This carrot cake bread is incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and packed with fresh flavor! And if you add a little lemon cream cheese frosting on top...it takes it from snack-worthy to a yummy dessert!
Carrot Cake Bread Recipe: What To Know & Recipe Highlights
- Different Types Of Flour You Can Use: All-purpose works the best, but you can substitute part or all of it with whole wheat or a 1:1 gluten-free blend. If you want super moist and fluffy bread, you can use cake flour for a softer, more tender texture.
- Extra moisture: you can add applesauce and/or some olive oil to boost the moisture level.
- Add some frosting: This homemade lemon cream cheese frosting recipe is the perfect balance of both sweet and tangy and perfect for this carrot bread loaf! It’s smooth, creamy, and ready in just 15 minutes!
- Loaf Pan Options: A standard 1-pound loaf pan (8½ x 4½ x 2¾ inches) works perfectly for this recipe. If you have a silicone loaf pan, even better! Silicone pans are great for quick breads like this because they retain heat more evenly and help lock in moisture during baking. Plus, they're nonstick and flexible, which means your loaf slides right out — no need to wait for it to cool completely. You can unmold it almost immediately after baking without worrying about crumbling.
- Making Muffins: You can turn these into muffins simply by reducing the baking time to around 20–25 minutes.
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🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour: Use a quality brand of all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur Baking Company or Bob’s Red Mill. And make sure it's a fresh bag and not an old bag that has been sitting in your pantry for a long time.
- Carrots: Don't use pre-shredded, shred your own fresh carrots. Don't cook the carrots before or after shredding them. They should be raw when adding them to the batter. Raw shredded carrots add so much moisture to this carrot bread recipe!
- Greek Yogurt: Use a good quality plain or vanilla Greek yogurt.
- Sugar: Along with the carrots, the sugar adds the sweetness.
- Butter: I always recommend using unsalted butter when making carrot bread. It gives you complete control over the salt in your recipe, since you're adding it separately. That way, you get just the right balance of flavor—nothing too salty. I have the best results when I use Kerrygold or Plugrá European-Style Unsalted Butter.
- Eggs: I use 3 eggs because it adds extra moisture and richness to the bread. Carrot bread tends to be dense and full of mix-ins (like shredded carrots, nuts, etc.), so that extra egg really helps hold everything together while making the bread loaf more tender.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: I use both because it makes the carrot bread super light and fluffy.
- Vanilla Extract: A flavor enhancer that adds a hint of vanilla.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg are all you need to add the perfect amount of spice!
- Salt: a flavor enhancer to help balance out some of the sweetness.
👩🏼🍳 See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements!
🍞 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Start by shredding the carrots. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and mix in the mixer until well combined. Set aside.
Step 3: In a separate large mixing bowl, add in 3 beaten eggs, ½ cup melted unsalted butter, and ½ cup of the plain Greek yogurt. Mix on low speed for 1 minute.
Step 4: Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and continue to mix.
Step 5: Slowly add in the shredded carrots to the wet ingredients.
Step 6: While the mixer is still going, in batches, add in the mixed dry ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes until well combined, using a spatula to push the batter on the sides of the bowl down. Pour the carrot bread batter into the loaf pan and
👩🏼🍳 Note: if you plan to add in the nuts and raisins, do it in step 5.
Step 7: Pour the carrot bread batter into the loaf pan and Bake for 50-55 minutes. NOTE: Starting at 45 minutes, use the toothpick method to start checking for the doneness of the bread. When done, remove the loaf of bread from the oven and set aside to cool.
Step 8: If you are planning to cover the carrot bread with the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, make sure the bread cools for at least 30-45 minutes to ensure the frosting doesn't melt.
Let the loaf cool slightly, slice it up, and enjoy! It's just the right mix of sweet, spiced, and perfectly tender!
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQs
It's a matter of preference. Personally, I never peel the carrots before adding them to the batter because that's where the majority of the nutrition is. When mixed with all the other ingredients and baked, you can't taste a difference, so why not get as much nutrition out of the carrots as possible!
It can be stored at room temp for 2–3 days, but refrigerating will keep it fresh longer—especially if it has a cream cheese glaze.
Yes! Wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it, thaw it at room temperature.
Expert Tips
- Don't over mix the batter. Mix it just enough until everything is combined. Over mixing = dense, tough bread.
- Let the bread cool completely. Cutting the loaf too soon can make it kinda gummy. Give it time to completely set.
- Use room temperature eggs. This helps them incorporate more smoothly into the batter and gives the bread a better rise.
- If you're adding nuts, toast them first. Toasted walnuts or pecans bring out deeper flavor and a satisfying crunch.
🍰 More Sweet Recipes You'll Love!
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Carrot Cake Bread Recipe
Equipment
- "1-pound loaf pan (8½ x 4½ x 2¾ inches)
- Standing Mixer
- Mixing Bowl
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1½ cups shredded carrots
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pecans, walnuts, or raisins (optional)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1½ cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt and mix in the mixer until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl bowl, add in 3 beaten eggs, ½ cup melted unsalted butter, and ½ cup of the plain Greek yogurt.
- Using the paddle attachment on a standing mixer, mix on low to medium speed for 1 minutes until the dry and wet ingredients are combined.
- While the mixer is still going, add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1½ cups of the shredded carrots. NOTE: if you plan to add in the nuts and raisins, do it here in this step.
- While the mixer is still going, in batches, add in the mixed dry ingredients. Mix for 2 minutes until well combined, using a spatula to push the batter on the sides of the bowl down.
- Pour the carrot bread batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. NOTE: Starting at 45 minutes, use the toothpick method to start checking for the doneness of the bread.
- When done, remove the loaf of bread from the oven and set aside to cool. If you are planning to cover the carrot bread with the Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe, make sure the bread cools for at least 30-45 minutes to ensure the frosting doesn't melt.
Notes
- Don't over mix the batter. Mix it just enough until everything is combined. Over mixing = dense, tough bread.
- Let the bread cool completely. Cutting the loaf too soon can make it kinda gummy. Give it time to completely set.
- Use room temperature eggs. This helps them incorporate more smoothly into the batter and gives the bread a better rise.
- If you're adding nuts, toast them first. Toasted walnuts or pecans bring out deeper flavor and a satisfying crunch.
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