Carrot Cake Cheesecake

With a thick layer of creamy cheesecake covering spicy sweet carrot cake, this carrot cake cheesecake recipe is the ultimate Easter dessert!

Homemade carrot cake cheesecake

If you prefer your carrot cake piled high with rich cream cheese frosting, you will fall in love at first bite with this recipe.

It combines two of my favorite desserts, carrot cake and cheesecake, for one absolutely showstopping culinary finale.

Serve it at your next fancy Spring dinner party or Easter brunch. Guests will still be talking about it months later!

For those of us who love both carrot cake and cheesecake, now there is no need to choose just one. This holiday dessert lets you enjoy both at the same time.

Pro baking tip: Want handheld bars instead of sliced cheesecake? Be sure to make these popular cream cheese frosted Carrot Cake Bars.

Carrot cake cheesecake layer cake ingredients

The carrot cake calls for shredded carrot, applesauce, optional oil, pure vanilla extract, apple cider or white vinegar, ground cinnamon, flour, salt, baking soda, and sweetener.

And you will need cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla, cornstarch or protein powder, and pure maple syrup or sugar for the cheesecake layer.

Use fresh peeled carrots with the stems removed. Yellow, purple, white, and orange carrots all wok equally well.

You may swap the applesauce in the carrot cake layer for an equal amount of yogurt, crushed pineapple, sour cream, or mashed banana if you prefer.

I recommend spelt flour, oat flour, white all purpose flour, or Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour for the best texture. A sugar free and keto version with almond flour is also included below.

Full fat yogurt and cream cheese yield the creamiest results. To create vegan carrot cake cheesecake, simply use your favorite plant based cream cheese and dairy free yogurt. The recipe is already naturally egg free.

Choose a granulated sweetener or sugar for the carrot cake. And go with any all purpose dry or liquid sweetener of choice, including pure maple syrup or honey, for the cheesecake.

Leftover carrots? Try Vegan Carrot Cake or Carrot Cake Banana Bread

Recipe video

Above, watch the step by step carrot cake cheesecake recipe video.

How to make the best carrot cake cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease the bottom and sides of a nine inch springform pan well.

Whisk all carrot cake dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then stir in remaining carrot cake ingredients to form a batter.

Spread the cake batter into the bottom of your springform pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for twenty minutes.

Let the pan cool while you prepare the cheesecake.

In a blender or food processor, beat all cheesecake ingredients just until smooth. For best results, do not overmix.

Smooth the unbaked cheesecake filling over the carrot crust, and place the springform back on the center rack of the still preheated oven.

Fill any baking pan about halfway up with water. Carefully place this pan on the lower rack of the oven.

Bake thirty minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the cake sit in the closed oven for an additional five minutes so it cools very gradually.

Remove from the oven and let sit at least twenty minutes before refrigerating the springform pan uncovered until fully chilled (at least four hours or overnight).

The cheesecake firms up considerably during this time.

Once cooled, store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Or slice and freeze for up to three months. Thaw before serving.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to prebake the carrot cake?

While many similar recipes skip this step, taking just a few minutes to bake the carrot cake layer ahead of time makes all the difference between a wet and gummy or perfectly moist, fluffy texture.

I’ve tested this particular recipe both ways and can personally attest to the importance of prebaking the bottom cake either the same day or the night before.

Can I skip the water bath?

The reason for a water bath is to increase moisture in the oven and prevent cracks in the finished Easter dessert.

However, you absolutely do not need a water bath.

If your plan is to cover the entire top of the cheesecake with shredded carrots and walnuts or pecans, or if you do not care if the top cracks, you can bake the recipe with no water bath.

How do you decorate the top?

When it comes to cheesecake toppings, you are limited solely by your imagination.

I shredded extra carrots in a food processor and sprinkled them over the finished pie along with diced walnuts.

You can create beautiful baby carrot shapes with orange and green icing. Or cover the cheesecake with shredded coconut, no bake oat streusel, or rainbow birthday sprinkles.

Add fresh berries or sliced bananas and a swirl of cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

Or leave the top plain and let the natural beauty of the recipe shine.

How do I store leftover cheesecake?

It is important to first let the recipe cool on the counter and then sit uncovered in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

These steps prevent excess moisture from getting trapped and weighing down both layers of the baked good, causing soggy results.

Once your carrot cheesecake cools and firms up, store leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to five days.

Frozen cheesecake thaws remarkably well, with minimal loss of creaminess. So it is also fine to slice the chilled dessert and store individual slices in an airtight container for about three months.

Is this recipe healthy?

At under 300 calories per slice and with just eight grams of sugar, the cheesecake is much healthier than anything you can buy at Cheesecake Factory.

It provides protein from the cream cheese and yogurt and fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin K thanks to the superfood vegetable carrots.

However, this is still a dessert and should therefore be consumed in moderation. Cheesecake will never be broccoli, no matter how many nutrients it includes.

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