If you’ve been searching for the best easy vegan carrot cake recipe, you can stop scrolling. This one has earned all five stars from readers (so far!) and it’s not hard to see why. Carrot cake is a classic for a reason, especially popular back in the 70s and 80s when every natural restaurant and health food store had their own version. I wanted to create something that’s genuinely delicious but actually easy to pull off on a weeknight or for a spring celebration.
What makes my vegan carrot cake different?
No specialty egg replacers. That’s the big one. Most of the ingredients are already in your pantry, and the whole thing comes together in one bowl using a standard 9×13 sheet pan. You can also bake it as cupcakes or a layer cake if you want to get fancy, but the sheet pan version frosted right in the pan is where it’s at for simplicity.
I use my favorite reverse creaming method here, which starts by coating the dry ingredients with fat before adding the wet ingredients. This prevents the flour from absorbing moisture and developing gluten, which gives you a tender, soft cake every single time. It’s basically the opposite of how most cake recipes work and it makes a real difference.
The only slightly fussy part is shredding the carrots, but a food processor makes easy work of that.
I use applesauce in this cake because it’s a natural flavor complement, but applesauce alone doesn’t cut it as an egg substitute since it has no fat. So I also use a small amount of vegan sour cream (plain vegan yogurt works too) and some cornstarch to fill that role. Together they do exactly what eggs would do without any complicated substitutions.
The spice blend has all the warm classics you expect from a great carrot cake, with a little allspice added to round everything out.
Raisins: yes or no?
Personally, I’m a yes. They add sweetness and a little tartness that plays really well with the cake. But I know feelings run strong on this one, so they’re totally optional. Dried cranberries would also be great here, and orange-flavored ones would be a particularly nice touch.
This cake freezes really well. The cream cheese frosting recipe is scaled to be about half of what I normally make, but it frosts this sheet cake perfectly. If you’re going layer cake mode, double the frosting. Make sure your vegan butter and cream cheese are fully at room temperature before you start or the frosting will be lumpy.
Readers have been making this for Easter and spring celebrations and the feedback has been fantastic. Non-vegans keep asking for seconds, which is always the highest compliment. I hope it becomes a go-to for you too.
Easy Vegan Carrot Cake
12
servings20
minutes35
minutes300
kcalThe best and easiest vegan carrot cake you’ll ever make!
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Ingredients
- Carrot Cake
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup plain vegetable oil
1/4 cup vegan sour cream or plain vegan yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup vegan milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 4 average carrots, lightly packed in a measuring cup – see notes)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
- Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup vegan butter, room temperature
4 oz vegan cream cheese (room temperature)
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar (sifted to remove lumps)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Directions
- Carrot Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan and set aside. Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to combine. You can also use a hand or stand mixer.
- Add the oil and vegan sour cream and mix on low to combine and coat all of the dry ingredients for 1-2 minutes. This will prevent the wet ingredients from being absorbed and forming gluten.
- Add the vinegar to the milk and whisk to combine and let sit for a minute to form buttermilk. Add this and the applesauce and vanilla to the mixing bowl and combine for 2-3 minutes. At this point, the batter can’t be over mixed so don’t worry. Add the carrots and walnuts and raisins (if using) and combine thoroughly for about a minute scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed to make sure everything is combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and level out with a spoon or spatula. Rap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. All ovens vary so start checking at 30 minutes for doneness. Cool cake completely before frosting.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Combine the room temperature butter and cream cheese until completely mixed. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until completely smooth. If it seems too thin, add a little more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time and if it seems too thick, add a teaspoon or two (one at a time) of vegan milk to loosen it.
- Frost the cake with an offset spatula or spoon and sprinkle some additional nuts over the top if desired. Cake will freeze well if necessary.
Recipe Video
Notes
- I use a food processor to shred carrots then I pulse them a few times in the bowl using the metal blade to make them a little smaller. You can also shred them on a box grater.
- Use a thick vegan cream cheese for the frosting like Tofutti or Violife brand. Whipped ones aren’t recommended.
- Cake can also be made and a layer cake or cupcakes. Baking times will vary.
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I made this for Easter and my wife and sons – all not vegan – could not get enough. The cake was moist (I know a lot of people hate that word, but there’s no other way to describe it), and BBV’s cream cheese frosting, linked in the recipe, was perfect and not too sweet. (I used Earth Balance butter and Violife cream cheese)
Wow thank you so much for this kind review and I’m so glad to have been a part of your holiday celebration! Really appreciate it.
My daughter made this delicious cake for Easter. Truthfully I have had a couple of other vegan cakes one by a vegan bakery and it tasted nothing like this. This recipe is one we will be keeping. The cake was moist and delicious. The frosting was sooo delicious. Thank you for this recipe. We can enjoy carrot cake again.
That makes me SO HAPPY! Wow, thanks so much for the kind review and so glad you enjoyed it!
As the only vegan in my family, I wanted to make a cake that everyone could enjoy for Easter without having to bake two separate cakes. I kid you not, my non-vegan husband took one bite and before he could finish chewing and swallowing, he said “Oh, this is good…it’s so moist!” He even loved the frosting and that’s saying a lot from a guy who always scrapes the frosting off of cake and cupcakes. He said the frosting on the carrot cake wasn’t overly sweet and was perfect! My mother and mother-in-law had the same sentiments. Even as I was cutting a slice for someone else, I tasted a few crumbs left in the bottom of the pan and immediately cut myself the next slice because just the crumbs were amazing, and after all, I’m the the only vegan and I didn’t want to miss out on having a piece of cake that I could actually enjoy! lol Honestly, I had no doubt that this cake would be a hit because I’ve made many of your other recipes before and they never miss! One that is always on the menu is your vegan cornbread. It’s literally on the table for every holiday and it was also on the table for Easter along with your carrot cake. People can’t get enough of that cornbread and now I know they are going to request this carrot cake again because it was just that darn good! Thank you for providing so many delicious recipes that are easy to follow and can be enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike! You’re amazing and the work you put in to making sure these recipes are perfect, doesn’t go unnoticed!! Thank you again!!
Oh my gosh I think this is the nicest and most thoughtful review I’ve ever received! Thank you SO MUCH and I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it! I’m very honored to be included in your celebrations and so appreciative you took the time to review. 🧡
Incredible recipe. Truly so simple, even with a lot of ingredients. It all comes together super well!
I had to adjust a couple of items that I was short on, and it still came out great. Even with a half cup of brown sugar, it was spot on (plus the icing is super sweet and can compensate for that).
I also don’t have a 9×13 pan, but a 7×11 worked, just needed to bake for longer. Instead of 30 minutes, it was closer to 55 minutes/an hour. Just a tip!
Thank you so much for taking the time to review and great tips!