Low Sugar Baked Carrot Cake Donuts – Gluten Free!

This easy carrot cake donut recipe is delicious and gives you soft, cake-like donuts. They are topped with a honey-sweetened cream cheese frosting that takes them over the top! Perfect for easter brunch, a breakfast addition, or a healthy dessert. These baked donuts are low sugar and naturally gluten-free as well!

Low Sugar Baked Carrot Cake Donuts – Gluten Free!

Making baked donuts at home is so fun! It feels like a way more special event than muffins or cupcakes, but it’s honestly very similar ingredients that go into it.

These donuts are delicious and cakey and so easy to make.

Plus, the combination of carrot cake with a simple 3-ingredient cream cheese icing makes them extra tasty.

I love making these in the springtime around Easter, but then I keep going all year long because once we eat them, we want them on repeat.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Why you’ll love this carrot cake donut recipe

Best cakey texture – These donuts have a cake-like texture, not the same as traditional donuts you’d find at a donut shop. They are soft, perfectly sweetened and loved by all!

Easy donut recipe – Mixing the donut batter is just as simple as making muffin or cupcake batter. Both the wet and dry ingredients are mixed in one bowl, making it quick to mix up.

Better ingredients – Classic carrot cake flavors with ingredients you can recognize! These healthy donuts are lower in sugar than your average donut too.

Simple ingredients you need for healthy baked carrot donuts

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.

• oat flour
• almond flour
• coconut flour
• natural cane sugar
• baking powder
• cinnamon
• sea salt
• unsalted butter
• large eggs
• unsweetened applesauce
• pineapple juice
• vanilla extract
• finely grated carrot
• cream cheese
• unsalted butter
• honey
• Optional: unsweetened shredded coconut to top

How to make easy carrot cake donuts

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil the donut pan.

Step 2: In a large bowl, add the melted butter, egg, applesauce, pineapple juice, and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients together.

Step 3: Add the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients together slightly and then fully mix in with the wet ingredients. Mix the grated carrot into the donut batter.

Step 4: Using a spoon, spatula, or piping bag, add enough batter to your greased donut pan, leaving a little room at the top.

Step 5: Bake for 16-18 minutes or until the tops of the donuts spring back when you lightly press them. Allow your soft-baked carrot cake donuts to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to continue to cool.

Step 6: In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese, butter, and honey. Spread onto the slightly warm donuts and then top with shredded coconut if desired.

Watch me make this carrot cake donuts recipe

The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!

How to store

Leftover donuts should first be cooled fully to room temperature, then added to an airtight container. Since the sweet cream cheese frosting contains dairy, you’ll want to store the donuts in the fridge.

They will stay fresh for up to 1 week in the fridge, or longer in the freezer!

If you want to freeze donuts to enjoy in the future, add the donuts onto a baking sheet with parchment paper and freeze until solid. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 6 months.

Defrost donuts at room temperature on the counter or in the fridge overnight.

Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this fluffy donuts recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Oat/almond/coconut flours – The combination of gluten-free flours gives you a soft, cake-like texture. You could use brown rice flour in place of the almond flour or oat flour. If you want to use a gluten-free flour mix to keep it gluten-free, that will work!

Cane sugar – Both coconut sugar and brown sugar work as substitutes here. Since they’re a more golden brown color, they’ll add a more caramel flavor to your donuts.

Butter – Coconut oil or avocado oil will work well in place of butter.

Pineapple juice – Apple juice or orange juice will work great here, too.

Grated carrot – While it wouldn’t be carrot cake without grated carrot, you can use this same recipe using other root vegetables like parsnips with great success. You’ll also find that grating sweet potato works in this recipe as well!

Honey – Maple syrup is a great alternative, as is agave nectar.

More cupcake and donut recipes you’ll love

• Blackberry lemon cake donuts
• Applesauce cupcakes
• Chocolate almond flour cupcakes

If you try this easy baked carrot cake donuts recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather

Originally published April 2012. Updated May 2025.