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
- 2¼ cups flour (half spelt or wheat, half all-purpose)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder (*see note below)
- 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
- 1 cup cane sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut or canola oil
- 2 cups grated carrots
- ½ cup raw macadamia nuts (soaked, drained and rinsed)
- ½ cup raw cashews (soaked, drained and rinsed)
- ¼ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, almond milk, vanilla, sugar and oil.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Fold in the carrots and stir until just combined.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cake cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: combine all frosting ingredients into a high speed blender. 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.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before spreading. (It will firm up a bit).
- Store frosted cake in the fridge.
**Soak your cashew and macadamia nuts for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, then drain and rinse before using. I recommend using a very high speed blender (vitamix, blendtec, or similar). For a more traditional frosting, use the frosting in this recipe using vegan butter and vegan cream cheese (such as Kite Hill).
Can this be made with gluten free flour?
Hi Sonja, others in the comments have made it with Bob’s GF flour, I haven’t tried it personally.
Delicious! Light and airy, with good flavor. Used vegan cream cheese icing. Would make again!
I’m so glad you loved the cake!
I was just wondering if I could substitute the raw cane sugar with coconut sugar?
Hi Layal, yep you can!
Hi Jeanine and Jack!
Wow! This recipe is amazingly delicious. I made it tonight and I can’t believe how easy it was to follow, but most importantly how yummy it is. Thank you so much. You’ve gained a new fan.
Very delicious! Not too sweet, and easy to follow!
Great recipe 🙂
Subbed carrot for sweet potato
Subbed applesauce for pineapple purée
Fit perfectly into 9×9 dish too!
Thanks heaps, will use again
Tasch
I just made this cake yesterday and it’s amazing! I was looking for a good carrot cake recipe because I accidentally bought too many carrots and have too much homemade apple butter from an apple picking trip last fall.
I made a few tweaks based on some of the comments:
– used apple butter instead of apple sauce
– reduced sugar to 1/2 cup and cinnamon to 2 tsps because apple butter
– added 1 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp each of cardamom and ground ginger
– added 1/2 cup each of chopped pecans and golden raisins
I made the frosting with brazil nuts instead of macadamia and oat milk instead of almond because that’s what I had. Reduced milk from 4tbs to 3tbs and increased lemon juice to 3tbs.
I baked it in a 9×13 sheet pan for 25 mins, rotating pan 1/2 way through because my oven is hotter at the back. Came out perfect.
I ran my specific ingredients through a recipe nutrient calculator and if you cut the cake into 15 pieces instead of the 12 the recipe suggests – it’s 260 cals / piece.
Worth every calorie! Thanks Jeanine!
Can these be made into cupcakes?
I think it would work well. I haven’t done it since I wanted to do it very close to as written the first time but will next time and report back the baking time.
AMAZING!! Highly recommend
I’ve baked this recipe, along with the frosting, twice. It’s fabulously decadent and lusciousally moist. Wow! 2nd time, added 1/4 cup, ((canned, in juice), crushed pineapple, squeezing, out excess liquid, then, folding into cake batter. Sooo good. Frosting surprisingly, delicious. I added 2 tsp extra, squeezed lemon juice. 2nd time, frostimg, didn’t have any macadamia nuts left, so, replaced w/cashews, only. Still worked perfectly. Still added extra 2 tsp lemon. Prior to baking cake, I’d used high speed blender to make powdered sugar from 1 cup of granulated cane sugar, turning it into powdered (1st time ever). Did this, in case, using only cashews, hadn’t worked out. It turned just perfectly. But, I had this fluffy powdered sugar, now, so I tossed it into, nut frosting mixture, along with 1 cup chopped Walnuts, split between using in the frosting mix and sprinkling on top. This cake was made for, son in law’s, Dad’s Birthday celebration. This is the best carrot cake recipe, ever! A super star, as written, for discriminating, taste taste buds. Thrilled beyond! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad you loved the cake!
This cake was so excellent! My boyfriend called it the best carrot cake he’s ever had, and he loves carrot cake. He made me promise not to lose the recipe. I skimped and didn’t make the homemade icing – but even with inferior store-bought icing it was still delicious.
I’m so glad the cake was a hit too! 🙂
I am new to baking. I do not have any baking soda, could I use extra baking powder? Also, I do not have any apple sauce, could I use almond yogurt?
Hi Erica, I would wait to make this until you have baking soda. I’m not sure about the yogurt, it might work but I haven’t tried it.
Did this today in Mexico City, was a bit worried about the altitude but turned out great. Baked it for 30min in medium oven, its a little undercooked so next time I will start with 35 min.
Thank you for the recipe, its a win 🙂
Hi Mili, I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
This cake is beautiful!! So easy and turned out perfectly. Saving to my favourites for future, regular rotation. Thank you 🙂
Hoping to make this for my birthday this week! If I wanted to bake in two 8-inch round pans, would I cut the baking time in half since the batter would be halved?
Hi Sam, so sorry for my slow reply. Yes, I would reduce the baking time and just check with a toothpick before you take them out of the oven.
Hello! Amazing recipe! Just wondering if you can freeze the frosting? Or if not how long would it last in the fridge?
Hi Caitlin, the cashew frosting doesn’t freeze well, it’s texture becomes gritty when thawed. (the cake could freeze though)
This cake was amazing it was a big hit in my house
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
Super moist and spongey, definitely cannot tell that it is vegan. I did the basic cream cheese frosting option with Kite Hill cream cheese and that was fantastic as well.
I’m glad you loved it!
Hi!
I just made the cake however it came out with a fudge like texture and I can’t figure out why…. I had it in the oven, on 350 degrees for 55mins. Should I attempt to cook it even longer?
Hi Nadine, if you didn’t alter any ingredients in the recipe, I’d check your baking powder. If it’s a little older, it could affect the rise since there aren’t eggs here.
Just made this recipe! the cake was so good, one of the best vegan carrot cake recipes i’ve tried since going vegan. Mixed feelings about the icing but overall great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it! You might want to try the more traditional frosting recipe, it’s linked in the notes (use vegan cream cheese and vegan butter as subs). Tastes just like the real thing!