I love a good slice of carrot loaf, especially with cream cheese icing and walnuts. It’s comforting, delicious, and nostalgic for most. It can be challenging to create my favorite baked goods into Weight Watchers friendly treats because so much is packed into a dessert. Memories, nostalgia, and family time. But this carrot loaf with cream cheese frosting is so good! It hits the spot for that carrot cake craving.
Carrot loaf with cream cheese frosting is a dense loaf, but that helps keep it moist. Remember, when baking with applesauce, yogurt, and even mashed banana, you are not going to have a fluffy loaf or muffin that you would when using butter and oils. It did take me a little time to get used to the texture of baked goods when changing up the ingredients and I know it might not be for everyone, but I've come to love it. And you will love how low it keeps your Weight Watchers points while you’re indulging in a sweet treat! You can make this loaf with or without the icing, but since it’s low in points either way, I suggest going for the whole thing.
Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!
Nothing hits the spot like a slice of carrot cake does.
It’s probably my favorite way of eating veggies! The natural sweetness of carrots adds flavor and moisture to this loaf, which pairs amazingly with the tart cream cheese.
It’s a fun, healthy way to have the beloved carrot cake.
If you want to tap into nostalgia with a piece of dessert, but don’t want to blow your Weight Watchers points for the day, eat this carrot loaf with cream cheese frosting rather than a “real” carrot cake slice.
Carrot loaf keeps really well.
You can bake this on a Sunday and have dessert for a whole week. It keeps up to seven days in the fridge, and it’s easy to freeze as well.
Ingredients you need to make Carrot Loaf With Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ⅓ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups shredded carrots
FOR THE ICING
- ¼ cup softened, light cream cheese
- ¼ cup icing sugar (confectionary sugar or white powdered sugar - they’re all the same)
- ½ tablespoon light butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional topping for carrot loaf)
How to make Carrot Loaf With Cream Cheese Frosting (step by step):
- Preheat the oven to 375F, and spray a regular sized loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together your eggs and brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
- Stir in the yogurt, applesauce and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Fold in the carrots.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake it in the oven for 45-50 minutes- until baked all the way through.
- Let it cool before removing it from the pan.
- To make the icing, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, and vanilla together until creamy. Spread the icing on the loaf then sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 10 slices.
Makes 10 slices. Nutrition info for 1 slice: Calories 155, Fat 4 g, Saturated fat 1.1 g, Carbs 23 g, Fiber 1.4 g, Sugars 8.7 g, Sodium 204 mg, Protein 5 g.
WW Points
- Eggs 0 points
- Brown sugar 5 points
- Nonfat plain Greek yogurt 0 points
- Unsweetened apple sauce 0 points
- Vanilla 0 points
- Cinnamon 0 points
- Nutmeg 0 points
- All purpose flour 26 points
- Baking powder 0 points
- Baking soda 0 points
- Shredded carrots 0 points
FOR THE ICING
- Softened light cream cheese 6 points
- Icing sugar (confectionary sugar, white powdered sugar) 9 points
- Light butter 2 points
- Vanilla 0 points
- Chopped walnuts 6 points
5 points per slice based on the WW app recipe creator, with or without the chopped walnuts.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
Freestyle smart points- (blue & purple) 4 (with icing and walnuts) using WW recipe builder * without icing and nuts 2FSP, with just icing 3FSP
Smart Points- (green) 5 using WW recipe builder
Points plus- 3 using PP calculator
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- Icing and walnuts are optional. The loaf with no icing or nuts is 2SP per slice. Just icing is 3SP and icing and nuts is 4SP.
- This is a dense carrot loaf due to the ingredients used, it might sink slightly once it has cooled down. But that’s okay - it stays moist!
Tips and Tricks for Making Carrot Loaf With Cream Cheese Frosting:
- I used a food processor to shred my carrots. If you do this, I suggest letting the carrots sit on a paper towel for a few minutes before mixing them into the batter, otherwise, they will add a ton of moisture, and that also can make the loaf sink or not bake well.
- Make the icing while the loaf is baking and then store it in the fridge until you’re ready to ice loaf.
- Store this carrot loaf in the fridge or freeze it once it’s cooled. I also recommended slicing before freezing so you can pull out individual slices as needed.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Orange Glazed Yogurt Muffins
- Weight Watchers Friendly Apple Pie
- Simple Pumpkin Muffins for Lazy Bakers
Carrot Loaf With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ⅓ cup non fat plain greek yogurt
- ½ cup apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cup shredded carrots
- FOR THE ICING
- ¼ cup softened light cream cheese
- ¼ cup icing sugar confectionary sugar, white powdered sugar
- ½ tablespoon light butter soft
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Top loaf with ¼ cup chopped walnuts *optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F, and spray a regular sized loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together your eggs and brown sugar until it’s light and fluffy.
- Stir in the yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
- Mix in the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices.
- Fold in the carrots.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake it in the oven for 45-50 minutes- until baked all the way through.
- Let it cool before removing from the pan.
- To make the icing, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar, butter, and vanilla together until creamy. Spread the icing on the loaf then sprinkle with walnuts. Makes 10 slices.
Mary Beth
This looks great! What a nice treat. Thanks for options on icing and/or nuts, and for the tip on freezing. I'll make this soon and share my thoughts!
Drizzle
Hope you enjoy it Mary Beth 🙂
Amy
I made this as muffins! Carrot cake with cream cheese icing is one of my favourite things in the world and this recipe totally hit the spot. I made it into 10 muffins....iced it with the icing and then froze them for when the craving strikes. Baked them for about 24 minutes. Perfection! Thanks so much!
Drizzle
Hi Amy, thanks for the tip 🙂 so glad you enjoyed them!
susan
4 sp for how big a piece?
Drizzle
Well it says the loaf cuts into 10 servings 🙂
Alley
Well I’ve made the Egg Cups last night. Had two for breakfast... AMAZING!
I just finished making the Carrot Cake, which my favourite cake. My home smells delicious!! Thanks for doing up these recipes. I really miss my desserts.
Drizzle
You are very welcome, So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Maggie
I made the carrot cake loaf and the loaf itself had no flavor at all, I was so disappointed. The only tasty part was the frosting. I’m going to try it one more time and add stevia to the batter. I used unsweetened applesauce, was I supposed to use regular applesauce? This is your first recipe that I wasn’t happy with so I definitely want to give it another try.
Drizzle
Hi Maggie, I'm sorry you did not enjoy it 🙁 no I always use unsweetened applesauce, It is not a sweet load and that only comes from the icing, maybe you can play around with it to get it to suit you better 🙂
Nikki Slaton
I’ve started using erythritol (confectioners style, not the granular, as it’s not great at dissolving and can be gritty). It’s ‘0’ points and it doesn’t take much. 🙂
Amanda
Excellent recipe. Love the fact that I can make this and enjoy it for 4 points!! I had the idea to add chopped pineapple and then completely forgot bc I was so focused on following the recipe. I think it would have made it even better!
Drizzle
Haha, that sounds like something I would do 😉 so glad you enjoyed it and let me know if you try the pineapple 🙂
Alyssa
oh man, I was so sad after eating a piece. I have to agree with Maggie..the bread didn't have any flavor in my opinion. The frosting was very good though! I had even added an extra 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and a 1/4 tsp salt to the batter too. I think I'll add extra 1/2 tsp nutmeg and and 2 tsp cinnamon total to the batter next time
Drizzle
🙁 I'm sorry you didn't like it, I think increasing the spices would help for sure
Nancy
This loaf is amazing! Didn’t know how it would taste without the oil and the sugar,but you hit a home run with one! Yum! It made a big loaf too so 10 pieces were a good size.
Drizzle
Hi Nancy, so glad you enjoyed the carrot loaf 🙂
Michelle
Could I make this as a cake instead do you think?
Drizzle
I don't think it will rise like you would want a cake too
Maureen
Hello, I cannot have dairy , I was wondering do u think it would taste okay if I didn't use the yogurt? I could replace it with coconut or along yogurt but there are no fat versions that I have found yet. Thank you
Drizzle
Hi Maureen, you'd need to replace it with something to make up for the loss, what about apple sauce?
Suzanne
Will have to try this recipe. Your carrot cake donuts were a hit with my WW group.
Thanks for all your yummy recipes.
Drizzle
Yay, so glad they all enjoyed them 🙂
Marla
Thank you for sharing, excellent healthy cake recipe. I made into ten muffins (but 12 would be fine too) using homemade apple butter instead of applesauce and some cream cheese frosting I already had. They were tasty. (Note that my teen commented that he could tell it was a low-sugar recipe but was quickly pacified with 1/2 teaspoon more frosting. My sugar-hound spouse was happy, as was I.)
Drizzle
Hi Marla, thanks for sharing, so glad everyone enjoyed the muffins, great idea making them into muffins 🙂