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These keto carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling are so indulgent! They combine the flavors of spice cake with rich cheesecake for a delicious and guilt-free treat!
When I was creating this recipe, I wondered whether to call them muffins or cupcakes.
After all, they are not topped with frosting. However, with the cream cheese center, they feel as indulgent as a cupcake! Whatever you call them, they are definitely a treat.
This keto carrot cake muffins recipe is so easy to whip up. All you need to do is blend up the batter, add it to muffin molds, and top with the cream cheese filling.
I love how the filling sinks into the batter as it bakes! It’s much less messy than frosting.
The result is the best combination of spicy carrot cake and rich cheesecake. The textures and flavors balance each other so well.
So whether you would call this a muffin, a cupcake, or something totally different, one thing is for sure. You can call it delicious!
Are they healthy?
Some people hear “carrot” in carrot cake and assume that it’s healthier than regular cake. However, the traditional cake is still loaded with sugar and empty carbohydrates.
Thankfully, it’s easy to make healthy carrot cake muffins using alternative ingredients.
This recipe still uses carrots, but in a small amount that won’t impact the total carbs very much. Next, we replace the traditional flour with almond flour and coconut flour or oat fiber, which are much lower in carbohydrates.
Finally, we’ll use a low carb sweetener instead of sugar. This gives us the sweetness we expect in muffins, but without the spike in blood sugar.
We will still use the all spice, cinnamon, and chopped pecans you find in traditional carrot cake. These ingredients are what give this treat a perfect taste and texture!
Cooking time for these keto carrot cake muffins
Depending on your oven, this recipe will take about 20-25 minutes to bake. This is assuming you are using a 12-muffin baking tin.
You want to bake them until the muffin is set and the center is like a baked cheesecake. You don’t want to overcook them or they will become dry.
I recommend checking on them at the 20 minute mark and then keeping an eye on the muffins until they are done.
If you are using a muffin-tin that makes 6 or 9 larger muffins, you will need to increase the bake time.
How to make fluffy carrot cake muffins
The key to a fluffy batter is pretty simple. You simply whip the egg whites with cream of tartar!
Once whipped, the stiff egg whites will be full of tiny air bubbles. As you fold them into the rest of the batter, take care not to deflate the egg whites too much.
This is the easiest way to add fluffiness without adding more ingredients.
What about calories?
You will get 12 standard sized muffins from this carrot cake muffins recipe. At this size, each muffin will be about 200 calories.
It’s a perfect size for grab and go. It means you can grab one if you just want a quick snack. However, if you’re enjoying them as breakfast, you can eat two.
More muffin recipes
Looking for a few more of these great grab-and-go keto breakfast ideas? Check out these favorites:
- Low Carb Blueberry Muffins are a gluten free way to enjoy a traditional breakfast treat without any guilt.
- Keto Banana Muffins are low in sugar, high in healthy fats, paleo friendly, and use banana extract to save on carbs.
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins taste like mini blueberry cheesecakes for an indulgent bite!
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are super moist and have a nice chocolate taste.
- Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins with cranberries and pecans are a low carb, gluten free treat that’s perfect for fall!
- Lemon Sour Cream Muffins with a crunchy streusel topping and drizzled with glaze are sure to become a favorite.
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Low Carb Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Muffins
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 4 eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup powdered erythritol or Swerve
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia extract powder
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour or oat fiber
- 3/4 cup carrots
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup oil coconut or avocado
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/4 cup powdered erythritol or Swerve
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia extract powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
- In separate bowl, mix egg yolks, erythritol, stevia, almond flour, oat fiber, almond milk, oil, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon and carrot until well combined.
- Gently fold in egg whites and pecans.
- Pour batter evenly into well greased 12 muffin pan.
Filling:
- Beat cream cheese with egg, coconut flour, 1/4 cup erythritol, 1/4 teaspoon stevia, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until well blended.
- Place a couple heaping teaspoons over each muffin.
- Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes or until muffin is set.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published: January 16, 2011… Last Updated: April 2, 2020
Jim shaw
These were so dry. It was like eating sand. A complete failure. So disappointed
Lisa MarcAurele
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. It could be the coconut flour as it can vary in absorbency.
Holly
HI, quick question. Why are you using a powdered sweetener AND liquid stevia? Thanks.
Lisa MarcAurele
I do that to cut back on the amount of erythritol in the recipe. I also find there’s a better taste when blending different sweeteners. However, you can use one sweetener with similar sweetness if you prefer.
Sherry Woodward
What size muffin pan did you use?
Lisa MarcAurele
The silicone liners are about 2-3/4″ top x 1-1/3″ tall x 1-3/4″ bottom, but any standard muffin tins will work for the recipe. Mini cupcakes can also be made.
Liza Carrillo
What kind of oil do you use if its regular oil is there a substitute for it..like almond oil or olive etc…
Lisa MarcAurele
I usually use coconut oil, but avocado or butter should work too.
Linda Russell
This is the second time I’m making these, which says something alone. The first time I didn’t have oat fiber so I used a bit more almond flour and some psyllium fiber and a monk fruit/ stevia blend , they were so good I have a friend who keeps asking for more, but a bit gritty. This time I had the oat fiber but not powdered stevia so I used liquid. I also used Swerve Confectioners which got rid of the gritty taste. This time they’re a bit lighter and have the consistency of a normal muffin! I’m glad I vacuum sealed the rest of my shredded carrots in 3/4 cup packs because I will be making these again.
I didn’t have allspice so I’ll be sure to add it next time to give it a stronger spice taste.
Lisa
The oat fiber makes a big difference in these! I’m so glad you loved them. 🙂
J. Park
I was wondering the same as the last commenter about omitting the stevia. Is it completely necessary to achieve the same taste?
Lisa
You can just add 1/4 cup Swerve or other one-for-one sugar replacement in it’s place. You may want to add more or less to taste.
Jane Simpson
Is the 1/4 teaspoon of stevia extract powder essential to the recipe please? Thank you for your recipes.
Lisa
If you leave out the stevia, you’ll want to add in 1/4 cup of additional bulk sweetener. Otherwise, it likely won’t have enough sweetener.
joy e beemer
Do the carrots need to be finely diced or just chopped?
Lisa
I shred them so I’d finely dice.
Kimberly Murphy
Do you think I could use a protein powder instead of oat flour? If so, I do have unflavored Isopure, but I’m thinking About Time Birthday Cake flavor protein powder might be really great in these! Your thoughts?
Lisa
It’s worth a try. I have used whey as a flour substitute.
Inez
Hi! I am so appreciative of your recipes because they’re not overloaded with very expensive sweeteners. Our palates have adjusted to less sweetness. Last week I had to throw out a recipe for a special dessert I had made to surprise my husband because it was so cloyingly sweet. Sad in two directions.
Having something a little sweet, but that has enough fat and some protein makes morning so much easier. I am making these this weekend.
Judy
Is oatbran the same as oat fiber? Is there any substitutes for oat fiber?
Thanks!
Lisa
Oat bran is different. You could try milled flax seeds instead.
Traci
Is there any other sweetener to use besides Swerve? I have some, but I find it has a cooling effect on the mouth that I’m not fond of. Didn’t know if I could use liquid Stevia or not.
thanks.
Lisa
I used to just use plain erythritol, but then discovered Swerve which works a bit better. It’s the erythritol that gives the cooling effect. You can try a blend of non-bulk sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit. I’ve had good success using those without erythritol.
Marie
If you got to spark people. You can enter all your recipe ingredients in the Recipe calculator and it tells you much more detailed version of nutritional values.
Lisa
Good to know!
Michael Schneider
Thanks, I’ve been looking for something like this.
Lisa
I hope you enjoy them!
Deborah M
What’s the difference between oat fiber and oat flour?
Lisa
Oat fiber has zero net effective carbs because it’s all fiber. On the other hand, oat flour is high carb and should be avoided on a low carb diet.
Ros
I think this is one of those recipes that has tremendous potential for modification. It has everything and is cool to make with the cream cheese filling. Maybe your new pumpkin recipes got me thinking… wouldn’t this be good as a pumpkin muffin with cream cheese or ‘eggnog’ cream cheese filling? So how would we do that? 😉
Lisa
I do have a recipe for cream cheese filled pumpkin bread. I like the eggnog idea and may have to work on that.
Meagan
What temp did you bake these at and for how long?
Lisa
Bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes
Jennifer
Am I missing something? I don’t see anywhere how hot the oven needs to be, or how long to bake.
Lisa
Fixed!
Jennifer
Thanks so much!
zandi
can u use all almond flour?
Dinners & Dreams
Mmm, almond flour, I’ sold. I like the filling too!
Nisrine
kell
Hi Lisa,
i love your creative recipes, they look so yummy! i know you count carbs but i was just wondering if you know or ever post the other macros or calorie counts of our recipes?? would love to see those #’s too if you have them.
thanks!!
Lisa
I really should put some of the other nutritional values. I use the MacGourmet program for all my recipes and it does have a way to calculate the other numbers, but I haven’t figured out how to best use that feature yet. It relies on the weight of ingredients so I’ll need to get a food scale.