This vegan carrot cake is the best ever! It’s moist and rich and topped with a tangy 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!
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
- When the cakes are cool, frost and decorate with crushed walnuts.
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.
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.
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 Q&A
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.
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.
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.
More Vegan Cakes
- Vegan Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Red Velvet Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Carrot Cake
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
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Gluten-free: You can make this cake gluten-free by simply switching the regular flour for a gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
- Cupcakes: This recipe adapts to 12-18 cupcakes depending on how full you make the cupcake liners.
- 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.
- Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
- This recipe has been updated with new photos but the recipe itself is unchanged.
Megumi N says
Hi from Netherlands!!!
I altered your recipe into gluten free style, and used a “cream cheese” made by ‘hang op’ vegan yogurt. Adding vegan butter and powdered sugar with touch of lemon juice and zest, worked fabulous! Thank you for sharing your recipe and experience.
Greetings,
Meg
Alison Andrews says
That sounds awesome Meg! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Taylor Shotwell says
I just wanted to say this cake is beyond wonderful. I made it for my best friend for her birthday and it was a hit. My boyfriend has actually asked me to make it again for him to take to his firehouse. I told him it is only for special occasions and he isn’t aware of it yet, but he is getting it sent to the firehouse on Saturday which is his birthday! Thanks for the great recipe.
Alison Andrews says
That’s wonderful Taylor, and what a nice surprise for his birthday! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Payal Keswani says
I baked this cake for my son’s first birthday and everyone loved it. I was looking for an easy vegan recipe with very few new ingredients, so don’t expect this to turn out so soft and delicious. Thank you for a recipe I will use several times again!
Alison Andrews says
So glad you loved it! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Christella Campbell says
This is seriously the best carrot cake ever! All the non vegans loved it, too. I made it exactly as your recipe except since I had no vegan butter I used coconut oil which worked great and I think it’s way better than cream cheese frosting. I am printing this out so I can find it easily to make it again. Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So happy to hear that, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Sarah says
It was the first cake of your blog that I made. I divided the sugar and the oil by two and used a cake mould and that worked perfectly fine though it took quite a long time to cook. It was a total success; my colleagues really liked it (though none of them are vegan). So then, I made your vanilla cake. Then your red velvet cake. I don’t know when I will stop. I shared your recipe with the vegan club of my college which made it for the presentation of the club and it was such a success that they sent the recipe to their whole mailing list.
Alison Andrews says
That’s brilliant! Loved reading that! Thanks Sarah! 🙂
Ruxandra says
Turned out to be very tasty. I liked it very much. It is a great cake, however the amount of sugar is huge!! For those who are not interested in avoiding big amounts of sugar (as I am) this is the perfect recipe!
P.S. My icing is a bit weird but this is because my sugar wasn’t really ‘icing sugar’.
I crushed the normal one at the blender ??
Shweta Gupta says
I made this today in cup cake form without frosting…..It’s very good, very moist…..i didn’t added any extra milk…..batter was correct consistency…..i did use one suggestion from reviews and mixed brown sugar in carrot….
I added a bit less sugar and added dried cranberries….
Thank u so much for good recipes….
Alison Andrews says
Awesome, thanks for sharing! 🙂
Dena Trask says
What a great recipe! I made this tonight and will make the frosting in the morning.I used a 9×11 pan and it came out perfect. I wanted it to be a bit lower in fat so I did 1/4 c. Olive oil and 1/4 c unsweetened applesause. Worked perfectly! Next time might try all applesauce instead of oil.
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Dena! Thanks for sharing your adjustments! 🙂
Sashi says
I was looking for a good Vegan carrot cake recipe for quite sometime. I bumped on your website. I thought i will give it a try.
This was my first time making a carrot cake. I just followed your recipe. It came out sooo good. The cake’s texture was moist and soft. My daughter made the icing(she loves to bake) We all enjoyed the cake, I shared the cake with my colleagues. They loved it. Thanks for providing this recipe. I will be making it again when my in laws visit us this summer 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful Sashi, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Heather says
This was my first time ever making carrot cake and it turned out awesome! My husband said it’s the best carrot cake he’s ever had. Definitely making this again and again. I added a little dried ginger to the mix of spices and a few extra carrots. I only had 9″ round pans so I made 1.5 times the recipe.
The icing was sooo good too! I plan to make it again for other desserts as well.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Heather! So glad it worked out so well! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Jill says
Thank you for providing delicious alternatives that my vegan husband and the rest of us non-vegans can really enjoy! I was really dubious about the flax eggs, but it works. I also made your vanilla cake previously which was very good.
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic Jill, I’m so pleased to hear that! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Chris says
Just made this looks good it’s for Easter tomorrow so haven’t tasted yet will let you know.
Camille says
This turned out better than I even expected it would. I used a 9″ x 13″ glass dish and baked it for probably 35-37 minutes, and it was just perfect. The only change I made was to use half cake flour and half spelt flour, because I didn’t have all-purpose flour. I didn’t make the frosting, but put a little cream decanter on the table with full-fat coconut milk in it for drizzling. The cake was cut into little squares, so there were lots of eaters, and truly even the pickiest among them loved it. Thank you for the recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Great! Serving with some coconut cream is a cool idea for this too. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Marijke says
Hi,
I made a gluten free version of this cake and it was delicious. I’ve never made a carrot cake before but love to have a slice of it when having coffee somewhere. It was my wife’s fiftieth birthday and she loved it! I went through at least forty websites before choosing your recipe because it just looked and sounded so lovely.
Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
That’s wonderful to hear that it worked out so well! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Kathryn says
Thanks for the recipe. I made this for my non vegan family and they loved it as much as me!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So happy to hear that Kathryn! 🙂