Skip to Content

Easy Carrot Bread

If you’re a fan of quick breads (things like pumpkin bread, banana bread, zucchini bread, and so on) you’re going to flip over this delicious carrot bread. It’s got all of the flavors you’ve come to love in a great carrot cake but is made in a simple loaf pan. 

Carrots. . .in Bread? 

I know, I know. I had the same thought. But I stumbled across a picture of banana bread on my blog and (with no bananas in the house) thought to myself, “What could I make that might be similar?” 

At once I thought of the bag of carrots in my refrigerator. I wondered if I could turn them into a bread of some sort. 

I knew from past experience that shredded carrots are a yummy addition to baked goods. Why? Because they provide moisture, flavor, and texture.

The high water content in carrots (which are 90% water, by the way) helps keep cakes, muffins, and bread tender and moist, making them perfect for dense desserts like carrot cake. The natural sweetness of carrots complements spices like cinnamon, and the fine texture blends seamlessly into batters for a soft, slightly chewy bite.

I went searching online and found several recipes for carrot bread but I wanted to do something a little different from most of the ones I found. I decided that soaked craisins might be fun with my carrots. So, I merged some ideas and came up with this recipe. You can adjust it to meet your needs, if you like.

Carrot Bread Ingredients

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here's a look at what you'll need.

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ½ cup craisins, plumped

GLAZE

  • ½ cup room temperature cream cheese
  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to Make Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Prep a loaf pan with baking spray. (I used Baker’s Joy.) Set aside. 

Grate carrots and set aside. 

Combine dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt). Whisk and set aside. 

Place wet ingredients (milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla) and sugar in a large bowl and whisk together. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Add Craisins to the wet ingredients and allow them to soak for 15 minutes. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Add carrots and stir well. 

Add dry ingredients and work together. 

Add chopped nuts and fold into well incorporated. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Scoop batter into prepared loaf pan. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Place in preheated 350 degree oven. 

Bake for 60 - 70 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick should come out clean. 

Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Once cooled, remove from the pan. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Make the frosting: 

Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. 

Add powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract and beat until it comes together. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Spread over the top of the bread. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Serve and enjoy. 

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting from Out of the Box Baking.com

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to four days. You can freeze this bread to eat later if you like. 

What to Expect from this Recipe

If you love carrot cake you’re going to really enjoy this bread loaf, friends. The texture is denser, more bread-like, but the flavors of carrot cake come shining through. I loved the addition of the Craisins. They paired beautifully with the sweet carrots and the spices. And talk about texture! I’ve always loved Craisins and pecans together. (You’ll find this combination in my Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies.) Perfection! All in all, I’d say this bread is a big hit. I can’t wait to share it with my kiddos tomorrow! 

Variations on this Recipe

It’s always fun to mix things up. I think this recipe would be fun with any of the following: 

Coconut: You could do half carrot, half coconut if you like. I think this flavor profile would be lovely. 

Orange juice in place of milk: I use orange juice in my carrot cake and think it would be lovely here, as well. 

Mandarin oranges: I think you could chop up some mandarin oranges and mix them into the batter for an orange-carrot twist. (I love orange and carrot together. This is a lovely pairing.) 

Skip the frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar. (Yum!) 

Other Quick Breads from Out of the Box Baking

That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe. 

If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!

Loved this recipe? Get more like it straight to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter now!

About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 165 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.  

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Easy Carrot Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

If you’re a fan of quick breads (things like pumpkin bread, banana bread, zucchini bread, and so on) you’re going to flip over this delicious carrot bread. It’s got all of the flavors you’ve come to love in a great carrot cake but is made in a simple loaf pan.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups grated carrots
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ½ cup craisins, plumped
  • FOR THE FROSTING:
  • ½ cup room temperature cream cheese
  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Prep a loaf pan with baking spray. (I used Baker’s Joy.) Set aside.
  3. Grate carrots and set aside.
  4. Combine dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt). Whisk and set aside.
  5. Place wet ingredients (milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla) and sugar in a large bowl and whisk together.
  6. Add Craisins to the wet ingredients and allow them to soak for 15 minutes.
    Add carrots and stir well.
  7. Add dry ingredients and work together.
  8. Add chopped nuts and fold into well incorporated.
  9. Scoop batter into prepared loaf pan.
  10. Place in preheated 350 degree oven.
  11. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until golden brown. A toothpick should come out clean.
  12. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool.
  13. Once cooled, remove from the pan.
  14. Make the frosting: Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
  15. Add powdered sugar, whole milk, and vanilla extract and beat until it comes together.
  16. Spread over the top of the bread.
  17. Serve and enjoy.
  18. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to four days. You can freeze this bread to eat later if you like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 498Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 243mgCarbohydrates: 61gFiber: 2gSugar: 42gProtein: 6g

The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.

Skip to Recipe

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!