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Delicious vegan carrot cake. This simple carrot cake recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make! It has a sugar-free icing which is furthermore keto friendly. A moist carrot cake is perfect for Easter but can be enjoyed on any other day.
Gluten-free Vegan Carrot Cake With A Sugar-Free Icing
What’s your favorite cake? I have a few favorite cakes and carrot cake is definitely one of them. Not only is a vegan carrot cake delicious, but it’s also very healthy and my recipe is even gluten-free. Carrots contain lots of beta-carotene which is a powerful antioxidant and so good for our body. They make the cake moist, they add a nice orange color and some sweetness.
Do you know anyone who doesn’t like a moist carrot cake? I guess most people love it! This gluten-free vegan carrot cake has a refined sugar free frosting! I can’t believe how good it tastes even though the icing has almost zero calories and is also keto friendly. I love this easy vegan carrot cake recipe so much, that’s why I am sharing it with you today.
Ingredients Of This Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake
This homemade vegan gluten-free carrot cake is so much healthier than a store-bought carrot cake. I added some ground almonds which add a very pleasant flavor and texture to the cake. Furthermore, they make the carrot cake moist. You can, of course, leave them out if you don’t like almonds or you can replace them with other nuts. I made this simple carrot cake recipe once without almonds and once with almonds and I definitely prefer the second version.
You will also notice that I added 2 chia eggs to the recipe. Chia eggs replace regular eggs and are very easy to make. You just need chia seeds which you put in your food processor or coffee grinder. Then you mix 2 tbsp of these ground chia seeds with 6 tbsp of water, whisk, set aside and after 5 minutes your chia eggs are ready. You can, of course, sub the chia eggs with flax eggs (same procedure, just with flax seeds).
This simple carrot cake recipe is:
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Refined sugar-free
- Low in fat
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Healthy
- Moist
- Delicious
- Easy to make
Sugar-free and keto friendly icing
The sugar-free and keto friendly icing makes the moist carrot cake even tastier. Don’t be afraid of tons of sugar as this frosting wasn’t made with refined sugar. I used Erythritol which is a sugar substitute that looks and tastes almost as sweet as regular sugar, yet has basically zero calories. Erythritol naturally occurs in some fruits and fermented foods. It’s important however that you buy a brand which contains 100% pure Erythritol and which is furthermore GMO-free.
Erythritol is relatively safe to consume, but since it’s a sugar alcohol it may cause digestive issues in some people, especially if eaten in high amounts. Please keep that in mind if you share this healthy carrot cake with other people. I never experienced any digestive issues though and I use a GMO-free brand with a USDA Organic label. If you don’t mind regular sugar you can use that instead of Erythritol, but in my opinion, sugar can cause more harm (blood sugar spike, tooth decay) than Erythritol.
Easy to make gluten-free vegan carrot cake
This vegan and gluten free carrot cake is easy to make in 5 simple steps. I love how moist it came out and I noticed it tastes even slightly better on day two. So make sure you don’t eat the whole cake on day one and save some slices for day two. Please get back to me once you made this recipe and leave a comment below. You can also make a photo of it and post it on Instagram. If you tag me in the caption + photo with @elavegan and use the hashtag #elavegan I will gladly check out your post. Happy baking! PS: If you like cakes with spices, definitely also check out this delicious Vegan Fruit Cake
For other vegan carrot desserts, definitely also check out these Gingerbread Carrot Cake Donuts and these No-Bake Carrot Cake Bars.
Vegan carrot cake (gluten-free)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup white rice flour (160 g)
- 1/2 scant cup tapioca flour (50 g)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour (33 g) (*see recipe notes)
- 1/2 cup ground almonds (45 g)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- spices to taste (*see recipe notes)
Wet ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups finely grated carrots (375 g)
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk canned (120 ml)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave syrup (80 ml/110 g)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil melted (28 g)
- 2 chia eggs (2 tbsp ground chia seeds + 6 tbsp water)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1/3 cup Erythritol (70 g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut milk canned (21 g)
- 2 1/2 tsp lime or lemon juice
Instructions
- Mix the ground chia seeds and water with a whisk, set aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, put all dry ingredients in a big bowl and stir until there are no clumps.
- Add all wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is combined.
- Line a mold with parchment paper or grease it with a little bit of coconut oil. My mold measures 8 x 4 x 2.5 inches.
- Bake in the oven at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40 minutes (+/- 10 minutes). The cake is ready when a toothpick comes out almost clean (don't overcook it). Let it cool.
- Put the Erythritol in your food processor or electric spice/coffee grinder and blend until it's very fine like icing sugar. Use a whisk to mix it in a small bowl with the coconut milk and lime/lemon juice. If the frosting is too thick add a few drops of lime/lemon juice. If it's too thin add more of the Erythritol. Spread the frosting on the cake (once it's cool) and put the cake in the fridge until the frosting is hard. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Kirsten says
February 4, 2017 at 8:30 pmI can not wait to try your Recipe ! That frosting looks amazing and so much healthier being refined sugar free ???? What a perfect carrot cake this is .. Thank you so much for sharing so we can enjoy this too <3
Ela says
February 4, 2017 at 8:48 pmThank you Kirsten! Yes I am so happy that the refined sugar free frosting turned out so great. I hope you will like the carrot cake in case you try out my recipe. Much love ❤️
Ayde says
February 8, 2017 at 10:20 pmComo puedo recibir las recetas en español?
Ela says
February 8, 2017 at 10:49 pmYou could try Google translator 🙂
Eva says
February 4, 2017 at 9:36 pmTolles Rezept! Ich werd den Kuchen auf jeden Fall ausprobieren wenn ich wieder zu Hause bin!
Ela says
February 5, 2017 at 3:29 amOh wie lieb von dir Eva, vielen Dank, das freut mich sehr. ❤️
Karin says
February 6, 2017 at 3:30 pmDas sieht so saftig und lecker aus, Ela!! Und ist auch von den Zutaten her recht einfach gehalten – wird definitiv bald mal ausprobiert 😀 Wird wahrscheinlich auch mit normalem Dinkelmehl problemlos funktionieren, oder? Das verwende ich am liebsten ^^
Ela says
February 6, 2017 at 6:42 pmHallöchen liebe Karin! Vielen Dank, freut mich sehr, dass du mein Rezept ausprobieren möchtest. Dinkelmehl könnte klappen, ich verwende es jedoch nicht, da ich auf Gluten verzichte. Bitte probiere es aus und gib mir Bescheid, ob es funktioniert hat ????
Lena says
February 6, 2017 at 6:16 pmFreue mich aufs Ausprobieren 🙂 DANKE!!!!
Ela says
February 6, 2017 at 6:43 pmNichts zu danken, ich hoffe der Kuchen wird dir schmecken liebe Lena ????
Amal says
February 10, 2017 at 12:44 pmDelicious cake! The ingredients are simple and the preparation method is easy. I will surely make it again, and other recipes from this blog.
Ela says
February 10, 2017 at 12:53 pmThanks a lot for your positive feedback, I am glad you like my recipe ????
Harriet Emily says
February 10, 2017 at 9:49 pmThis cake looks sooooo amazing! Carrot cake is my favourite. The frosting looks perfect too! Such a beautiful recipe <3
Ela says
February 10, 2017 at 10:04 pmThank you so much sweetheart! So glad you like my recipe 🙂 Enjoy your weekend ❤️
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
February 11, 2017 at 1:06 amMy bday is next month and I hadn’t even given a thought to cake flavors up until now but after seeing this gorgeous carrot cake all I can think is I need to make it because it is absolutely one of my top favorite flavors too!! Lime juice instead of lemon, I’ve never seen that before. Any reason you chose the less expected citrus? I’m sure it tastes delicious, I am curious to try it now. And the frosting is uber dreamy???? Absolutely beautiful Ela!
Ela says
February 11, 2017 at 3:18 amAwww Natalie, thank you very much for your sweet comment! I chose lime juice simply because I cannot buy lemons here (not kidding). When exactly is your birthday? My birthday is also next month, on March 7th. I would love to see your carrot cake version. ????
The Vegan 8 says
February 11, 2017 at 4:26 pmI love carrot cake Ela and this looks wonderful! That frosting looks so creamy and dreamy and so smooth! I didn’t see your note at first on your recipe and I was wondering where the spices were, lol! Glad to see them on there! Carrot cake to me definitely needs all those yummy spices and your version looks wonderful!
Ela says
February 11, 2017 at 11:27 pmThank you so much for your kind comment, Brandi! I am glad you like my carrot cake recipe. And yes I agree, these spices are a must. 🙂
Dee | Green Smoothie Gourmet says
February 11, 2017 at 9:46 pmSuch a creative recipe Ela, you are so good at these cakes! I came looking for the cupcakes but I was distracted by this glorious post. Thank you for sharing sweetie! Dee xx.
Ela says
February 11, 2017 at 11:28 pmAww thank you very much Dee! You are such a sweetheart, thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Tara says
February 13, 2017 at 12:36 pmAhhhh this recipe was amazing, I’m not to sure if I baked it long enough (a skewer came out nice and clean after poking the cake) but it was just so nice and I don’t think gooey is the right word but the texture was just to my liking! To be honest ever since you posted that first picture of the cake on your instagram I had been checking your page to see if you posted a recipe yet & I baked it that very same day I saw the recipe. Sooooo worth the wait! I finished the cake all by myself in a matter of 4 days – probably shouldn’t have done but again, so worth it.
The only change I made was that I used plain coconut sugar instead of that fancy stuff for the icing but it worked out perfectly 🙂
Ela says
February 13, 2017 at 11:00 pmAwwww thank you so much for your wonderful feedback!!! I am really excited that you liked my recipe. Did you make a photo of your cake? I would love to see it. ????
Nisha / @rainbowplantlife says
February 13, 2017 at 12:49 pmSuch a gorgeous carrot cake, Ela! It’s going on my never ending “to make” list 🙂 Have a great week!
Ela says
February 13, 2017 at 11:01 pmThank you very much Nisha! Awww I also have a “never ending to make list”. So funny. 🙂
Adriana says
February 20, 2017 at 5:23 amI made this cake today and I absolutely LOVE it!!! it’s so fluffy and yummy!! and it’s so easy to make! thanks so much for sharing this recipe, Ela!! 🙂
Ela says
February 20, 2017 at 12:12 pmHi Adriana, thank you very much for letting me know that you made my carrot cake and loved the recipe! Makes me very happy 🙂
Franziska says
February 23, 2017 at 10:13 pmBei mir ist der erste Versuch leider katastophal schief gegangen 🙁 Stäbchen Test schien zu passen (40 Minuten), ich nahm ihn raus, lies ihn abkühlen – holte ihn aus der Form: zack innen noch total wabbelig.
Also dachte ich mir gut probier ichs nochmal für 20 Minuten. Wieder abkühlen lassen – raus: wabbelig.
Nun ist er im Müll… Schade. Das Karotten raspeln war echt fürchterlich D:
Vllt probier ichs die Tage nochmal als Muffins und mit weniger Karotten oder Kokos.
Ela says
February 24, 2017 at 3:10 amHallo Franziska, da muss wirklich irgendetwas schief gegangen sein. Ich habe den Kuchen inzwischen schon mehrfach gemacht und er ist immer gut geworden. Auch bei Instagram kamen bisher nur positive Rückmeldungen. Hast du denn alle Zutaten genauso verwendet wie sie im Rezept stehen, sprich selbe Mehlmischung wie ich (160 g Reismehl, 50 g Tapioka, 33 g Kokosmehl) oder hast du eine andere Mischung verwendet, falls ja welche? Ich würde gerne herausfinden an was es lag. Freue mich über deine Rückmeldung.
Franziska says
February 24, 2017 at 4:41 pmDie Mehlmischung konnte ich spontan leider nicht so umsetzen, wir hatten stattdessen rein Dinkel-Vollkornmehl. Ich habe leider auch erst im Nachhinein gesehen, dass unten Gramm-Werte für Mehl gewesen wäre, drum gabs gewogene Werte für den Rest – und Tassenwerte für das Mehl. Vermutlich war es einfach zu wenig, oder das falsche Mehl.
Aber es wird morgen einen weiteren Versuch geben! 🙂
Ela says
February 24, 2017 at 10:21 pmJa dann lag es wirklich an der Mehlmischung und nicht an meinem Rezept. Gerade Kokosmehl ist sehr schwierig zu ersetzen, denn es speichert extrem viel Feuchtigkeit. Ich hoffe mit der “richtigen” Mehlmischung klappt es besser. 🙂 Anstelle von Kokosmehl muss entweder die doppelte Menge eines anderen Mehles verwendet werden oder aber der Anteil an Flüssigkeit heruntergeschraubt werden. Deswegen empfehle ich ja meine Mehlmischung in meinem Rezept, da es mit der schon mehrfach gut bei mir (und anderen) geklappt hat 🙂
Eszti says
February 24, 2017 at 7:15 pmI tried this recipe and it was rally amaizing ???? My family asked me to bake it again ???????? The best vegan cake I’ve ever had ☺ thank you ????
Ela says
February 24, 2017 at 10:48 pmHi Eszti, yay I am so happy you like my recipe! ???? Did you use all ingredients like stated in the recipe or did you change some of them? So glad your family also liked the cake 🙂
nazokashii says
February 27, 2017 at 9:03 pmHi, it’s me again! I said that I couldn’t wait until I could try making another one of your recipes, didn’t I? So today, I tried making this amazing carrot cake – and it truly lived up to my expectations 😀
Just as I did for the banana bread, I tried making it while substituting the rice flour for quinoa flour and the tapioca for potato starch (by weight), as well as using lemon juice instead of lime juice, and using only baking powder instead of both that and baking soda, as that is what I had at hand, and I am happy to say that it still turned out really scrumptious :3
I don’t think I grated my carrots quite as finely as you did, but I still found it to be very lovely and utterly delicious 🙂 The texture was just perfect, and the taste was simply heavenly! I didn’t try the frosting out (yet at least), but that seems very nice as well 🙂 I will probably post a picture or a few tomorrow of it onto Instagram, so that you can see it for yourself 🙂 I didn’t have time to eat it before it went really dark here today, so I wanted some better lightning before I take more pictures, haha xD
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe, and I look forward to trying out even more of them in due time 🙂 Hope you’ve had a lovely day, and best wishes into the future, Ela, as well as whoever else might be reading this :)! Oh, and if there’s anyone here who hasn’t tried the recipe yet, it is definitely a must, so just go for it 😀
Ela says
February 27, 2017 at 9:28 pmOh wow, you are so amazing! Thank you for this awesome feedback, it makes me so happy. I knew that tapioca starch can often be substituted for potato starch but I never tried it out. I am really excited that the quinoa flour also worked in this recipe, that’s awesome. Now I am looking forward to see how your carrot cake turned out, I will check out your Instagram tomorrow. 🙂 Thank you once again for writing such a thorough review and for being very suportive. 🙂
Hanna says
May 28, 2017 at 8:53 pmThank you for sharing this wonderful recipe Ela! I baked the cake and he has become so perfectly “juicy” and super delicious. I’ll definitely bake this cake again because THIS IS THE ABSOLUTLY BEST CARROT-CAKE EVER 🙂
Ela says
May 29, 2017 at 1:17 amThank you for this wonderful feedback Hanna! It makes me so incredibly happy that you enjoyed my recipe. Sending you much love 🙂
Stefanie says
November 3, 2017 at 7:29 amGreat recipe. Ate it this morning as breakfast without frosting but with homemade nutbutter. Great and only for the smell in the kitchen you would make it !!!
Ela says
November 3, 2017 at 2:18 pmVery glad to hear that, Stefanie. 🙂 And yes I agree, the smell in the kitchen is amazing, haha 🙂
Marc Hutchinson says
December 4, 2017 at 9:27 amWhy is there no walnuts used in the recipe?
Ela says
December 6, 2017 at 1:03 amI used ground almonds, but feel free to use walnuts instead 😉
Eleni says
December 18, 2017 at 10:38 pmHi Ela, insdead of Erythritol What can I use but also not sugar? I am not baking so it New to me)
Thank you)
Ela says
December 18, 2017 at 10:43 pmHello Eleni, you can use Xylitol as well. Other than that I don’t know of any other options. Hope this helps 🙂
Michelle ISraelyan says
December 30, 2017 at 10:35 amHi Ela!
Happy Holidays!
Thank you for your beautiful recipes. I am wondering, what can I use instead of the coconut oil? Where I am there is no coconut oil. Besides Coconut oil and the sweetener for the frosting, I have everything else!
Thank yoU!
Ela says
December 30, 2017 at 12:41 pmHello Michelle and happy holidays!
You could use any other oil, for example sunflower seed oil or grapeseed oil or vegan butter. Let me know how it will turn out. 🙂
Roussel says
January 9, 2018 at 9:06 amWhere can I find the frosting ingredient? In dubai
Ela says
January 9, 2018 at 1:18 pmHi, I guess the best way would be if you order the ingredient online because I have no idea if it’s available in Dubai since I don’t live there. Good luck!
Kristine says
April 1, 2018 at 7:27 pmHi, can I change tapioca flour into corn starch? And maybe rice flour can change into oat flour or corn flour? Thank you for answer.
Ela says
April 2, 2018 at 1:13 amHi Kristine, yes, you can sub cornstarch for tapioca flour. And yes, oat flour should work instead of rice flour. However, you might need to increase the amount of coconut milk because oat flour absorbs more liquid than rice flour. Let me know how it turned out. 🙂
Kristine says
April 17, 2018 at 6:43 pmHi, yes, I try! I changed tapioca flour into corn starch and rice flour into whole oat flour. Add more plain milk and more oil (perfect and organic rapeseed oil). Thank you, Ela. This cake perfect with coffee with coconut milk. My family love cakes with carrot or pumpkin. So, next I’ll try your pumpkin cake ????
Ela says
April 18, 2018 at 4:45 amWonderful! Thanks for your great feedback 🙂
Sarah says
September 18, 2018 at 9:22 amCan i ise plain flour or self raising instead? If so how much should i use?
Ela says
September 18, 2018 at 10:20 pmUnfortunately, I can’t tell you, since I don’t use wheat flour (I have a wheat intolerance) and therefore I cannot try it out.
Nathalia says
September 18, 2018 at 9:35 pmHello and thanks for the amazing content. I would like to make it with regular flour, do you think its possible? Would be nice to have pics of the process so we could see the texture of the dough and other details that helps 🙂
Ela says
September 18, 2018 at 10:26 pmHello Nathalia, I am sure it’s possible but since I don’t use regular flour (because of a wheat intolerance) I am unable to tell you how much you will need and how the texture will look like. It shouldn’t be too thin though. So I would recommend using less liquid at the beginning and if the dough is too thick, then slowly add more. Hope this helps. 🙂
Rachel says
May 17, 2019 at 1:23 amthank you so much!!! We can be best friends now! Seriously you cook and bake wonderfully !!!!! I made the sweet potato curry amazing !!! I added baked cauliflower
Ela says
May 17, 2019 at 2:59 pmAwesome! Thanks for your feedback, Rachel! 🙂