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    Home » Cakes and Cupcakes

    Vegan Carrot Cake

    Published: Apr 5, 2016 Updated: Sep 11, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Vegan Carrot Cake

    This vegan carrot cake is the best ever! It’s moist and rich and topped with a tangy lemon buttercream frosting and crushed walnuts.

    Sliced vegan carrot cake on a white cake stand.

    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!

    Okay okay, 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 🙂

    And you know one of these days I’ll even make a gluten-free version (update: it’s here!) 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.

    Topped with a tangy lemon buttercream frosting and crushed walnuts, this cake is ideal for any special occasion. Or just for Sunday afternoon tea.

    Sliced carrot cake on a white cake stand.

    How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake

    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.

    • Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together.
    Two photo collage showing dry ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed together.
    • Add light brown sugar and grated carrot to the mixing bowl.
    • Prepare your flax eggs by adding 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal to a bowl with 6 tablespoons of hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
    • Add the flax eggs, oil, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and chopped walnuts to the mixing bowl.
    • Mix everything together. If it seems like it won’t come together and the mix is too dry then step away from the bowl for a couple of minutes and then come back to it. The carrot will have released more moisture into the batter allowing it to come together into a thick batter.
    Two photo collage showing wet ingredients added to mixing bowl and mixed into a thick batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between two cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with parchment paper along the bottoms).
    • Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
    Two photo collage showing carrot cake before and after baking.
    • Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
    Two photo collage showing cakes cooling on a wire cooling rack and then being frosted on a white cake stand.
    • When the cakes are cool, frost and decorate with crushed walnuts.
    Vegan carrot cake topped with crushed walnuts on a white cake stand.

    The Frosting

    Two things: firstly, I frosted it with a lemon frosting and 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!

    Secondly, I have since made 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. 

    Vegan carrot cake topped with walnuts on a white cake stand.

    Chef’s Tips

    Measure your flour correctly. If you have a food scale then measure the flour out on a food scale for total accuracy. If you don’t have a food scale then use the ‘spoon and level’ method to measure your flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into your cup.

    Carrots must be freshly grated. If you buy pre-grated carrots then they will have dried out a lot by the time you use them. You need freshly grated carrots so that they are packed with moisture.

    The walnuts. Walnuts are entirely optional but they are really delicious both in the cake itself and sprinkled on top for decoration. Another great option is chopped pecan nuts.

    Be patient mixing the batter. When you’re mixing this batter you may start to wonder if I’ve missed out some important ingredients in the form of liquids! You may start thinking it will never come together! Don’t worry, so long as you used freshly grated carrots, it will definitely come together. Just step away from the bowl for a couple of minutes, the carrots will release more moisture into the batter. When you come back and mix again, it will form into a thick batter.

    Slice of vegan carrot cake on a cake lifter.

    Adapting For Different Cake Pans

    • 7-inch. This cake makes two thick 7-inch cake layers.
    • 8-inch. 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. 
    • 6-inch. If you want to make this cake in 6-inch cake pans then I would suggest making it as a 3 layer cake. Baking time will be around 25 minutes.
    • 9×9 sheet cake. You can also make it as a 9×9 square sheet cake. Baking time is 35 minutes.
    • 9×13 sheet cake. It also works as a 9×13 sheet cake though it is a fairly thin cake so 9×9 is preferred. Baking time for 9×13 is 25 minutes.
    Vegan carrot cake with a few slices removed on a white cake stand.

    Vegan Carrot Cake Q&A

    Can you make this cake gluten-free?

    You can make this cake gluten-free by simply switching the regular flour for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend. You can also check out our recipe for vegan gluten free carrot cake. It’s totally divine. 

    Can you 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. 

    Slice of carrot cake on a white plate.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep the cake covered at room temperature where it will stay good for 3-4 days, or keep it covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week.

    It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.

    Slice of vegan carrot cake on a white plate.

    More Vegan Cakes

    1. Vegan Vanilla Cake
    2. Vegan Chocolate Cake
    3. Vegan Red Velvet Cake
    4. Vegan Banana Cake
    5. Vegan Lemon Cake
    6. Vegan Strawberry Cake

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

    Sliced carrot cake on a white cake stand.

    Vegan Carrot Cake

    This vegan carrot cake is the best ever! It's moist and rich and topped with a tangy lemon buttercream frosting and crushed walnuts.
    4.89 from 369 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Baking, Cake, Dessert
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 673kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Carrot Cake:

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • 2 tsp Cinnamon
    • 1 tsp Nutmeg
    • 1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar (300g)
    • 2 ⅓ cups Grated Carrot (255g)
    • 2 Flax Eggs (2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tbsp Water)
    • ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 1 cup Walnuts (100g) Chopped, Optional

    For the Lemon Buttercream Frosting:

    • 4 cups Powdered Sugar (480g)
    • ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2-3 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice

    Decoration:

    • Walnuts Chopped
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray two 7-inch cake pans or two 8-inch cake pans (see notes*) with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.
    • Sift the all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together.
    • Add the light brown sugar and grated carrot to the mixing bowl.
    • Prepare your flax eggs by adding 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed meal to a bowl with 6 tablespoons of hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
    • Add the flax eggs, oil, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and chopped walnuts to the mixing bowl.
    • Mix everything together. If it seems like it won't come together and the mix is too dry then step away from the bowl for a couple of minutes and then come back to it. The carrots will have released more moisture into the batter allowing it to come together into a thick batter.
    • Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
    • Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
    • Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
    • While the cakes are cooling, prepare your frosting.
    • Add the powdered sugar, vegan butter, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the bowl of your stand mixer.
    • Start mixing on low speed gradually increasing speed until your frosting is thick and smooth.
    • If your frosting is too thick then add in the extra tablespoon of lemon juice, a drop at a time and only as much as needed to get to a spreadable consistency.
    • Frost the cake and decorate the top with chopped walnuts.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Measure your flour correctly. If you have a food scale then measure the flour out on a food scale for total accuracy. If you don’t have a food scale then use the ‘spoon and level’ method to measure your flour. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into your cup.
    2. Carrots must be freshly grated. If you buy pre-grated carrots then they will have dried out a lot by the time you use them. You need freshly grated carrots so that they are packed with moisture.
    3. The walnuts. Walnuts are entirely optional but they are really delicious both in the cake itself and sprinkled on top for decoration. Another great option is chopped pecan nuts.
    4. Be patient mixing the batter. When you’re mixing this batter you may start to wonder if I’ve missed out some important ingredients in the form of liquids! You may start thinking it will never come together! Don’t worry, so long as you used freshly grated carrots, it will definitely come together. Just step away from the bowl for a couple of minutes, the carrots will release more moisture into the batter. When you come back and mix again, it will form into a thick batter.
    5. Adapting for different size cake pans:
      • 7-inch. This cake makes two thick 7-inch cake layers.
      • 8-inch. 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.
      • 6-inch. If you want to make this cake in 6-inch cake pans then I would suggest making it as a 3 layer cake. Baking time will be around 25 minutes.
      • 9×9 sheet cake. You can also make it as a 9×9 square sheet cake. Baking time is 35 minutes.
      • 9×13 sheet cake. It also works as a 9×13 sheet cake though it is a fairly thin cake so 9×9 is preferred. Baking time for 9×13 is 25 minutes.
    6. Gluten-free: You can make this cake gluten-free by simply switching the regular flour for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
    7. Cupcakes: This recipe adapts to 12-18 cupcakes depending on how full you make the cupcake liners.
    8. Storing: Keep the cake covered at room temperature where it will stay good for 3-4 days, or keep it covered in the fridge where it will stay good for up to a week.
    9. Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
    10. This recipe has been updated with new photos but the recipe itself is unchanged. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 105g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 81g | Vitamin A: 5425IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 86mg | 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. Roz says

      June 04, 2022 at 2:17 am

      My first time making a carrot cake was a huge success thanks to this recipe! I used a food scale for everything and subbed the flax eggs for a 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce and the cake was fantastic. This review is for the cake alone as I wanted a cream cheese frosting so didn’t use the frosting recipe mentioned here. I did end up adding lemon to my cream cheese frosting in the end so the recommended lemon buttercream frosting is probably a perfect pairing.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 06, 2022 at 12:39 pm

        Thanks for the awesome review Roz!

        Reply
    2. Cami says

      May 31, 2022 at 7:37 pm

      I’ve made this recipe for my neighbours’ birthday as she asked me for a carrot cake. Wow it was sooo good ! Used 3 cups of icing sugar instead of 4 for the icing and it was perfect. I think 2 and half cups would even be enough.
      She said it was the best carrot cake she ever eaten.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 01, 2022 at 11:26 am

        Awesome! Thanks Cami!

        Reply
    3. Reema q says

      May 22, 2022 at 9:07 am

      I rarely leave comments on recipe posts but had to on this occasion. Great recipe! I’m new to vegan baking and this has given me some confidence to persist! Added some lemon zest into the frosting and used 300g of icing sugar and it was just right. Used white wine vinegar instead of apple cider. Will be an addition to my repertoire. Thank you.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 23, 2022 at 10:08 am

        So happy it turned out great, thanks so much for the awesome review.

        Reply
    4. Donn says

      May 16, 2022 at 5:34 am

      Could you use wholemeal flour instead with this recipe?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 16, 2022 at 11:05 am

        Yes I think so.

        Reply
    5. Auxi says

      May 13, 2022 at 1:16 am

      I have made this recipe several times and it’s always a win!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 16, 2022 at 11:16 am

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    6. Shyami says

      May 12, 2022 at 9:07 am

      Absolutely delicious cake, and very easy to make. Came out perfectly. I used a combination of walnuts and pecans in the cake, and topped with pecans. So, so good! Thank you for this and all your other wonderful recipes! They are always reliable and delicious.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 16, 2022 at 11:20 am

        Thanks so much for the awesome comment and review Shyami! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Rosa says

      May 08, 2022 at 7:22 am

      Delicious. I baked this cake for a friend’s birthday party and it went down brilliantly. Great texture – light, moist and not at all oily.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 09, 2022 at 11:51 am

        Thanks Rosa!

        Reply
    8. Shirley Shine says

      May 07, 2022 at 6:38 am

      Hi made your cake for a birthday order and they all said it was delicious. What size recipe would I use to make in a 2lb loaf tin -thank you.

      Reply
    9. Rou Barry says

      April 26, 2022 at 5:18 pm

      Made this cake for my brothers birthday and everyone absolutely loved it!! Thank you 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 28, 2022 at 9:24 am

        Wonderful! Thanks so much for the awesome review!

        Reply
    10. Marion says

      April 18, 2022 at 6:49 am

      Lovely recipe and presentation. Thanks for sharing!! It tastes wonderful, I made it with 100g sugar and it was sweet enough. All the best, Marion

      Reply
    11. Amy says

      April 17, 2022 at 2:06 am

      I made this for Easter last year and am making it again now so I guess we could say it’s a new tradition 🙂 Last year I made the mistake of not packing the brown sugar and not noticing that the weight in grams reflects that it is packed in the cup. Because of this my batter was very dry and heavy (but the cake was still good, likely less sweet). This year I used my scale for both sugar and flour and the batter looks so much better!

      If I could make a suggestion, it would be to edit the recipe to say “packed brown sugar” for better clarity. I’ve come across this issue several times now in online recipes, not sure why.

      I only own 8 inch pans and personally found the layers a bit too thin, so this year I made 1.5 times the recipe and it seems to be perfect.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 19, 2022 at 8:55 am

        So glad it worked out well Amy! Honestly I don’t think the issue was with the sugar, it was most likely with the flour. A lot of our readers reduce the sugar as they prefer it less sweet and it still works out. Dry and heavy usually means too much flour and/or overmixing. So happy it worked out great this time! Thanks so much for sharing and the review!

        Reply
        • Sam says

          May 15, 2022 at 7:14 pm

          This came out delicious, thanks for the recipe!

          I note that I halved the sugar and it still seemed pretty sweet to me. I’m going to try it without any icing next. The sugar issue isn’t just with your recipe though, I do it with pretty much every cake recipe I find online!

          Reply
          • Alison Andrews says

            May 16, 2022 at 11:10 am

            So glad it worked out great! Thanks for sharing Sam!

    12. Ann says

      April 16, 2022 at 10:58 pm

      I have made this cake twice. Both times it has been delicious. i didn’t have flax seeds so substituted chia instead. It was lovely and moist. I am going to change the flour and use gf instead so my daughter in law can enjoy it as well. Love your recipes. ❤️❤️5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 19, 2022 at 8:56 am

        So happy you enjoyed it Ann! Thanks so much for the great review!

        Reply
    13. Chris says

      April 16, 2022 at 2:51 pm

      YUM!!! This was absolutely delicious and I rarely take the time to comment on anything. My husband who is my biggest fan but honest critic raved about it. Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 19, 2022 at 8:58 am

        Wonderful! Thanks so much Chris!

        Reply
    14. Ryan says

      April 16, 2022 at 12:15 am

      Hi! This recipe looks amazing! I was hoping to make a carrot cake for my family Easter celebration this weekend. A lot of my family is gluten-free and I saw that you also had a gluten-free vegan version of this cake. Could I ask what the difference between two recipes is? I tried to figure it out myself, but the amounts are quite different in each and I got confused. Between the two recipes is there one you would recommend? Thanks for the help!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 19, 2022 at 9:02 am

        Hi Ryan, the gluten free version is a slightly larger cake. That’s the main difference (other than the flour). So if you prefer this recipe and just want to make it with a gluten free flour blend, that also works!

        Reply
    15. Alex says

      April 11, 2022 at 4:23 am

      Easy to make and it was good on the first day. After that it got extremely dry. I kept it very well covered but I could no longer eat it.3 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 11, 2022 at 9:55 am

        Hi Alex, this is an extremely moist cake so it sounds likely that you used too much flour. I highly recommend a food scale or the ‘spoon and level’ method.

        Reply
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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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