Perfectly spiced and topped with a fluffy cream cheese frosting, these Carrot Cake Donuts make a wonderful breakfast or dessert. They are moist, fluffy, and come together in under 1 hour.
Super soft and moist Carrot Cake Donuts are perfectly spiced, loaded with carrots, and they’re topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut - like carrot cake in donut form! If you aren’t a fan of coconut, top them with crushed walnuts or pecans.
These donuts have been highly requested in our house since I first posted the recipe in 2018. They have shown up for brunch, baby showers, Easter parties, birthdays, and even for random weekend breakfasts. After all, you can whip up a batch in under 1 hour!
If you love these carrot cake donuts, make sure to check out my Best Ever Carrot Cake, Raw Carrot Cake recipe, and my Vegan Carrot Cake!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly spiced
- Fluffy with a moist crumb
- Topped with smooth cream cheese frosting
- Quick and easy to prepare (under 1 hour)
- A great make-ahead recipe
- Individual hand held servings
- Portable - perfect for potlucks and celebrations
Ingredient Notes
- Carrots: Grate the carrots yourself. DO NOT use pre-shredded carrots because they tend to be dry and too thick for baking. Use the fine side of a box grater or a food processor fitted with the grating disc. This is key to moist carrot cake donuts, muffins, or cakes.
- Oil: Using oil instead of butter produces moist and tender donuts. Use any mild flavored oil such as canola, vegetable, sunflower, or corn.
- Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt adds even more moistness to these donuts. Use a full fat yogurt for the best results. You can also substitute the yogurt with sour cream.
Optional Add-ins: I prefer my carrot cake donuts plain, but if you would like a little extra crunch or texture, you can stir in ⅓ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins.
Step By Step Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients together. The flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- Beat sugar and egg. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and sugar until pale.
- Add wet ingredients. Mix in the oil, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Stir in the grated carrots.
- Add rest of dry. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined.
- Fill donut pans. Spoon the batter into donut pans - about ¾ full.
- Bake.
- Make the frosting.
- Frost the donuts. Make sure the donuts are completely cool before frosting.
- Top with toasted coconut flakes.
- Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Room temperature ingredients. Make sure all of your refrigerated ingredients (egg, yogurt, cream cheese, butter) are at room temperature before making the donut batter and frosting. I allow my ingredients to sit on the counter for 2-3 hours before beginning.
- Do NOT over mix the batter. Stop mixing until there are no more large dry spots. Over mixing the batter will make your donuts dense and chewy.
- Additional Add-ins. If you would like a little extra crunch or texture, you can stir in ⅓ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins.
- Frost the donuts. Use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting over the cooled donuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
The donuts are completely baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs.
If you happen to have any leftover donuts, cover and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store unfrosted donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You can freeze unfrosted donuts for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. To enjoy, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and top with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut flakes before serving.
To make mini donuts or donut holes, grease your pan, add the batter about ¾ of the way full, and bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes.
More Recipes You'll Love
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Carrot Cake Donuts
Equipment
- Box Grater
- Donut Pans
- Hand mixer
- Offset spatula
Ingredients
- ½ pound carrots about 2 medium, peeled and finely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt full fat
- 1 tsp vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup toasted coconut flakes for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease donut pans and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with sugar until pale. Add oil, Greek yogurt, and vanilla.
- Add half of the flour mixture to wet ingredients. Stir in grated carrots. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined.
- Spoon batter evenly into prepared donut pans and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean.
- Once baked, allow to cool slightly before inverting onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter on medium high speed with a hand mixer for 2-3 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Use an offset spatula to frost cooled donuts and sprinkle with toasted coconut, if desired.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients. Make sure all of your refrigerated ingredients (egg, yogurt, cream cheese, butter) are at room temperature before making the donut batter and frosting. I allow my ingredients to sit on the counter for 2-3 hours before beginning.
- Do NOT overmix the batter. Stop mixing until there are no more large dry spots. Over mixing the batter will make your donuts dense and chewy.
- Additional Add-ins. If you would like a little extra crunch or texture, you can stir in ⅓ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins.
- Baking: The donuts are completely baked when a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Storage: If you happen to have any leftover donuts, cover and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store unfrosted donuts in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze unfrosted donuts for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. To enjoy, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and top with cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut flakes before serving.
- Mini donuts and donut holes: To make mini donuts or donut holes, grease your pan, add the batter about ¾ of the way full, and bake at 350°F for 8-9 minutes.
im anxious to start making these recipes ive printed ill probably post on Pinterest cause im new to instagram dont know how to post but with a picture and your name if you can email me as to how to post on instagram id appreciate it im 73 never been on instagram till this yr. Thanks