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Vegan gluten free carrot cake cupcake topped with frosting and chopped walnuts.
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4.94 from 16 votes

Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These vegan gluten free carrot cake cupcakes are rich, moist and so delicious. No one will ever guess they're gluten free.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Cupcakes, Dessert, Gluten-Free
Cuisine: American, Vegan
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 12
Calories: 453kcal
Author: Alison Andrews

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

  • 2 cups Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour (250g)
  • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
  • 1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 ¼ tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 2 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Nutmeg
  • 2 Flax Eggs 2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed + 6 Tablespoons Hot Water
  • 2 ⅓ cups Grated Carrot (256g)
  • ½ cup Canola Oil (120ml) or Vegetable Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Applesauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Frosting:

For Decoration (Optional):

  • Crushed Walnuts or Pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
  • Add gluten free all purpose flour to a mixing bowl along with light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix together.
  • Prepare your flax eggs by mixing 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 6 tablespoons of hot water. Let it sit for a minute to become gloopy.
  • Add the flax eggs, grated carrot, oil, applesauce, vinegar and vanilla extract and mix into a thick batter. If you have any difficulty mixing it, then just leave the bowl for a minute. When you come back to it the carrots will have released more moisture into the bowl and you'll be able to mix it into a batter.
  • Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners. The cupcake liners will be full to the top or close to the top.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
  • Let the cupcakes cool in the cupcake tray for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
  • When the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with lemon buttercream frosting and decorate with chopped walnuts.

Notes

  1. Gluten free all purpose flour - this should be a blend that is meant for baking. I have used blends that contain xanthan gum and blends that didn't. It hasn't appeared to make a difference. So any blend that is available to you and that is meant for baking, should be great.
  2. Carrots - should be freshly grated/shredded for this recipe. Don't use pre-shredded carrots as they won't have the moisture you need for this recipe.
  3. Storing. These cupcakes can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.
  4. Freezing. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge.
  5. Nutritional information includes the frosting. 
  6. This recipe has been updated with new photos and lots of extra tips. The recipe itself is unchanged. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cupcake | Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 128mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 59g | Vitamin A: 4520IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg