Delicious and moist vegan carrot cake. This simple recipe is plant-based (dairy-free, egg-free), gluten-free, and easy to make! It has a sugar-free icing which is furthermore keto-friendly. A healthy carrot cake is perfect for Easter but can be enjoyed on any other day.
What’s your favorite cake? I have a few favorites and carrot cake is definitely one of them. Not only is a vegan carrot cake delicious, but it’s also quite healthy and my recipe is even gluten-free. Carrots contain lots of beta-carotene which is a powerful antioxidant and so good for us. Carrots make the cake moist, they add a nice orange color and some sweetness.
Do you know anyone who doesn’t like a delicious carrot cake? I love it when it’s a little under-baked and super gooey! This gluten-free carrot cake stays fresh and soft in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, maybe even longer, but I always end up eating it sooner, haha.
Carrot Cake Ingredients
You don’t need a food processor or blender to make this vegan carrot cake. All you need is a large bowl, a grater (for the carrots), and the following main ingredients:
- Gluten-free flour mix: I used a combination of white rice flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour. You can use brown rice flour instead of white rice flour. Sorghum flour might work as well. If you don’t have tapioca flour, you could use cornstarch or arrowroot flour. I wouldn’t recommend subbing the coconut flour.
- Ground almonds (almond flour): You can use any other ground nuts (e.g. hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, etc.) instead of ground almonds. Use desiccated coconut for a nut-free version.
- Spice mix: I chose cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. They add a wonderful flavor to the carrot cake.
- Carrots: They should be finely grated.
- Canned coconut milk: You can use full-fat coconut milk (can shaken) or lite coconut milk. If you don’t like the taste of coconut, I would suggest using your favorite plant-based milk with the addition of 3 tablespoons of oil.
- Maple syrup: Any other liquid sweetener like brown rice syrup, agave syrup, etc. is fine.
- Coconut oil: Can be replaced with canola oil.
- Chia eggs: Great as an egg replacement. You will need to mix ground chia seeds and water. Ground flax seeds should be fine too.
- Sugar-free frosting: For the frosting, I simply mixed powdered Erythritol (you can use icing sugar) with a little lime juice and plant-based milk.
A complete list of ingredients with measurements and nutrition facts (carrot cake calories etc.) is in the printable recipe card below.
How To Make Vegan Carrot Cake?
STEP 1: Make the chia “eggs” first. Simply mix the ground chia seeds and water with a whisk in a small bowl, set aside for 5 minutes. Also, finely grate the carrots. Line a loaf pan (or use an 8-inch springform) with parchment paper or grease it with a little coconut oil. My loaf pan measures 8x4x3 inches (20x10x7.5 cm). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
STEP 2: Add all dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk until there are no lumps. Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is combined.
STEP 3: Finally, add the carrots and mix everything with a spatula. Transfer the batter to the lined loaf pan.
STEP 4: Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes. The cake is ready when it has some cracks on top and a toothpick, inserted into the center, comes out clean (some attached crumbs are fine). If you use a small loaf pan, that is deep the baking time might be even 60 minutes. If you use a shallow pan the cake might be done after 40 minutes.
STEP 5: Once the cake has completely cooled, process the Erythritol in an electric spice/coffee grinder until it’s very fine like icing sugar. Put it into a small bowl and add dairy-free milk and lime juice (or lemon juice). Mix with a whisk until the icing is smooth. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of lime/lemon juice. If it’s too thin, add more of the Erythritol. Spread the icing on the carrot cake and decorate with nuts or seeds.
Tips And Variations
Make carrot cake muffins: You can make carrot cake muffins instead of a loaf. Simply add the batter to a muffin pan with paper liners. Bake for only 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. You can also use a bundt cake pan to make a carrot bundt cake.
Storing: Store cake leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the carrot cake and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frosting: If you want a creamy frosting, simply use vegan cream cheese mixed with powdered sugar/Erythritol and a little lime juice. You can also decorate the cake with marzipan.
Should you give this vegan carrot cake recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I would love to see it! ????
Check out my other vegan carrot recipes:
Vegan Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup (160 g) white rice flour (see notes)
- 1/2 scant cup (50 g) tapioca flour (see notes)
- 1/4 cup (33 g) coconut flour (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (45 g) ground almonds (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- spices to taste (see notes)
Wet ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups (375 g) finely grated carrots
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk canned (lite or full-fat) (see notes)
- 1/3 cup (110 g) maple syrup or agave syrup
- 2 tbsp (28 g) coconut oil melted (*see notes)
- 2 chia eggs (2 tbsp ground chia seeds + 6 tbsp water) (see notes)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1/3 cup (70 g) Erythritol or icing sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp (21 g) plant-based milk canned (use less if you use icing sugar)
- 2 1/2 tsp lime juice or lemon juice
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale. Also, watch the video in the blog post for easy visual instructions.
- Line a loaf pan (or use an 8-inch springform) with parchment paper or grease it with a little oil/vegan butter. My loaf pan measures 8x4x3 inches (20x10x7.5 cm). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- To make the chia "eggs", simply mix the ground chia seeds and water with a whisk in a small bowl, set aside for 5 minutes. Also, finely grate the carrots. If they release a lot of liquid, lightly squeeze them out.
- Meanwhile, add all dry ingredients to a large mixing big bowl and stir until there are no lumps. Then add the wet ingredients (except the grated carrots) to the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk.
- Next, add the grated carrots to the bowl and stir with a spatula until the mixture is combined. Transfer the batter to the lined loaf pan.
- Bake in the oven for about 45-60 minutes. It can take longer (e.g. if using a small loaf pan) or shorter, depending on the size/depth of the baking pan. The cake is ready when a toothpick, inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean (some attached crumbs are fine). Let it cool.
- To make the icing, process the Erythritol in an electric spice/coffee grinder until it's very fine like icing sugar. Mix all icing ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. If the icing is too thick, add more milk. If it's too thin, add more powdered Erythritol (or icing sugar). Smooth the icing on the cake, decorate with chopped nuts or seeds of choice. Enjoy! Read the recipe notes below.
Notes
- Coconut flour: I wouldn't recommend subbing, however, if you want to use a different flour then you need to use more. Coconut flour is very absorbent, therefore, you would need to use at least 1/2 a cup of a different flour instead of coconut flour.
- White rice flour: You can use brown rice flour instead. Sorghum flour might work as well. Also, regular flour or spelt flour should be fine.
- Tapioca flour: You could use cornstarch or arrowroot flour.
- Ground almonds (almond flour): You can use any other ground nuts (e.g. hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, etc.) instead of ground almonds. Use desiccated coconut for a nut-free version.
- Canned coconut milk: If you don't like the taste of coconut, I would suggest using your favorite plant-based milk with the addition of 3 tablespoons oil.
- Maple syrup: Any other liquid sweetener like brown rice syrup, agave syrup, etc. is fine.
- Coconut oil: Can be replaced with canola oil.
- Chia eggs: Flax eggs should be fine too.
- Check the step-by-step photos above in the blog post.
- 2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
- Optional spices: Nutmeg, cloves to taste
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
So I made the recipe exact other than subbing the tapioca flour with arrowroot flour and the rice flour with oat flour. I put it in the oven for 35 minutes, added 10 more minutes, added 10 more minutes and then added another 15 as the batter still wasn’t cooked all the way through. After taking it out this last round it’s a bit sunken in and still raw other than the sides. No sure where I went wrong. Any ideas?
Hi Caitlin, that are quite a few substitutes, however, I still believe it should have worked as someone reported in the comments that she used oat flour and cornstarch with success. Did you add the coconut flour? Was the batter thick (same consistency as the batter in my video) or was it thinner? If it was much thinner, then maybe your carrots were very juicy and released a lot of liquid. Also, what was the size of your pan? 🙂
I am no baking expert but I’m wondering if your carrots had too much moisture? I’ve tried MANY vegan carrot cakes (it’s my husband’s favorite dessert but he’s lactose intolerant) and they’ve always ended up never fully cooking like you mentioned. I came across one recipe that says you need to press the carrots between two paper towels to dry them out a bit… I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I am excited to try it, I plan on wringing out the carrots though.
Hi Kay! Therefore, I am using coconut flour in the recipe because it absorbs a lot of moisture. So many people have tried the recipe with success (I see remakes on Instagram daily) but I really believe it depends on the carrots. If you are going to wring out the carrots, the batter will be definitely too dry. You can see in my video that it’s quite dry before adding the carrots. Hope this helps. 🙂
Ela, this carrot cake was so delicious we finished it first day lol thank you so much for always posting amazing recipes. You’re the best. Kisses
I am so glad you loved the carrot cake, Lala! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Just tried this recipe, came out great. I used hazelnut instead of almonds, and flax seeds instead of chia seeds for egg replacement. I also left out ginger , I never used it in baking , and I didn’t have it handy, also didn’t have nutmeg, but I was still super happy with the taste.
I used powdered sugar for icing , but it was runny and transparent , no white color like in your picture.
I was thinking to try your other recipe for non baked carrot cake, does it taste similar ?
Thank you !
Hi Ann! I am so glad you liked the recipe! 🙂 Yes, the frosting will be only white when using Erythritol. Icing sugar will make it transparent and runny. Therefore, I love using Erythritol, it works so much better. 🙂
The no-bake carrot cake tastes a little different because of the cream. I love both though!
Hi Ela, would I be able to use cornflour instead of rice flour? Also, do I just blend chia seeds in a spice grinder to make them ground? I’m a complete beginner to baking lol 🙂
Hi Rebecca, yes, you can blend/grind the chia seeds in an electric spice grinder (or in a blender).
I never used cornflour but I think it could work fine in this recipe. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
Hi Ela, I made this cake last night, but my batter was too runny, so the bottom part came out slightly undercooked after 50 minutes of baking. When I used the ingredients listed the batter needed more moisture, so I added more plant milk, but I realised I put too much after checking your photos.
We (2 people) still managed to eat the whole thing by lunchtime today, less than 24 hours after baking.
I reduced the maple syrup to 80g and thought that was enough. I’m planning to make this cake again with just a bit more milk than in your recipe and will also add raisins.
Hello Veronica! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. The batter is supposed to be thick before adding the carrots. But once you add them and mix thoroughly, they release some of their liquid and the batter turns out just fine (not too thick). Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Ela,
Can I use regular sugar instead of maple syrup, if so how much?
Thanks!
Hi! 1/2 cup should be fine but you might need to add a little more milk, otherwise, the batter will be too thick. 🙂
Can we use organic honey as a sweetener
Hello! As mentioned in the blog post, any other liquid sweetener is fine. Please note that the cake won’t be vegan anymore if you use honey (just in case you want to share it with vegan family members or friends). 🙂
¡Hola Ela! Me encantan tus recetas, pero tengo una pregunta. Este carrot cake, ¿lo puedo hacer en una olla en la estufa?. Gracias.
Hola Rosa, yo no creo que sea posible hacer la tarta en una olla en la estufa. 🙂
Great recipe! This is the first time a vegan gluten-free cake of mine comes out not crumbling and moist enough without using a store-bought GF mix.
I used all I had in the pantry so reeked a little the frosting inside (used the thick part of the canned coconut milk) and had to cover with coconut whipped cream. Next time I will definitely do it with non-dairy cream cheese to keep the original carrot cake flavor. I also dared to make it layered. Still – it came out absolutely perfect. Thank you, Ela!
You are very welcome, Eva! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
thank 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
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback, Rachel! 🙂
Hello 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 🙂
Hello 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. 🙂
Can i ise plain flour or self raising instead? If so how much should i use?
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you, since I don’t use wheat flour (I have a wheat intolerance). But I think it will work fine! 🙂
Hi, 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 ????
Wonderful! Thanks for your great feedback 🙂
Hi, can I change tapioca flour into corn starch? And maybe rice flour can change into oat flour or corn flour? Thank you for answer.
Hi 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. 🙂
Where can I find the frosting ingredient? In dubai
Hi, 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!