Vegan Carrot Cake Easy To Make With Simple Ingredients

You’ll love this recipe because you can put it together with little effort; it’s perfectly moist, tender, and packed with flavor thanks to the carrots, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian and vegan diet. It’s low on cholesterol and saturated fats.Don’t have time to read the full blog post? JUMP TO RECIPE HERE!

What is Vegan Carrot Cake?

Vegan carrot cake video

Ingredients and Substitutions for Vegan Carrot Cake

Vegan Cream Cheese and Lemon Frosting

How to Make Vegan Carrot Cake

Variations

Storage & Make Ahead

More Vegan Cakes

Vegan Quick Breads

Vegan Muffins

Don’t be put off by the “vegan” in the title. We carefully developed this recipe to be the easiest, tastiest, most delicious carrot cake you’ll ever bake. Our readers love this recipe because there are no complicated steps, no layers to build, and, most importantly, no unusual or strange-tasting vegan ingredients. And like with most vegan cake recipes – think of our viral apple cake, zucchini bread, banana bread, and blueberry muffins, the secret to making a rich, flavor-packed, soft, and perfectly moist vegan carrot cake is getting the correct ratio of liquids, flour, carrots, and spices. To do that, we tested this cake more than 50 times over the years and are thrilled to share this recipe with you. Thanks to your feedback, we tried it with different oils and without oil. The cake turns out beautifully with olive and avocado oil, and you can substitute apple sauce for oil to make it oil-free. Similarly, we tested different sugar amounts as some of you prefer less sweet cakes. And yes; you can cut the sugar in this recipe in half for a less sweet cake. Finally, you can bake the cake in a square, round, or rectangular pan, in a muffin pan or in a donut pan. It will be delicious no matter the shape. You can serve vegan carrot cake as is or topped with our creamy and zesty vegan cream cheese and lemon frosting; the same one you loved on our vegan cinnamon rolls.

Carrots

For the moistest vegan carrot cake, peel whole carrots and grate at home. Pre-grated carrots are a good option if you are trying to save a few minutes, but they are often dryer than home-grated carrots and can negatively affect the moisture content of the cake. You can grate the carrots with the small holes of a box grater or a food processor with a grating disc attachment. Medium to finely grated carrots are best as they almost melt in the batter and are more pleasant to eat than coarsely grated ones.

Flour

Use all-purpose flour for the best results. You can also use half-all-purpose and half-whole wheat flour. The whole wheat flour adds a nutty flavor to the cake, but it makes it slightly less moist. We haven’t tried gluten-free flour, but some of our readers did so successfully and shared their learning in the comment section below.

Spices

We add cinnamon, grated nutmeg, freshly grated ginger, and allspice. Clove is optional.

Baking powder

It helps the cake rise and makes it lighter and less compact.

Baking soda

A small amount of baking soda is optional, but it improves the carrot cake’s texture, making it even lighter. There’s no need to add apple cider vinegar.

Salt

A pinch of salt brings out the flavor of the other ingredients, especially the spices. If you are on a low-sodium diet, omit the salt.

Brown Sugar

We like to use brown cane sugar to add the right amount of moisture and sweetness. White sugar works well, too. You can use coconut sugar or date paste if you don’t want regular sugar. If you do so, remember that the cake will be less sweet, moister, and with a more natural taste.

Non-Dairy Milk

Almond milk is our favorite in carrot cake, but any other plant milk would work, including soy milk, rice milk, hazelnut milk, cashew milk, and oat milk.

Olive oil

We tested this vegan carrot cake with most oils, and it works with all of them. Our favorites are olive oil (not extra virgin olive oil) and avocado oil. Substitute sunflower oil, canola oil, or any other vegetable oil for olive oil. You could replace oil with melted coconut oil or vegan butter, but they make the cake heavier, so we don’t recommend them. Make it oil-free by substituting applesauce for the oil.

Vanilla extract

Optional, although always welcome. It adds a warm flavor to the carrot cake.

Walnuts

It’s optional, but we recommend adding some chopped or food-processed walnuts. You can replace walnuts with pecan nuts or any other nut.

Raisins

It’s optional, but add some natural sweetness to the cake and make it delicious. Note: there is no need for flax eggs in this vegan carrot cake. However, if you want the most flavorful and indulgent sweet treat, try it with our delicious vegan cream cheese frosting. It’s made by whisking together:

vegan butter vegan cream cheese powdered sugar vanilla extract lemon zest or lime zest.

Note: different countries have different brands of dairy-free cream cheese. In the US, some good ones are VioLife, Kite Hill, Daya, or store brands like Aldi and Trader Joe’s. In Europe, we use VioLife and Simply V.

Equipment

This cake bakes best in an 8-inch square baking pan (20 x 20 cm). You’ll get the moistest and tastiest cake with a soft crumb. It also comes out well in a 9-inch square baking pan (23 x 23), in a 9-inch round cake pan (23 cm), or an 11×7-inch rectangular baking dish (28 x 18 cm). You can also make it in a muffin, donut, and cupcake pan, reducing the cooking time to 20 to 25 minutes.

1. Grate the carrots

Preheat the oven to 340°F or 170°C. Butter the sides of your cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Wash and peel the carrots, then grate them with the small holes of a box grater or a food processor with a grating attachment. Set aside. Tip: finely grated carrots melt in the batter as the cake cooks, releasing moisture and carrot flavor evenly, making the cake perfectly moist and delicious.

2. Make the cake batter

To a large mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, allspice, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk the dry ingredients until well combined. Now add non-dairy milk (we use almond milk), olive oil, vanilla extract, and grated ginger. Stir with a spoon or spatula until barely combined (15 seconds). Don’t over-mix it. The batter should be pretty dense. Tip: overmixing at this stage will activate the gluten in the flour, making your cake denser and less tender. We do not recommend using an electric mixer for this recipe. Fold in grated carrots, chopped walnuts, and raisins. Tip: chop the walnuts with a knife or pulse them in a food processor until coarsely chopped. The batter should be pretty thick as the carrots release moisture while baking.

3. Bake the vegan carrot cake

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in the oven at 340°F or 170C for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Let the vegan carrot cake cool down in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer it onto a wire rack and cool down completely, or for about 2 to 3 hours.

4. Add the frosting

Frosting is optional. To a bowl, add vegan butter, softened at room temperature, the grated zest of one lemon, and the vanilla extract. Whisk with a hand mixer until the butter is creamy. Add the vegan cream cheese and beat with a hand mixer until combined. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. Store it in the fridge to set if you don’t apply it to the cake immediately. Tip: you can add between 1 and 4 cups of powdered sugar based on your taste. We like it with 1 cup of powdered sugar. When the cake has cooled down, spread the frosting on top, slice it into squares, and enjoy. Optionally, you can garnish with chopped walnuts, pistachios, or coconut flakes on top. This one is extra moist and packed with flavor. Plus, you can make it without effort by mixing all ingredients in a blender. We love it!

Carrot cake cupcakes or muffins

Transfer the vegan carrot cake batter to a 12-piece muffin pan and bake in a preheated oven at 340°F or 170°C for 20 to 25 minutes. You can serve them for breakfast as they are or apply frosting for an indulgent snack or dessert.

Carrot cake donuts

Aren’t they cute? You need donut molds, fill them, and bake them at 340°F or 170°C for about 20 minutes. You can use this vegan carrot cake recipe or our Italian carrot cake recipe for these little ones. They are cute and delicious. Oil-free: Substitute apple sauce in the same amount. Sugar: You reduce the sugar by half and still get a delicious carrot cake. Grating the carrots: Make sure the carrots are grated with small or medium holes in a food processor or with a box grater. Baking time: Depending on your oven, It will take 45 to 55 minutes. Check at the 45-minute mark by inserting a skewer in the center. If the skewer comes out mostly dry, the cake is ready. Let it cool down: Carrot cake needs cooling at room temperature for at least 2 to 3 hours before you can apply the frosting and slice it.The cake will be even tastier the next day as the flavors have time to meld and develop. Room temperature: Store the vegan carrot cake without frosting at room temperature under a cake dome or in a food-grade plastic bag for up to 5 days. Refrigerator: If you apply the frosting, store the cake in the fridge for 3-4 days. Freezer: Let the vegan carrot cake cool down completely, transfer it into a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving it. Freezing without frosting is easiest. You can also cut the cake before freezing it.