Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes Gluten Free Dairy Free

🥕 What Makes This Recipe So Good

These carrot cake cupcakes are moist, fluffy, perfectly spiced, and all-around unbelievably delicious. On top of that, they’re completely paleo, gluten free, grain free, refined sugar free, and dairy free. And on top of THAT – no one would ever know!! They’re so perfect that even the biggest carrot cake fans would have no idea they’re eating a lighter option. It’s a super easy recipe that honestly comes together pretty quickly. It’s also basically foolproof, so even beginner bakers can totally handle this one. Plus, since it’s fairly simple, it’s a great recipe when you suddenly remember that volunteered to bring a dessert to Easter lunch, Mother’s Day brunch, a baby shower, potluck, or really any springtime event at all. I may or may not be known to have eaten these for breakfast occasionally (look, they have a VEGETABLE and a FRUIT in them, ok? That counts!). If you’re wanting a breakfast option, you can skip the cream cheese frosting altogether. Without the frosting, you’ll end up with paleo carrot cake muffins moreso than cupcakes.

🧁 Cream Cheese vs. Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re paleo or avoiding all dairy, definitely go with the dairy-free cream cheese frosting option. I personally like Kite Hill and Miyoko’s the best and find them to be the closest to the real thing. The texture won’t be quite as thick as traditional cream cheese, but it’ll make the entire recipe dairy free, so that’s a big win!If you can consume dairy, though, I recommend using regular, organic cream cheese, as it’s tangier, thicker, and richer than dairy-free cream cheese.For anyone who typically avoids dairy but isn’t strict about it, you may want to consider using a cultured cream cheese. Like yogurt, will be easier on your digestion than conventional cream cheese. Nancy’s is a great brand to try!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

If you don’t want thick or long pieces of grated carrot in your cupcakes, break out the food processor! After grating the carrots, toss them into the food processor bowl and pulse them ever-so-slightly until they’re very fine. Don’t overdo it, though, or you’ll end up with mushy, liquidy, puréed carrots that throw off the flavor and texture of the cupcakes. If you don’t want to deal with the food processor, you can also finely chop the grated carrots with a sharp kitchen knife. If you’re not a fan of pineapple, replace the crushed pineapple with unsweetened applesauce. Like the pineapple, applesauce keeps the carrot cake cupcakes tender, moist, and still totally paleo. Feel free to use store-bought applesauce or make your own ahead of time. Because of the way the flours behave and interact with the rest of the ingredients, I don’t recommend replacing the almond flour, coconut flour, or tapioca flour with any other flours. For example, coconut flour is really thirsty. If you try to replace the almond flour with more coconut flour, it’ll soak up too much of the liquid, leaving you with dry, crumbly cupcakes. Tapioca flour gives the cake that spongy texture you want – something almond flour and coconut flour can’t do.

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