This is honestly the best vegan carrot cake I’ve ever had, and it’s a crowd favorite with even non-vegan eaters. Entirely gluten free and topped with a creamy dairy free cream cheese frosting, this easy one bowl carrot cake is soon to be your favorite too!
Reasons to love this vegan carrot cake
Just wait until you try this carrot cake recipe. Seriously, whether you’re vegan or not, I know you will fall in love with it.
This secretly vegan cake is full of rich and sweet spices, and just lightly sweet while being so tender and perfect in texture. Using a dairy free vegan cream cheese frosting, you’ll be able to create a carrot cake fit for a bakery (or even better!).
Pretty cool, right?
If you need more proof, then the carrot cake king himself (my dad lol) claims this is his favorite carrot cake. Carrot cake is his favorite cake of all time, so I wanted to make sure that this healthy carrot cake would pass his high standards 😉
Now, my dad is not one to like many gluten free and/or vegan creations, but I’m going to be honest, carrot cake is one of his weaknesses.
I mean, he loves carrot cake. So when I brought him a slice of this carrot cake, I knew it was the make or break moment, the real moment of truth as to whether this cake stands up to its traditional counterpart.
The verdict? Even better.
This is also one of those vegan cakes that both kids and adults will enjoy, all while getting some good beta-carotene in!
So let’s get into the ingredients for this vegan carrot cake! Because there are a few ingredients that, yes, they’re common in the kitchen, but I’m betting you probably have never tried them in a carrot cake 😉
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Ingredients
For this healthier carrot cake, you’ll need a few key ingredients:
- Grated Carrots: if you want an arm workout, you can grate about 6-7 medium carrots.
- Oat flour: I made my own oat flour. It’s cheaper that way over going to the store and purchasing a whole bag of oat flour (because often times, oat flour goes bad easily!). All you need to do is take about 2 cups of gluten free rolled oats and pulse them in a blender or food processor until it’s in a powder! 2 cups of oats will yield about 1 1/2 cups oat flour for those who are going to make their own.
- Unsweetened applesauce: this is my all time favorite egg replacement and yields the most lush and tender cakes that even classic bakers will drool over!
- Dairy free milk
- Coconut sugar: I think coconut sugar adds a deeper flavor palette to this cake, but you can use granulated sugar!
- Vegan butter: I recommend using Flora Plant Butter for nut free.
- Leavening agents: this is your baking powder and soda
- Spices: well, you can’t have a carrot cake without the spices! I use a blend of cinnamon, Allspice, and nutmeg! Hits the spot!
You’ll notice that what makes this healthy carrot cake slightly different from others is that it’s entirely nut free as well. I always try to keep my nut allergy people in mind when creating these vegan and gluten recipes because I feel they’re highly underserved!
Now onto the vegan cream cheese frosting, because you cannot do a vegan carrot cake with any other frosting, in my humble opinion. And it’s not even complicated! Check out the ingredients below!
We’ve really come a long way with vegan “dairy” options. I personally find that vegan cream cheeses tastes just as good, if not better, than regular cream cheese.
For the frosting you’ll need:
- Vegan cream cheese: I know that Trader Joe’s has a good one that’s more affordable than most name brands, but if you do have a favorite name brand, I love using either Kitehill or Miyoko’s.
- Vegan butter: for a vegan butter that tastes good and is simple, I highly recommend Miyoko’s or Forager Project.
- Coconut milk
- Powdered Sugar
How to make a one bowl vegan carrot cake
As always, the full recipe to this cake is found down below in the recipe card. However, let’s go over the basics here!
Start by combining the wet ingredients. This is the dairy free milk, coconut sugar, applesauce, vegan butter, vanilla, and carrots. I mix everything with a rubber spatula, as I find this is the best tool that later helps with mixing in the flour.
I know that coconut sugar isn’t exactly a wet ingredient, but it’s typically combined with the vegan butter in cake recipes, so it makes sense to add it here!
Add in the dry ingredients. This is the oat flour, leavening agents, and spices. I sift them in to help with evenly distributing the spices throughout the cake. Use a rubber spatula here to gently stir in the flour, being careful not to over mix. I try to mix just until there are no more dry streaks left.
Divide the batter into cake pans. I made this into a three layer 6″ cake, but you can also bake it in a two layer 8″ cake!
Bake and cool the layers. Once baked, it’s imperative that the layers full cool before you begin to frost and layer the cake. This is to prevent the cake from slipping and sliding onto the floor!
Carrot Cake FAQ’s & Tips
Do I have to make this vegan carrot cake gluten free? Absolutely not! If you’d like, you can swap in all purpose flour or cake flour (my favorite) for this carrot cake. If you don’t have oat flour, you can also use your favorite gluten free 1:1 baking flour.
Just keep in mind that not all gluten free 1:1 baking flours work on all recipes without adjustments. I’ve tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill, and it absolutely works.
Can I add walnuts to this carrot cake? You can definitely toss in 1/2 cup walnuts to the batter if you’re not nut free.
What vegan cream cheese should I use? I recommend Violife cream cheese as a great nut free option.
How do you make oat flour? Can I use store bought? You can use store-bought or homemade here. For homemade oat flour, see this post.
Can I make this into a 9″ cake? Yes definitely! Just be aware that the bake times will be slightly different.
How about carrot cake cupcakes? Definitely! This recipe will yield about 24 cupcakes. You can also cut the recipe in half to make only a dozen.
I still can’t get over how delicious this vegan carrot cake tastes, and with the vegan cream cheese frosting, you’re just going to be blown away!
I’m planning on making this recipe for Easter, but it’s also wonderful during fall and Christmas time 🙂
I’ll probably make this for my dad on Father’s Day as well, since he loved it so much! Oh, and don’t expect this cake to last you long, because it will for sure be gone in the snap of a finger!
Let me know in the comments below if you gave it a try, as well as leaving a rating down below ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find it!
As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there.
Happy carrot cake baking!
More classic vegan cake recipes:
Paleo Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Gluten Free Vegan Red Velvet Cake
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make something from The Banana Diaries, I would love to see your creations! Make sure to leave a review in comments section, as well as giving it a rating so that others may find the recipe. Also, follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Facebook for more vegan recipe inspiration!
PrintVegan Carrot Cake {Gluten Free}
This is honestly the best vegan carrot cake I’ve ever had, and it’s a crowd favorite with even non-vegan eaters. Entirely gluten free and topped with a creamy dairy free cream cheese frosting, this easy one bowl carrot cake is soon to be your favorite too!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 18 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Vegan Carrot Cake
- 2 cups grated carrots, about 6–8 medium carrots
- 1 1/2 cups dairy free milk, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1/2 vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups oat flour, all purpose flour, or cake flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup vegan cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 cup vegan butter (room temperature)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp dairy free milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and line three 6″ cake pans with cooking oil and parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the dairy free milk, coconut sugar, applesauce, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and grated carrots using a rubber spatula. Mix thoroughly.
- Sift in the flour, leavening agents, and spices. Use the rubber spatula to mix the flour into the wet ingredients. Be careful not to over mix. I try to mix just until there are no dry streaks left.
- Divide the batter evenly into the cake pans.
- Bake the cakes for about 28-32 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to cooling rack to fully cool. Do not frost until the cakes are cool to touch, and there is absolutely no heat coming from them.
- To prepare the frosting, cream together the vegan butter and cream cheese with a stand mixer or using a hand mixer and a large bowl.
- Sift in the powdered sugar in increments of 1 cup, beating the mixture between each cup until combined. Add in 1-2 tbsp dairy free milk if needed to achieve a smooth texture.
- Frost the cake, applying about 1/3 cup frosting in between each layer, and coating the sides of the cake. If you’d like to pipe the carrots onto the sides, reserve about 1/2 cup total frosting and divide in two bowls. Color one with vegan orange coloring and the other with vegan green. I used a Wilton Piping Tip 66 and Wilton Piping Tip 1.
- Slice and serve!
Notes
The Original Paleo Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe:
This recipe has been retested and adjusted from its original to suit more households. However, there are some original readers that love the original Paleo Vegan carrot cake version, so I left it here in case you prefer this one!
Vegan Carrot Cake
- 1 cup shredded carrots (can buy pre-shredded)
- 1 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 1/2 cup cassava flour flour
- 3 tbsp ground flax/chia seed (mixed with 1/3 cup water)
- 1 cup coconut milk with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil or vegan butter (unsalted) (melted)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato (pre-cooked)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup vegan cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 cup vegan butter (room temperature)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- 1 batch vegan caramel sauce (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375F and grease three 6″ cake pans with olive or coconut oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, cassava flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and sea salt.
- Pour in coconut milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and ground flax seed mixture, and mix until well combined.
- Add in shredded carrots and mashed sweet potato. Mix thoroughly.
- Pour evenly into both cake pans and place cake pans in the oven.
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool fully before frosting.
- *Follow instructions below for the frosting so that you make it while the cakes are cooling.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl and using a hand mixer, beat together vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and coconut milk.
- Add in powdered sugar and beat until it becomes thick.
- Set aside and cover until ready to frost (you can place it for a few minutes in the fridge, but not too long because you don’t want it to harden).
- Frost cake, top with vegan caramel sauce if desired, and enjoy!
Keywords: vegan carrot cake, gluten free vegan carrot cake, healthy vegan carrot cake, healthy carrot cake
WHOA that is a work of art!
★★★★★
You are just the sweetest!
Hi! Can I sub rice flour with spelt or almond flour?
Hi Sari! I believe that you could! I haven’t tried it myself, but almond flour is typically a 1-to-1 ratio 🙂 I would actually recommend subbing in 3/4 cup coconut flour because that I have tried, and it’s very good! 🙂 I hope that helps!
Hi I want to use coconut flour instead of cassava flour will that work? If so what amount of coconut flour do I use? Thanks !
Hi Sara! Unfortunately coconut flour won’t really work on this cake- it would be very different ratios (since you don’t need a lot of coconut flour for recipes, but I just worry it wouldn’t work here!). I’m so sorry!
This cake is amazing! And that drizzle is just perfection! Couldn’t think of a better way to eat my veggies 🙂
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear it!! Thank you so much for the review!
Can I use AP flour with good results??? Thank you!!!
Hi Katharina! I haven’t tried this recipe with AP flour yet so I can’t guarantee any results!
Followed recipe exactly as is. I have been baking for years but this did not turn out well. I used canned coconut milk. Was that a mistake? I used vegan Miyoko’s butter instead of love oil. Was that an error? The batter was so thick and dense. It did not “pour” into the pans which was first clue this was not going to turn out well. I do not have 6” pans so used two 9” pans. Could this be the issue? Baked over 40 minutes but it just never got dry. ☹️
Hi Dina! I’m so incredibly sorry to hear this. I’ve tested the recipe with both Miyoko’s and with olive oil, so it should have been just fine. The batter is meant to be thick, but did you use cassava flour? My other question what oven do you have? I use a convection oven, I know that’s something out of everyone’s control is the oven, which sometimes ends up messing up a recipe :/
Hi! Just baked this wonderful recipe. I love how it’s just the right sweetness with a very tender crumb. I do not have 6” pans, only two 9”. The layers were thinner so I baked about 10 minutes less which was perfect. The first cake I released from the tin had a bit of breakage, but nothing I couldn’t piece together while building the layer cake. Final note, the vegan cream cheese I bought tasted not great so I made a lemony vegan buttercream frosting . It worked well! Wish I could post a pic! Also, what’s that drizzle?!
★★★★★
Oh I absolutely love this!! So happy to hear it!! And that’s a wonderful note about the lemony vegan buttercream frosting! Sounds WONDERFUL! Oh, and the drizzle is my Paleo vegan caramel sauce 🙂 It’s in this post! I should have mentioned it, I’m adding it now! https://thebananadiaries.com/paleo-molten-lava-cake-with-salted-caramel/
What kind of coconut milk do I use? In a can or a boxed one like so delicious?
Hi Kate! I used the canned, but I’ve tried this with both canned and boxed (like so delicious) and both work wonderfully!
Could I use a nut milk in place of the coconut milk? Does it require a certain “thickness” or fat content?
Absolutely! You can use any dairy free milk- I just prefer coconut milk in here!
This carrot cake is the best I have made and I will always make it from now on. Love the healthy ingredients for my family and only used half the amount of powdered sugar for the icing.
★★★★★
Aw my goodness, the best comment!! So happy to hear 🙂 Enjoy and thank you for the rating!
Hi there, I can’t wait to make this! Is it 3 TBSP each flax & chia? or total combined?
Hi Jaclyn!! So excited for you to try!! So sorry for the confusion- you can use either ground flaxseed or ground chia seed (only 3 tbsp total!) or you can mix the two (again only 3 tbsp total!). Enjoy!