Freshly grated carrots: This is crucial! Skip the pre-bagged shredded carrots found in stores. They tend to be dry, thick, and lack the vibrant flavor and moisture needed for a truly exceptional carrot cake donut. Grate your own carrots using the fine holes on a cheese grater for the best texture and moistness. Using larger holes can result in crunchy carrot bits, which we want to avoid.

Buttermilk: Buttermilk is a star ingredient here, contributing significantly to the donut’s tender and moist crumb. Its acidity reacts with the baking soda, creating a light and fluffy texture. For the best results, use real buttermilk. Do not attempt to make homemade buttermilk by adding vinegar or lemon juice to milk, as it won’t provide the same fat content or acidity required for this recipe’s perfect outcome. Ensure it’s at room temperature for smooth batter consistency.

Pecans: Finely chopped pecans add a wonderful nutty flavor and a delicate crunch to the donut batter. If you’re not a fan of pecans or have an allergy, you can easily omit them from the batter. Alternatively, you can substitute them with an equal amount of finely chopped walnuts for a similar texture and taste profile.

Sour cream: Full-fat sour cream is highly recommended for its richness and ability to add moisture and a slight tang, enhancing the overall flavor and texture of the donuts. If sour cream isn’t available, full-fat plain Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute, providing similar moisture and acidity.

Unsalted Butter: This recipe calls for unsalted butter to allow precise control over the salt content. If salted butter is all you have on hand, simply decrease the amount of added salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon to maintain the flavor balance. Ensure your butter is melted for the batter and softened for the glaze.

Spices: The blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove is what gives these donuts their signature carrot cake flavor. Make sure your spices are fresh for the most potent and aromatic results. Old spices can lose their flavor, leading to a duller taste.

You’ll find the complete list of ingredient measurements and detailed instructions in the comprehensive recipe card below!

Step 1: Whisk the Wet Ingredients. In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, melted butter, rich dark brown sugar, large egg, finely grated carrots, sour cream, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk these wet ingredients thoroughly until they are well combined and smooth, ensuring all components are fully integrated to form the flavorful base of your donut batter (image 1 below).

Step 2: Whisk in the Dry Ingredients. Gradually add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, clove, and the finely chopped pecans to the wet mixture. Gently whisk until the dry ingredients are just combined with the wet, being careful not to overmix. Overmixing can lead to tough donuts, so stop as soon as no dry streaks remain (image 2 below).

Step 3: Fill a Piping Bag with the Donut Batter. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the thick carrot cake batter into a piping bag or a sturdy ziplock bag. Snip off one corner of the bag, creating an opening large enough to easily pipe the batter into your donut pan molds. This method ensures clean and consistent donut shapes (image 3 above).

Step 4: Bake! Lightly spray your nonstick donut pan with a nonstick baking spray or brush with melted butter to prevent sticking. Carefully pipe the donut batter into each mold, filling them about 3/4 full, almost to the top. This recipe yields enough batter for approximately 10 standard-sized donuts (image 4 above). Bake on the middle rack in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for 10-11 minutes, or until the tops spring back gently when lightly touched. Once baked, let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They must be entirely cool before proceeding to decoration.

Step 5: Decorate! Once your donuts have cooled completely, prepare the creamy and tangy cream cheese icing. Dunk the tops of each cooled donut into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip off before placing them back on the wire rack. (image 5 above).

Get creative with your decorations! For a beautiful presentation, I like to decorate half of the donuts with a generous sprinkle of homemade candied pecans, adding a sweet and crunchy contrast. For the other half, I pipe small, decorative carrots using tinted cream cheese icing, adding a whimsical touch. Detailed recipes for both the candied pecans and cream cheese icing, including tips for piping, are included in the recipe card below!

Carrot Cake Batter

• ▢ ¾ cup buttermilk , room temperature
• ▢ 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg, room temperature
• ▢ ¾ cup finely grated carrots
• ▢ 3 tbsp sour cream, room temperature
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour, *spoon measured*
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ▢ ⅛ tsp nutmeg
• ▢ ⅛ tsp clove
• ▢ ¼ cup finely chopped pecans

Candied Pecans

• ▢ ½ tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 1/2 cup pecan halves
• ▢ 1 tbsp + 2 tsp granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tsp water
• ▢ ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Glaze

• ▢ 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• ▢ 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 1 cup powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tbsp heavy cream
• ▢ 1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract
• ▢ 4-5 tbsp whole milk

For the Donut Batter

• Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Lightly butter or spray two donut pans and set them aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, brown sugar, egg, finely grated carrots, sour cream, olive oil, and vanilla extract until combined.
  ¾ cup (142 g) buttermilk, 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, 1 (50 g) large egg, ¾ cup (82 g) finely grated carrots, 3 tbsp (45 g) sour cream, 2 tbsp (20 g) olive oil, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Then mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and finely chopped pecans until just combined.
  1 ⅔ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground ginger, ⅛ tsp nutmeg, ⅛ tsp clove, ¼ cup (30 g) finely chopped pecans
• Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with the carrot cake batter and cut the tip.
• Pipe the batter into the greased donut pan about 3/4 full. You will have enough batter to make 10 donuts.
• Bake the donuts in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes, or until the tops spring back when touched.
• Let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then gently remove them from the pan.
• Make sure they are completely cool before frosting! You can decorate them with cream cheese carrots, candied pecans, or half and half like I did!

For the Candied Pecan Topping

• In a saucepan, melt the butter with the pecans, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes until toasted.
  ½ tbsp (7 g) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup pecan halves
• Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
  1 tbsp + 2 tsp (20 g) granulated sugar
• Stir in the cinnamon, water, and salt, cooking until the water has evaporated, 2 minutes.
  1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp water
• Stir in the vanilla.
  ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• Spread the nuts in an even layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F/180 C for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and lightly crisped.
• Set aside to cool, then chop into pieces.

For the Cream Cheese Icing

• Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth and combined.
  2 oz cream cheese, 4 tbsp (56 g) unsalted butter
• Then mix in the powdered sugar.
  1 cup (100 g) powdered sugar
• Whisk in the vanilla and heavy cream, then set aside 2 tbsp of the icing in a small bowl for the green carrot top, and 3-4 tbsp for the orange carrot.
  1/2 tsp clear vanilla extract, 1 tbsp heavy cream
• Whisk the milk into the rest of the glaze until it is thick, but still runs smoothly off the whisk.
  4-5 tbsp whole milk

Decorating

• Dip the tops of the donuts in the glaze, then place them back on the wire rack.
• Sprinkle half of the donuts with the chopped candied pecans.
• For the piped carrots: Chill the donuts in the fridge for 20 minutes, or until the tops feel set but still tacky.

  Mix the 3-4 tablespoons of reserved buttercream with a tiny bit of orange food coloring, then do the same for the other bowl but color it with green food coloring.

• Pipe the orange in a triangle for the carrot, then pipe one green line for the top of the carrot.
• The icing on these donuts is really creamy and delicious but doesn’t completely set. They will be tacky straight from the fridge and get softer as they sit at room temperature.

Step-by-step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.

• *Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
• Freshly grated carrots: Do not use bagged shredded carrots! They are dry, thick, and just sad. Use the fine holes on a cheese grater, the big holes are too big and will leave the carrots feeling crunchy.

The calorie information provided for the recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.