Published by Ela on 4. February, 2017, updated on | 112 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
4.91 from 30 votes
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:
- No-Bake Carrot Cake Bars
- Carrot Cake Donuts
- Vegan Carrot Soup
Vegan Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free)
Author: Michaela Vais
Delicious and moist vegan carrot cake. This simple recipe is plant-based (dairy-free, eggless), 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.
4.91 from 30 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine German
Servings 10
Calories 201 kcal
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 ingramson akitchen 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 theErythritol 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
The recipe was originally posted in February 2017 and the blog post has been updated in April 2020 with new photos and helpful information. The recipe has not been changed.
- 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.
Spices:
- 2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
- Optional spices: Nutmeg, cloves to taste
The recipe makes one loaf which I cut into 10 pieces. Nutrition facts are for one piece.
Nutrition Facts Vegan Carrot Cake (Gluten-Free) Amount per Serving Calories 201 % Daily Value* Fat 7 g 11 % Saturated Fat 3.8 g 19 % Carbohydrates 35.9 g 12 % Fiber 3.6 g 14 % Sugar 9.3 g 10 % Protein 2.9 g 6 % * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Kitchen scale*
Electric coffee/spice grinder*
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
