This Beet, Carrot & Apple Cake is full of hidden veggies and sweet fall flavours. The combination of apples and root vegetables makes it perfectly moist, and the spiced glaze and crunchy nut topping simply make it irresistible!


Baking with Beets
I got a little over-zealous with the beets this year in my garden (confession, this is a repeat of last year and the year before that). I make some sort of a healthy cake or muffin every week, so I figured why the heck not try a beet cake. The result? Delicious! I made this Beet, Carrot & Apple Cake, but you can easily make these into muffins by adjusting the bake time to around 20 minutes.
Shredded carrot, apple and beets work AMAZINGLY together in this recipe. If you want some more inspiration, I love my classic Carrot Cake recipe, or give this moist Okanagan Apple Cake a whirl.

I love sneaking healthy veggies into tasty treats! Beets offer up antioxidents and anti-inflammatory properties. Carrots are a great source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants, and apples are full of vitamins and fiber. Which makes every bite taste that much better!
If you’re looking for other ways to sneak fruits and veggies into your baking I recommend my Sneaky Mommy Muffins, Double Chocolate Omega 3 Zucchini Bread, or for a savoury option, these Veggie Muffins.


Beet, Carrot & Apple Cake

Beet, Carrot & Apple Cake
This Beet, Carrot & Apple Cake is great for any time of year when you want to sneak a few fruits and vegetables in! It's so moist and easy to make and features a delicious spiced glaze. While the glaze is completely optional, it really elevates the cake to a dessert status.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup grated carrots peeled
- 1 cup grated beets peeled
- 1 cup grated apple peeled
- 3 eggs well beaten
- 2/3 cup oil canola or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (plus more for garnish, optional)
For the Spiced Glaze
- 1 cup sifted icing sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a bundt pan.
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In a large bowl, mix together the carrots, beets, apple, eggs, oil, vanilla.
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In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (all remaining ingredients except for the walnuts).
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Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well mixed and fold in the walnuts.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
For the Spiced Glaze
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Mix everything together, starting with 1 tablespoon of milk and gradually adding more until transformed into a thick glaze. You don't want a glaze that is too thin or it will run off the cake! Pour over cake once it has completely cooled.

Yummm sound scrumptious – I bet they are really moist & tasty !! Could you add bean flakes for some extra fibre too?
I tried this recipe and my whole batter turned a red colour from the beets. How do you keep yours from getting coloured by the beets? Any tips please!! Still delicious just yours looks more appealing. Thanks.
Hi Melinda,
That’s a great question! I grated my beets two days before so perhaps the fact that they had a chance to dry out a bit was what made the batter less red for mine? You could perhaps try grating them onto paper towel first and laying them out to dry a bit before mixing them in, and just folding them in at the end?
Perhaps even using golden beets might help with the batter turning pink?
Did y find the cake was sweet enough without a glaze or adding a topping if making into muffins ?
Thx.
That may help – I don’t like an overly sweet cake for this kind of cake as I will at times eat it for breakfast. You can add an icing if you wish!
My mixture was pink but when baked looked the same as the one posted Delicious Thankyou awould love to send photo of mine but can’t find how to put it in
They turned out great!!! I had to do some modifications. (due to dietary restrictions, subbed applesauce, maple syrup etc) and even my folks who aren’t into “healthy foods” liked them! Thanks for the recipe.
Just wondering if the beets should be cooked before shredding?
Thx.
Hi Linda, I used raw beets: I would grate them and lay them on a paper towel first to dry as the liquid may make it a very pink colour. I will amend the recipe based on some feedback!
Thanks so much for response. Went to this store this evening and bought some beets. Going to whip up this recipe now and will try the muffin version 🙂
I made this delicious cake yesterday. It’s so good and really moist. It’s a must have in your recipe bank.
Thanks so much Christine!!
Could I omit the beets ? I just don’t have any right now and want to make this. Thanks !!
I tried this recipe and LOVED it!! I’ve been looking for recipes where I can bring vegetables to my 15-month old son that he’ll actually eat! He was a big fan. 🙂 I did use cooked beets and it worked really well too. Thanks so much for such amazing, tasty and healthy recipes.
Thank you for the awesome feedback!!! 🙂
I made this one numerous times and passed on this recipe to my friends, and I can’t enhance enough how delicious this is!!! Thank you!
Thank you Marija! That means so much to me – I must make that one again!
I made this recipe as muffins today- amazing! Recipe makes 12 muffins cooked at 350 for 23 min
I notice you always use vegetable oil instead of olive oil in most of your recipes- is there a reason?
Also- what do you consider to be the most natural sugar substitute?
Thanks Tori!
Jolene
Hi Jolene, I’m so happy they turned out! I LOVE olive oil, but it has a distinct taste that I don’t always enjoy in baking. I like to mix things up in my diet, and since fats play such a vital role in our health I don’t use just one oil. As for sugar, I tend to use honey as a substitute most often. You can use agave syrup or any other product of choice, but the reality is that the body doesn’t differentiate them in a significant way once they are broken down (lower glycemic index for some of them like honey). For this reason I try to use as little sugar as I can in my recipes while maintaining flavour. I hope this helps!
I loved that this recipe has so many fruits and vegetables. I converted it to make 3/4 recipe. I had a can of beets that needed to be used and I must also eat gluten free so I drained the can, let the sliced beets sit in a sieve over a bowl for an hour, then put them on paper towels. I used my favourite gf flour mix that includes some buckwheat flour. I added the chopped beets last so they wouldn’t bleed too much. I confess, I did add about a 1/3 c chocolate chips too. Next time I will used raisins instead and add some xantham gum (which I forgot to add this time). It took about an hour to bake through. This cake turned out fabulous. I am making it again to use up the left over grated carrot and beets. I don’t have quite enough beets left so I will hydrate some of my own dehydrated beet and use them.
Again, Fabulous recipe! Thanks!
Wonderful feedback thank you Barbara! Tori
I loved the recipe!! I baked yesterday and I replaced the cup of sugar, with 2/3 cup of sweetener (Tagatesse). I loved the taste and the mixture with vegetables!!!
Great to know Chamy, thanks for taking the time to give your feedback! Have a great day:) Tori
It has taken me some time but I really enjoy beets these days. I have been curious about baking with them. I make a juice of beets, carrots and an apple and been wondering what to do with the leftover pulp. Do you think the pulp would be good for using in this recipe or any recipe??
Rainy day , good for baking!
That’s a good question! I am really not sure as I haven’t experimented with it. Your cake may not be as moist if you use the pulp simply because the juice has been extracted but you can try! I’d be curious to know if it worked out. It would be a shame to waste it!
You can use the juice from beets for beet jelly and it’s good .I will try that cake one of these days sounds very good .
Hi, I made this cake yesterday. Darned if it isn’t one of the best cakes I have ever made! I used 1 yellow beet and then rest carrots; used fine pastry flour (Bob’s Red Mill) to assure a soft crumb, and brown sugar. I blitzed the liquids and veg in the cuisinart to make the bits small. I baked in two 8 inch tins for about 25 min and then split each cake for frosting. I used a cream cheese and mascarpone (about 6 oz each) frosting with 4 oz butter, 1 t vanilla and sifted powered sugar to achieve frosting consistency–about 1-2 cups. Heaven!
Claire thank you!!! So sweet of you to comment!!! xo
This cake was amazing. My entire family gobbled it up. I used a bit less sugar and offered it up as a healthy treat. I think these would make great muffins as well. Next time I go to a fancy event, I’m going to try the version with the cream cheese and mascarpone icing.
So happy you loved it!!!
Hi Tori,
Thank you for your awesome website. I made this recipe in muffins yesterday and they were so amazing, I just had to whip up another batch today 🙂
As I’m on a pre-surgery diet at the moment, I made a few substitutions.
1. Instead of 2/3 cup oil, I used 1/4 cup oil and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2. I only used 1/2 cup sugar
3. As previous comments, I also used cooked beets. The batter turns quite reddish but once baked, they look fine.
In regular size muffin tins, it yielded 16 good size muffins
Thanks again and I look forward to trying more awesome recipes from your site. Have an awesome day!
So happy you liked them Pauline!!!
THE BEST!
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have tried so many in the past. The kids and the grandparents really liked this one.
I used the the beets, carrots, ginger and parsley from the juicer. Could not have asked for a better recipe. Thank you for ending the guilt of throwing it away after juicing.
What a fabulous idea! So happy you loved it!
Good morning,
It’s the Canadian downunder again! Tried this awesome recipe and wow, Delicious!! I substituted the sugar for rice malt syrup, did half an apple with half a pear and added rasians. The only issues I had is apparently my picky toddler doesn’t like walnuts in cake 🙄 but the rest of us loved it and I’m sneaking more veg into my husbands diet one muffin at time lol
Tried the recipe. Pretty perfect!
I baked muffins
15 mins at 350 I started smelling burnt smell so took them out for 7-10 mins and put them back in for 5-7 mins at 302 F because the centre was still uncooked.
Came out perfect and tasted delicious. For people with more of a sweet tooth, have it with ice cream of icing
So glad you liked them Darshini! ice cream or greek yogurt would be an amazing topping!
This is one of my favourite recipes I make so often. Do you have baking instructions for converting to muffins or mini muffins? Thanks!
Hi Kyla! Thanks for the feedback, it’s one of my favs too! I bake them for 15-20 minutes when made into muffins or until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
I just made these this afternoon and they were a big hit with my two year old and I love them too! Your baking recipes always turn out so well and I love knowing that whatever recipe of yours I try, it will be good! Thank you for posting healthy cakes and muffins because they are my go-to for baking.
Than you so much Laura that means a lot to me!!!
Hi Tori,
Can I use butter if I don’t have vegetable oil and if I don’t want to use olive oil?
Thank you.
Hi yes you can use melted butter! Thanks! Tori
Hi Tori
Kesh here, all the way from South Africa. I was looking for easy and simple baking recipes where I could use my leftover vegetable pulp and came across your page. So I replaced the grated vegetables with my leftover juice pulp and it turned out Amazing! I also realised as I was baking, that I didnt have any walnuts so I used chopped almonds instead. I am very impressed by the ease of this recipe and the delicious result. Thank you very much for sharing.
That’s fabulous! And thank you for following all the way from South Africa!!!
My daughter loved a beet carrot cake when she was young, I’ve forgotten how many times we ate it.
My boyfriend and I just ate massive pieces of this recipe for the cake, but I, too had to change it a little.
I used what I had, so I never measured my grated carrots. I think I needed more, ah well.
I added three 100ml servings of unsweetened applesauce, and used brown sugar instead.
I used a handy can of sliced beets that I drained and chopped into little bits.
I used almost 125 ml oil.
I never measured the walnuts, either.
Oh yeah, I also added enough flax meal to give the batter a nice speckle, since I have that.
And I forgot to add vanilla.
It’s so moist, and fluffy, and not crumbly!
Next time (there will positively be a next time) I’ll use less brown sugar, and maybe use orange juice instead of apple sauce.
Thanks for this simple recipe!
Eric is impressed, he’s never heard of beets in cake before.
I’m so happy you liked it Gloria! Thanks for the comment! Tori
This turned out amazing! I had leftover beet puree from making red velvet cupcakes and naturally pink frosting (uhmmmmm yeah it was delicious). Subbed the beet puree no problem (1:1), and for the record the red coloring cooks out unless you add acid, like lemon. I don’t see the fuss about a pink batter, I think its pretty brilliant.
I subbed olive oil for veggie, made a flaxseed and water substitute for the egg, added hemp seeds, dried raisins and cranberries, and did a scant 1/2 cup of sugar.
Next time I would have added even less sugar, more like a 1/4 cup.
Yum!
So glad you liked it!
Hi, did you use all purpose flour or any other flour for your recipe?
I used all-purpose but a combination (or all) whole wheat flour would work too!
Hi Tory
We have been making The Sunshine muffins from your amazing cookbook. My question is… in any recipe can you substitute the chia seeds/water for eggs? We are trying to bake for vegan family members!
Thanks so much!!!
Hi Diane, I haven’t tried it before but I think it should work!
Super tasty! I made into muffins and subbed the beets for bananas, only because I didn’t have beets on hand! Will make again for sure!
That’s great thanks Leigh-Ann! Good to know that substitution works! Tori
Just tried this recipe and it was absolutely wonderful and toddler approved! The batter was super thick, but it cooked perfectly in the suggested time. I cut back on the sugar a bit, but it was still more than I normally like to put in recipes. I would love a low sugar option for the baking recipes if that’s possible.
Hi, I have a question… not much of a baker and I’m new to juicing but I LOVE vegetables and couldn’t keep throwing away the pulp, so I went looking for things to do with it… found your recipe and I am trying it today…. should the batter be so thick?
Hi Victoria! The batter is quite thick – I’m not entirely sure if the pulp would work as a lot of the moisture and flavour is taken out of the vegetables when juicing? Would love to know how they turned out! Tori
Hi, I came across of your beet, carrot and apple cake as I wanted a recipe that used raw beetroots. I did not change it in anyway and it was really successful. My husband and next door neighbour both said how good it was. Can I ask you, please. Would you be able to tell me how the quantities of flour could be changed to make this cake gluten free. I have the necessary flours and raising agents etc but as a novice using them I am unsure how to calculate them for this recipe.
Thank you so much.
Jenny in England
Hi Jenny! So happy you like it! I believe you could just use a standard 1:1 GF flour and replace the full quantity. Would love to know if you try! Happy weekend! Tori
I made this cake twice already and it was eaten same day!
I added grated Orange peel and raisins.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Yay!!! What a compliment thanks Anna and thanks for taking the time to rate it! Tori
This is an excellent recipe. Cut the sugar back slightly and it’s still plenty sweet. Used olive oil b/c I wanted a healthier fat, but would love to know if there is a substitution to reduce the oil down to 1/3 c. Will definitely make again in any case. Thanks!
Thanks Kat that’s awesome! You can easily sub applesauce for some of the oil to reduce it a bit. All the best, Tori
I didn’t have beet so used a little extra of the apple and carrot. I probably would cut the sugar a little bit – but no complaints ! My kids and husband loved it !!!
Hi Sammy! Thank you so much for taking the time to review! I love this cake too… xx Tori
I have now made this recipe 6 times in the past few months. I measure out two separate recipes and bake 2 cakes at a time since this cake is such a hit. I process all beets, apples and carrots one at a time in my Vitamix. It pulverizes everything into tiny pieces; so much quicker than grating and a quick clean-up. Because all of these are very sweet I reduce the sugar quantity to 1/2 cup. I double the spices, use 1/2 cup of raisins and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 tsp of grated orange peel. This batter works really well also in an angel food cake pan. Once cooled, I slice, wrap and freeze for an anytime treat. So much healthier than cookies!
This has earned a permanent page in my recipe collection. Love it so much and what a great way to use some of those beets we grew by accident (4 rows)! Thank you again for an awesome recipe!!!
Shelly! It was so great to hear how you make this recipe your own and I really appreciate you giving it a 5 stars! I NEED to try your edits to this cake – isn’t it so amazing?! Happy baking xx Tori
Just put the cake in the oven! I substituted grated zucchini for the apples since I didn’t have any apples. Anxious to try it!!
Made it. It was delicious!! I substituted shredded zucchini for the apple.
I wanted to use up old carrots and apples but had no beets so substituted 1 cup beets with an extra 1/2 cup each of grated apple and carrot. Baked 40 minutes and the cake came out moist and beautifully spiced. Another win for Tori and Fraiche!
Thanks for sharing Wendy! So happy you loved. xoxo
Hi Tori,
Do you have the nutritional information for this cake?
Thank you!
Hi Kate! I don’t for this one, but you could try a site like “Whisk”! https://whisk.com/recipe-nutrition-calculator/
xx Tori
Hello
Can granny smith apples be used in this?
Also how many days can it be stored in the refrigerator?
Hi yes they can be used, and it can store for up to 7 days in the fridge – it is best though served within about 5 days.
Yum, this cake is amazing! Super easy to make and it worked out exactly as shown. I used one cup of shredded zucchini, one cup shredded apple, and one cup of shredded carrots. All other ingredients are as outlined in the recipe. It is so yummy. Highly recommend trying this one- you won’t be disappointed.
That’s so sweet of you Maria thank you so much! Tori