I make this vegan carrot cake recipe for Jack's birthday each year. Moist, cinnamon-spiced, and slathered in frosting, it's perfect for celebrations.
This vegan carrot cake recipe is a riff on my mom’s traditional recipe. That cake is Jack’s all-time favorite dessert, so she makes it whenever she comes to visit. Then, I make it again for Jack’s birthday. This year, instead of making her recipe as written, I adapted it to make a vegan carrot cake instead!
My mom’s recipe calls for applesauce, which makes her cake super moist and light. Using applesauce, you can actually veganize carrot cake relatively easily. Along with the shredded carrots, it adds enough moisture to eliminate the need for flax eggs or other unconventional ingredients. As a result, the cake batter comes together with pantry ingredients like all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, sugar, and melted coconut oil.
The results are fantastic. The cake is moist, tender, and filled with warm, spiced flavor from cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Enjoy it on its own, or take it to the next level by slathering it in rich, creamy vegan frosting. Even Jack – a total carrot cake traditionalist – fell for this vegan carrot cake recipe. I think you’ll love it too!
Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe Tips
- Grate your carrots finely. Finely grated carrots meld seamlessly into the cake, while larger pieces create a chunkier, less uniform texture. For tender, cohesive cake slices, grate the carrots on the small holes of a box grater or on the smallest setting of the grating attachment on your food processor.
- Don’t overmix! This rule applies to baked goods across the board. Mix your batter until just combined – and not any longer – or your cake will be dense.
- Let the cake cool completely before you frost it. The hardest part! Make sure your cake is at room temperature before you slather on the frosting. Otherwise, the frosting will melt.
Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe Variations
- Let’s talk frosting. The frosting recipe below is a cream cheese-like blend of macadamia nuts, cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil, and almond milk. Instead of using powdered sugar, I sweeten it naturally with maple syrup. I love this frosting, but you do need a high-speed blender to get it really smooth and creamy. If you don’t have one, or if you prefer a more traditional vegan cream cheese frosting, find one here.
- Or skip the frosting! This vegan carrot cake is delicious plain. We also love it with a dollop of coconut whipped cream.
- Add a mix-in. If you like your cake with raisins, chopped walnuts, or pecans, gently fold 1/2 cup into the cake batter when you add the carrots.
- Or sprinkle something on top. Sprinkle the frosted cake with chopped toasted pecans or walnuts for crunch, or use shredded coconut for extra warm, buttery flavor. Yum!
More Favorite Vegan Desserts
If you love this vegan carrot cake recipe, try one of these vegan treats next:
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Healthy Banana Bread
- Banana Muffins
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Then, check out this post for 30+ vegan dessert recipes!
Vegan Carrot Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2¼ cups flour, half spelt or whole wheat, half all-purpose
- 3 teaspoons baking powder*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 cup almond milk or oat milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or canola oil
- 2 cups grated carrots
Frosting**
- ½ cup raw macadamia nuts, soaked, drained, and rinsed
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked, drained, and rinsed
- ¼ cup almond milk or oat milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, almond milk, vanilla, sugar, and oil.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the carrots.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a high-speed blender, place the macadamia nuts, cashews, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until very smooth, for 1 to 2 minutes or more, scraping down the sides occasionally. You can add an extra tablespoon of almond milk if necessary to get your blade moving.
- Store frosted cake in the fridge.
This is my favourite carrot cake recipe, so easy and not too sweet. Very moist and light as there are no eggs. I made it for my son’s class and several people stopped me to comment how delicious it was. Thanks!!!!
Hi Mayra, I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this recipe for a my local mum and baby class. Safe to say it was an absolute hit and everyone asked for the recipe. I will be forward the link over to them all 😊 easy to make and tasted delicious. I made this the night before and was still so moist a day later.
Loved the recipe, it was perfect. I also used complete whole wheat instead os 1/2 and 1/2. Thk you
This is the best ever carrot cake I have ever baked ! I used dairy free yogurt instead of apple sauce , I added 1/2 tsp allspice , all the rest the same , sugar is spot on the best ever , I had to use 1/3 cup more flour it was too runny. SO so good , thank you
I’m so glad you loved it!
I have made this recipe as vegan or using milk non vegan, it’s the best and only recipe I use. If I don’t make vegan often can I just use more apple sauce or water? to replace the almond milk? When I make vegan?
As when I use almond milk I seem to waste the rest of carton as I don’t use it. And in this trying expensive grocery time….what is best?
Thanks. And I honestly can say this is my now go to carrot cake just with vegan or if I use skim milk powder to make milk…
So replacement for the almond milk….bit more apple sauce mixed with water?
Thanks so much
Hey Shelly,
I read your comment and wanted to offer some suggestions.
I recommend using oat milk, which you can easily make yourself with just oats and filtered water in a blender. If you have leftovers, freeze in measured amounts in ziplock bags. Oat milk is delicious in coffee if you have leftovers or buy from the grocery store. Just give it a good shake!
You can also use plain water in place of plant milk, it still works.
Looks great. I’m wondering how to make the apple sauce. Do you just pure apple?
Hi Mags, I use store-bought jarred applesauce, but if you wanted to make your own you can use this recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/homemade-applesauce/
Hi! What could I use instead of applesauce? Could I use Greek or normal yogurt or banana purée?
Hi Chi, I think either of those substitutions would work fine.
Is this refined or unrefined coconut oil? I could see where you might want some coconut flavor in this recipe.
Hi Laura, either is fine in this recipe.
So excited to try this today! If gluten free, do you think an almond flour or oat flour might work? Would it be a 1:1 swap?
Hi Lizza, sorry I’m getting to this late—I hope the cake came out well! Generally, I’d recommend replacing wheat flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend instead of oat or almond flour.
This recipe looks delicious! I was wondering if it’s okay to just use all purpose flour, since that’s al I have at the moment.
Your recipe looks great! But I’m unable to use it as it lists everything in cups, so having to look elsewhere. Please please also include a standard, universal, measurement like grams, for everyone not in USA, that uses regular scales. Please.
Hi Simon, thanks for your feedback! Great suggestion.
It is my all time favorite vegan carrot cake recipe, thanks for sharing ❤️
Works rather well with sweet potatoes too
Hi George, I’m so glad you love the carrot cake! Great idea to try the recipe with sweet potatoes.