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This yummy Carrot Cake is Gluten-Free, Vegan, and made with only 11 healthy ingredients! Top it with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting for a decadent dessert.
Carrot Cake makes me think of Spring, but I’d happily eat it all year round too. Especially this one – not only is it Vegan and Gluten-Free, but it’s also Oil-Free and made with only 11 healthy ingredients! But don’t worry, it still tastes delicious 😉
Not only did I create a delicious, fluffy, moist, and perfectly sweetened Carrot Cake, but I also whipped up a healthy “Cream Cheese” Frosting to go with it too! Well, technically I *blended* some soaked Cashews, Maple Syrup, and Lemon Juice together to make some creamy, dreamy goodness. The frosting is optional, but tell me – when is the last time you had a good piece of Carrot Cake with no frosting?!
Honestly, I’d typically eat a Brownie or Cookie over a piece of cake for dessert. But Carrot Cake holds a special place in my heart! I love how the warming combination of Cinnamon, Ginger, and Nutmeg combine with Carrot ribbons and buttery Pecan chunks to make a slightly dense, slightly fluffy, pretty much perfect treat.
Also, it’s my Dad’s favorite cake. And he’s a pretty cool dude, if I do say so myself.
This Carrot Cake is sweet enough for dessert, but you could honestly also eat it for breakfast. Whatever meal you’re serving it for, I guarantee it won’t be on the table for long. It’s just too dang delicious!
A Few Final Thoughts:
- I opted to cook a square Carrot Cake, though you could double the recipe and bake it in 2 circular Cake Pans for a more traditional cake. If you do that, I would suggest doubling the frosting as well!
- Nut Allergy? The Pecans in this recipe can be subbed with Coconut Flakes or Sunflower Seeds – or just leave them out!
- I recommend frosting your Cake just before serving and refrigerating any leftovers promptly.
If you’re looking for more irresistible (but still healthy) Vegan recipes, you’ll also love these Vegan Lemon Bars, this No-Bake Chocolate Raspberry Tart, and this Vegan Key Lime Pie!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintHealthy Carrot Cake
This yummy Carrot Cake is Gluten-Free, Vegan, and made with only 11 healthy ingredients! Top it with Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting for a decadent dessert.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 32 Minutes
- Total Time: 47 minutes
- Yield: 9 Pieces 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake:
- 1 cup Non-Dairy Milk
- ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ¾ cup Coconut Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups Quick-Cooking or Rolled Oats, blended into a fine flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp Ginger
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Pink Salt
- 2 cups Shredded Carrot
- ¾ cup Pecans, chopped (plus more for topping)
For the Creamy Cashew Frosting: (Optional, but recommended)
- 1 cup Raw Cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours
- 1 ½ tbsp Maple Syrup
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract (Optional)
- Pinch of Salt
- ¼ tsp Nutritional Yeast (Optional)
- Juice of ½ Small Lemon
- 3 tbsp Water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line or grease a 9×9” baking tin. Add the Non-Dairy Milk, Applesauce, Coconut Sugar, and Vanilla to a small bowl and whisk well.
- Combine the Oat Flour, Baking Powder, Spices, and Salt into a separate large bowl and whisk. Form a well in the center of the bowl, pour the wet ingredients in, and use a spatula to mix until no clumps remain. Fold in the Carrots and chopped Pecans, then spread the batter evenly into the baking tin.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes, until a toothpick cleanly comes out of the center of the cake. Immediately remove the cake from the baking tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack before decorating or slicing.
- Prepare the Cashew Frosting by adding all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender and processing until smooth. I recommend adding the Water in in 1 tbsp increments; you may need to use more depending on your blender, but try to use the least amount possible.
- Frost the Cake, top with additional Pecans if desired, and cut into 9 pieces and serve. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days (the Cake will last at room temperature for up to 5 days if unfrosted).
Notes
- I have not tested this recipe with any flour other than Oat Flour, and cannot recommend substitutions
- Coconut Sugar may be substituted with Brown Sugar
- The Cashew Frosting has an off-white color due to the Maple Syrup and Vanilla. If you’d like it to be whiter, replace the Maple Syrup with 3 tbsp of Powdered Sugar!
Keywords: Gluten Free Carrot Cake, Carrot Desserts, Healthy Carrot Cake, Oil Free Carrot Cake
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Hi, thanks for the recipe. Can I substitute the applesauce with nut butter? Or any other substitute you would recommend?
Hey! If you’re looking for a substitute for the applesauce, I’d recommend using mashed banana. The applesauce helps work as a binder and banana would do the same. A nut butter wouldn’t be recommended.
Thanks for that.
Whoa, I am just awestruck! This carrot cake looks superb. Is there any way I could appropriately classify this recipe as a breakfast dish? Because carrot cake for breakfast sounds like a dream right now! LOL!
If we can have breakfast for dinner then I don’t see why not!
Hi there! I love all of your recipes, they’re so healthy and they look so delish 🙂 I tried making this, and so far it’s been in the oven for four hours with a nice, cooked top, but the inside is still completely liquid. I now have tin foil over the top and I reduced the temp to 325 to try and help it cook a little more evenly, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much. Two things that could be causing this are 1) I had to use a small casserole dish, which I didn’t realize was a 9×6 until it was too late, and 2) I grated my carrots in a food processor, but some of it ended up getting maybe a little pureed rather than grated. Do you think either one of these could be the problem? Or is there something you’d suggest if there’s any way to save this? Other than that, the batter itself had a great taste, and if I can find the fix I’ll definitely make it again! Thanks!
★★★★
Hey! So the pan size could affect baking time for sure. The carrots need to be just shredded, after shredding if there is a lot of moisture you can squeeze it out by hand before folding it in to the batter.
Okay, makes sense! But I will say, after baking it I decided to just transfer the covered pan into the fridge to see if it would set, and overnight, it solidified into the texture of pumpkin pie and my family absolutely LOVED it and went for more!! They all thought it was just like a yummy carrot cake pie, so this recipe is definitely a win for me if it can still be delicious after my major mistakes 😛 Thank you so much!! Definitely making this again!
★★★★★
Well it all worked out then! Thanks, Gracie!
I am making this today, it better be as tasty as it looks, I’ve had it bookmarked for months! 😀
Hello! Love you recipes. Any recommendations for the cake being on the fluffier side – a little less dense? Also- do you think i could sub applesauce for something like almond butter? I made the banana loaf and love the texture! thank you!
Hi Hannah! Yes, I believe you could sub the applesauce for almond butter – that may help make things fluffier too!
Why didn’t you add baking soda and apple cider vinagre to the recipe?
hi! I just made this cake and it looks really yummy! is it possible to put the rest of the frosting in a container? and if so, do I store it in my cupboard or in the fridge? thank you!
Yes, you can store the leftover frosting in a jar in the fridge! It should keep in there for up to 10 days
Can this be made as a bread?
I would not recommend that. The cake is pretty moist and I don’t think the center would cook through
Got to try this over the weekend and it is awesome. Super delicious!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This was a great cake overall, but I would emphasize that it is a “healthy” carrot cake, and if you’re a carrot cake aficionado such as myself, you may find it lacking something- which is probably lots of refined sugar! Again, it is overall a great recipe and I would make it again, as the simplicity of ingredients and lack of oils/refined sugar/gluten make it well worth it.
★★★★
Yes, it’s definitely a healthier twist 🙂 I’m glad you still enjoyed it!
Tis cake is so good! Not too sweet, moist, and dense. Its hardy and obviously not like a traditional cake. More in common with a brownie of sorts. Highly recommend! Made it for Easter time!!!!
★★★★★
This cake was amazing! It wasn’t as sweet as I hoped it would be but still very delicious. I used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and almonds instead of pecans. This will be a staple recipe in my home. Thank you so much. ????????????
★★★★
Thank you, Dawn!
Hi Dawn! Do you remember if you used light or dark brown sugar? thanks!!
Hi Caitlyn is it possible to use roasted cashews? Or is it strictly only raw? Thank you! Can’t wait to try it!
Roasted Cashews should be fine, just try to find some that are unsalted and dont have any added oils!
Can I relpace the coconut sugar for maple syrup?
No, but you can replace it with another granulated sweetener (brown sugar, date sugar, etc)
Hi Caitlin i would like to know if the coconut sugar could be avoided in this recipe without comprimising the overall recipe. Thanks and love your recipes!! You are awesome keep up with this amazing work!
You can substitute it for another sugar, but you cannot leave out the sugar entirely
I have store bought oat flour. Would I need to use less than 2 cups if it is pre-ground? Thanks!
I would actually use 2 1/4 cups, Amber!
Could the oats ground into flour be subbed for anything else like coconut, almond or quinoa flour? Oats are restricted during the holiday of Passover. This would be an amazing treat to make for the holiday otherwise!
Hi Rachel! I have not tried any other flour substitutions; I imagine they would work, but am not entirely sure. I think a combination of Almond Flour and Quinoa would be the best based on the options you gave me – maybe 75% almond flour, 25% quinoa? You may have to adjust the wet ingredients in the recipe as well – I would suggest adding more/less applesauce.
Just made this and it was AWESOME. I subbed the apple sauce for vegan butter and left out the nuts. So so moist 🙂
★★★★★
sounds delicious!
For the ginger, is it fresh or powdered? or does it matter?
Powdered, though you could use fresh!
I am so going to make this! ????
Have you ever tried to make frosting from almonds? I want to make a sub for cashews. (Cashew nuts are ridiculously expensive herevin Denmark.. ????)
Hugs from Sheila
★★★★★
I haven’t! I would suggest making a coconut cream-based frosting over an almond frosting
Hi – I once saw a frosting made with japanese sweet potatoes (the ones that have purple skin but are white inside). But that was a chocolate frosting. Just thought I’d give my two cents…
We love everything sweet potato, might have to try that one out!
Absolutely delicious! Just made it and my husband also loves it so much! Some subs- mashed banana instead of apple sauce, I also didn’t have enough oats so used 1cup regular flour. instead of lemon juice for frosting, I added a splash of oat milk, which was super lovely and creamy!
Thanks again for the lovely recipe! Will def make it again! Next time will add in some raisins too 🙂
★★★★★
Sounds great! Thanks so much for making it, glad you and your husband enjoyed it!
Just made this recipe and it is delicious!!
★★★★★