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    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    Published: Oct 6, 2016 Updated: Dec 18, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    These vegan gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are rich, moist and so delicious. No one will ever guess they’re gluten free.

    Gluten free carrot cake cupcakes topped with frosting and chopped walnuts.

    A cake that’s been a big hit on this blog is our vegan carrot cake.

    And ever since putting up that recipe, I knew I wanted to try a gluten-free version. But when I got around to making it I just didn’t feel like making a cake, I just wanted cupcakes!

    So these gluten free carrot cake cupcakes were the result.

    I wasn’t sure what to do about the frosting – I had a bunch of ideas, but in the end settled with our vegan lemon buttercream frosting and that worked extremely well.

    I did eventually get around to making the cake version, check out our vegan gluten free carrot cake recipe too. And if you don’t need your cupcakes to be gluten free then check out our regular vegan carrot cake cupcakes too.

    Ingredients You’ll Need For These Cupcakes:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make gluten free carrot cake cupcakes.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Gluten free all purpose flour – this should be a blend that is meant for baking. I have used blends that contain xanthan gum and blends that didn’t. It hasn’t appeared to make a difference. So any blend that is available to you and that is meant for baking, should be great.
    • Carrots – should be freshly grated for this recipe. Don’t use pre-shredded carrots as they won’t have the moisture you need for this recipe.
    • Flax eggs – this recipe uses 2 flax eggs, which is a mix of ground flaxseeds with hot water.
    • Apple cider vinegar – can be switched for distilled white vinegar. This reacts with the baking soda and causes the cupcakes to rise.
    • Canola oil – can be switched for vegetable oil.
    Gluten free carrot cake cupcakes topped with frosting and chopped walnuts.

    How To Make Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add gluten free all purpose flour to a mixing bowl along with light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed.
    • Prepare your flax eggs by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 6 tablespoons of hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
    • Add the flax eggs, grated carrot, oil, applesauce, vinegar and vanilla extract and mix into a thick batter. If you have any difficulty mixing it, then just leave the bowl for a minute. When you come back to it the carrots will have released more moisture into the bowl and you’ll be able to mix it into a batter.
    Two photo collage showing wet ingredients added to dry and mixed into a batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners. The cupcake liners will be full to the top or close to the top.
    • Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    Two photo collage showing cupcakes before and after baking.
    • Let the cupcakes cool in the cupcake tray for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    • When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with lemon buttercream frosting and decorate with chopped walnuts.
    Two photo collage showing cupcakes cooling on a wire cooling rack and then frosted and decorated.

    Frosting Options

    We chose to frost these cupcakes with our vegan lemon buttercream frosting and decorate them with chopped walnuts (pecans would also work great).

    Our vegan cream cheese frosting is also a great option for these cupcakes.

    Gluten free carrot cake cupcakes topped with frosting and chopped walnuts.

    Baker’s Tips

    The cupcake liners are filled close to the top. This recipe makes enough batter to fill your cupcake liners close to the top. So if you see that happen, don’t worry, it’s correct.

    Make a layer cake instead. If you’d like to make this recipe as a cake, then you can make it as three 6-inch cake layers (bake for 20-25 minutes) or two 7-inch cake layers (bake for 30 minutes).

    Gluten free carrot cake cupcake with the liner pulled down.

    Storing and Freezing

    These cupcakes can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

    They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.

    Gluten free carrot cake cupcake cut in half.

    More Gluten Free Baking Recipes

    1. Vegan Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
    2. Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
    3. Vegan Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
    4. Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake
    5. Vegan Gluten Free Brownies
    6. Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan gluten free carrot cake cupcake topped with frosting and chopped walnuts.

    Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    These vegan gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are rich, moist and so delicious. No one will ever guess they're gluten free.
    4.91 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Cupcakes, Dessert, Gluten-Free
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 453kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Cupcakes:

    • 2 cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (250g)
    • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
    • 1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
    • 1 ¼ tsp Baking Soda
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • 2 tsp Cinnamon
    • 1 tsp Nutmeg
    • 2 Flax Eggs 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed + 6 Tablespoons Hot Water
    • 2 ⅓ cups Grated Carrot (256g)
    • ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Applesauce
    • 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

    Frosting:

    • 1 Recipe Vegan Lemon Buttercream Frosting

    For Decoration (Optional):

    • Crushed Walnuts or Pecans
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    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
    • Add gluten free all purpose flour to a mixing bowl along with light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together.
    • Prepare your flax eggs by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 6 tablespoons of hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
    • Add the flax eggs, grated carrot, oil, applesauce, vinegar and vanilla extract and mix into a thick batter. If you have any difficulty mixing it, then just leave the bowl for a minute. When you come back to it the carrots will have released more moisture into the bowl and you'll be able to mix it into a batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners. The cupcake liners will be full to the top or close to the top.
    • Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
    • Let the cupcakes cool in the cupcake tray for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    • When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with lemon buttercream frosting and decorate with chopped walnuts.

    Notes

    1. Gluten free all purpose flour – this should be a blend that is meant for baking. I have used blends that contain xanthan gum and blends that didn’t. It hasn’t appeared to make a difference. So any blend that is available to you and that is meant for baking, should be great.
    2. Carrots – should be freshly grated/shredded for this recipe. Don’t use pre-shredded carrots as they won’t have the moisture you need for this recipe.
    3. Storing. These cupcakes can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
    4. Freezing. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.
    5. Nutritional information includes the frosting. 
    6. This recipe has been updated with new photos and lots of extra tips. The recipe itself is unchanged. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 4520IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Skim says

      October 19, 2022 at 6:08 pm

      Can’t wait to try these! Do you think I can sub “chia eggs” for the flax eggs?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 21, 2022 at 8:16 am

        Hi there, yes sure I think that would work fine.

        Reply
    2. Gabby says

      September 09, 2022 at 2:37 am

      Hi! I love the taste of these! But my cupcake wrappers started to peel back from the cupcakes almost immediately. Is that normal?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 09, 2022 at 10:36 am

        So glad they taste good! I haven’t ever experienced that with cupcake liners so I would guess it is something to do with the liners themselves.

        Reply
    3. Kit says

      September 04, 2022 at 8:58 pm

      These turned out great, nice flavor! I weighed everything as you recommended. One thing you could mention in the recipe is that the carrots should be “finely shredded”. My first batch was not so nice, because I used the usual medium shred, which resulted in batter not mixing well and the oil went to the bottom. With finely shredded carrots, the batter was much nicer. I’m adding these cupcakes as a vegan option at our wedding.4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 05, 2022 at 10:47 am

        Glad you enjoyed them! We do have photos of all the steps so you can see how the grated carrots are supposed to look. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jessica Gigli says

      December 21, 2020 at 11:52 pm

      WOW! I really appreciate your blog. These are the best vegan/gf cupcakes ever! I used one small ripe banana in place of applesauce (I was out), avocado oil and oat milk. We live in Colorado and baking can be tricky at high altitudes. I adjusted by baking at 360 degrees for 23 minutes and they were perfect!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 22, 2020 at 12:08 pm

        Awesome Jessica! Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    5. Sylvia says

      July 19, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      Hi Alison,

      Any suggestion to replace flax eggs in this recipe ?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 20, 2020 at 8:58 am

        Hi Sylvia, you could replace the two flax eggs with 6 Tbsp applesauce in addition to the 2 Tbsp already in the recipe. So use 8 Tbsp applesauce in total.

        Reply
    6. Melissa says

      May 31, 2020 at 6:47 pm

      My husband and I are very happy with all of your recipes, and this one is no exception. Thank you so much!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 01, 2020 at 9:44 am

        Thanks so much Melissa!

        Reply
    7. Nic says

      October 29, 2019 at 10:27 am

      I split this recipe into two – one using an egg replacer and one with real egg – instead of flaxseed egg. This is a perfect recipe for allergic kids. And if you are trialling egg (but then it won’t be vegan anymore). Both turned out perfect with our gluten free flour.

      Thank you for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 29, 2019 at 10:34 am

        So glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

        Reply
        • Nicole says

          October 31, 2019 at 6:10 pm

          By the way, this is a great start up
          Food for babies who is into Baby Led Weaning. I baked this again using cooked puréed carrot and offered it as a starter food to my baby without the frosting. All gone in minutes!5 stars

          Reply
    8. Rachel says

      January 17, 2019 at 11:21 pm

      This is exactly what I need for my daughter’s birthday cake – she and my sister are vegan and my sister also has coeliac. How would it work as a whole cake?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 18, 2019 at 10:10 am

        Hi Rachel, this would adapt as is to a three layer 6-inch (bake for 20-25 minutes) or two layer 7-inch cake (bake for 30 minutes).

        Reply
    9. Aideen says

      July 25, 2018 at 7:41 pm

      Just out of the oven and smell Devine. Used exactly the ingredients in the recipe but added a bit of Agave syrup to add some extra sweetness. Have also used a peanut butter, vegan and gluten free topping instead.
      We open our garden to raise money for charity and serve afternoon tea so these will be a great addition.
      Really appreciated you adding metric measurements as we don’t use the cup system in the UK so it was great not having to do complicated maths while baking. Also I have a fan oven so baked on 160 which worked but baked for 30 minutes. Made then in a muffin tin might have overfilled slightly. Thank you so much I will try out some more of your recipes. I was going add a photo but couldn’t see how.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 26, 2018 at 10:32 am

        Hi Aideen, so glad you liked the recipe! You’re totally welcome, I find metric measurements to really help with accuracy. Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments as well! 🙂

        Reply
        • Aideen says

          August 05, 2018 at 11:32 am

          Well our open gardens are now over for the season and these went down a storm. Even got mentioned on Trip Advisor, about to make yet another batch for a friend who is opening a craft shop and selling tea and cake. I haven’t got quite enough Carrots having just made some traditional carrot cake but going to add a few cranberries and will let you know how these go down at her opening.
          People just love that they are both vegan and gluten free .

          Reply
    10. Monika Nekkanti says

      May 17, 2018 at 6:17 pm

      Hi, I tried this recipe and my batter turned super thick, it turned like a dough. I added everything mentioned in the recipe. The cake wasn’t that sweet. Did I do something wrong?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 17, 2018 at 8:08 pm

        The batter is very thick, it’s supposed to be, so you didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, did they come out okay? They’re not extremely sweet, but I do think they’re sweet enough.

        Reply
    11. Anna says

      October 08, 2016 at 5:34 am

      Gluten free AND Vegan, wow!5 stars

      Reply

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