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Love carrot cake? Then you’ll love these Carrot Cake Brownies! This easy dessert combines two favorite treats in one: fudgy brownies with carrot cake! Chocolate meets spice in this delicious treat.

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Close up shot of carrot cake brownies cut into squares with a cream cheese glaze


My husband, Mel, has a serious weak spot for anything carrot cake, so I’ve made it a mission in life to create as many different kinds of carrot cake desserts that I can. Today it’s carrot cake brownies – a mash-up of two favorite desserts that are oh-so-amazing!

Rich and Fudgy Carrot Cake Brownies

I took my zucchini brownies (the same ones I used as a base for the vegan brownies) and turned them into Spring’s newest favorite chocolate treat: carrot cake brownies!

It’s a rich chocolate brownie that is infused with the spice flavors of carrot cake: cinnamon and ground ginger. And carrots, of course.

Don’t be scared of the carrots in the brownies, really. They aren’t overwhelming. Think of a carrot cake – is all you taste the carrots?

The carrots in these brownies really give a little texture and a hint of carrot cake flavor. The cinnamon and ground ginger really go the extra mile. Paired with chocolate, it’s like magic.

As amazing as these are plain, I top them with a cream cheese drizzle because I can’t have carrot cake without cream cheese frosting. I love the drizzle because you get the cream cheese flavor, but the bars still look like brownies.

I love these brownies, but Mel LOVES them, and that’s the only endorsement I need. Make a batch for the brownie and carrot cake fans in your life – I think they’re going to love them.

Table of Contents

Overhead shot of carrot cake brownies cut into squares next to a cup of shredded carrots

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil: I like using oil in these brownies – it keeps them fudgy!
  • Sugar: I use both brown and granulated in this recipe
  • Eggs: eggs help brownies get their fudginess
  • Chocolate: These brownies use unsweetened cocoa powder (you can also use Dutch Process)
  • Vanilla and Salt: typical brownie ingredients
  • All-purpose flour: you don’t need much for brownies!
  • Carrot Cake Ingredients: Cinnamon, ground ginger and shredded carrots make these into a fun springtime dessert.

How to Make Carrot Cake Brownies

1. Mix: Mix the oil, both kinds of sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the cocoa powder, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and ground ginger.

2. Stir: Slowly stir in the flour, and then stir in the grated carrots.

3. Bake: Pour the batter into a prepared baking pan. Bake the brownies for 25 to 28 minutes at 350°F. Cool them in the pan before adding the cream cheese drizzle.

Cream Cheese Drizzle

First, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl with a mixer. Add the vanilla and one tablespoon of milk. If the drizzle is too thick, add up to one more tablespoon of milk to thin it.

Drizzle over the top of the cooled brownies before slicing and serving them.

Close up shot of carrot cake brownies cut into squares with a cream cheese glaze

Recipe Tips

  • Don’t use pre-shredded carrots for this recipe. It’s so much better with freshly grated carrots – the pre-shredded kind are too thick and are often dried out. Trust me – it’s worth grating your own!
  • When you measure the carrots, don’t pack them in the cup. You should measure a loosely packed heaping ½ cup for the best results.
  • If you want to frost the brownies instead of doing a drizzle, just reduce the amount of milk to make a thicker icing for the brownies.
  • Store them in an airtight container, and they will keep for several days at room temperature. Or you can freeze them for up to three months. If you love chocolate, carrot cake, and cream cheese icing, these brownies hit all the marks! It’s such an easy dessert bar to make and a fun twist on two classics. I hope you love them as much as we do!

More Brownie Recipes to Try

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Close up shot of carrot cake brownies cut into squares with a cream cheese glaze

Carrot Cake Brownies Recipe

5 from 8 votes
Fudgy brownies filled with the flavors of carrot cake topped with a cream cheese drizzle.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Yield 16 brownies
Serving Size 1 brownie
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Ingredients
 

For the brownies:

  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ cup (62g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (55g) shredded carrots (heaping cup, don't pack them)

For the glaze:

  • 4 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-2 tablespoons milk
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
  • Stir together oil, sugars, and eggs. Stir in cocoa, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and ground ginger. Slowly stir in flour. Stir in grated carrots.
  • Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-28 minutes. Cool before frosting.
  • To make frosting: Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Add vanilla then add 1 tablespoon milk and mix until smooth adding up to 1 more tablespoon milk for desired consistency (whether you want to frost them vs drizzle as I did).

Recipe Notes

  • Start with regular carrots and shred them yourself – don’t be tempted to start with pre-shredded carrots. Those are too thick and stiff for this recipe.
  • Don’t pack your carrots, instead loosely add them to the cup. Using a heaping 1/2 cup is fine.
  • I used 2 tablespoons milk in the frosting as more of a drizzle, use less for thicker frosting.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1brownie | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 799IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Close up shot of carrot cake brownies cut into squares with a cream cheese glaze with recipe title on top of image

Chocolate meets spice in these delicious Carrot Cake Brownies. This is the perfect springtime treat for any brownie or carrot cake lover!



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 8 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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104 Comments

  1. I love carrot cake! I haven’t made it in so long – in any form! I am digging the brownies Dorothy! cinnamon, ground ginger, carrots… perfect! Carrot cake is my dad’s weakness too. And Kevin is very boring when it comes to savory foods (plain chicken and noodles – eww?), but luckily he has a sweet tooth like me!!

    Reply

  2. I have a weakness for carrot cake! And in brownies? OMG. Funny that your husband is that way with sweets. Mine is kinda that way with new dinners. So not adventurous. Me? I pretty much eat anything…

    Reply

  3. Oh wow these look perfect!! My boyfriend sounds just like your husband! He’s just like “Too sweet” or “No, I don’t want to try one, I’m fine!” I love brownies and carrot cake, but I don’t like raisins or anything in there either so I’ll definitely be making these! 🙂

    Reply

  4. Your story telling is exactly what I go through. Mine will eat whatever I make but if I ever ask would you LIKE me to make something, anything, just name it. Anything at all. I get…crickets. Nothing. No suggestions.

    I am glad you have your hubby’s hot button with carrot cake! It looks delish!

    Reply

  5. I love carrot cake and NEED these in my life 🙂 glad you hubby found them hard to resist. It is hard when they are on a whole different program than what we bake!

    Reply