Here’s the thing, carrot cake can be one of those “health food” cakes that make people roll their eyes when a vegan shows up to the party with one. Every non-vegan carrot cake I grew up with was bullshit, and it wasn’t until my friend Chef Laura Dardi made me her vegan one that I tasted an unforgettable carrot cake. That was like 25 years ago, and clearly, I HAVEN’T STOPPED THINKING ABOUT THE DANG THING.
So, for a couple of decades I have been tinkering with this recipe for the perfect crumb, a mix of spices that will have your kitchen smelling like a bakery, luscious vegan cream cheese frosting, and, of course, the thing that was lacking from every non-vegan carrot cake I grew up with: FUN bells and whistles that skyrocket this recipe to the apex of carrot cake ambrosia.
Ok, I get it, maybe you like plan 'ol old carrot cake, and you can exclude the fun goodies like coconut, pineapple, and walnuts that I LOVE LOVE LOVE in this. You are officially the most boring fella’ in the galaxy. It’s alright, this will still be a perfect, moist, and delicious carrot cake, even though you are allergic to fun and pizzaz.
Are you a carrot freak, seven days a week? Just finished off your roasted carrot lentil soup with Indian carrot pickles? Well, well, my dear carrot maniac, this is the only dessert you need to mess with ASAP. So let’s get ‘er in the oven.
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🥰Why you'll adore this recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all vegan dessert recipes I share, there’s no dairy, no eggs, just pure, unadulterated cake bliss, without cholesterol or avoidable harm to animals.
⚖️ Perfect balance: Can I tell you a little secret about vegan baking? Eggs don’t need to be “replaced”. Flax eggs make me cry myself to sleep. By having the perfectly dialed-in balance of fat, protein, sweetener, gluten, and something to provide extra moisture (you can use either vegan yogurt or apple sauce in this recipe), you will have a cake that no one will expect is vegan.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of the vegan recipes on this blog, the carrot cake has been made by HUNDREDS of recipe testers in kitchens all around the world who gave it their thumbs up before I published it. More than one tester even said it was the best vegan carrot cake recipe they ever tried!
🥕 Ingredients & substitutions
Unsweetened Plant-Based Yogurt or Applesauce
My preference is to make this with unsweetened almond milk yogurt from Kite Hill, or the unsweetened cashew yogurt from Trader Joes. Really, any vegan yogurt that is unsweetened and unflavored works fine, but some brands of coconut milk yogurt are a too fatty for this recipe. Apple sauce is a great alternative if you live somewhere that doesn’t have good vegan yogurt. If you want to make your own applesauce, you can follow the method I teach in my Vegan Eastern European Cooking Class.
Apple Cider Vinegar
A dash of apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda, creating bubbles that help the cake rise and become fluffy. Its acidity helps to curdle the plant-based milk, turning it into sort of a buttermilk, and it also balances the sweetness of the cake. Lemon juice or rice vinegar (which I love for adding tang to vegan dairy recipes like vegan Alfredo sauce and vegan sour cream) also work great in this recipe, though ACV is a little more fruity tasting.
Sugar
Here’s something beginner bakers don’t think about - cane sugar is not just about sweetness; it adds moisture and tenderizes the cake. I often use coconut and palm sugar in my desserts, from everything from Klepon to Tupig and Biji Salak. Both of those sweeteners work great instead of regular ol’ sugar and also bring a little more depth to the flavor of the cake. Maple syrup or agave nectar can also be used, but the liquid content in the recipe will need to be decreased a little to keep the consistency right.
Raisins
Raisins add bursts of sweetness and a chewy texture to the cake, contrasting beautifully with the spices and carrot. My absolute fave is Hunza raisins, which I use in everything from Filipino slaw, achara, to Indonesian Nasi Minyak (a delicious herbal rice dish). But if hunza raisins are hard to find, any type of raisin or currents or dried cranberries can be used.
The Optional (But Recommended) Fun Stuff
I never had crushed pineapple in carrot cake when I was growing up, and basically, my whole childhood was a waste because of that sad fact! I am telling you, don’t skip it unless you are a depressed ol’ goof who hates when things are wonderful. If you want to use fresh pineapple, just grind it up in a food processor for a similar texture to the canned stuff. I am also fully on board with adding walnuts or pecans for a little crunchy contrast and nutty flavor.
Do you love coconut as much as I do? I mean, maaaaaybe not since I have a zillion vegan recipes with it like kuih dadar, putu ayu, and Kem Chuối (Vietnamese Coconut Ice Cream Bars). Anyway, if you are going to throw some into your carrot cake (please do it), use either freshly grated mature coconut meat, or desiccated coconut shreds that are on the bigger and fresher side. Many health food stores sell what I can only describe as really dry, flavorless coconut sawdust. Don’t use that, and also don’t use the super-processed sweetened coconut shreds that you can find at regular supermarkets. Soft as that kind is (from preservatives and liquified airplanes or whatever), it makes this cake too sweet.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
My creamy, vegan cream cheese frosting is the classic carrot cake frosting, adding a layer of richness that complements the spiced, sweet flavors beneath. Making it from my homemade vegan cream cheese ensures the cake remains wholesome and natural. If vegan cream cheese is unavailable, a simple glaze made from powdered sugar and plant-based milk with a little melted vegan butter can be a lighter alternative.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
📖 How to make vegan carrot cake
Wanna make me a pretty birthday cake for my Sleeping Beauty Birthayyyy Pahwty? You are invited as long as you make me this very cake following these step-by-step photos with helpful tips. Or scroll down to the bottom of this page for the easy-to-print recipe card.
Step One
Set It Up:
Begin by setting your oven to 350°F (175°C). To make cake removal a breeze, fit the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper circles and lightly oil the bottoms and sides with a neutral oil.
Step Two
Wet Ingredient Wonderland:
Grab a large bowl and whisk the plant-based yogurt or applesauce, dairy-free milk (soy milk works best, but any plant-based milk is fine to use as long as it’s unsweetened), oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla together until smooth.
Step Three
Sift, and Merge:
In another bowl, sift the flour, and mix the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar together.
✅ You can use a sifter, a sieve, or a whisk to break up any clumps hiding in your dry ingredients.
Use a rubber spatula to gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Just until they're combined into a light brown cake batter—overmixing is the enemy of fluffiness.
Step Four
Carrots and Friends:
Fold in the shredded carrots, raisins, and, if you're not the most boring old man in the universe, also the diced pineapple, shredded coconut, and nuts.
Step Five
Peter Pan Time:
Evenly distribute the batter between your prepared greased pans, smoothing the top with either a rubber or offset spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center to check for doneness—it should come out clean, and the edges will start to slightly pull away from the sides of the pans. Keep an eye on it; baking times vary depending on the oven, and how much fun stuff you did or did not mix into your batter!
Step Six
Chill Out:
Let the cakes cool in the pans for ten minutes, then trace around the edges with a paring knife or butter knife to ensure the cake isn’t stuck to the pan. Then, move the cakes to a cooling rack to cool off completely to room temperature.
✅If you are a little scared about flipping the cakes out of the pans, try this trick. After going around the outer edge of the cakes with a knife, place a flat plate over the pan. Holding the plate to the top of the pan securely, quickly flip it over, and give it a couple of light taps to the bottom side of the cake pan to make sure the cake isn’t sticking to the pan before you lift the pan off. Sometimes a gentle shake helps too, but don’t give your carrot cake Shaken Cakey Syndrome!
Step Seven
Frost and Finish:
Once cool, trim the tops of the cakes with a serrated knife to make them nice and even, and to get rid of the “skin” on the surface of each layer that disrupts the tender texture. You may want to place the bottom layer onto a cake plate or a cardboard wakeboard if you will be transferring the cake, or boxing it up to take somewhere.
Place the cake (on the plate or cake board if you are using either) onto a cake turntable, and then go to town with the vegan cream cheese frosting between the layers, on top, and around the sides. If you want to pipe any borders, pop the frosted cake into your fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes, smooth out the icing with a warm offset spatula and then pipe the borders using buttercream frosting (cream cheese frosting will not be stiff enough to pipe unless you whisk more powdered sugar into it).
✅ If you want to get fancy and have an even better cake to frosting ratio, you can carefully torte each layer, by evenly running a serrated knife horizontally through each cake, turning the two layers into four. This is the best way to go, in my opinion, but if you have poor knife skills, are severely drunk, or just have a shaky hand, maybe keep it simple and skip this.
Step Eight
Final Flourish:
Especially if you have creepy cake frosting skills, adding some fun stuff to the outside can be an easy way to cover up an otherwise slightly sloppy-looking cake. Sprinkle with chopped roasted walnut or pecan pieces, coconut, a dash of cinnamon, or if you are serving the cake immediately, carrot shreds to make it look as good as it tastes.
✅ If you are going to be storing the cake or serving it the next day, my suggestion is not to use shredded carrots on the outside, as it will dry out quickly and make the cake look worse, not better.
👉Top tips
👉Top Tips
- Be Gentle With Me: When mixing the carrots, raisins, and optional ingredients into the batter, use a folding motion rather than a vigorous stir. This keeps the air in the batter, which contributes to a lighter, more delicate cake.
- Don’t Peek: Resist the urge to open the oven door too often. Temperature fluctuations can cause the cake to cook unevenly or fall. Give it time, and trust the process. A sudden change in temperature is a surefire way to a less-than-perfect cake.
- Frosting Chill: Make sure your cake is completely cool before you start frosting. If the cake is even slightly warm, the frosting can melt, making a mess.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You can bake the cake layers a day ahead and store them wrapped in foil at room temperature. Prepare the frosting as much as 3 days ahead as well and refrigerate; just bring it to room temperature before frosting the cake, so that it’s easier to work with.
This recipe has so much moisture from all of the dairy-free yogurt and whatnot, that it easily works without gluten. Use an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, or mix equal parts almond flour (or coconut flour if you are allergic to tree nuts), sorghum flour, white rice flour, and a pinch of xanthun gum.
I hate doing lots of dishes, so for a small amount of carrots like this a box grater is fine. Otherwise, a food processor with a shredding disk makes quick work of it.
Absolutely. Wrap the unfrosted cake layers individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting and serving.
Aside from the top having a dry and set appearance, and the edges of the cakes starting to slightly pull away from the sides of the pan, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Hate using vegetable oil, canola oil, or any of the other more neutral-tasting baking fats out there? I have made this recipe using olive oil, and avocado oil too! One of my oil-free recipe replaced the oil in the recipe with apple sauce and said it came out great, but proceed with oil-free baking at your own risk because sometimes the cakes can stick to the pans without a bit of fat.
✌️My faves to serve with this cake:
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Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Two 9-inch cake pans
- Serrated knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened plant-based yogurt or applesauce
- ½ cup canola oil sunflower oil, or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup coconut sugar brown sugar, or palm sugar
- 3 cups shredded carrot packed
- ⅔ cup hunza raisins or regular raisins
optional, but strongly encouraged:
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 3 ½ cups vegan cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). For the easiest-to-remove cake, cut a circle of parchment paper to line the bottom of two 9-inch cake pans. Then, grease the bottom and sides of the pan with any neutral-tasting oil of your preference.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plant-based yogurt or applesauce, plant milk of your choice of oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Sift together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a separate bowl.
- With a rubber spatula, mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to a denser cake.
- Fold in the shredded carrots, raisins, and, if using, the diced pineapple, shredded coconut, and chopped nuts into the batter, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout.
- Divide the batter into the two prepared cake pans, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. The exact time can vary based on whether you mix all of the extra goodies into the batter, so start checking a few minutes early to ensure the cake does not overbake.
- Once done, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- When the cake is completely cool, use a serrated knife to evenly trim off the rounded dry “skin” on the top of each layer. Spread the vegan cream cheese frosting between the layers, over the top and sides, with a knife or offset spatula, creating a smooth or decorative pattern as desired.
- If you like, you can garnish the frosted cake with additional nuts, shredded coconut, a little dusting of cinnamon, or carrot shreds.
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