This vegan carrot is truly incredible and the best you’ll ever eat! It’s perfectly fluffy and moist and even loved even by non-vegans. It’s a no-fuss favorite as it’s made with simple ingredients and comes together in one bowl. And the cake is finished with a vegan cream cheese frosting for the dreamiest dessert!

Vegan carrot cake decorated with frosting and mini buttercream carrots. Cake is on plate with slice lifted up.

Why you’ll love this carrot cake

TASTE/TEXTURE: Moist crumb that sticks to your fork with just the perfect amount of warm spices. I’ve served this cake to non-vegans and they couldn’t tell that it didn’t contain eggs, dairy or conventional butter!

OCCASION: Perfect for Easter, Spring or whenever you need a classic dessert.

DIFFICULTY: The cake comes together in one bowl and you don’t need to use any special egg replacers!

Ingredients you’ll need

Flat-lay of ingredients for carrot cake.

The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Notes about the ingredients

Coarsely shredded carrots add moisture and flavor to this vegan carrot cake. You can use a box grater or food processor to grate your carrots. I don’t recommend pre-grated carrots as they tend to be drier and we need the moisture for this cake!

Neutral oil keeps the cake soft and moist, and allows the other flavors to shine. Melted coconut oil will work but I recommend serving the cake at room temperature as coconut oil solidifies at certain temperatures and can make a cake feel dry.

Dairy-free milk. I used unsweetened soy milk but any variety will work.

Brown sugar and granulated sugar. Brown sugar adds flavor and moisture, whereas granulated sugar keeps the carrot cake fluffy. We get the best of both worlds!

Apple cider vinegar reacts with the milk to make vegan buttermilk, which makes the cake softer and tender. Eggless cakes can still be fluffy!

Carrot cake with few slices taken out showing golden interior.

How to make vegan carrot cake

This recipe is easy to make as the cake comes together in one bowl!

In one large bowl, stir the dry ingredients until combined and there are no lumps (especially lumps of brown sugar). Add all the wet ingredients and mix until combined. If you’re using nuts, you can add them at the same time as the wet ingredients.

You can mix the batter by hand, with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Whatever you choose, make sure you don’t overmix the cake batter otherwise your carrot cake will be dense and tough.

Four image collage showing how to make carrot cake batter in one bowl.

Baking tips

Your carrot cake layers may slightly dome in the oven and, if they do, I suggest trimming them off! Flat layers are much easier to stack and make for a more stable cake.

If you have cake strips, I recommend using them for this recipe as they help minimize any doming.

Two image collage showing before and after carrot cakes have been baked in round cake pans.

Decorating the carrot cake

Make sure the cake layers are completely cool before decorating. Cream cheese frosting is very sensitive to warm temperatures, and a warm cake will melt the frosting.

If you don’t have cream cheese, I recommend using a classic buttercream frosting with a squeeze of lemon (for example, from my lemon cake recipe). The lemon adds tartness to the buttercream which is slightly reminiscent of cream cheese frosting!

Overhead image of carrot cake decorated with buttercream piped to look like mini carrots.

Customizing this recipe

Can I add anything else to this vegan carrot cake?

Yes! This carrot would be delicious with these mix-ins:
– shredded or fine coconut
– raisins
– different spices for example, cardamom
– orange or lemon zest

If you’d like to add crushed pineapple, I definitely recommend reducing the plant milk otherwise your cake will have too much moisture. Alternatively, check out my vegan hummingbird cake made with banana, pineapple and pecans!

Can I bake the carrot cake in different cake pans?

This recipe will also work in:
– Two 7-inch and 9-inch round cake pans. If using 7-inch pans, they’ll need to be at least 2 inches tall otherwise they will overflow. You will also need to adjust the baking time.
– One 9-inch square cake pan
– One 10-inch round cake pan
– One 9×13 inch rectangle pan for a sheet cake

Alternatively, check out my carrot cake loaf, carrot muffins or carrot cupcakes.

Can I make a healthier carrot cake?

Yes, try using whole wheat flour or spelt flour combined with coconut sugar. But add an extra dash of milk as those flours are more absorbent. You can replace oil with applesauce, but your cake will have a very different texture.

If you’d like a recipe with less sugar, see my carrot cake loaf or muffins.

Carrot cake fans will also like my carrot cake cookies!

Close up of one slice of carrot cake showing layers, golden interior and coarse texture.

More vegan cake recipes

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Vegan Strawberry Cake
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Vegan Red Velvet Cake

Easy Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cake
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Vegan Apple Cake

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5 from 46 reviews

Vegan Carrot Cake

Yield: 16 people
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Author: Anthea
This vegan carrot is truly incredible and the best you'll ever eat! It's perfectly fluffy and moist and even loved even by non-vegans. It's a no-fuss favorite as it's made with simple ingredients and comes together in one bowl. And the cake is finished with a vegan cream cheese frosting for the dreamiest dessert!
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

Wet ingredients

  • 3 cups (300g) coarsely grated carrots, (around 3-4 medium carrots)
  • 1 ¼ cups (315g) dairy-free milk, room temperature
  • ½ cup (125g) neutral flavored oil, or a light olive oil
  • 1 cup (120g) chopped walnuts, or pecans, optional (note 3 for other add-ins)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar or lemon juice, optional
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting (see note 4 for frosting without cream cheese)

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease or line 2 x 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper.

Make the vegan carrot cake (note 5 for make-ahead instructions):

  • Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until the mixture is well combined and there are no lumps. Add all the wet ingredients (including the carrots and nuts) and mix until just combined.
  • Evenly divide the carrot cake batter into your prepared cake pans.
  • Bake the cakes for around 35-40 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and it comes out clean.
  • Allow the cakes to cool completely in their pans on a cooling rack.

Make the cream cheese frosting:

  • Add the vegan butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until just combined. Finally, add the vegan cream cheese and the vanilla and beat until there are no lumps. If your frosting is too runny, add up to 1 extra cup of powdered sugar, corn starch or drizzle in the shortening while mixing. Avoid overmixing as this will cause the frosting to soften.
  • Chill the frosting until needed.

Frosting the cake:

  • When the cakes have completely cooled, place one layer on a serving plate.
  • Spread or pipe around ¾ cup of frosting on the cake and place the remaining cake on top.
  • Spread the remaining frosting on the cake. If you have excess frosting, use a piping bag with a star nozzle to pipe the remaining frosting on top of the cake. Decorate the cake as desired.
  • Store the frosted vegan carrot cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Allow the cake to come to room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month.

Video

Notes

  1. Measuring the flour: Make sure you measure the flour accurately, otherwise your cake may be dense and dry. If using measuring cups, use the spoon and level method where you fluff up the flour in its bag, use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Using the measuring cup to scoop flour out of your container will result in a dry cake. For the best results, use the gram measurements.
  2. Gluten-free version: My team and I have tested this carrot cake with King Arthur’s gluten-free measure for measure flour and it works well! Your batter may be thicker, but the cakes will bake beautifully. I recommend baking the cakes for 40-45 minutes.
  3. If you’d like to add raisins or coconut, I recommend reducing the nuts to 1/2 cup (60g) and adding 1 cup (150g) raisins or 1 cup (85g) coconut.
  4. If you don’t have cream cheese, I recommend making lemon buttercream frosting from my vegan lemon cake recipe.
  5. This vegan carrot cake can be prepared the day before. You can make the whole cake, decorate it and store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, you can make the cake layers and store them at room temperature in a container or plastic wrap overnight. The frosting can be made the day before but needs to be chilled in the refrigerator. Let the frosting to come to room temperature before using.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 slice without nuts or frosting, Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Sodium: 216mg, Potassium: 45mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 0.02mg, Calcium: 85mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you Make this Recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @rainbownourishments on Instagram and hashtag #rainbownourishments!

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