Moist, rich vegan carrot cake with a wholesome flavor and gorgeous color. Topped with lemon buttercream frosting and crushed walnuts.
Carrot cake is pretty awesome! It gives you the feeling that you’re eating something pretty darn healthy. I mean you’re getting your veggies in!
And when it’s vegan carrot cake, well….. then you can feel pretty saintly about it!
Ok Ok, I’ve said I’m never going to mention guilt and food in the same sentence on this blog, and I’m going to stick to it, but you know, there’s indulgence and then there’s feeling saintly about indulgence, which is not like indulgence at all really.
So go on, have your vegan carrot cake and eat it too, while feeling saintly about your good choices š
And you know one of these days I’ll make a gluten-free version and THEN, well then, you know, you can just about ascend to heaven on a cloud while you eat it!
Jokes aside, this carrot cake is super good, it has a wholesome hearty vibe, while being moist, rich, and delicious.
The Frosting!
Two things: firstly, I frosted it with a slightly altered version of my lemon frosting recipe. In this one I added apple cider vinegar, this was to try and get a slightly more ‘cheesy’ flavor to it.
Well, it didn’t really work, it was really good, but I would not say it was in any way ‘cheesy’. It was still really good though, with a perfect amount of tang, so I went with it!
I have since figured out how to make a fabulous vegan cream cheese frosting using a homemade vegan cream cheese! It is seriously delicious, so if you want to give that a try instead, then go for it. The lemon buttercream frosting recipe from our vegan lemon cake is also a winner if you want to use that instead.
The Walnuts
Second thing: Every single time I’ve made this I’ve intended to put walnuts in to it. And every single time I’ve forgotten. It’s been in the oven already when I’ve remembered the walnuts.
So as you can see, I decorated the top of the cake with crushed walnuts but I just KNOW that walnuts IN the cake itself would be fab too.
If I could only just remember!
Anyway, if you remember to do it, adding some walnuts in as a final step before transferring the batter to the cake tins would be a great addition to this cake.
You will love this cake for its moist, rich, wholesome flavor and gorgeous color.
Topped with lemon buttercream frosting and crushed walnuts, this cake is ideal for any special occasion. Or just for Sunday afternoon tea.
Vegan Carrot Cake Q&A
What about gluten-free? We’ve got you covered! Check out our recipe for vegan gluten free carrot cake! It’s totally divine.
How can I adapt this cake for different cake pan sizes? This cake makes two thick 7-inch cake layers. It also works perfectly for 8-inch cake pans. The layers are slightly thinner, but still perfect, and 8-inch cake pans work great with the recipe exactly as is, no other changes at all.
If you want to make this cake in 6-inch cake pans then I would suggest making 3 layers because the layers would be very thick if you use the recipe exactly as is for 6-inch pans.
If you want to make this cake for 9-inch cake pans then I would suggest increasing the recipe by half.
Can I make cupcakes? Sure! This recipe adapts to 12-18 cupcakes depending on how full you make the cupcake liners. You can also check out our vegan carrot cake cupcakes with orange and walnut and our gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes with cashew cream frosting.
So just to reiterate, you’ll love this cake for so many reasons, but mostly because it’s:
- Rich
- Moist
- Wholesome
- Vibrant
- Topped with lemon buttercream frosting!
Keep it covered at room temperature where it will stay good for a couple of days, or keep it covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week!
Want more vegan cakes?
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Classic Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
So what do you think of this gorgeous vegan carrot cake? Let me know in the comments and please rate the recipe too, thanks!
And while you’re here – sign up for our email list! You’ll get a (free) recipe ebook in the deal and you’ll stay updated with all our latest recipes too! Too tempting am I right? 
Vegan Carrot Cake
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10
Description
Moist, rich vegan carrot cake with a wholesome flavor and gorgeous color. Topped with lemon buttercream frosting and crushed walnuts. Ideal for any special occasion.
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake:
- 2 cups (250g) All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 2 and 1/3 cups (255g) Grated Carrot
- 1 and 1/2 cups (300g) Brown Sugar
- 2 Flax Eggs (2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tbsp Water)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Canola Oil*
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 cup (100g) Chopped Walnuts (Optional)
For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
- 3 and 3/4 cups (450g) Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Vegan Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3–4 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā°F (180Ā°C).
- Grease two 7-inch cake pans (See Notes*) and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixing bowl.
- Add the grated carrot and the brown sugar.
- Prepare the flax eggs, by mixing 2 Tbsp Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tbsp Water and allowing to sit for a minute.
- In the meantime, add the oil, vanilla and apple cider vinegar to the mixing bowl.
- Add the flax eggs.
- Mix everything together in the mixing bowl. Have a little patience and let the batter sit for a minute or two so that the carrots can release more water into the batter to enable you to mix it all together.
- *If your batter is still too dry to mix after letting it sit for a couple of minutes (and only if it’s too dry to mix after sitting for a few minutes) then add in a little non-dairy milk, only as much as you need to get the batter to a wet enough consistency so that it can mix properly.
- Lastly add the chopped walnuts if you want to add them.
- Divide the mixture between the two 7-inch cake tins.
- Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely on a cooling rack.
- While the cakes are cooling, prepare your frosting.
- Add the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla, apple cider vinegar and 3 Tbsp of lemon juice to an electric mixer bowl.
- Start mixing on low speed.
- If your frosting is too thick then add in more lemon juice a drop at a time as needed to get your frosting mix to the perfect consistency. If your frosting ends up too thin, add more powdered sugar.
- Add frosting to the top of one of the layers.
- Add the other layer on top and complete the frosting of the top and sides of the cake.
- Sprinkle crushed walnuts on top of the cake and serve.
Notes
*You can also use vegetable oil instead of canola oil. We have also used extra virgin olive oil in this cake and loved it, but some brands can leave an aftertaste.
*This cake also works perfectly in 8-inch cake pans. The layers are slightly thinner but still perfect. Baking time and everything are exactly the same.
*Some commenters have noted that they needed to use a little non-dairy milk to get their batter wet enough. This would depend on how wet your carrots are. Usually if you just let your batter sit for a few minutes, the carrots will release more water into the batter allowing you to mix it properly. If you did this and it is still too dry to mix then just use as little non-dairy milk as you need to get the batter wet enough to mix properly.
*Another frosting that is awesome on this cake is our vegan cream cheese frosting or our vegan lemon buttercream frosting.
*Inspired by Gimme Some Oven
- Category: Cake, Dessert, Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice (of 10)
- Calories: 517
- Sugar: 74.6g
- Sodium: 347mg
- Fat: 13.6g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9g
- Carbohydrates: 97.7g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 3.2g
Keywords: vegan carrot cake
This recipe came out very tasty!
I had to leave out the nutmeg because I didn’t have any, and I also added whole cloves in with the water for the flaxseed eggs and heated it up. When the eggs were thickened I removed them, and they added a nice smell and flavor.
I halved the frosting recipe, which wasn’t enough to cover the cake in an aesthetically pleasing way, but I thought it was just the right amount for taste and would be too strong if I used more.
★★★★★
So yummy. I didn’t have quite enough carrots for the recipe so I supplemented with some unsweetened shredded coconut and a splash of almond milk. I’ll be making this again!
★★★★★
Lovely tasting cake and very easy to make, thank you for the recipe. I’ll definitely make it again and my decidedly un-vegan parents also loved it. I had an issue with cooking time & sponge consistency – cake definitely not cooked after 30 mins, and even with an extra 10 it still sank a bit in the middle of each sponge after passing the skewer test and coming out the oven. However, I think I went slightly ‘over’ on time as the edges of the cake were almost like a crust, and it is very crumbly within that crust layer. Still perfectly edible and crunch adds texture, but next time I’ll tweak the cooking time more. The batter consistency seemed right per the instructions so it must just be pretty time sensitive with the oil content (?). After making the icing (I used Flora plant-based butter which worked really well), I tasted it and thought YUCK, sooo vinegary, but it works really well with the cake flavours. Thus ensuring that all the icing went on the cake rather than some ‘accidentally’ being left in the bowl. Thanks again.
★★★★★
Iām not much of a baker myself so I was a little nervous at first since it was my first attempt at a carrot cake, but this recipe was super easy to follow and the cake was absolutely delicious in the end! I will definitely be making this carrot cake again! š
★★★★★
Thanks Danika!
Hi!
I’ve not tried this recipe yet but looking at the comments I can’t wait to give it a go!
I was just wondering if the cake would hold if it was made into a tiered cake? I’ve found with a few carrot cake recipes I’ve tried they’ve come out lovely but give way when stacked with another cake on top!
Thanks š
Hi Katie, I think it would hold but I haven’t used it for this purpose so not 100% certain.
I was challenged this year for Christmas dinner as my son recently went vegan and I was trying to build dinner around that. This cake was such a hit, he loved it. Not the first time I have made carrot cake for him, just the first time I did it vegan. The funny thing is, I absolutely do not like carrot cake, never have. Until now, this cake is simply delicious. Moist, earthy and satisfying. I have made it several times since and want to say thank you!!!
★★★★★
That’s awesome Michelle! Thanks so much for the wonderful review.
This looks yummy!
Iād like to try making it as cupcakes- do you think theyād keep nicely in the freezer? If so, for how long and can I freeze them frosted or should I wait until the cupcakes are defrosted to put the frosting on?
Thanks, love your blog and have made many of your delicious recipes!
You can freeze them frosted or unfrosted. Either way is fine. š
I made this beautiful cake last July for my husband birthday & it turned out brilliant. Delicious! !!
Unfortunately I am an inconsistent baker! But I never give up, though tonight I’ve baked it again & when getting it out the tins they have split & crumbled :(. Still tastes amazing! Any ideas what I may have done wrong? Take care Sarah
Hi Sarah, I’m not sure, did you use parchment paper at the bottom? Did you make any ingredient substitutions? It could be a number of things.
I am not a vegan, but my wife is. Honestly, when it comes to vegan foods, I really don’t have a very high opinion of them. They tend to be bland or taste bad. So, I was skeptical that this would work out from the very beginning. However, I wanted to bake my wife a cake for her birthday yesterday and found this recipe with a lot of favorable reviews, so I figured I would give it a try. I figured if it didn’t work out, I could always throw it away before she got home and order something from a local vegan restaurant.
I was concerned when mixing the batter as it was very thick and heavy. But, I followed your advice and waited a few minutes to let the carrots release their water into the mix. I felt it was still a too thick so I added two teaspoons of organic carrot juice to it and it was right where I thought it should be. I have to say, I was beginning to feel optimistic here as it smelled nice. But, I was still expecting failure. Vegan food has never let me down in this before.
In the over it went. My daughter and I cleaned up the kitchen and gathered all the ingredients for the frosting. Again, I was not expecting much here as I was certain the frosting would come out looking like some mutant alien fungus from some planet Captain Kirk had visited.
The timer went off and I checked the cake. It wasn’t quite done, so I let it bake another 10 minutes. Checked it again and it was ready to come out. By now the kitchen smelled so delicious, I briefly contemplated eating the countertop.
I was a bit disappointed when it came out of the oven without having risen in any way. It was heavy and dense. I was not expecting that. A small piece just happened to “fall off” the corner edge so I decided it was a good time to taste the creation and render verdict before I began preparation of the frosting. To my surprise, despite the density, it wasn’t half bad. Ok, it was actually pretty good. At least it made me glad I had not eaten the countertop.
So, we mix up the frosting and, again, I am pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was quite good. (Though I would recommend a bit more vegan butter and a bit less lemon.) I spread it on the cake and waited for wifey to come home from work.
Exhausted from a long day of work, she barely pulls herself into the kitchen through the sliding glass door, ready to engage in her daily ritual of trudging to the bedroom and collapsing on the bed. But, today she noticed something different. There were balloons, and people and gifts and… a cake!
Eventually, after a bit of celebration (and a lot of wonderful kisses for my reward), the group sang her “Happy Birthday” and it was time to… CUT THE CAKE.
I informed my wife that it was a 100% vegan cake. She was surprised that I would make a vegan cake. But, well, some people are worth a bit of sacrifice, right. The moment of truth arrived. I watched with rapt anticipation as time slowed. It seemed as if the fork with that moist morsel of frosted confection would never pass through her lips. I played solitaire while waiting. Then Monopoly(TM). Finally, the moment of truth. The verdict was to be rendered.
Her eyebrows shot up her forehead, her eyes widened and her mouth upturned in a smile. She liked it! Hey, Mikey!
The cake was distributed to the remaining guests and the verdict was unanimous. That was one very good carrot cake. Yes, even the steak and potato loving Neanderthal (that’s me) loved it.
Thank you for making this recipe available to the world. Who knows, maybe next week I will bake a vegan cake for MY birthday. What would you recommend for a cheesecake?
★★★★
Hahaha, so glad it was a success! I enjoyed your comment it was very funny. I think you may have a lot of nice surprises in store if most of the vegan food you’ve tried has been bland so far! We have a few cheesecake recipes on the site (just use the search bar) it just depends what you’re in the mood for! All the best!
This is my families favorite carrot cake recipe. I made this the first time a few years ago on Easter Sunday and it was a big hit. Tomorrow is my little boys 9th birthday and he asked for this cake! Lastly, I just follow your vanilla buttercream recipe for the frosting we were not keen on the apple cider vinegar, but other than that, perfection! Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it Christie!
Would this recipe work with a Bundt cake pan? How do you recommend changing the baking time? Thanks for any help!
I haven’t made it in a bundt pan but other commenters have. It would require a longer baking time, but I can’t advise on the specifics, I would guess around 50 minutes or longer.
This was so good! Made half the batter into cupcakes and the other half into a small cake (maybe 5inch pan) and cooked them for 25-30 min each for my partner’s bday. I recommend adding finely grated zest from a full orange and a little bit of ground ginger to make it extra fragrant! I also used muscovado sugar and swapped some of it our for honey. The icing I didn’t put quite as much icing sugar as recommended and I really recommend using fresh vanilla if you can find it! I’m just doing veganuary I am not vegan all year usually but this will be my new go to regardless! Would love to see a sugar free or fruit based sugar version for my health conscious parents if anyone has suggestions!
★★★★★
Sounds awesome Darcy! Thanks so much for sharing!
Love the look of the recipe! Could I sub in GF flour instead of all purpose flour? Or what would you suggest pls?
★★★★★
We have a gluten-free carrot cake recipe. š
What about pineapples? In my regular non vegan version my recipe adds them. So you think it would still work and then the non-dairy milk is not needed.
There isn’t any non-dairy milk added in our recipe. If you read the other comments though, I’m pretty sure others have added in pineapple successfully but it’s not something we’ve tried so far.
I am going to make this for my daughters first birthday. Could I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour?
Thank you
★★★★★
I think so, though the texture may change a little.