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.
Gerlyn M. says
I have made this cake into cupcakes and the icing is a hit! Thank you for this recipe. It is easy to make especially when you have carrots in the fridge that you don’t want to go bad, make them into a vegan carrot cake or cupcakes!
Alison Andrews says
Yes! This is the perfect use for carrots. 🙂 Thanks for sharing Gerlyn!
hardeep says
amazing. so moist and delicious cake. i have made it 10 times at least and everyone that has tried it, loves it
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks so much for posting! 🙂
Carey says
Thank you so much for this recipe Alison – I am vegan going on 9 months now – baking was my thing and I had all but given up on it since going vegan – that is until I found your blog! This carrot cake is soooooo good! I have made it twice in this week alone – yum yum. You vanilla cake recipe- same thing! So so good
Alison Andrews says
Yay! Sooo happy to hear that Carey! Yes, so much baking fun to be had. 🙂
Sweetu says
This was great! I used whole wheat flour and only 1 cup of sugar since I like my desserts less sweet, and I really appreciate the tip about letting the batter rest. My carrots did release water (but I still needed to add some liquid). I also grated an apple and mixed it in – I’d recommend it for anyone! I did not have a 7inch pan so I used one 9×13 pan and baked it for about 25 min. This cake was so perfectly moist, fluffy, and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Sharon says
Can I use any other flour than all purpose white in your cakes? Like white wheat , spelt or oat? try to bake just a bit healthier. Thanks!
Krishna says
Hi alison!
This cake looks insane! How do you think I could modify the recipe for two 8 inch pans?
Thank you!
Elsa Cruz says
Loved the cake, the icing it’s too much sugar for my taste.
Cate says
hi Alison! this looks amazing but I dont’t have any apple cider vinegar – is there something else I could use instead? If not I guess I’ll be going out on a search for ACV hahah xx
Alison Andrews says
You could use white vinegar if you have that? Alternatively some commenters have noted that they used lemon juice instead and it worked fine. The important aspect is that it must be an acid to react with the baking soda so in that respect lemon juice should work fine. All the best! 🙂
Catrina Corina says
Hello! Thank you very much for this recipe! I have just one problem. How can I replace the sugar with a low glycemic substitute and in what quantity? Thank you very much for your answer.
Alison Andrews says
No idea at all sorry, this isn’t my area of expertise and would be something you would need to experiment with. All the best! 🙂
Isabelle says
Hi Alison.I am Isabelle and I am in France….and sorry for my bad English! I have only one cake tin! Is it a problem? Today, It is Halloween and I would like to make this super cake for may husband and my friends… and also for me… Thanks for your advices. Isabelle
Alison Andrews says
Hi Isabelle, it depends on the size of the cake tin. Is it a 9″ round cake tin? In that case it might be okay to do this in a single layer. If it is a smaller cake tin, it might still work out okay, but you would likely have to cook it longer and it’s a bit more variable.
Isabelle says
Thank you so much!
Lori says
I like to have pineapple in my carrot cake. Should I just add a small can of crushed pineapple to all the ingredients in this recipe or should I omit something?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lori, I am pretty sure there have been other commenters that have added pineapple, so maybe some of the other comments will have more info. It is a wet ingredient so you could let it replace some of the oil.
Lisa says
Hi Alison! I’m desperate to make this carrot cake but I don’t have any 7″ cake tins, I only have 2 x 6″ + 2 x 8″ round tins that are both 4″ deep. Can you advise me which size tin would be the best one to go with and would it alter the cooking time? Hope you can help xxx
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lisa, I would probably rather go for the 2 6″ tins, the layers will be a bit taller, but I don’t see a problem with that! It could be that it needs a few minutes longer, but it also might not. I would bake for the normal recipe time and then check with the toothpick method and see if it needs a little longer. All the best! 🙂
Lisa says
That’s great advice,! I’m making this cake on Wednesday so I’ll be back with the outcome. Wish me luck!! Thank you Alison xx
Kristy says
Hi! My friend wants me to make this for a birthday party. She wants a 4” cake and cupcakes. What would the baking times be?? Any help would be very appreciated! Thank you =)
Alison Andrews says
We have some carrot cake cupcakes you could take a look at. I’m not sure about adapting this for 4″ or how that would work. Maybe the same recipe but make more layers?
Cidália Silva says
Love it. It’s so simple to make and it’s really delicious. I put some pecan in the end because I love the flavour of it. Thank you for the recipe…. I will repeat it for sure.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful to hear that! Thanks so much for posting and the awesome rating! 🙂
jayne wright says
This is the most amazing carrot cake. I have made this a LOT now! I amend it slightly and use 1/2 cup coconut sugar and 1/2 cup brown rice syrup instead of the 1.5 cups of sugar. It comes out perfect and just sweet enough every time. Just made a variation with a teaspoon of ginger and a handful of crystalised ginger…sooooooo YUMMY! Thank you so much for your amazing recipe!
Alison Andrews says
That’s amazing to hear! Thanks for sharing Jayne! 🙂
Megan says
So excited to make this for my mama birthday. I don’t have flax. Can I use regular eggs? This had the best reviews i could find. I’m fine without it being vegan. Thanks for the help!