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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    The Best Carrot Mug Cake

    Published: Oct 5, 2022 · Modified: Mar 12, 2025 by Maria Doss · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    pinterest image.

    This Best Carrot Mug Cake features a moist, tender crumb, that rivals a classic oven-baked carrot cake. Skip the cream cheese frosting and enjoy it warm, with sweetened Greek yogurt. Ready in under 5 minutes!

    Jump to Recipe

    Looking for carrot cake recipes? Be sure to try my eggless carrot cake or carrot walnut cake recipe.

    carrot cake topped with white frosting in a white mug along with a spoon.

    I wanted a carrot mug cake recipe that wasn't soggy or greasy, but is moist with a tender crumb. It was tricky especially when you have the bulky vegetable and nuts weighing your cake batter down.

    So I turned to my apple mug cake recipe which produces a light and moist texture cake in spite of being loaded with chopped apple chunks.

    Mug cake recipes are perfect when you want a quick treat, without the temptation of an entire cake sitting in your kitchen. They are incredibly easy to make and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.

    All you need is a microwave-safe mug, few ingredients, and a couple of minutes in the microwave like the red velvet mug cake.

    So, next time you are craving something sweet or want to eat a nutritious vegetable for dessert then give this carrot mug cake a try. You'll be glad you did! We love carrot cake so much that I created a carrot cake oatmeal—it's oatmeal packed with all the delicious flavors of carrot cake!

    Jump to:
    • Reasons to love it
    • Ingredients
    • How to make carrot mug cake?
    • Shredded or grated carrots?
    • Serving suggestion
    • Recipe tips
    • More mug cake recipes
    • The Best Carrot Mug Cake

    Reasons to love it

    • Simple pantry ingredients.
    • Not overly sweet.
    • Amazing warm with Greek yogurt.
    • No pineapple or apple.
    • No eggs

    Ingredients

    Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.

    1. Flour - All purpose flour is stable enough to support the grated carrots.
    2. Brown Sugar – Gives deep caramel notes, color and flavor.
    3. Flavorings - I took a conservative approach to spices and used only ground cinnamon and vanilla extract.
    4. Oil – 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil does the trick of making the carrot mug cake not greasy, just like the almond flour carrot muffin recipe.
    5. Milk - Adds richness and additional flavor. Use whole milk if possible.
    6. Leavening - Baking powder gives a much needed rise and adds that extra boost to yield a fluffy texture.
    7.  Carrots – Carrots add natural sweetness, earthiness and lots of moisture.

    Pro tip: When buying carrots, look for ones with the green tops still attached, rather than those already trimmed. They have the best flavor and you can tell how fresh they are from the vibrant leafy tops.

    How to make carrot mug cake?

    You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.

    Step 1 - Add flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a mug.
    Step 2 - Add milk, vegetable oil, finely grated carrot, golden raisins and vanilla extract.

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    Step 3 - Using a fork, mix batter until smooth and lump free.
    Step 4 - Microwave for one minute and 45 to 60 seconds.

    👩‍🍳 Pro tip: The cooking time can vary with different microwaves and also with different cup sizes. If you are new to microwave baking, then we recommend checking after one minute and 50 seconds. It should be well risen and spongy to touch. You can cook for an additional 10 to 15 seconds if needed.

    Shredded or grated carrots?

    While it's convenient to buy shredded carrots from the store, they tend to be drier and larger in size. For this carrot mug cake recipe, we need finely grated carrots because they cook quickly in just two minutes in the microwave. It's best to grate the carrots at home using a box grater, and you'll only need ¼ cup, which takes about 30 seconds.

    Serving suggestion

    Enjoy this carrot mug cake recipe, as soon as you remove from the microwave, because microwave baked recipes tends to dry out much faster when compared to a regular oven baked treat.

    While a luscious cream cheese frosting is a classic pairing for carrot cake, I opted for sweetened Greek yogurt in this carrot mug cake recipe. It offers a similar tang and creaminess without the need to open an entire block of cream cheese for just a tablespoon. It’s a practical and delicious alternative!

    Recipe tips

    • Grate your carrots in the fine side of your box grater.
    • Cook time depends on your microwave and size of the coffee cup. Experiment with your cooking time from 1 minute and 45 to 60 seconds to see what gives the perfect texture.
    • Stir batter until no lumps remain.
    • Best eaten hot. As with microwave desserts, it might dry out a little when left for some time.
    • Use a flavorless oil such as vegetable or corn oil.
    cup with carrot cake along with a spoon.

    carrot cake topped with white frosting in a white mug along with a spoon.

    More mug cake recipes

    • vanilla chocolate chip vegan mug cake in a white coffee mug.
      Vanilla Vegan Mug Cake
    • a spoon of banana cake from a mug.
      Banana Mug Cake
    • White mug with chocolate cake, topped with whipped cream and 2 fresh cherries.
      Black Forest Mug Cake
    • microwave oreo cake in a white mug.
      Oreo Mug Cake
    carrot cake topped with white frosting in a white mug along with a spoon.

    The Best Carrot Mug Cake

    This Best Carrot Mug Cake features a moist, tender crumb, that rivals a classic oven-baked carrot cake. Skip the cream cheese frosting and enjoy it warm, with sweetened Greek yogurt. Ready in under 5 minutes!
    4.9 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 2 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 Serving
    Calories: 399kcal
    Author: Maria Doss

    Ingredients

    Dry ingredients

    • ¼ cup all purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons golden or light brown sugar packed
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    Wet ingredients

    • ¼ cup milk
    • ¼ cup finely grated carrot
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoons golden raisins
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Topping

    • Sweetened greek yogurt
    • Toasted pecans chopped
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    Instructions

    • Add all dry ingredients into a microwave mug, stir well with a spoon or fork.
    • Add all wet ingredients, mix until smooth.
      Pro tip: Shred your carrot using the fine side of a box grater. This allows it to cook very soft in the short baking time, allowing it to mostly melt into the cake.
    • Cook in microwave for 2 minutes for a standard coffee mug or one minute and 50 seconds for a wider mug
      Tip: If you are new to microwave baking, then I recommend checking after one minute and 50 seconds. It should be well risen and spongy to touch. You can cook for an additional 10 to 15 seconds if needed.
    • Remove, let cool for few seconds, top with sweetened Greek yogurt and chopped toasted pecans.

    Notes

    Calories are calculated without the topping.
    Golden raisins are traditional, but you can skip if you’d like.
    Skip pecans to make it nut free or use chopped walnuts.
    To make sweetened greek yogurt, mix plain greek yogurt with some honey or sugar. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 264mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g

    Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.

    Did you make this recipe?Mention @KitchenAtHoskins or tag #kitchenathoskins!

    Did you make this recipe? I’d love your feedback! Please let me know by leaving a comment or review below or snap a photo and share on Instagram.

    Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Thank you for supporting kitchenathoskins.com.

    All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.

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    Hi, I'm Maria! I'm excited to share with you creative twists on classic Indian, American, and global dishes—perfect for easy family meals or unique dishes to impress guests!

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