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Looking for a healthy, vegan, and gluten-free carrot cake recipe? Look no further than this delicious vegan carrot cake recipe. With its moist and fluffy texture and a creamy, vegan cream cheese frosting, this carrot cake is perfect for any occasion, from birthdays to family gatherings, also perfect for Easter!
I still remember that carrot cake used to be one of those things that I couldn’t make it right when I started my vegan baking journey. Either it’s too dense or too dry.
But I know it’s just like what happened to banana bread to me, the time of making it perfect will come one day. And now I’m so happy to announce that my ideal vegan carrot cake is here! (And, here I am, being vegan for almost 5 years)
What’s special about this Vegan Carrot Cake?
- Wholesome, healthier, containing more nutritious ingredients
- Vegan, no eggs, no dairy or any animal products
- Perfect, spot-on texture, not too dense, not crumbly
- Gluten-free, no common wheat flour, made with oat flour and almond flour
Ingredients You Need for this Vegan Carrot Cake
- Ground flaxseed
- Unsweetened soy milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Applesauce, unsweetened (homemade applesauce recipe)
- Extra-virgin rapeseed oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
- Vanilla extract
- Oat flour
- Almond flour
- Coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Spices: ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Shredded carrots
- Walnuts, chopped
- Raisins
For substitutions, please take a look at the recipe card near the end of this post.
How to Make Vegan Carrot Cake
All details and exact measurement are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
To make this recipe, we’ll start by making the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, so it has time to chill in the fridge while we prepare the cake.
I use this Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting from my another carrot cake recipe. It’s super delicious, but need time for soaking the cashews and chilling.
So if you’re short on time, you can also use store-bought vegan cream cheese to make a quick, simple vegan cream cheese frosting. I will include a simple vegan cream cheese frosting recipe in the recipe card down below.
Now, let’s move on to making the cake:
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 176 °C (350 °F). Line a 6-inch or 7-inch cake tin with baking paper.
- Make the flax egg: Mix ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl, then set it aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Combine soy milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla in a bowl.
- Combine dry ingredients: Mix oat flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a big bowl.
- Combine all: Add the flax egg to the soy milk mixture, and pour it into the dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix all together.
- Add stir-ins: Stir in the shredded carrots, walnuts, and raisins with a silicone spatula.
- Prepare to bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. Spread the batter out evenly. Gently drop the cake tin against a few times to remove the air bubbles inside.
- Bake: Place the cake tin on the lower third rack in the oven to bake for 25~28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted it in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool: Transfer the cake tin onto a wire rack to cool down. Then remove it from the cake tin. Transfer the cake on to a cake stand or a plate.
- Add the frosting & topping: Pour about half of the frosting on top of the carrot cake and spread it out to cover the top. Apply more frosting on top if you want, or serve the rest icing on the side. Decorate the top by adding more chopped walnuts and ground cinnamon. Slice and enjoy!
How to Store Vegan Carrot Cake
Store the carrot cake and the vegan cream cheese frosting in a container in the fridge. It can last for 3 – 5 days.
Tips for Success
- Weigh your ingredients. I always recommend using a kitchen scale when measuring ingredients, as it’s more precise and accurate.
- Don’t over mix the cake batter. It’s important to mix everything evenly, but it’s also crucial to not over mix the cake batter. Otherwise, the final texture might be not as pleasant.
- Make the vegan cream cheese frosting first and chill it long enough. Since we want to let the cream cheese stay on top of the cake, it has to be solidified enough. I will suggest making the cream cheese frosting first and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Final Words
If you want to have something sweet but not too heavy, this carrot cake is sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without putting too much burden on your body.
— Nora
More Vegan Dessert Recipes:
Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake (Gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 3 Tbsp water
- 80 g unsweetened soy milk, (1/3 cup)
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 60 g applesauce, unsweetened (Homemade Applesauce)
- 2 Tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil, or other neutral vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 95 g oat flour, (1 cup)
- 25 g almond flour, (1/4 cup)
- 38 g coconut sugar, (3 Tbsp + 1 tsp) or light brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 40 g shredded carrots, (1/2 cup)
- 30 g walnuts, chopped, plus 30 g more for topping
- 2 Tbsp raisins
- 1 batch Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, *
Instructions
- Make the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting first, and let it sit in the fridge when we're making the carrot cake.
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 176 °C (350 °F). Line a 6-inch or 7-inch cake tin with baking paper, or grease the cake tin with extra oil.
- Make the flax egg: In a small bowl, add ground flaxseed and water. Mix them together and set it aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl or measuring jar, add soy milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, oil, and vanilla. Mix all together.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a big bowl, add oat flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Use a fork to mix them together.
- Combine all: Add the flax egg to the soy milk mixture and pour it into the dry ingredients. Use a fork to mix all together.
- Add stir-ins: Add carrots, walnuts, and raisins to the cake batter. Change to use a silicone spatula to mix everything together evenly.
- Prepare to bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. Spread the batter out evenly. Gently drop the cake tin against a few times to remove the air bubbles inside.
- Bake: Place the cake tin on the lower third rack in the oven to bake for 25~28 minutes. Use a cake tester or a small knife to test by inserting it in the centre of the cake. There should be no wet batter attached if it's done.
- Cool: Carefully transfer the cake tin onto a wire rack to cool down for at least 20 minutes. Then remove it from the cake tin. Transfer the cake on to a cake stand or a plate.
- Add the frosting & topping: Pour about half of the frosting on top of the carrot cake and spread it out to cover the top. Apply more frosting on top if you want, or serve the rest icing on the side. Decorate the top by adding more chopped walnuts and ground cinnamon. Slice and enjoy!
Notes
- *Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting: I love to use this Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. But if you’re short on time, here is a simple one you can whip up in just a few minutes:
- [Simple Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting] In a medium bowl, add 115 g vegan cream cheese, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 Tbsp powdered sugar. Whisk them together until smooth and creamy. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Storage: Store the carrot cake the cream cheese frosting in a container in the fridge. It can last for 3 – 5 days.
- Adapted from Nuts about Greens
