Healthy carrot cake bread with pineapple is a light and delicious quick bread recipe for your Easter or spring table. It is also a great way to use up extra carrots during carrot season! Topped with toasted pecans and made with no icing, this less sugar and healthier breakfast bread is light, fluffy, moist and super delicious!
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If you’re looking for a healthy carrot cake bread to feed your brunch guests this Easter, this recipe is the perfect choice! Similar to banana bread or zucchini bread and made with no refined sugar, this gluten free quick bread is a delicious and healthy version of a seasonal family favorite!
Spring can be a crazy time of the year between Easter activities like egg dyeing, spring parties and school events! This recipe is a quick and delicious healthy breakfast bread you can even make ahead if you have a few minutes!
Add this to your Easter brunch table along with a puff pastry quiche and some healthy deviled eggs for an easy and healthy springtime brunch.
Although this healthy carrot cake bread is made with no frosting, you can add some if you would like! If you do want to make a less sugar cream cheese frosting, check out the recipe for cream cheese frosting from my healthy gingerbread loaf recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Delicious texture. Pineapple gives a natural sweetness that helps to keep the recipe free of refined sugar and adds moisture.
- Less sugar and great for dietary restrictions. This healthy carrot cake bread with pineapple is naturally sweetened with fruit and has less sugar than the traditional recipe. It is naturally gluten free and can be made vegan by using vegan yogurt, butter and applesauce.
- Perfect recipe for carrots. Great use of carrots if you have extra on hand during carrot season (generally June through September in the US.)
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
- Sweetener: I used Truvia can sugar blend to make it with less sugar. To make it paleo, use coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup. For vegan do not use honey.
- Coconut flour: Do not substitute any other type of flour such as all purpose, bread flour or almond flour for coconut flour. Using coconut flour can be tricky so be sure to follow the recipe as written.
- Cinnamon: Nutmeg or even pumpkin spice is a great alternative here.
- Toasted pecans: You can really use whatever nuts you have on hand (walnuts would also be delicious). If you want to opt for nut-free, toasted coconut would work really well as a topping.
- Crushed pineapple: Do not skip this ingredient as it lends and incredible amount of moisture to the recipe. Feel free to add in some raisins if you like them and want the additional sweetness.
- Eggs: To make vegan, use an egg replacer or substitute with applesauce.
- Butter: May opt for coconut oil or vegan butter if making vegan.
How to Make This Recipe
This is a step by step walkthrough of how to cook this recipe. Exact cook time and temperatures are available in the recipe card at the bottom.
- Measure out dry ingredients and mix together. Set aside.
- Cream sugar and butter until combined. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla and greek yogurt. Fold in shredded carrots and drained, crushed pineapple. Mix until incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Do not over-mix. Add to prepared bread pan and top with toasted pecans.
- Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack for further cooling.
Expert Tips
- Drain the crushed pineapple thoroughly! If there is too much moisture, the bread will fall in the middle and likely won’t be cooked through.
- The unbaked dough is very thick due to the coconut flour. This is correct and will bake fine.
- Do not over-mix the dough as the texture will become dense and gummy.
- Wait for it to cool completely before cutting to avoid a crumbly mess.
- Storage: Cooled bread can be wrapped and stored on the countertop for up to 4 days. Be sure it is tightly wrapped and completely cool to avoid mold. If refrigerating, store tightly wrapped in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Note that the bread may dry out more in the refrigerator and you may want to microwave it before eating to take the chill off.
- Freezer: Store cooled, unsliced loaf wrapped in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Alternatively, cooled slices may be placed between pieces of parchment paper and wrapped tightly then stored in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: Carrot cake bread may be made ahead and frozen. I recommend not slicing the loaf if possible for freezing.
FAQs
This healthy carrot cake bread is lower in sugar than the traditional recipe. I used Truvia cane sugar blend and omitted the cream cheese frosting for a lighter and healthier recipe.
You may have added too much flour and not enough moisture. This healthy carrot cake bread gets its moisture from the pineapple so be sure to use drained crushed pineapple and do not omit it.
Note that prior to baking the loaf it may seem dry and not moist. This is due to the coconut flour and will bake just fine.
Related Recipes
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Carrot Cake Bread
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup crushed pineapple drained
Other Ingredients
- ¼ cup pecans chopped & toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepared a bread pan by spraying with coconut oil.
- Measure out dry ingredients and mix together. I like to sift my ingredients but it’s not essential. Set aside.
- Cream sugar and butter until combined. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla and greek yogurt. Fold in shredded carrots and drained, crushed pineapple. Mix until incorporated.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until combined. Do not overstir. Add to prepared bread pan and top with toasted pecans.
- Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack for further cooling.
Notes
- Drain the crushed pineapple thoroughly! If there is too much moisture, the bread will fall in the middle and likely won’t be cooked through.
- The unbaked dough is very thick due to the coconut flour. This is correct and will bake fine.
- Do not over-mix the dough as the texture will become dense and gummy.
- Wait for it to cool completely before cutting to avoid a crumbly mess.
- Storage: Cooled bread can be wrapped and stored on the countertop for up to 4 days. Be sure it is tightly wrapped and completely cool to avoid mold. If refrigerating, store tightly wrapped in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Note that the bread may dry out more in the refrigerator and you may want to microwave it before eating to take the chill off.
- Freezer: Store cooled, unsliced loaf wrapped in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Alternatively, cooled slices may be placed between pieces of parchment paper and wrapped tightly then stored in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: Bread may be made ahead and frozen. I recommend not slicing the loaf if possible for freezing.
Emily
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you think if I opted to double it, I could bake in a 9×9 square pan??
Lyndsey
I haven’t tried that yet but if you do, let me know how it works out!