The best Vegan Carrot Cake! Perfectly spiced, incredibly moist, topped with creamy vegan cream cheese frosting and simple to make in just 1 bowl!

a bite taken from a big slice of vegan carrot cake with orange flowers in background

Once you realize how easy this vegan carrot cake is to make, you will find yourself making it over and over again! Not only is it 100% vegan, it is simply the best tasting carrot cake, vegan or not. No one will guess it’s free of eggs, milk and butter!

The cake layers are super moist, perfectly sweet and full of texture. It’s an incredible dessert for Easter or any day of the week when a craving strikes.

Just like my Vegan Chocolate Cake and Vegan Funfetti Cake, this carrot cake is made in just 1 bowl. I love easy dessert recipes!

Ingredients you need (with substitutions)

  • All purpose flour – May substitute a gluten free flour mix, if needed. Many have tried this with success!
  • Brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder and baking soda
  • Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt
  • Oil – I used canola oil, but you can use grapeseed oil, melted coconut oil or vegan butter. You might be able to substitute more applesauce for oil, but I’m afraid it will come out a bit gummy.
  • Applesauce – Try substituting crushed canned pineapple for a change!
  • Almond milk – Any non-dairy milk works here, such as soy, oat or coconut milk.
  • Vanilla
  • Grated carrots
  • Walnuts, optional – Simply omit for nut free. Or substitute pecans, raisins, etc.
  • Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting or Vegan Vanilla Frosting.
whole cake with swirly frosting and walnuts on the edges

How to make Vegan Carrot Cake

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below. This is simply an overview with photos.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 8-inch cake pans with a little circle of parchment paper, and then spray the pans generously with oil. This will help your cakes come out of the pans with no problems!

Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl.

sugars and flour in a clear bowl

Using a stand mixer or simply a whisk, whisk the ingredients to combine.

dry ingredients being mixed in a bowl

To the bowl with the mixed dry ingredients, pour in the canola oil, applesauce, non-dairy milk, and vanilla. Mix to combine, but be careful not to over mix. If you are using a stand mixer, use the lowest setting and do not over mix, the cake will come out dense and chewy if you do.

oil, applesauce and vanilla being added to dry ingredients in a bowl

Add the shredded carrots and walnuts, if using, and fold them into the batter gently.

Again, do not over mix! I can’t stress this enough. Just mix until combined, and gently.

shredded carrots and walnuts being added to a clear bowl with batter
carrot cake batter in a clear bowl with a spatula

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans and bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

two unbaked vegan carrot cakes in round pans

Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 20 minutes before carefully removing them. Let them cool on a cooling rack completely before frosting.

two layer carrot cake on cooling rack, no frosting

Vegan carrot cake frosting

Traditionally, carrot cake is frosted with cream cheese frosting, so I prefer my Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting for this cake. Vanilla Frosting is also a great option. Or you could even make this tart cream cheese-like frosting from my Pumpkin Cake Bars recipe. Or lemon buttercream from my Vegan Lemon Cake recipe.

The only thing with vegan cream cheese frosting is it can be a bit unstable if it gets warm, so make absolutely sure your cakes are cooled completely before frosting, and keep the frosted cake in the refrigerator, just to make sure the top layer of your cake doesn’t slip off!

If you plan on serving this cake outdoors or want to leave it out in a warm room for awhile, I’d go with one of the buttercream frostings so the cake doesn’t slip.

frosting being spread on a cake

Vegan carrot cake cupcakes

This recipe works great for cupcakes! Fill liners 3/4 of the way full and bake cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle. Let cool completely, then frost as desired.

Gluten free vegan carrot cake

Substitute a quality gluten free flour mix for the all purpose flour to make this cake gluten free. I prefer King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.

The outcome will be slightly different, but still really good!

Variations

  • For a 9×13 inch cake, bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is set.
  • Make a triple layer cake by using 3 6-inch pans, baking for a little less time (25-30 minutes.)
  • For a carrot bundt cake, place the batter in a bundt pan and bake for about 60 minutes until done.
piece of vegan carrot cake on a plate with orange flower in background

How to store leftover cake

If you frost it with cream cheese frosting, the cake will need to be kept in the refrigerator. If you use vanilla frosting instead, you could store it on the counter for a few days.

It will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week, and can also be frozen. Cover any cut parts so it doesn’t dry out.

a fork about to take a bite of orange cake

Want more amazing vegan cake recipes?

piece of orange cake on a plate with walnuts on the frosting
4.91 stars (155 ratings)

1 Bowl Vegan Carrot Cake

The best Vegan Carrot Cake! Perfectly spiced, incredibly moist, topped with creamy vegan cream cheese frosting and simple to make in just 1 bowl!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup applesauce or crushed pineapple
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 3 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots)
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
  • 1/2 cup raisins, optional
  • 1 Recipe Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 2 round 8-inch cake pans by lining the bottom with parchment paper and spraying well with oil.
  • In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk well. 
  • Pour in the canola oil, applesauce, almond milk and vanilla and mix until combined with a large spoon. Now fold in the grated carrots and walnuts. Be very careful not to over mix the batter, or your cake will come out dense and chewy!
  • Pour the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans, then bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cakes are set. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for about 20 minutes before carefully removing from the pans. Allow the cakes to cool completely before frosting.
  • Once cooled completely, frost with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, or Vegan Vanilla Frosting if preferred. Enjoy! Store leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, covered.

Video

Notes

  1. May substitute a gluten free all purpose flour for gluten free.
  2. For nut free, omit the walnuts.
  3. May substitute soy, coconut or any other non-dairy milk for almond milk.
  4. May use melted coconut oil or another oil in place of the canola.
  5. To make cupcakes instead, fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20-25 minutes until set on top. Pipe frosting on each cupcake.
  6. This cake freezes well for up to 3 months. Wrap well to avoid freezer burn.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 5352IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

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Comments

  1. Made this yesterday! Turned out so well and was such an easy to put together. Didnโ€™t have time to make the frosting but tasted amazing nevertheless

  2. My husband requested a carrot cake for his birthday. I decided to use this recipe and oh boy, I’m so glad I did!!!

    I ended up also using your vegan buttercream frosting to top it with. SO GOOD!!! Just unbelievable. Definitely the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten, let alone made myself! Thank you!

    I use your recipes frequently and this has been my favorite so far. We ate the whole cake in like two days!

  3. I truly love your recipes! I am baking the carrot cake for my momโ€™s birthday today and she only has a bundt tin. Do you think your cream cheese frosting recipe still works for it? Any tips? Thanks so much!!

    1. Hi Georgia. Happy birthday to your mom! Though I have not baked this as a bundt cake, others have with success. I would try baking for about 60 mins at 350 degrees. The frosting should work well with the bundt cake! Enjoy!
      !

    1. I’m not sure where you got that “sugar is never to be used in vegan recipes”, or white flour? It’s true some sugar is processed with bone char, but the problem is solved if you buy organic sugar (also, in other parts of the world they don’t use bone char, so it just depends on where you are). White flour is vegan… Also, I’m not forcing you to use any ingredients you don’t want to, but you probably won’t love my recipes, especially desserts, because I use white flour and sugar.

  4. hello! im really looking forward to making this cake tomorrow and i was wondering how much sugar i can omit without affecting the texture of the cake so its not overly sweet. absolutely adore your chocolate cake recipe and have made it countless times but i usually will only reduce thirty grams or so. but the sugar here looks more so im not sure!
    thank you <3

    1. Hi! I haven’t tested this myself, but I bet you could cut the sugar in half even and have it work out okay. It will be less sweet, of course, but if that’s what you’re after it should be okay. Enjoy!

    1. It will be too much batter for 2 6-inch pans, but you could probably do 3 6-inch pans. Or don’t use all the batter (perhaps make some cupcakes with the leftover).

  5. Love the many recipes from Nora Iโ€™ve made for my daughter with allergies. 5-stars across the board.

    Why arenโ€™t we separating wet and dry ingredients? Itโ€™s only one more bowl to wash and gives you way more control to get even mixing without over-mixing. Just get another bowl team.

  6. Nora I will be making this cake for my sonโ€™s October wedding, using your buttercream frosting from your fabulous Pumpkin Bars. Amazing howโ€™s it tastes like cream cheese!!! It will be 3 layers (Iโ€™ll be using (3) 2โ€ deep 9โ€ Fat Daddioโ€™s cake pans). Should I use 1 1/2 times or 2 times the recipe? Also how full should I fill the pans for the best rise? Iโ€™m a bit nervousโ€ฆnot about your recipie as any recipie Iโ€™ve made from you has been awesome! Wish me luck!
    (If I have extra batter I guess I can do a few cupcakes).

    1. Oooh how fun! It’s a little hard for me to say exactly, as I haven’t tried this myself. If it were me, I’d 2x the recipe just to be sure I have enough batter. I’d probably fill the cake pans about 1/2 full or so, and check often with a toothpick. When it comes out clean, or mostly clean with no wet batter, the cakes are done. Hope that helps and everyone loves it!

    1. Yes, you can. It will take longer to bake though, probably around 45-55 minutes I’d guess. I’m so glad you love my recipes, thanks!

  7. I made this for my birthday! And no party! I had been hankering for a birthday cake and as it’s usually up to me, I don’t get one. Found this recipe, added walnuts, made my own cream cheese version of frosting with lemon zest and juice and it couldn’t have turned out more delicious! I ate almost the whole cake, eventually. It is one big dense cake! Easy to make, even easier to eat! Thanks Nora.

    1. Hi Dana. Happy birthday to you! I’m thrilled that you loved the cake! Thanks for your wonderful review and fun feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!

  8. So good and easy to make! I really appreciate the clear instructions and the metric measurements.

    Thank you so much!! Will have to fight the urge to not eat it all in one day.

    1. Hi Ingrid. It’s great to hear you find the instructions easy to use! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful review and feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the cake!

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