Carrot cake is one of those sneaky little desserts that make you believe you’re being virtuous (it’s got carrots!), but it can be quite high in sugar and calories. One generous slice of traditional carrot cake with cream cheese frosting has around 650 calories. But that doesn’t mean you have to write it off. With a few easy substitutions, you can make a delicious carrot cake thatisactually good for you. And the best news: our tweaks cut sugar, boost fiber and add nutritious ingredients while still producing a delicious and moist carrot cake you’ll be proud to serve to family and friends.
1. Use Fruit to Add Sweetness
2. Swap Out White Flour for Whole-Wheat Flour
Pictured recipe:Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
Typical carrot cake recipes call for all-purpose flour. To give carrot cake a little boost of fiber while still keeping it tender, we use whole-wheat pastry flour in our classic cake, as well as in the muffins pictured above. It has more fiber than white flour and has a mild, nutty flavor that’s very hard to detect when it gets mixed up with the carrots and spices that flavor the cake.
3. Try Some Frosting Swaps
We would never take your frosting away, but there are ways to make it a smidge healthier and still keep lots of delicious sweet flavor. For a lighter cream cheese frosting with the same tang, we like to use reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel). Adding some Greek yogurt to the mix further increases the tangy flavor and creamy texture-plus it adds a little protein and gut-healthy probiotics! It doesn’t take a ton of sugar to make a frosting that’s plenty sweet-for example, thisDiabetic Carrot Cakecalls for just 1/4 cup of powdered sugar in the frosting for a cake that serves 14. And if you prefer a dairy-free icing option, try the coconut cream frosting on ourVegan Carrot Cake.
4. Add Some Nuts
Pictured recipe:Vegan Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Toasted walnuts not only add flavor and crunch to a classic carrot cake-they also boost the nutrition. Walnuts are a great source of the heart-healthy omega-3 ALA. They’re also high in protein and fiber. Pecans are another great nut to add to carrot cake-try them in the batter or on top, as in the vegan carrot cake pictured above. Toasting nuts before using them in a recipe gives them great flavor so you can use less (nuts are healthy but high in calories). See thetip in this carrot cake recipefor the how-to.
5. Go for a Gluten-Free or Vegan Carrot Cake
Bottom Line
Carrot cake is a classic for Easter and spring celebrations, and with these easy tweaks you can make it a little healthier without losing any of its deliciousness. After you’ve tried out one or two (or all) of our carrot cake recipes, check out the rest of ourhealthy spring dessertsandhealthy Easter dessertsfor some more sweet (but not too sweet) treats that are perfect for special occasions.
Watch: How to Make Healthier Carrot Cake
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