Carrot Cake Pancakes
These decadent, fluffy carrot cake pancakes are easy to make. Make them with whole wheat flour (you won't be able to tell) or all-purpose.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on April 17, 2025
These carrot cake pancakes are a breakfast treat worthy of holidays, like Easter, and leisurely springtime mornings. They’re flavored with tons of tender grated carrots, plus warming spices like cinnamon and ginger. Top with a dollop of softened, sweetened cream cheese, and they really taste like carrot cake.
Nothing makes me giddy like the sight of pancakes, piled high in the morning. I love to use whole wheat flour when I can; then the pancakes hold me over until lunchtime, unlike donuts or pastries. Hold the pastries, pass the pancakes! That said, you can choose whole wheat or all-purpose flour for these cakes.
How to Make the Best Carrot Cake Pancakes
The key is in the carrots! If you think about it, carrot cake bakes in the oven for 45 minutes, which is plenty of time for the carrots to soften. By contrast, pancakes are on the heat for 5 minutes.
To remedy this textural issue, we need finely grated and lightly steamed carrots. Fortunately, I’ve found easy methods to achieve these results.
Finely grating carrots by hand works well, but frankly, it requires too much effort before breakfast. You can save time with a food processor. Roughly chop the carrots and pulse them in the food processor until they’re finely grated but not mushy. This method is super easy and works even better than using the grating attachment, in my experience.
To soften the grated carrots, place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Lightly dampen a paper towel and use it to cover the bowl. Microwave the bowl on high for 2 minutes, then let the carrots cool while you mix the remaining ingredients.
Pancake Tips
Sufficiently preheat your cooking surface. It’s ready when a few drops of water sizzle immediately when they hit. Don’t start too soon, or your pancakes won’t brown and will be difficult to turn.
Start with just one pancake to test the temperature, even if you can fit more than one on your skillet. Better to have one sad pancake before you get the temperature right than multiple botched pancakes.
Griddles are great because you can make more pancakes at once. Electric griddles are nice because the temperature stays constant.
If you’re cooking on the stovetop, you’ll need to reduce the heat over time. Your temperature is too high if the pancakes are becoming too brown on the outside, but they’re still raw on the inside.
Lightly brush your griddle or skillet with oil or melted butter in between batches. Wipe up any excess with a paper towel so it doesn’t burn with time. If your surface is truly non-stick, you may not need to grease it at all.
More Flavorful Pancakes to Try
My pancake collection covers the basics and fun flavors like these:
- 3-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- Buckwheat Pancakes
- Coconut Pancakes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
Please let me know how your pancakes turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Carrot Cake Pancakes
These carrot cake pancakes are decadent and delicious. Make them with whole wheat flour or all-purpose if you prefer. Recipe yields 11 to 12 medium pancakes.
Ingredients
Pancakes
- 2 cups finely grated carrots (about 6 big or 8 smallish carrots)*
- 1 cup (125 grams) whole wheat pastry flour, whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons packed coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk**
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Avocado oil or butter, for cooking
Maple cream cheese topping
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons milk (more depending on desired consistency)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of ground cinnamon
- Optional: Chopped toasted walnuts or pecans, for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare, spoon the cream cheese into a bowl and leave it out at room temperature to soften. Soften the carrots by placing them in a microwave-safe bowl, such as a glass liquid measuring cup. Lightly dampen a paper towel and use it to cover the bowl. Microwave the bowl on high for 2 minutes, then let the carrots cool (be careful; the bowl will be hot). If desired, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to keep the pancakes warm before serving.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in the cooled carrots, then pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Stir just until incorporated. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes while you make the cream cheese topping and preheat your griddle/skillet.
- Whisk the cream cheese in a small bowl until it is soft and pliable, with no lumps. If your cream cheese is not soft enough to do this, try zapping it in the microwave for just a few seconds at a time. Whisk in the maple syrup, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Feel free to sweeten with more syrup or further thin it out further with more milk. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet (stainless steel or nonstick) over medium-low heat (if using an electric griddle, heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit). You’re ready to start cooking pancakes once a drop of water sizzles on contact with the hot surface. Lightly oil the cooking surface with a pat of oil or butter, then carefully wipe up the excess with a paper towel (nonstick surfaces likely won’t require any oil).
- Scoop ¼ cup of batter onto the hot skillet, leaving a couple of inches around each pancake for expansion. Cook until the bottom side is lightly golden and firm enough to flip, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Flip the pancakes, then cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until they are lightly golden on both sides. Repeat the process with the remaining batter, lightly oiling the skillet and dialing down the heat if the pancakes turn dark on the outside before they are cooked through on the inside. If desired, place the pancakes on an ovenproof plate and keep them in the oven while you cook the remaining pancakes.
- To serve, top with maple cream cheese and an optional sprinkle of nuts. Serve with extra maple syrup on the side. Leftover pancakes will keep well in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Adapted from the Joy the Baker Cookbook.
*If you have a food processor: Roughly chop the carrots, then pulse them in the processor until they are finely grated but not mush.
**Make your own buttermilk: Combine 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then proceed as directed.
Make it dairy free: Substitute plain dairy-free milk like almond milk for the buttermilk option provided above. Use oil instead of butter for greasing the pan. Use dairy-free cream cheese and more dairy-free milk for the topping.
Recipe edits: In 2025, I retested the recipe and tweaked it for clarity. I added more baking powder for loft and steamed the carrots for a nicer texture.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! The whole family enjoyed these pancakes. We will definitely be making again. Thank you for posting, we always love your recipes.
Let me just preface this by saying, “I hate carrot cake! Yuck.” But LOVE these pancakes. My toddler and super picky preschooler do too. Made from homegrown carrots and topped with toasted walnuts and bananas for the kids. Delicious
OH MY GRAVY! (or should I say pancake?) These are SO delicious! I was craving some carrot cake pancakes, so I did an online search and found this recipe. Needless to say I was blown away! The best part is I felt like I was indulging in a decadent treat, but it was still really healthy! I subbed two egg whites for the egg, skim milk and lemon juice for the buttermilk, and reduced the amount of sugar (only slightly), and the pancakes were STILL incredible. I’ll be visiting cookie and kate more often. Thanks for the fabulous recipe! =)
P.S. I couldn’t rate the recipe for some reason, but it would easily get five stars in my book!
Hooray! Thanks, Miranda.
Love any recipe that my 3 yr old will eat that helps us get veggies in at breakfast. Adapted this to combine wet ingredients in blender – including carrots – and it worked well and saved a step or two.
Thanks!
Hi Kate,
Disappointed my Gest Omlettes local restaurant stopped making carrot cake pancakes unless enough people complain. So sad. When I go there that’s what I’d order. Looked on line for a recipe and found yours. Can’t wait to try! Do you know the approximate calorie count?
Hi Kathy, I’m glad you found my recipe! No, I’m sorry, I don’t offer calorie counts (yet, I’m working on a solution).
I made this twice! They were amazing. I made cardamom cream cheese as topping. Whoaaa soooooo good!
I made these pancakes this morning. They turned out great! I halved the recipe, and used the milk + lemon juice buttermilk substitute. I also used commercial egg replacer. I appreciate that this recipe does not call for raisins too!
So glad those substitutes worked for you, Christina!
Excellent. I reduced carrots and added unsweetened shredded coconut, almond milk and a few fresh blue berries
Yum! Sounds delicious, Heidi.
Absolutely delicious carrot cake pancakes! Didn’t make the topping but dressed with a bit of maple syrup. Excellent flavor. Light and fully. Thank you!!
Perfect! Thanks, Judy.
I made this morning and followed the recommendation of grating and then pulsing in the food processor. It was still small pieces vs carrot mush. Seemed to work perfectly but the pancakes never set up. I reduced the size and cooked longer but it never cooked through. Any ideas? I made almond milk butter milk but that was the only alternation to the recipe.
Veronica, I’m sorry to hear that! I’m really not sure why the pancakes never set. Any chance you forgot to add the baking powder or soda? The leavener is responsible for most of the rise in pancakes.
Subbed in 1.5 tbsp ground flaxseed plus a couple more tablespoons homemade soy kefir (used in place of buttermilk) for the egg. Pancakes held together wonderfully in the pan and for flipping.
Also added some raisins and chopped pecans. Yum!
Thanks for sharing your recipes with the world.
Hi, Taylor! I’m so glad these pancakes worked for you and you enjoyed them. Thank you for your sweet words!
Very tasty and a perfect way to use up the rest of a bag of carrots sitting in the fridge. I subbed maple syrup for the brown sugar (because it was already out from another recipe) but cut the quantity to 1 Tbsp and found they were still plenty sweet. I didn’t make the maple cream cheese topping because I was trying to keep the calorie count down. I’m sure it would have been delicious, but not entirely necessary because the panckes are pretty darn perfect on their own.
They are great on their own! Thank you, Melissa for your review.
Can I substitute the whole flour for gluten free flour?
Hi Veronica, I haven’t tried it but it should work! It’s worked well for my other recipes in the past.
I made these for my kids so I substituted a mashed banana for the sugar and just ate them plain with no topping. They were so tasty! I even liked them and I normally don’t eat the healthy stuff I make for my kids, lol! I added more almond milk since the banana made it extra thick. Next time I will add a little more vinegar and baking soda to help them rise better due to my substitution. Thanks for the FANTASTIC recipe!
Hooray!! I’m happy you loved them.
Have you tried using this batter to make waffles? I made my pancakes using Deb’s recipe, with only 1/2 cup buttermilk and I ended up with dense, somehow undercooked pancakes. Not fluffy at all. :( So I was wondering whether they might work as waffles.
I haven’t! I’m sorry you didn’t have great results.
I am not a pancake lover. But these are delicious and we received a 25 pound bag of carrots in our CSA so I am looking for recipes (going to try more of your recipes this week). These pancakes are almost sinful. I felt like I was having a dessert without it being over sweet. My husband said it was an amazing breakfast and we could have them again for dinner sometime. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’m happy you love them! That’s for sure a lot of carrots and happy you found something new to do with them!
If you need ideas for next recipe – how about adapting this for waffles? Especially with Easter right around the corner?
Hi Marie, love that idea! Thank you. I’d probably start with my favorite oat waffles recipe and add the spices shown here, plus up to 2 cups shredded carrots. Let me know if you give that a try!
I made this recipe and it was amazing!!!!!! I didn’t make the topping, just added a tiny bit of maple syrup. SOOOOOOO GOOD. Also, I did melt 2 tablespoons of butter and mixed in the batter. SO WONDERFUL! Thank you so much! Joan
Hooray! You’re welcome, Joan. I’m glad you loved them so much.
These are our Easter Tradition !
You will be amazed at how yummy these pancakes are & almost guilt free
I love that! This is the perfect recipe for that.
I made these with half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour. I grated carrots and then put them in the food processor. While cooking I put lid on skillet. They were delicious!
Made these for my two year old daughter today… she loved them!! And so did i
Thanks for the whole wheat version… it’s perfect!!
Love from India… Lakshmi
Oh my gosh, I tried these for lunch today as I have a boatload of garden carrots. What a delightful and delicious surprise. These pancakes surpassed my expectations! To save calories and sugar consumption I served with Good Culture cottage cheese and crisped prosciutto. This recipe is a winner.
Thank you for sharing, Ellen!
Followed recipe as is and it was PERFECT. I shredded my carrots thru my food processor shredding attachment, and also used the chopping attachment to make the carrots super fine.
Amazing flavour, texture and taste
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe
Thank you for sharing, Elle! I appreciate your review.
Hi! I thought the photo looked amazing, so I tried, but it turned out really hard to flip, and they weren’t as airy as I hoped. I think one problem is that I packed down the two cups, so there were more. Nest time, I’ll reduce the carrots.
Hi Hillary, I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you. Yes, the ratio of carrots will impact your end result and how you measure your flour.
I just added an extra egg and made them into waffles.
Fantastic! Crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside.
Thanks for helping me tame 15 lbs of (50 cent/lb!) carrots in my fridge.
You’ve changed the way we cook and eat in this household. No more comments of “where’s the meat?”
Our whole family just loves carrot cake. I can’t hardly wait to try this pancake recipe for sure. What a wonderful idea and breakfast recipe. Thank you so very much for sharing this with everyone.
These were delicious and tasted so indulgent! They were a big hit for Easter brunch. Would definitely make again. The tip about putting the carrots in the food processor and then cooking in the microwave made it so easy. I didn’t want to make a carrot cake, too sweet and too big, so these work perfectly for us.
Hi Carol, I’m so glad these were a hit for your brunch.
Hi Kate,
I’d love to try the recipe, it sounds delicious, but I don’t have a microwave. How else can I prepare the carrots?
Hi Inga, you could steam them lightly using a steamer basket in a pot.
How is this vegitarian , when includes eggs ?
Hi Peter, vegetarian diets include some animal products that aren’t meat, such as honey, eggs, and cheese. Vegan recipes are entirely plant-based. I have a mix of both, and often include instructions for how to make vegan modifications to eliminate animal products completely.
Pancakes were very fluffy, but they were raw. I could never get them to cook through for some reason. Once the outside was browned, that was it. I even tried to put them back in the pan, put a lid on it, nothing worked.
I used both baking soda and baking powder.
Hi Aude, if they are cooking on the outside but not the middle, you might have your pan a little too high. Try lowering the temperature slightly. All stovetops cook a little differently.
I made these gluten free and they were amazing! I also added flax seed and coconut . I think next time I might try raisins also. This was a huge hit for Mother’s Day! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe Kate! ( I live in OP)
Ended up undercooking these (Which was entirely my fault) and they still turned out really good. You can tell a recipe is good when you enjoy it even when you mess it up. Absolutely confident when I try these again and do them better that they’ll earn the five stars no problem, they were already probably a four or close to it as is.
I can’t comment on the topping though: I’m not the biggest fan of maple so I passed on it, but it sure sounds like it’d be a perfect fit on these for anyone who likes maple.
These were so delicious. We only made a few modifications because we don’t eat meat or dairy. Replaced the egg with apple sauce, the cream cheese with a vegan cream cheese, and made a homemade vegan buttermilk. It was easy to swap out and tasted amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I felt like I was having cake for breakfast hahaha!
Hi Linda, thanks for sharing your vegan modifications! Glad you got to feel like you were having cake for breakfast.
I can’t get my 18-month-old to eat any pancakes EXCEPT for this recipe. This was the first time he finished the whole pancake! Thanks from AZ!