1-Bowl Vegan Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Love this cake recipe! Was wanting to turn them into cupcakes but wanted to ask baking time for that?

This was delicious!! I ended up subbing oat flour for the almond flour just because that’s what I had on hand. Left out the walnuts because my daughter is allergic, used Bobs Red Mill GF blend flour, topped it with vegan cream cheese frosting, and the whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing!
Note–The flour I used was not the 1:1 mix, so I did add the recommended amount of xanthan gum to the recipe.

This was pretty tasty and texture was good. I made the buttercream icing and did miss the cream cheese taste. Next time I will try that one.
I used real eggs as I am not vegan and used 3 (although I read in the comments that the chef recommends 2.

I’m an experienced baker and wanted to make this for Easter. I followed the instructions to a T with no substitutions. After an extra 45 minutes of baking, it is still completely raw in the middle.

Such a waste of ingredients – so disappointing.

I make a carrot cake every year for Easter (and sometimes birthdays and anniversaries too!) bc I adore carrot cake. But being gluten free, every year I try a NEW recipe, because the last one wasn’t quite perfect… Well, after making this recipe, my search for the perfect carrot cake is over!!!

…I did make a couple tweaks tho ;)
1. I used a cupcake pan, this recipe made ~exactly~ 24 cupcakes
2. I subbed the applesauce for canned crushed pineapple, bc somewhere along the way I decided carrot cake needs crushed pineapple?!
3. I added 1-2 tsp of pumpkin pie spices, bc I like it extra “spicy”

Thank you for an amazing gluten free carrot cake recipe!!!

We used 3 cups namaste perfect flour blend, grape seed oil, and white ripple milk (my daughter is nut free). I also made them in muffin tins so we can freeze them for her. Baked for 40 minutes. These turned out SO WELL! Now I’m wondering if I can replace the white sugar with honey. Something to try next time. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

Loved the recipe and I loved how it came out, incredible flavour. Only thing was a bit dense/stodgy. Is there a way to make it fluffier and more sponge like?

This cake is AMAZING!!!!
I made it for my baby’s first birthday a d we all loved it!!!!

This is a great recipe and I came back to your site to find it because it’s very good. I have made it as written and also with pineapple.

But while this used to be my favorite recipe site, and I’ve bought your cookbook etc., I really can’t use the website anymore and rarely recommend it to others. I understand you need ad revenue and totally support that, but the autoplay video ads are quite difficult. Ad blockers are now basically required to view your site (and don’t always work on my iPad rather than a PC); static ads are no problem, it’s the video ones that cause trouble. And the worst is actually your own autoplay YouTube videos from your recipes. Not only do they stop any music or radio from playing, they also repeatedly cause the page to jump around and reload. There are only so many screenshots of recipes (my only obvious solution) I want in my photostream.

Again I understand the financial need for ads. But it’s really a shame how impossible the website has become to view.

Thank you for your continued excellent recipes. (I’d totally pay to subscribe to an ad-free page of yours btw)

I made this as a birthday cake in September while visiting family in Houston. This cake was hands down over the top sensationally delicious. I couldn’t tell the difference between this gluten free vegan fluffy moist carrot cake & a non vegan gluten free cake. I was in shock, I want to eat cake again!!! And everyone else including some neighbors were mutually shocked, we were all in agreement in seconds it was that delicious. Can’t thank you enough for creating a gluten free cake that is out of this world, over the top, sensationally delicious! Getting ready to make another one this weekend, trying the cream cheese frosting this time. Happy Holidays!!!!

Wow, wonderful outcome! Decided to make this at the last minute, used 3 real eggs, Bob’s 1:1 gluten free flour, and did the three 6″ layers. The cake was delicious. There was the slightest after-taste that only I could discern: could this be too much baking powder and baking soda? Everyone else at the party loved it. Thank you!

It worked really really well! thank you! 💯💯💯

THE BEST VEGAN GLUTEN FREE CARROT CAKE RECIPE EVER!!!!!!
Thank you so much for this recipe and all of your recipes!

I’m an avid baker and I had such high hopes for this recipe given all the glowing comments. Made it as per recipe and baked it for 50 minutes. After cooling it still felt raw and heavy when I was frosting it – but not having made it before I trusted that it must be fine as I had baked it according to recommended timing. Mistake. I brought a completely raw and undercooked cake to a birthday dinner.

I am home again now, re-baking it, and it’s already been in the oven for another 40 minutes and still looks raw.

For me – a definite fail unfortunately

I tried making this two layers by putting in two cake tins and it did not rise at all. Was so thin there was no point going through the effort of making the icing. Disappointed

It was quitte soft and too moist while I followed the recipe exactly like should.

Absolutely perfect. I made without adjustments, just according to the recipe. It was so good. Will be making this even when I am not catering for vegan and gluten free.

Am I the only person who didn’t like this recipe? I made it with the recommended vegan cashew “buttercream” frosting (also not good) and it wasn’t sweet. I bake gf a lot and have never mixed flours like this so I was excited to try but the consistency was not for me and the almond flour altered the taste. Disappointed but I had fun making it at least.

Hands down my favorite cake recipe. As a kid carrot cake was my fav. Never found one that was gluten free that had the right texture and taste. This recipe is flawless. I always make it as a sheet cake in the 9×13. I am wondering if it is easy to turn out of a pan this size ? I have never attempted to. I always make it with the vegan cream cheese frosting. No one ever believes its vegan! The real deal! I will be making it for my birthday this weekend…AGAIN! Cannot wait.

Hands down the best gluten free carrot cake (or regular) that I’ve ever made, and keep coming back to this one time and time again. Super friendly to substitutions like using all GF flour or regular eggs. Best of all, very very easy to make and you can easily add in more carrots too. Thanks minimalist baker and team for nailing this one!

Omg. I just made these as cupcakes to satisfy my sweet tooth and they are SO GOOD!

I halved the recipe and made them as cupcakes, came out as 7 which was perfect. I probably could have done 8 smaller ones if I wanted. I was out of flax so I used one egg, used coconut sugar and reduced the recommended amount, and used whole wheat instead of GF flour. I also used pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts. I was worried it might not turn out with all the substitutions but I was delightfully surprised! Paired with the tangy cashew “cream cheese” frosting and wowwwww.

I made this cake a few nights ago but substituted regular flour and it was light, fluffy and very moist. I ended up using a real cream cheese icing so I don’t know what the vegan version would be like but it was so good that I’ll be adding this to my recipe repertoire! The cinnamon levels were perfect and it yielded a light, springy cake that easily held the weight of the frosting without collapsing. It has been in the fridge, quickly disappearing, for the past 3 days and still tastes just as good as the first day, especially if you warm it for 30 seconds in the microwave!

Amazingly delicious, my favourite cake so far! I also swapped the flaxseed for 3 eggs! For some reason my flaxseed never seems to thicken?

Though I do not like how many trackers you have on your website.
from this page alone my computer has blocked 61 trackers, I do not like this.

Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

It turned out really well. (but tasted much better after a few days in the fridge, rather than most baked goods which taste better straight out of the oven).

I followed the ingredients exactly except that instead of gluten free flour I used wholemeal spelt flour (contains gluten).

I filled a loaf tin with the batter and cooked it for 60-70 minutes on 160 degrees, and once it cooled down I sliced it horizontal so I could put layers of cashew icing inside.

O.M.G.
I seriously cannot believe how good this cake is. I followed the recipe exactly, except using 2 large eggs in place of flax egg and almost doubling the cinnamon (we love the flavor). We are GF and DF and have never made a successful cake with these dietary limitations and I am just so excited that we finally found a recipe that works!! We used the Vitacost brand GF baking flour and dark brown sugar. Added raisins as well along with the walnuts. Used the vegan cream cheese icing recipe with the Tofutti cream cheese…it turned out delicious as well….I added a smidge of vanilla and almond extracts. THANK YOU SO MUCH Minimalist Baker for sharing such an excellent recipe! You are incredible!

This is a terrific recipe. Carrot cake is my hubby’s fave, so I HAD to make it for his birthday gathering. I baked it in a 9 x 13 sheet pan. Followed the recipe fairly closely except for these substitutions:

-Canola oil (instead of coconut)
-White Whole Wheat flour (instead of GF blend)
-Chopped roasted unsalted almonds (instead of walnuts)

Served with the cream cheez frosting. It was a HUGE hit with our omni guests–they were like jackals eating multiple pieces each. Sadly, only 2 small pieces left for the next morning.

NOTE: it would be great to have guidance on how to halve the recipe as we usually wouldn’t need such a large cake.

I made this for Mother’s Day yesterday. I added in the walnuts, a handful of raisins, and about 1/4 of shredded coconut. I used 1/4 of applesauce and 3/4 of crushed pineapple because I really love pineapple in carrot cakes, it adds a nice moisture to it and light sweetness. I baked this in a bundt cake pan for about 50 minutes.

Everyone says it’s the best carrot cake they’ve ever had and are surprised that it’s GF and vegan. I used the recommended sugars (brown sugar and regular cane sugar) and Bob’s GF 1 to 1 flour in addition to the almond flour. I made a regular cream cheese frosting to top it. So good!

Thank you for perfecting this recipe! Made it for Easter and it was a big hit as well as gorgeous!

I made this carrot cake for Easter and it was so moist, tasty and delicious! And did I mention easy? Everyone loved it, and the non-vegans were pleasantly surprised it was a vegan carrot cake! Thank you for sharing this recipe I can’t wait to make and taste again!

This cake is FANTATIC! I made two 8 inch layers and it worked very well. I used all brown sugar as I didn’t have any cane sugar and I used regular milk. Hands down this is the best gluten free cake I have made.

I used almond meal and Bob’s gluten free flour and unfortunately it didn’t rise at all. The cake layers were like mushy pancakes. I wouldn’t make this again. Good flavor though.

This was EXCELLENT – small changes, my basic GF flour is pretty starchy so I substituted a half cup of amaranth flour for a half cup of plain flour for some nutrition (this was a bit random as I was just using it up) and I pureed some canned pineapple to use instead of the applesauce. I also used a tangy cashew vanilla frosting. We loved it! No real pineapple taste – but amazing texture!

This came out amazing. Everyone loved it and was shocked that it was vegan and gluten free. For the frosting I used the Country Crock plant butter and it tasted so good!! I’m so thankful I found this recipe because it is pure gold!! Also it is very easy to follow which makes it even better !!

I halved this recipe and baked it in a 9×9 square pan. I also used raisins and walnuts, and I made your vegan cream cheese frosting to top it off (with miyokos products). YUMMMMMM 🔥!

This recipe is incredible! This is by far the best gluten free/vegan cake I have ever made. I added some golden raisins, unsweetened shredded coconut and a little crushed pineapple. The batter was a tad thick once completely together so I thinned it with pineapple juice instead of the additional almond milk. For the frosting I made a vegan maple buttercream. The cakes came out of the pans beautifully. It was incredibly moist and nobody could believe it was vegan/GF. This will be my new go-to cake for holidays and celebrations. Thank you so much!

I am a retired wedding cake baker. I made a four-tier wedding cake for my daughter’s wedding on a Malibu farm. She wanted vanilla and chocolate and I insisted on a tier of this marvelous carrot recipe. Guess which tier went the fastest and had people coming back for seconds?

The other cakes I have in my vegan repertoire are quite pedestrian and not as amazing as the cakes I used to be known for before going vegan, but this is a total winner.

When you eat cake, you know it is not for nutrition.
If you don’t crave it, once you taste it, it is not worth it to me.

Just made this for my daughter’s birthday. This was THE best carrot cake! The cream cheese frosting made it even more delicious! A definite keeper and we’ll be making this again for special occasions. Thank you for all of your recipes. They are always a hit!

I have made this many many times as is with no subs and it is the BEST VEGAN GF Carrot Cake. PERIOD.

Fast forward to this Easter where I have to accomodate Vegan, GF and KETO. Whaaa? Keto and vegan is hard in baking. This was my first attempt at adjuating this one and it went well. Other recipes I tried to alter were flops.

3 batches flax egg (3 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 7 ½ Tbsp water as original recipe is written)

1/3 cup melted coconut oil* (or sub other neutral oil)

1/4 cup lakanto monkfruit maple syrup

1 scant cup unsweetened coconut yogurt.

1/2 cup lakanto golden sugar
1/4 cup lakanto granulated monkfruit sweetener
3/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1 /2 cups loosely packed grated carrot
2 1/2 cups almond flour 1/2 cups tapioca starch
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup chopped raw walnuts

FROSTINGS working on a vegan butter allulose vanilla buttercream. I do not like vegan cream cheese subs. Allulose supposedly does not have a cooling effect. I have not been able to create a sugar free dairy free frosting yet. Maybe SWB made w aquafaba.

Jeez I miss raisins. No sub there.

I do NOT recommend you change this recipe, but if you are trying to accommodate a ton of restrictions, try this. I baked this for 47 min in 3, 6 in pans.

Hugh congrats for this recipe, it’s really tasty, with perfect moisture. Usually at all recipe I reduce the sugar part with 10-20%, but here it was not needed as it was really not too sweet, but just simply perfect. The only slight change at my end was the mix of the gluten free flour (1/2 cup brown rice, 1/4 tapioca and 1/4 white rice flour), but the result is really lovely.

WOW this was good.

I tweaked this so that it has less added sugar, and I used real eggs. So regular eggs instead of the substitute, and I used Lakanto brand “maple syrup” and “cane sugar”, which are 1:1 substitutes (lakanto.com). I did use real brown sugar (because that’s all I had), but I swapped the amounts of brown sugar and cane sugar. So I did 1/2 cup Lakanto “cane sugar” substitute, and only 1/4 cup real brown sugar.

Everything else the same. For the gluten-free flour blend and almond flour, both I used were Bob’s Red Mill brand. I did add chopped walnuts, I also added raisins.

I used the vegan cream cheese frosting recipe – to make it sugar-free, I used Lakanto “powdered sugar”, and since this sub is much sweeter than regular sugar, I only used a total of 2 cups, rather than 3-5 suggested for real powdered sugar. I probably could have gotten away with even a little less, tbh.

It came out even better than I could have hoped for, I could have eaten the entire thing last night LOL Amazing considering it’s gluten-free, and my version only has a 1/4 cup “real sugar” in the entire thing – frosting included!

It came out so good I would absolutely bring this to a dinner party and everyone would be wow’d by it!

THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!!!! My kids also gobbled it up. I used coconut sugar and almond meal instead of almond flour. We put almond butter on top and it was yummy. It was pretty dense, but we didn’t mind. It turned out to be more bread like due to the gluten free flour, and lack of brown sugar to make it fluffy. I did bake it a little longer because my gluten-free flour mix ( from Costco) takes forever to cook through! I will make this again! :)

I made pancakes with the excess batter and now I will never go back to eating normal pancakes ever again.

This was a thumbs up recipe!! Only thing I will do different next time, is making the cashew cream frosting a bit thicker.

Insanely delicious!! I made this for my husband’s birthday and he was thrilled! I used two 8” pans which gave me a bigger surface to decorate. I added both raisins ( 1/3 c) and nuts ( 1/2 c) which was a perfect combo. I frosted the cake with your cream cheese frosting and topped with chopped walnuts.
Thank you, thank you!!!

Made this for my dads bday. Everyone was blown away. I only had about 1/4 c applesauce so I used some crushed pineapple for the rest (3/4 cup). I also just used AP flour because I didn’t have any gluten free flours. Thank you so much. Making these without the sugar this week for my kids lunchboxes. ❤️

Just so you’re aware, this is a staple in my home. I make this recipe as muffins and they are gone with 12 hours.

Fantastic recipe!! Didn’t use true measurements because I don’t have standard kitchen utensils. Used whole wheat flour instead of the gluten free blend and added fresh ginger.
Don’t own a cupcake tin but used the foil cupcake wrappers and they still set up wonderfully. Super pleased and exited for the gang to try them!

Wonderful recipe! I love that I needed one bowl and that my daughter (6) loved the cake! She was worried it would taste like carrots! Haha! I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and only had white sugar on hand for the cane sugar. I also used a homemade chunky applesauce and 3/4 cup oat milk as my non-dairy sub. The cake was more moist in some parts (almost mushy), but I believe that was due to my chunky applesauce. It tasted amazing. You couldn’t tell it was vegan or gluten free. It is a keeper in our family. We also ate it without frosting and it still is delicious!

I modified the recipe somewhat. I dropped all sugars except the scant 1/4 cup maple syrup. I added raisins, substituted the apple sauce for 1 cup crushed pineapple, added walnuts, ground cloves, and nutmeg. The 9 x 13 pan was consumed by two of us in less than 24 hours. (I also used oat flour instead of the mixed gluten-free flour) Thanks for the basic recipe.

Hello, Loved the carrot cake!!! Thank you for an amazing recipe!! I want to make it again with pineapple tidbits and walnuts!

This is AMAZING! Just made it today and I’m blown away at how good it is! The only thing I changed was that I added 3 eggs instead of flax eggs and I used white and raw sugar as I didn’t have the others mentioned. We also omitted the walnuts and raisins (I know, not a true carrot cake!) but other than that everything was according to recipe exactly.
I haven’t frosted it yet but unless it’s for a birthday or special occasion, I don’t think it needs it! I divided the cake between a loaf pan and a small 8in cake pan. Kids were patiently waiting for it to be done to have as dessert but time ran out so carrot cake/bread for breakfast it is! Thanks for a marvelous recipe, one we will certainly use again and again! I’m just wondering if the cake, without any frosting would freeze well? If you can answer I’d be very grateful!

Soooo good! Didn’t have ingredients for gf flour so used whole wheat instead – still came out fine and YUM! Delicious. Thanks!

Made this today so delicious! I did however have to substitute the apple sauce with one medium-large size banana, chia seed jelly instead of flax egg (same measurement as recipe) and used all parts coconut sugar. Thanks for the recipe!!

This cake is absolutely delicious! It’s definitely my go to recipe for carrot cake now and so easy. I did add 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple as I had some I needed to use up.

I just made this for Birthday… I love it. It came out soo moist! Delicious!!

My favorite carrot cake. I’ts super moist. I use regular white flour instead of gluten-free and only bake for 30 minutes. It’s perfect every time!

Hi Dana

Just wanted to say I made this cake for my birthday yesterday and it was a massive hit with the family!

They couldn’t believe it didn’t have any wheat, eggs or dairy.

I made it with your tangy cashew cream frosting – omg. It. was. delicious. It did get a bit slipper as I was putting it on the cake – and maybe that’s because the cake wasn’t completely cool, but then popped it in the fridge and it hardened pretty quickly.

It honestly turned out amazing.

Thank you so much x

This recipe is amazing! I used regular gluten free flower instead of the diy blend suggested in the recipe. I used 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup coconut sugar. The cake is extremely moist and SO tasty. Highly recommend.

Delicious cake and I loved the vegan cream cheese frosting! Love, love, love. This is a keeper recipe.

This recipe was easy to follow and tasted delicious! I ended up not having enough almond flour and ended up using about a half cup of coconut flour to make up the difference. For the non-dairy milk, I used oat milk, as it was what I had at hand. Both of these tweaks worked great! I used the the vegan cashew buttercream frosting, also an easy and great recipe.

Awesome recipe! Family loved it!

I’m a huge baker, and this has become my go-to cake recipe! May who have tried it says it’s their favorite carrot cake they’ve ever had (all day it’s better than what restaurants make!)
I’d give more than 5 stars if I could

Delicious! I used oat flour instead of the gluten free flour blend and was a little nervous but these turned out FAB. Made them w your tangy cashew frosting. Usually I roll my eyes at all the “even non vegans loved them!” Comments but I think this cake would easily stand up to a traditional carrot cake :)

Outstanding and excellent recipe. Baked this for my daughters birthday. Came out perfectly moist and yummy. I added pineapple tidbits chowed walnuts and raisins. Only one cup of powdered sugar in the vegan cream cheese frosting with a squirt of lemon and a dash of vanilla.

Truly wonderful! I subbed regular sugar for the coconut sugar, and topped with Tofutti cream cheese frosting.

I made it but used eggs. It was delicious!!

This was amazing!! My daughter specifically wanted a carrot cake for her 7th birthday. I looked around and decided to use this recipe. I did everything exactly as it’s explained and it came out sooo good!! My daughter loved it. All the family members that tried it, loved it! I used the cream cheese frosting. We plan on making it again soon. :)

I made this for my husbands birthday and it was a huge success. Perfect for me gluten, dairy and egg free family. Everyone loved it! I iced it with cashew ‘cream cheese’ icing which was also delicious.

I used regular gluten free flour instead of the blend and only brown sugar.

This one is a keeper!

I love minimalist baker and have tried loads of recipes from her. I just made this cake and it tastes delicious. Moist and flavourful. But it didn’t rise at all – not sure why – and it all could have baked in 1 tin. I used 2 8inch squares and the amount of batter I had I could easily have baked it in just 1 8 inch cake tin. This way I have 2 super thin layers. If I hadn’t already greased both tins I would have just baked it in one. My baking soda is not old and the only change I made was I used spelt flour rather than gluten free. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly.

I made this for a friend’s bday and it was a hit!! I used all coconut sugar since all I had was sweetened apple sauce. I thought cane sugar might make it too sweet. I also cheated and used King Arthur’s Gluten Free Baking Flour. It came out so moist and delicious. This is a keeper!! Thank you.

This cake was amazing! Perfectly sweet and not too heavy. Served it at my mums birthday party and non vegans did not notice it was vegan and everyone loved it. The first carrot cake I could eat more than a slice of without getting sick. I only had one cake pan so i baked all in one and then cut the cake in two 😊 filled and topped it with your delicious tangy cashew cream and fruit. Next time i would only add a little more carrot. Btw I used almond meal instead of almond flour, date syrup and a corn based gf cake flour.

This is probably one of the best recipes I have made! The cake was so moist and flavourful. I’m vegan, however my non-vegan family also loved it. My younger brother keeps asking me to make it again, so this recipe will definitely be getting more uses. I didn’t have any applesauce, but subbed it for some mashed banana and it worked fine. I also used Italian flour instead of GF, which was also fine. This was a great cake!

Absolutely the best carrot cake I’ve ever had, and everyone I served it to agreed. Incredibly moist and flavorful. I did it as two layers with Minimalist Baker’s vegan cream cheese in between and on top (skipped the sides) and it made it even more tasty.

One thing for me to figure out next time is how to prevent the vegan butter from clumping after icing the cake – maybe I didn’t cream it together well enough.

Can’t recommend this cake enough :)

I absolutely loved this recipe and so did everyone who tried it at the party! Followed it exactly. Made sure it was well baked. I used two 9 in. Round pans and ended up whipping up a second batch to add a third layer to the cake (saved the 4th one just for my family!) I made the frosting first and refrigerated for several hours for easier spreading. (I used about 3 cups of the powdered sugar. I don’t like things very sweet, and it was perfect. I don’t understand how others said it was too sweet with even one cup. It had a naturally tart flavor.) The frosting was enough for me, even though I doubled the cake recipe. After refrigerating the frosted cake again, I went over the frosting a second time to smooth it out really well. The cake was beautiful and delicious!

I made this for a family member’s birthday. We didn’t have any flax on hand so I substituted 3 eggs instead. I also accidentally added 1/3 cup too much applesauce. It came out so moist and wonderful! From my picky 95 year old grandfather, to my foodie parents, to a (mostly)paleo sibling and spouse, this recipe hit it out of the park.

Favorite carrot cake recipe! I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour since I didn’t have time to make yours and it turned out beautifully. Easy recipe to follow, so glad I didn’t end up with a sink full of dishes after!
Quyana for sharing :)