This 1-bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake is a simple dessert recipe that will wow a crowd. This cake is perfectly moist, sweet, and decadent, yet light at the same time. Carrot cake is truly the perfect spring and summer dessert. If you need a healthy dessert for Passover, Easter, a birthday celebration, or simply to enjoy for fun, this carrot cake is going to be your new favorite treat to make.
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Notes on Ingredients
- Macadamia Oil: Substitute any neutral oil like avocado or coconut.
- Non-Dairy Yogurt: I love Siggi’s plant-based plain unsweetened yogurt, but any non-dairy yogurt works.
- Flour: A gluten-free flour blend keeps this recipe gluten-free, but you can use regular whole wheat flour if you prefer.
- Cream Cheese: I use Vegan Kite Hill plain cream cheese – made from almonds. Any vegan cream cheese works.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
How do you make Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake?
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Make the flax eggs by combining ground flax with water. Mix and let it set for 3 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the wet ingredients to your bowl. Whisk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix.
- Fold in the carrots then pour into a loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let it cool completely for a few hours. Use the parchment to gently lift the carrot cake onto a platter. Spread the frosting on top. Sprinkle on cinnamon and pecans.
- Slice and enjoy! Store in the fridge.
- Step 1: First, preheat the oven to 350F, line a loaf pan with parchment, and mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl.
- Step 2: Then, add the dry ingredients to the same bowl and mix.
- Step 3: Mix it all together, careful not to overmix, until a batter forms.
- Step 4: Next, pour the batter into the loaf pan.
- Step 5: Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is golden. Let cool fully for a few hours.
- Step 6: Lastly, make the cream cheese frosting, frost, and garnish with pecans and cinnamon.
Commonly Asked Questions
Store this carrot cake in slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. But let’s be real, it probably won’t last that long.
Yes! Carrot cake is delicious with the addition of chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, and raisins!
You can do the toothpick test – stick a toothpick into the center of the cake and if it comes out mostly clean, the cake is done. If the toothpick comes out with batter all over it, the cake is still under-baked in the center. This cake is moist and may take a full hour in the oven to bake!
A lighter, fresh entree like Longevity Salad, Spring Roll in a Bowl, or Vegan Caesar Pasta Salad would pair beautifully!
I use a standard loaf pan, but I also love using a 9×9 baking pan for a mini sheet cake or a traditional 9″ cake round pan.
You want a really fine shred or grate for carrot cake, because no one wants a big chunk of carrot when they’re eating cake (even if it is carrot-flavored cake after all)! I recommend using this grater.
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Extra Helpful Tips
- For vegan cream cheese, I use Kite Hill Plain vegan cream cheese – it’s made from almond milk and has clean ingredients. However, you can use any non-dairy cream cheese.
- Make sure to not under-bake the cake. Leave in for the full 60 minutes if needed. This is a moist cake so depending on your oven, it may need up to an hour. It does firm up a lot once cooled.
- Store this cake in the fridge! Because this recipe uses cream cheese, make sure to store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Garnish with chopped pecans and cinnamon.
- If you love healthy desserts like this cake, try my Vegan Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Bars or Vegan Chocolate PB Banana Muffins next.
How to Store
Store the cake in slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you tried this Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake (dairy-free cream cheese frosting!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup macadamia oil or any neutral vegetable oil
- 2 flax eggs 2 tablespoon flax 5 tablespoon water mixed in a bowl
- ¼ cup non-dairy yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¾ cup flour gluten-free all purpose
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 2 cups carrots finely shredded – use a food processor or hand grater
- 1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- salt pinch
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese dairy-free
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Garnish
- cinnamon
- pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Make the flax eggs by combining ground flax with water. Mix and let it set for 3 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the wet ingredients to your bowl. Whisk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix.
- Fold in the carrots then pour into loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let it cool completely for a few hours. Use the parchment to gently lift the carrot cake onto a platter. Spread the frosting on top. Sprinkle on cinnamon and pecans.
- Slice and enjoy! Store in the fridge.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add all frosting ingredients into a bowl and mix (using a hand-mixer) until smooth and combined.
Leslie says
What can I use in place of the gluten free flour?
Lori says
Need help finding the macros. Did I miss them?
Awesome says
This cake is fantastic. BUT, you cannot use GF flour in any recipe during Passover and call it kosher for Passover. The only flour allowed is made with matzah!
Best ever carrot cake! says
Quite simply THE best carrot cake, we have ever eaten and we’ve eaten a lot of carrot cake!
Pat says
Please always include nutritional values for the recipes. I can’t make if I don’t have that. Thank you
Sarah says
Hey! You can use an app such as MyFitnessPal and add the recipe in, it will calculate the nutritional values based on the recipe & how many servings.
Lijana says
Where I can find video for vegan gluten-free carrot cake?
Talia says
My jaw dropped when I took my first bite of this carrot cake. It is UNBELIEVABLE! Thank you Danielle, for creating and sharing the BEST vegan/plant based recipes.
Olivia Fink says
This looks so good! I can’t wait to try it out!
Aida Chun says
I would love to taste this beautiful cake😋😋😋😋😋
Madison Wood says
you are kidding me !!!! this recipe 🫶🏻 carrot cake is my absolute favorite and it has been so hard trying to find a good recipe after getting diagnosed w celiac disease
Angie says
I am trying to cut oil out of my diet. What can I replace the oil with? More apple sauce? A banana?
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
yep! either!
Gina Hall says
Wow, this is so easy and delicious! Super moist!! It was my first time making carrot cake and I nailed it with this recipe!
QQ- I accidentally doubled this. Can I freeze one already frosted, or should I freeze just the loaf? And keep extra frosting in the fridge? Thanks!
claudia shine says
Your recipes look wonderful. Have you been able to perfect gf vegan recipes using only oat flour, and or sweet potato as the “grain base”? My sweet grandson is allergic to all nuts, dairy, eggs and grains other than oats. We have a really hard time preparing dishes, especially desserts.
Thank you!
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
yes! You can use a gluten free 1 to 1 flour or oat flour. for nuts, if a recipe calls for a nut butter you can use sunbutter.
Debbie Bentley says
What can be used in place , flax eggs and can avocado oil be used in this recipe
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
1/4 club of club soda can be subbed for flax eggs. Yes, avocado oil should still work.
GiGi says
Hi Danielle,
This looks amazing, carrot cake is my favorite! However, I’ve recently developed a tree nut allergy, are there healthy nut free substitutes?
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Hi! You could garnish with granola instead or any type of seed.
Jordan Stacy says
Carrot cake is one of the most satisfying desserts… and this one is vegan, gluten-free, and made with better-for-you ingredients! The frosting is so creamy and decadent!