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.
Aneta says
Hi
What vegan butter you are using
David Hall says
It’s an excellent, very tasty cake but my lemon cream separated a bit ….I followed the recipe exactly …..and I let the two cake halves cool ….we still ate it though!
Alison Andrews says
Hi David! I’m not sure what might’ve caused that, but I’m so happy it tasted good! Thanks for the great review. 🙂
David Hall says
I made the cake again but left out the apple cider vinegar ( although I’m a big fan of this stuff!) …..the lemon butter cream did not separate this time …..I also used a different ( better) brand of vegan butter . Gorgeous cake ….yet again . I also forgot the walnuts , agsin !
Alison Andrews says
Haha, those darn walnuts! So happy to hear it worked well thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Maninder says
Hi!
Great recipe! Can you please suggest an alternative to Apple cider vinegar?
Alison Andrews says
You can try lemon juice. 🙂
Emma says
Have made this twice now. Use apple sauce instead of flax seed. Tastes beautiful. Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks so much Emma. 🙂
SUSAN NELSON says
Hi Alison,
Sorry but I am slightly confused … 2 Cups Flour = 500g All Purpose Flour?
Thanks
Alison Andrews says
Hi Susan, no a cup of flour is 125g, so two cups is 250g. 🙂
Karen says
Awesome cake Alison, I used spelt flour and it’s so deliciously light and fluffy. Thank you, this recipe will certainly be made again and again.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! So glad you liked it and that it worked well with spelt flour. Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Sara says
WOW! I just made this yesterday for my dad’s birthday – it turned out so perfect! I was reluctant about adding the olive oil, especially because the entire batter tasted like olive oil. When I baked it, it turned out perfectly. No strong olive oil taste.
I used a vegan buttercream (bought it from Bulk Barn). Would love to share pictures of how it turned out but I don’t think I can post here.
Thank you!!!! I love this recipe.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Sara! So happy it came out well! I would love to see pics, but unfortunately the comments don’t allow for it, if you’re on instagram would love to see it there, just tag us @lovingitvegan and #lovingitvegan. Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Loraine says
Has this recipe been tested a couple of times to make sure that the cake doesn’t turn out in a different way? It is a simply darling little recipe and I can’t wait to try it
Alison Andrews says
Yes it has! It has been tested numerous times and also has received hundreds of comments and 5* reviews, it definitely is a winner! Hope you try it and enjoy it. 🙂
Gina says
Have you ever tried this with 8inch pan? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 7 inch pan. I have 6, 8, 9, and 10! Lol
Alison Andrews says
Hi Gina, I think this would work great with 6″ as well, the layers would just be taller. All the best. 🙂
Lynsey says
Can you advise me on what to use if I have no flax egg? I need to make this cake lol. Xx
Alison Andrews says
Hi Lynsey, you can try it with applesauce instead – 3 Tbsp applesauce to replace 1 flax egg. 🙂
Karen says
Very helpful thank you!! I presume this doesn’t change the flavour of the carrot cake??
Dee says
Delicious!! So soft and moist. Icing tastes amazing.
I halved the recipe and baked for 20 mins, came out perfect. ❤️
Zach says
Cake tasted amazing, though I only used 1/2 C of coconut sugar and 1/2 C of turbinado sugar and it was plenty sweet. Not a huge fan of the icing… it was insanely sweet and I only used 3 C of icing sugar. Any less and it would’ve been too runny. I did LOVE the lemon flavor though. Overall awesome recipe I just don’t think it needs to be so sweet (and I do have a sweet tooth haha).
Tamar says
I made this today and it came out great! I baked all of the batter in one pan and only put a layer of frosting on top, which is fine as the cake is so good as is. I did add a splash of soy milk to make the batter abit more runny. I liked this one better than carrot cakes I’ve made in the past (which were made with applesauce) and will be making it again and again!
Maia says
Best carrot cake everrrr! I have made this recipe multiple times and it always turns out amazing! I am not vegan myself but I make this for my dairy free and vegan friends and we all love it! Better than any other non vegan carrot cake I have tried. Thanks so much!
Alison Andrews says
That is amazing to hear Maia! Thank you so much! 🙂
Ruth says
I loveee this recipe! I have made these carrot cakes 4 times in the past two months for different groups of friends. ALL my non-vegan friends loved it so much. My food processor makes life 10x easier as I can grate carrots in 30 seconds. I made some adjustments to the recipe and it has worked wonderfully: I reduced the sugar from 300g to 140g, and oil to 100ml and added 20ml of water to replenish the fluid. Thanks for the amazing recipe 🙂
I have made your double chocolate chip cookies many times as well! Your blog is my go-to when i search for more dessert ideas. I post some of my creations on my instagram @_plantbased_pharmacist.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Ruth, so happy to hear you love the recipe and thanks for sharing your adjustments! So glad as well that you’re finding other dessert ideas here, those chocolate cookies are also a personal favorite! 🙂