Baked Carrot Cake Donuts

Name: Baked Carrot Cake Donuts
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: ⅔ cup cooked, sliced carrots (½ cup when mashed); ⅓ cup milk; 1 egg; 3 tbsp mild tasting oil (ex: avocado oil, coconut oil, etc.); ¼ cup maple syrup; 1 cup all purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; 4 oz cream cheese; 2 tbsp maple syrup; ¼ tsp vanilla extract

By Lily Payen

on Mar 25, 2024

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These baked carrot cake donuts are moist, flavorful, and topped with an easy-to-make cream cheese frosting. The batter comes together in minutes and tastes like a slice of classic carrot cake in donut form when baked.

Baked carrot cake donuts served with berries.

Meet your new favorite donut recipe! These donuts are baked, not fried but still have that same soft texture and melt-in-your-mouth taste. Top them with cream cheese frosting, cinnamon sugar, or serve plain! They’re perfect for Easter breakfast or for satisfying that carrot cake craving all year long! If you love these donuts, be sure to try out these mini gluten-free carrot cake muffins, this creamy banana carrot smoothie, and these soft and chewy carrot oatmeal cookies!

What You’ll Need
Ingredient Substitutions & Additions
Step By Step Instructions
Storage Instructions
Tips For Success
Recipe FAQs
Other Carrot Recipes You’ll Love
Baked Carrot Cake Donuts Recipe

What You’ll Need

Here is what you’ll need to make these baked carrot cake donuts:

Ingredients to make baked carrot cake donuts.

Carrots: This star ingredient gives these donuts that classic carrot cake taste. You’ll want to use cooked carrots for a subtle flavor – I used canned pre-cooked carrots to make the process quicker.
Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this donut for the lightest, bouncy texture.
Maple Syrup: The main source of sweetness for these donuts.
Milk: I used whole milk in this recipe, but dairy-free alternatives work as well.
Oil: For added moisture in the donuts. I used avocado oil, but any type of neutral-tasting oil will work as well.
Egg: Used as a binder to help the donuts maintain their shape.
Baking Powder: Leavening agent to allow the donuts to rise.
Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg are added for warm flavors that give these donuts a carrot-cake-like taste.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Ingredient Substitutions & Additions

Flour: All-purpose flour may be replaced with gluten-free all-purpose flour like the King Arthur brand or with white whole wheat flour.
Milk: You may substitute the milk with any dairy-free alternative such as oat milk or coconut milk.
Maple Syrup: The maple syrup may be substituted with equal parts honey (if preparing these donuts for little ones over the age of 1).
Egg: The egg may be replaced with a liquid egg replacer like the brand Just Egg. It may also be replaced with a flax egg. To make a flax egg, combine 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes until it forms a gel-like texture.
Optional Toppings: Feel free to top these donuts with a sprinkle of cinnamon, crushed nuts, or festive sprinkles!

Step By Step Instructions

STEP 1: Add the carrots to a medium bowl and use a fork to mash them down into a puree. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of mashed carrots. It’s ok if there are a few small chunks left, but try to mash them down as much as you can so that there aren’t any large chunks in the baked donuts. (Images 1 & 2).

STEP 2: Add the milk, egg, oil, and maple syrup to the same bowl and mix until smooth (Images 3 & 4).

STEP 3: To the same bowl, add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix until just combined. The batter will be a little lumpy and that is normal (Images 5 & 6).

STEP 4: Place about 3 tablespoons of batter into the molds of a silicone donut pan. If you are not using a silicone donut pan, spray the mini donut pan well before pouring in the batter. Do not overfill the donut molds as the donuts will rise while baking (Image 7).

STEP 5: Bake the donuts for 20 minutes and let them cool completely before removing them from the pan (Image 8).

STEP 6: For an optional cream cheese frosting, heat up cream cheese in the microwave for about 15 seconds (or until softened) and mix it together with the maple syrup and vanilla until smooth (Images 9 & 10). Once cooled, dip the donuts until the cream cheese frosting and top with sprinkles or cinnamon if desired. (Images 11 & 12).

Storage Instructions

Let the donuts completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag once cooled for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply microwave the muffins for 20-30 seconds, or until warmed through! If you are planning to store the donuts, do not frost them until ready to serve.

Tips For Success

This recipe makes 9 medium-sized donuts using this silicone donut pan. If you are using a different donut pan, be sure not to overfill the molds as they will rise during baking.
Use canned cooked carrots to make the process quicker! Canned foods are sometimes given a bad rep, but they’re just as nutritious as fresh! Canned foods are oftentimes canned at peak freshness and canned carrots work great for these donuts.
Let the donuts cool completely in the pan before removing and frosting them. If you try to remove them while hot, they may break apart easily.
Top the donuts with these festive sprinkles for a fun touch!

Recipe FAQs

Is the taste of carrots strong in these donuts?

The use of cooked carrots makes the carrot taste subtle, but they still have that signature carrot cake taste.

Can I use this recipe to make carrot muffins?

Yes! You can use this same batter to make mini carrot cake muffins. You can divide the batter into the molds of a mini silicone muffin pan and make them for 15 minutes.