Healthy Carrot Cake Bread

This Healthy Carrot Cake Bread is super simple to make & full of warm classic carrot cake flavors. Deliciously moist, made with whole grains, low in sugar, naturally sweetened, & includes some of my favorite additions of raisins & walnuts. A perfect wholesome sweet treat!

I have always adored anything related to carrot cake, so needless to say, I was incredibly excited to try out a healthy spin on one of my beloved desserts.

To create its sweet vibe, we naturally sweeten it with applesauce & maple syrup or honey, providing us with a lower sugar content than most carrot cake recipes. This delicious combo delivers a wonderfully moist & tender bread; guaranteed to be a hit with the entire fam!

Why does the recipe call for 2 cups of white whole wheat flour?

White whole wheat flour contains fewer calories & carbs, as well as more protein, fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, & phosphorus compared to refined white flour (all-purpose flour). Making it the healthier choice when it comes to baking.

What if I don’t have white whole wheat flour?

You can easily make your own white whole wheat flour. Simply combine 1 cup all-purpose flour & 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Another option could be to just use 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour is also okay to use, but keep in mind it will make your loaf a bit more heavy & dense.

Can I just mix everything in one bowl?

You guys know I love one bowl/one pot recipes. But, when baking it can be tricky to not over mix the dry & wet ingredients when you dump everything into one bowl. When you over mix these ingredients it can lead to a heavy, dense carrot cake bread. Which is, of course, the opposite of what we’d like to achieve. We’ll mix the wet & dry ingredients separately to help avoid this common mistake.

Can this carrot cake bread be made as muffins?

Absolutely! Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners & portion the batter out into each cup. Bake these at the same temperature (350° F) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Substitutions or additions:

Dislike raisins or don’t have any on hand? You can leave them out or use dried cranberries. Practically any chopped dried fruit will do here.

Chocolate chips would also be a delightful addition to this carrot cake bread. I’ll definitely try out this tasty addition in my next batch!

You can aslo, substitute the walnuts with chopped pecans or omit the nuts completely, to make this bread nut free.

Helpful tips:

Let it cool completely before cutting into. I know it’s incredibly hard to resist, but baked goods are still cooking when they’re removed from the oven. As they cool, they will firm up & finish the setting process. If we cut into the carrot cake bread before it’s sufficiently cooled, we might get a soggy middle.

Don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing can lead to an extra dense loaf, which contradicts the fluffy, moist texture we’re going for.

Store it in the fridge. Since this carrot bread is extra moist, the best way to keep it fresh is to store it in an air-tight container in the fridge. This will help prevent molding.

I got heavy handed with the chopped walnuts on top, making it a bit more difficult to cut through smoothly. Just keep that in mind when sprinkling on top.