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
4.90 stars (142 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!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here.

Posted In: , , , , ,

you may also like:

Comments

  1. I want to love this recipe with the simple ingredients and great reviews but something went terribly wrong for me. I subbed gf flour made with coconut and the batter was so thick. My carrots that I grated were about triple what you estimated to make 3 cups. It’s took about 8 large carrots. I used crushed pineapple to replace the applesauce and after 1 hour in the oven I had to give up and call it a fail. Was so looking forward to having this for Easter but I have no idea what went wrong. Could it have been the flour  ? Or too much carrot making the cake wet ? It would not cook at all was still like a batter after one hour in the oven. I’m going to try this again with regular flour and squeeze the excess water from the carrots but I’m not sure if anyone else had come across a problem. Any tips for grating or using a food processor instead ? Everything seemed so off compared to the written recipes for the looks of the pictures and for the amount of carrots I came out with to make one cup. 

    1. Hi Jenna! The biggest issue here is that it sounds like you used coconut flour, not regular flour or even a gluten free all purpose 1:1 flour. I haven’t tested it myself with gluten free flour, but many have reported success doing so. Coconut flour, however is a whole different thing and does not work well. You have to plan an entire recipe around using coconut flour, it does not substitute well especially in cake. I just made this the other day and I used 3 large carrots, in fact I think I didn’t need all 3, so I’m not quite sure what’s going on there. I just use a cheese like grater, not a food processor, but either way you should end up with about a cup per large carrot, depending on the size. If you use regular flour, and carefully measure everything, it will turn out great!

  2. Made this for the first time and it is amazing! My family was impressed how tasty it was!! I did make it into a 13×9 cake pan, baked for 55minutes and used the frosting recipe from the pumpkin cookies! I enjoy ALL your recipes and appreciate your hard work creating vegan friendly options, thank you!!

    1. Hi Dee. Thank you for taking your time to share your awesome review and kind comments! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you for using them, and happy cooking!

  3. Great recipe!!! I did change the recipe for the cream cheese frosting a little bit though, because I often find frosting too sweet. I used 2 (8oz) cream cheese, 2 tsp if vanilla, 1/2 cup of butter, and about 3 cups of powdered sugar.

    Overall, absolutely delicious carrot cake!

    1. 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. Hope this helps, Cali.

    2. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It would probably need around 60 minutes to bake.

  4. We made a gluten-free version of this cake this weekend. It is the best vegan/GF carrot cake I have ever had. The frosting is a must-have. Thanks for posting!

  5. I’m looking forward to making this for my new daughter-in-law who is Vegan. Can I make this in a 13 x 9 pan? Thank you, Candice

    1. Hope she loves it! Yes, you can. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.

  6. Love your recipes! Haven’t made this one yet but very excited to make it for easter this year. Wondering— Should I use unsweetened applesauce or the sweetened regular kind? Please let me know. I don’t want it to be too sweet or too tart either. Thank you!!

    1. I’m not sure, the cake may come out pretty dense if you do. I haven’t tried it though so it’s hard to say!

  7. Made this yesterday. It is delicious and easy! I also did the vegan cream cheese icing and it is a major hit! I made it exactly as written.

    1. Thank you Kristin! I’m glad the cake was a hit! I appreciate you taking your time to share your review!

    1. Hi Chelsea. I would actually replace the applesauce with canned pineapple, about a cup or a little more, for best results. Sounds wonderful!

  8. So incredibly fluffy and moist! I subbed half the applesauce with avocado oil, and also made sure to sift the dry ingredients for that extra fluff factor! It was delicious with the vegan cream cheese frosting!

    1. Hi Camille. Sure, that should work fine! You will need to bake the cake a bit longer, perhaps for 40-50 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure it comes out mostly clean in the middle. Enjoy!

    2. I made this using Bobs Gluten Free All Purpose Flour and added 1/2tsp of Xanthan gum and it was delicious! 

    1. I haven’t but I’m sure it would work well. I would bake muffins/cupcakes for 30 minutes, until done. Hope that helps!

  9. This was so yummy. Was a 1/4.cup short on nuts and turned out great anyway. Made the vegan butter frosting which is delicious and especially appreciated the generous amount of frosting it made.

  10. I made this for our son’s college graduation party since the whole family recently went vegan. Nobody could tell the difference between this and “normal’ carrot cake and cream cheese frosting (I made your vegan cream cheese frosting). A couple people said it was so much tastier than any other carrot cake they had ever tasted. Delicious!

    1. Hi Pam. I love hearing that the cake was loved by all! Congrats to your son! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful review!

  11. This was easy and delicious. I halved the sugars (both) still came out great. I used a lemon icing. Making it again today!!!!

  12. This was outstanding!  We love carrot cake in my family and I made this form my mom’s birthday!  This is the best carrot cake I have ever made (including before I was vegan).  I made this with your cream cheese frosting recipe and it was a perfect complement!
    I used 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple and 1/2 cup of applesauce.  I also added some raisins.  
    I will definitely make this again and again.  Thank you!

  13. Hi! If I want to split this cake into three 8” pans to make three thinner layers, how should I modify the baking time? Thank you!

  14. It speaks volumes to the quality of this recipe that plenty of folks make substitutions and it turns out beautifully nonetheless. My changes: 4 tablespoons flaxseed + 12 tablespoons water instead of the applesauce, then baked in a Bundt pan for 60-70 minutes. I like being able to whip the flax eggs to add a little more volume and lift to a potentially dense Bundt cake – it turned out magnificently!!  It rose quite high in the oven and after cooling turned out to be the perfect texture – denser than a vanilla or chocolate cake, but not too heavy. Thank you so much Nora (and all of the other adventuresome readers!)

    1. Hi Camille. It’s always interesting and fun to learn how others make little substitutions and changes to my recipes! I’m so glad this cake turned out magnificent for you! Thank you very much for taking the time to share!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.