Vinyard says
Hi Shinee, What a beautiful plate of cupcakes! I’ll have to try them. Your photos are great, too. Well done! Blessings, Janet
Shinee says
Thanks so much, Janet!
rachita says
Can i use white whole wheat flour here?
Shinee says
Hi, Rachita. I’ve never tested this recipe with whole wheat flour.
Teresa says
These look delicious! Carrot cake is one of my husband’s favorites; I will be trying these.
Shinee says
Thanks, Teresa! Let me know how you guys like it, if you make it. 🙂
Wendy D. says
if i have greek yogurt in the fridge how long should I leave it out for it to be room temperature?
Shinee says
Hi, Wendy! About 30 min on the counter should be good. 🙂
Mariah says
I made these as cupcakes a while back – – SO good!! Now I want to make a cake. What modifications would I make to make this as a cake vs. cupcake?
Shinee says
Hi, Mariah! So glad to hear you loved these cupcakes. I’ve shared carrot layer cake earlier this year, you might want to check out that recipe. Here is the link.
gadeeja says
Hi what can I substitute Greek yogurt
Shinee says
Hmm, you can use regular yogurt.
Chrisy @ Homemade Hooplah says
Love these! My BF is always asking for more carrot cake – I’ll have to give these a try 😀
Shinee says
Thanks, Chrisy! Let me know how you like it. 🙂
Rachel Farnsworth says
I love that these are made with greek yogurt and are made without raisins. I just want to give you a virtual high 5 for that!
Kate @ Veggie Desserts says
These look great. I love carrot cupcakes!!
Shinee says
Thank you, Kate!
Tameeza says
Perfect-Thank you!
Tameeza says
Hi! Can I leave out the pecans? will it still turn out the same?
Shinee says
Hi! Yes, you can totally leave out the pecans. The only difference would be there won’t be pecan “crunch” in the cupcakes, but they will still turn out moist and delicious!
diana says
esta receta no lleva ni mantequilla ni aceite ????
Shinee says
Mi error, Diana. Corregí la receta. (No sé español. He utilizado el traductor de google.)
Val says
What temp is the oven at?
Shinee says
Oh wow, I forgot to put that crucial info in the recipe! So sorry about that, Val. I just updated the recipe. The oven should be at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). And thank you so much for letting me know.
stefftokki says
I love carrot cake, and these look nice, but how spicy would the cinnamon make them in this particular recipe? I’m not sensitive to spices but if I make them for my family (who are) would it be too much?
Shinee says
No, the cinnamon won’t make the cupcakes spicy at all. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon is not overpowering, yet just gives a mild hint of cinnamon flavor. I hope you family will like it. Thank you for visiting my blog.