This delicious and easy vegan gluten free carrot cake is a must have recipe for any season! Brought together with simple ingredients, fresh carrots and pumpkin puree for an extra dose of vegetables. This recipe is a crowd pleaser and has been made multiple times with different variations as well! It is vegan, gluten free, oil free, dairy free and refined sugar free.
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I first created this recipe back in the beginning of quarantine when I found myself looking around my pantry to use up what I had. In my searches, I found a solo can of pumpkin puree left from Fall 2019 to use up. Pumpkin puree can be used as an oil replacement in a lot of recipes and adds a nice amount of moisture to your baking goods. In this vegan gluten free carrot cake recipe, not much is used and it pairs wonderfully with the carrot cake flavor! And what better time to bring this recipe to blog since pumpkin puree is the main baking ingredient of the fall!
SO… what will you need to make this vegan gluten free carrot cake?
- Almond Flour
- Pumpkin Puree
- Flax Eggs
- Maple Syrup
- Coconut Sugar
- Grated Carrots
- Almond Milk
- Cinnamon and Allspice
- Vanilla
- Baking Soda
- Optional Add-ins (I love walnuts, shredded coconut and raisins!)
- Vanilla Frosting of choice (I love this Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting)
How do I grate the carrots?
In this recipe, you can achieve the grated carrots in two ways. First, if you can buy already shredded carrots and simply add to a blender or food processor and continually pulse! I would suggest doing this in small batches and shaking occasionally so that they are evenly grated. Second option is to use a handheld grater with whole or baby carrots. For both options, make sure you squeeze out any excess moisture using a cheesecloth, towels or paper towels.
How to store the carrot cake:
This carrot cake can be left in an airtight container on the counter for 1-2 days. After that I would suggest storing in a fridge for up to a week. You can also store in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Can I make any substitutions or add more ingredients?
- Almond Flour: this is a very unique flour, as it provides moisture from the fat in the almonds. It is also slightly denser than typical flours so I would not have any substitution recommendations until I have tested it. If you do substitute and have success, please leave a comment below!
- Pumpkin puree: If you do not want to use pumpkin puree, you can substitute with mashed banana, oil or yogurt
- Flax Eggs: I used flax eggs in this recipe with a 3 tbsp flax + 7.5 tbsp water ratio. If you would prefer to use real eggs for a non-vegan recipe, feel free to do so!
- Almond Milk: any milk of choice will work
- Maple syrup and coconut sugar: the key here is liquid sugar and granular sugar. This acts as a binder in the recipe. You can substitute for any liquid sugar, such as honey, and if you are making this recipe with less added sugar, check out this date syrup! As for the granular sugar, you can use any granular sugar substitute but it will very, as coconut sugar acts as a blend of white and brown sugar.
- Optional Add-ins: of course any will work here! For that traditional carrot cake feel, I stuck with walnuts, shredded coconut and raisins.
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Ready to bake this delicious carrot cake?!
Vegan Gluten Free Carrot Cake
Equipment
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 flax eggs see note
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup pumpkin purée sub yogurt, applesauce or oil
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 container vanilla frosting
Optional Add-ins
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Make flax eggs: Whisk together 3 tbsp flax + 7.5 tbsp water in a bowl and let sit for 10 min. (you can also use 3 eggs here too)
- Grate your carrots: you can either grate whole or baby carrots using a grater or use a shredded carrots and pulse in a blender or food processor. See notes above recipe on how to do this. Once grated, squeeze out excess moisture using a cheesecloth, towel or paper towels
- In a large mixing bowl combine almond flour, baking soda and spices. Once combined and there are no clumps, add in almond milk pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and flax eggs. Gently mix until smooth but without over mixing.
- Fold in optional add ins
- In a greased or parchment paper lined 9×13 pan, pour in the cake batter in.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean
- After about 10 minutes, remove from pan and add to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, add frosting and serve!
Notes
- Flax eggs: 3 tbsp flax + 7.5 tbsp water and let sit for 10 min
- Can replace flax eggs with regular eggs
- See notes above recipe for substitutions
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