Bianca Zapatka

Carrot Cake Recipe (Vegan + Easy)

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This BEST moist carrot cake recipe is simple, delicious, and can be also turned into cupcakes and muffins. Feel free to watch the recipe video to see how easy you can make it at home!

carrot cake (vegan, easy recipe)

The BEST Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe

Easter is just around the corner! So, I think a simple vegan carrot cake made with carrots and almonds and topped with a layer of creamy vegan ‘cream cheese’ frosting, chopped pistachios, and sweet marzipan carrots as decoration is just perfect! This cake is easy and quick to make, healthy, moist, and incredibly delicious!

carrot cake (vegan, easy recipe)

CARROT CAKE – MOIST, HEALTHY AND FLAVORFUL

I don’t know about you, but whenever I think of typical Easter treats, then next to Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies, I immediately come across a carrot cake. For a long time, I wanted to share this recipe with you because I‘ve already baked it very often. But when is it better to do it than for Easter? In addition, I think that carrots give the cake not only a great flavor but also certain moisture that lasts for days. Therefore, the cake even tastes better on the second day than on the first day, because it becomes more intense in flavor and gets even juicier. Properly stored in the fridge, it lasts for about 3 to 4 days and still tastes great.

The Best Vegan Carrot Cake

QUICK AND EASY TO MAKE

Incidentally, I think that this vegan carrot cake is really super quick and easy to make. All you have to do is grating the carrots and stir them together with the other few ingredients. Then it goes into the oven, which does the rest. Afterward, you can garnish or decorate the cake as desired. Of course, if you don’t feel like that, you can just eat the cake without any toppings at all! Although, I honestly think that you should at least spread the creamy frosting on top because it tastes so good! Optionally, you can decorate the cake with a simple lemon icing glaze or a marzipan fondant. Just be creative!

Vegan Carrot CakeCarrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, Pistachios and Marzipan Carrots

CARROT CAKE OR MUFFINS ?! VEGAN OR WITH EGGS ?!

I have baked this cake already in the vegan version, as well as in a loaf pan, on a baking sheet, and also as cupcakes and muffins. Everything is possible. Probably, you have to adjust the baking time then. Muffins, for example, only need about 25 minutes and then they‘re ready. It’s best to do a chopstick test in between. When only a little bit of the dough sticks to the stick, the cake (or muffins) is done.

The Best Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe

DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY – NOT ONLY ON EASTER

In my opinion, this vegan carrot cake recipe is not only the perfect dessert for the upcoming Easter holidays but also for all year round. I mean, what could be better than a delicious cake which even contains vegetables or vitamins? So I think this cake is a great vegetable hiding place and I’m sure, in this way you can even turn every vegetable hater into a vegetable lover! If you like sweet and healthy recipes, you could also check out the recipe for my best vegan banana bread.

Quick, easy, delicious, AND even healthy! I think it couldn’t be better. Are you convinced? Well, then grab the ingredients, and let’s get started making this super moist and fluffy vegan carrot cake!

Carrot Cake Recipe

This Best Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe is:

  • Vegan
  • Egg-free
  • Dairy-free (lactose-free)
  • Soft and fluffy
  • Moist
  • Flavorful
  • Perfectly sweet
  • Healthy
  • Incredibly delicious!
  • The perfect afternoon dessert or even for breakfast or brunch!
Vegan Carrot Cake

If you try this easy vegan carrot cake recipe, please leave me a comment and a rating because I would love to read your feedback! And if you take a photo of your delicious cake and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka to make sure I don’t miss your post! Happy baking! 🙂

The BEST Vegan Carrot Cake

Author: Bianca Zapatka
This BEST moist carrot cake recipe is simple, delicious, and can be also turned into cupcakes and muffins. Feel free to watch the recipe video to see how easy you can make it at home!
4.88 from 54 votes
Print Pin Review
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack, Snacks
Cuisine German
Servings 12 pieces
Calories 196 kcal

You do not have a fitting cake pan at hand right now? Try my Cake Pan Conversion Calculator!

Ingredients

For the batter:

  • 250 g carrots finely grated
  • 125 g (vegan) butter at room temperature (or coconut oil)
  • 100 g sugar or maple syrup
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch ground vanilla or 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 (flax) eggs
  • 125 g all-purpose or spelt flour or gluten-free flour (*see recipe notes)
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 100 g ground almonds
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tsp baking soda

For the cream:

For the decoration:

  • marzipan carrots
  • pistachios chopped

Instructions 

*Note: Be sure to watch the recipe video in the blog post above. Also, I recommend using metric measurements.

  • Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C) top and bottom heat. Grease an 8-inch (20cm) round baking pan with a little butter or oil.
  • For the batter, peel the carrots and finely grate them.
  • Beat the soft butter with sugar, salt and vanilla until creamy in a mixing bowl. Then stir in the grated carrots and (flax) eggs (see recipe notes for instructions).
  • Now sift in the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Also add the almonds, vinegar, and baking soda and stir everything briefly until just combined.
  • Fill the batter into the prepared baking pan, smooth it out a little and bake on a medium rack for 35-40 minutes. (Please don‘t forget to test with a skewer!)
  • Once done baking, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the cake from the baking pan and allow to cool completely.
  • Once the cake has cooled completely, mix all the ingredients for the cream cheese cream with a handheld mixer until creamy. Spread the cream with a spatula or spoon onto the cake.
  • Finally, decorate with marzipan carrots and chopped pistachios as desired.
  • Store the cake in the fridge until serving. (The carrot cake stays fresh and moist for about 3 to 4 days.) Enjoy!

Notes

  • To make 2 flax eggs mix 2 tbsp ground flax seeds with 6 tbsp hot water. Then set aside for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
  • Flour: Instead of all-purpose or spelt flour, you can also use a gluten-free flour blend 1:1. A mixture of light flour and whole wheat flour works well too! I wouldn’t use whole wheat flour alone, otherwise, the cake might be too dense.
  • Frosting: You could also top the cake with whipped coconut cream instead of the cream cheese frosting.
  • The nutritional information is calculated for 1 piece of 12 without frosting and toppings.
Nutritions
Serving: 1Piece | Calories: 196kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.7g | Protein: 3.4g | Fat: 11.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.1g | Sodium: 184.3mg | Potassium: 95.2mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 9.7g | Vitamin A: 3878.5IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 60.5mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @biancazapatka or tag #biancazapatka!

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Best Vegan Carrot Cake
©Bianca Zapatka | All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please link back to this post for the recipe. More info here. Thank you for supporting biancazapatka.com!
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarMarwa Ramadan

    5 stars
    Tolles Rezept 🤩 der beste Karottenkuchen den ich jemals gemacht habe. So saftig und so schnell gemacht. Meine ganze Familie hat es geliebt. Nur zu empfehlen 🥰
    Danke ☺️

    Reply

  2. AvatarElisabeth

    5 stars
    I’ve tried so many vegan carrot cake recipes and that’s definitely the best! It’s easy, moist and super delicious. Thanks Bianca for sharing 🙂

    Reply

  3. AvatarDoc.vegmum

    5 stars
    Great recipe, easy to follow and tastes great! Whole family enjoyed it. I did add some milk in the end, but I don’t think was necessary. Will be using for me one year olds first birthday using natural sugars! Thank you for recipe.

    Reply

  4. AvatarJulia

    5 stars
    This is such a good recipe! I tried it this Easter weekend and everyone loved it. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      Hey Julia,
      thanks a lot for your sweet feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed my carrot cake. 🙂

      Reply

  5. AvatarGabriele Brady

    5 stars
    Carrot cake is my husbands favourite cake so I’ve decided to have a go with this recipe. OMG I’m so happy I did as this is one of our favourite cakes now. I made it few times now and it never disappoints. It is moist, amazing flavour just can’t get enough of it! Thank you!

    Reply

  6. AvatarCosima

    5 stars
    Hi Bianca,
    ich habe das Carrot Cake ohne Topping gemacht und es ist toll geworden.
    Allerdings war die Masse mit den angegebenen Zutaten zu trocken und ich habe mit etwas Sojamilch nachgeholfen!
    Danke für das tolle Rezept!
    lg
    Cosima

    Reply

  7. AvatarSushma

    3 stars
    Hi Bianca
    I am a HUGE fan of your recipes. I’ve made your lemon blueberry cake so many times and love it. I made this with the same expectation and excitement but the cake did not turn out well. It was dense, it sank and was more like a crumble.
    The flavour was great and icing was also so tasty. I added a dash of cinnamon to it.
    I don’t know what could have gone wrong. I wish it had turned out well.

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      Hi Sushma,
      so sorry to hear that. So many people love this carrot cake and I would love to help to find out what you did wrong.
      Did you use metric measurements?
      Which size had your pan?
      Did you grate the carrot by hand as shown in the recipe video?
      Best, Bianca

      Reply

  8. AvatarRos

    Hi Bianca. I’ve done tons of your recipes and I LOVE every single one of them. I wanna do this recipe so badly. It’s possible for you to write it in CUPS?? Please!!! Apparently grams hate me. I don’t know if you’re going to read this hehe. Well have a nice holidays! Kisses.

    Reply

      • AvatarRos

        5 stars
        Yess! I’ve done a lot of your recipes! You’re a genius! Thanks to you and your funfetti cake the birthday party of my 1yo baby was a total success!! Everybody loved the cake and cupcakes! If only they know how EASY it was. Thank you so much!
        Pd: I’ll fight with gr and will try this cake anyway. Thanks again!! Happy holidays.

        Reply

  9. AvatarDiana

    5 stars
    I loved it! This cake is moist, soft and so delicious, I used less sweetener, most of it was erythritol and I did it without the frosting but it did not last 24 hours, my friends ate it so pleased! I love all the recipes I tried so far from you! amazing, thanks a lot!!

    Reply

  10. AvatarSophie-Louise

    4 stars
    I made the recipe yesterday and was surprised by how easy it was done! It’s a great option if you’re not a skilled baker but want to impress friends & family with a professional-looking sweet treat :).

    I used date sugar instead of normal sugar and wholegrain spelt flour instead of normal flour, and it turned out super moist, flavourful and not too sweet. I personally love a thick layer of vegan cream cheese frosting whereas my family prefers it without.

    Reply

  11. AvatarSabrina Klütsch

    5 stars
    Super toller und einfacher Kuchen. Ich und meine Gäste waren begeistert. Das Rezept lässt sich auch super einfach abwandeln und ist daher für jeden Geschmack geeignet.

    Reply

  12. AvatarShreya

    5 stars
    Hi Bianca, I had a query. The cake turned out fantastic. But it didnt rise as much which is ok since we had frosting. While putting it together, the oild and sugar just didnt cream. Too much oil do you think? I used half a cup sunflower oil. Could this be the reason as to why the cake didnt risE? I had use everything else as suggested. Any input would be helpful. Thanks.

    Reply

  14. AvatarMarie

    5 stars
    Absolute Empfehlung! Schön saftig! Nächstes mal nehme ich noch ein bisschen weniger Zucker ansonsten echt top! Auch perfekt mit Nüssen oben drauf !:)

    Reply

  15. AvatarMariam

    4 stars
    Thank you for recipe. I did it and It was delicious. I want to make it again . Really , it was very tasty.
    Thank you for recipe again

    Reply

  16. AvatarMariam

    5 stars
    Thank youFor recipe. I did it and It was delicious. I want to make it again . Really , it was very tasty.
    Thank you for recipe

    Reply

  17. AvatarChristina

    5 stars
    Tried this last week and it was amazing. Thanks for this delicious treat! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂

    Reply

  18. AvatarSerena

    4 stars
    I made it for the mother day
    All family enjoined it 🥰❤️ Very testy, healthy and easy to make!

    Reply

  19. AvatarJan

    5 stars
    Another great recipe – the dough tastes great even unbaked 😊. Definitely worth trying, even twice or three times in a row 👌🏻

    Reply

  21. AvatarMichelle

    Mittlerweile habe ich diesen Kuchen zum 3. Mal (!) gebacken in 2 Monaten, weil ich das Rezept so einfach und genial finde. Meine ganze Familie liebt den Kuchen (keiner von ihnen lebt vegan und ich finde das immer eine gute Möglichkeit, ihnen nahe zu bringen, wie lecker alles sein kann)! Werde mich weiterhin durch deine Rezepte testen und ich liebe deinen Blog hier sehr, um einfach immer mehr kennenzulernen als Neu-Veganer. (: ganz liebe Grüße!

    Reply

  23. AvatarFranzi

    5 stars
    Der Kuchen ist super lecker geworden! Habe die gleiche Menge für meine Kastenform benutzt und das hat auch prima geklappt 🙂
    Danke für das Rezept! 🥰

    LG!

    Reply

  24. AvatarMarie

    I baked the carrot cake and it was a real success around the table for easter. I’ve swapped the flour for gluten free flower but was happy to see the cake not being flat (like usually what happens with GF recipes). I had to improvise for the cream layer by replacing with a mix of frozen coconut cream and vegan butter added to the lemon,sugar and vanilla, instead of the vegan cream cheese (any chance of getting a recipe for vegan cream cheese ? 🙏😬). Thank you for this amazing and easy cake 😊

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      Hi Marie, so glad your vegan carrot cake was as delicious in the gluten-free version! Thank you so much for your amazing feedback! I’ll try my best to create a vegan cream cheese recipe for you! 😀

      Reply

  25. AvatarAngelika

    5 stars
    Dear Bianca!
    Thank you for this easy and very-very tasty recipe!!! I have made muffins, because I did not want to wait so long, while the cake might be cooking. 🙂 I have eaten three muffins at once, they are soooo juicy and soft, maybe because of coconut oil and carrot, and they were fantastic!!! I have used the Egg Replacer by Bob’s Red Mill from USA. I want to try your flax variant, I suppose, it is cheaper and easier!
    Thank you!!! Wish you all the Best!

    Reply

  26. AvatarChiara

    5 stars
    Hello Bianca! Amazing recipe, I really love carrot cake and I love baking vegan cakes for my boyfriend! I just had a hard time grounding the seeds, I know I could use apple puree instead, but how much of it? Thanks

    Reply

  27. AvatarElina

    5 stars
    Very simple and tasty recipe. Together with the family we made decorations, fun and delicious pastime.

    Reply

  29. AvatarSteffanilly

    This carrot cake recipe is amazing! I tried the non-vegan version this time but I will soon try the vegan version! And I replaced the sugar with maple syrup and agave syrup.
    Tastylicious!

    Reply

  30. AvatarMaike

    5 stars
    Ich habe schon viele Möhrenkuchen probiert, aber dieses ist mit Abstand das beste Rezept 😍😍. Und vegan… ein Traum

    Reply

  31. AvatarSophie

    5 stars
    This is one of the beeest cakes I have ever eaten. Bianca, thank you for creating my almost favorite recipe which I‘m gonna make a looot of times. 🙌
    The cake is juicy, soft, and with the topping it is just perfect. Everyone needs to try this carrot cake for I know nobody will regret it.
    I made it with maple syrup and a spoonful more carrots. No need for decorative pistachios or marzipan carrots, it‘s great without them anyways 🙂
    I really loved the cake and it didn‘t even survive 24hrs. 😁
    Thank you, Bianca!

    Reply

  32. AvatarSabrina

    5 stars
    Made this cake last night and what a find! Made it with coconut oil as I didn’t have butter at this time and used erythritol as the icing sugar (put it through our spice grinder) in the icing. Delicious without spiking our blood sugar! Will definitely share it and make it during the holidays! Thank you for sharing Bianca

    Reply

  33. Avatarlena

    i baked this cake….it is wonderful…i loved how the whole house smelled cinnamon-ish…..the cake was fluffy, the cream has awesome texture….it is super easy to follow the instructions….and also the amount of carrot it contains really suprised me….i made a double dough and it turned out really good, and im saying that bc most of the times double recipes dont work well……opverall it was a success….everyone loved it!!!!!!

    L.

    Reply

  34. AvatarSam

    5 stars
    My cake sadly didn’t rise, but I’m not surprised, baking is definitely not my strength 😂

    However the cake was delicious nonetheless and I will definitely be making it again!

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      I’m sure you’ll be a baking queen soon when you bake more often 😀 Did you add the correct amount of baking powder etc.? But I’m happy to hear that it was still delicious! 🙂

      Reply

  35. Avatarlena

    5 stars
    the cake is very tasty…love the fact that i had the choice to replace sugar with maple syrup, i put agave….i made a double dough and it was very nice…i am saying that bc sometimes when you make something double it doesnt come out the same…..also the recipe is a piece of cake…my kiddos loved it and it is a way to make them eat agave and carrots….both healthy and nutricious…you should definitely try it out…… <3

    Reply

  38. Avatarjimmy

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe by look and would love to have on my dinning table. Does this make us fat?
    I do not want get fat and have massage therapies.

    Reply

  40. AvatarMelanie

    5 stars
    I made this cake for my mums birthday party, together with the lemon poppy seed cake.
    My mum isnt a good baker and she told me she wasnt gonna have any cakes for her birthday party, so I knew exactly where to go – because, Bianca, your cakes always look sooooo amazing.

    The carrot cake was really easy and fast to make (even though I used a bit more flour than I should have)
    I was done with the batter in about 10 minutes!
    The cake was an absolute hit – my mums friends (and me! carrot cake is my favourite) loved it. One even asked me if I could possibly make one for her too. lol. ( and that after she ate the left over frosting right out of my mixing bowl)

    The recipe is great and very easy to follow (even for a rookie like me)
    Tastyness 11/10.

    Reply

  42. AvatarEmilia

    5 stars
    Just made this cake this weekend for the first time and it turned out to be fantastic. The almonds is the perfect addition I have never thought of earlier. The recipe is super easy, I used chia seed-eggs instead of flax-eggs, but because of texture of the cake it worked fine. Thank you Bianca 🙂

    Reply

  43. AvatarAshley

    Hi I’m sorry to bother you but I had a question! For your carrot cake it says ground almonds does that mean almond flour? Or does it mean like finely chopped almonds? I’m sorry for the dumb question.

    Reply

  44. AvatarLisa

    5 stars
    Der Kuchen schmeckt sehr sehr lecker! Habe ihn vegan und mit Dinkelmehl gemacht, er ist aber sehr flach und nicht gut aufgegangen… sieht eher aus wie eine Tarte. Der Geschmack ist trotzdem super, aber ich weiß nicht, woran das liegt ????

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      Hallo Lisa,
      war deine Springform vielleicht zu groß? Ansonsten könnte es auch daran liegen, dass du den Teig vielleicht zu lange gerührt hast? Oder das Backpulver war vielleicht alt? Daran könnte es auch liegen.

      Reply

  45. AvatarCarina

    Hi Bianca,

    I found my cake came out very dense and wet, do you know what might have caused this? We’re the carrots supported to be strained?

    Reply

  46. AvatarHappilyplanteating

    The best carrot cake no kidding ?
    Definitely gonna make it again, it’s so soft and fluffy and just yumm. Everyone go make it now cause it’s seriously bomb ❤️❤️
    Loved it to last bite, thank you for sharing the recipe Bianca ??

    Reply

  47. AvatarKylie Skelton

    Hi Bianca,

    Please ignore my previous question, if I had read the above information thoroughly instead of skimming, I would have seen that you can make muffins with this recipe! ?

    I have to tell you that I made the muffins this morning. I usually only eat carrot cake for the icing (!), however I tried one before I iced it, and it is the most delicious carrot cake I have ever had! The only substitute I made was I used eggs instead of flaxseed, as it is difficult to find where I am in Australia.

    Many thanks for sharing this recipe, it will become a staple for me!

    Best,

    Kylie

    Reply

  49. AvatarSarah

    Just to want to say that I made this cake twice and both times it has come out beautifully. Thank you for the great recipe! I just reduced the sugar by 20g and it still worked well.

    Reply

  50. AvatarIsabel

    Hi Bianca:
    I made the cake yesterday for my birthday. The taste was amazing but the dough didn’t rise. Antes idea What was wrong? I used rice and oat flour
    Thank you so much
    Isabel

    Reply

  51. AvatarKatherine

    4 stars
    Hi Bianca,
    Thank you for this lovely recipe, it made the carrot cake this week. Tasted delicious! But the cake was a little too wet / not fluffy. Do you know what went wrong, possibly?
    Love,
    Katherine

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      Hi Katherine,
      This cake should be moist but not wet.
      Maybe the temperature of your oven was too low or the baking time was too short. Usually, the heat of a oven is a bit different.
      I recommend to bake it a bit longer next time or use a bigger tin.
      Lots of love,
      Bianca ❤️

      Reply

  52. AvatarKatie

    5 stars
    Hi ,Bianca,
    I am your big fan because I love cooking and especially baking. I was making this amazing carrot cake yesterday evening. Today I woke up and could not wait to taste the cake. It is so delicious, soft and the smell?! AMAZING.
    Thank you so much for this recipe and I am looking forward for another one.
    Bye, Katie.

    Reply

  54. AvatarSabrina

    5 stars
    I tried the recipe last week-end! The cake didn’t quit look as good as Bianca’s but to tasted sooo good. ? I made it with whipped coconut cream and will definitely make it again. ??

    Reply

  55. AvatarSabrina

    I tried the recipe last week-end! My cake didn’t quit look as nice as Bianca’s but it tasted sooooo good! ? I made the carrot cake with coconut whipped cream. I will definitely make it again ??

    Reply

  59. AvatarDoina

    5 stars
    I love this cake ? including my boyfriend who isn’t a vegan. I used gluten free flour and it worked pretty well ?

    Reply

  60. AvatarJessica

    5 stars
    I made this cake for the Easter Holidays and everyone loved it!
    I didn’t do the vegan version. And I used brown sugar instead of white sugar what probably doesn’t really make a difference.

    Thanks for sharing all those great recipes with the community. 🙂

    Reply

  61. AvatarRajaa Oraha

    5 stars
    Hi,
    I am just wondering the color of your cake is it from the carrot or did you put any turmeric in it ?

    Reply

  62. AvatarSusane Alameddine

    Hi Bianca,

    This looks delicious! I’m currently baking it now and doesn’t specify if it is plain all purpose flour or self raising flour? Please help!

    Reply

    • Bianca ZapatkaBianca Zapatka

      Hi Mandy,
      I used all purpose flour because the consistency is more fluffy then. I think you can also use gluten-free or almond flour but these flours usually absorb more liquid, so that you should probably add a bit of plantbased milk.
      Much love,
      Bianca

      Reply

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