About this recipe
This vegan carrot cake is delicious and very easy to make. This recipe is moist, rich, dairy-free, and topped with a fresh and tangy orange glaze. You can bake it in a bundt pan or loaf pan or make it a cake.
This carrot bundt cake is dairy-free and eggless yet incredibly moist and delicious. I like my carrot cake without nuts, raisins, or pineapple chunks.
You just need one bowl to make the cake, and instead of vegan cream cheese frosting, finish the bundt cake by drizzling it over a thick orange glaze.
In this recipe, you can use freshly grated carrots or the pulp from your carrot juice; either works and will give you the best vegan carrot cake ever. Nobody will believe you that this recipe has no eggs, milk, or butter. If you love easy vegan baking, also try my vegan banana bread.
Ingredients
- Almond milk or any other non-dairy milk
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vegetable oil (I like to use avocado oil) or applesauce
- All-purpose flour: You may use gluten-free flour as long as it is 1:1
- Granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon
- Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
- Orange zest, grated carrots
How to prepare carrots for vegan carrot cake
If you’re not using carrot juice pulp, you have a few options for preparing your carrots. You can grate them using a box grater, finely chop them with the grating attachment on your food processor, or use a high-powered blender to achieve a very fine consistency.
How to make vegan carrot cake
Start by adding the apple cider vinegar to the non-dairy milk. Then grate your carrots. Measure your dry ingredients and add them to a large mixing bowl, with a strainer placed on top to sift them.
Then add the sugars, applesauce, oil, and milk, and mix until all the wet ingredients are well incorporated. Stir in the grated carrots and the orange zest. Mix again and prepare your bundt cake pan. I used a 10-inch pan, oiled with vegan butter or an oil spray of your choice. Put the cake in the oven. Bake until a cake tester, or toothpick, comes out clean.
Can I use other cake pans?
Yes, feel free to use other pans. You can use a 9×9-inch square pan, a 10-inch cake pan, or two 8-inch round cake pans to make a layer cake. If you change the pan size, keep the temperature the same and adjust the baking time.
Tips on making the perfect orange glaze
As you might notice, I do not use a vegan buttercream frosting or vegan cream cheese frosting. I love my carrot cake with orange glaze, which gives each bite the perfect extra sweetness.
It is really easy to make the frosting. You just need to mix powdered sugar with orange juice. Make it extra thick, then pop it into the microwave oven for 20-25 seconds to loosen it up.
Mix and finish the cake by drizzling the glaze all over. Let it drop and decorate with fresh flowers, chopped walnuts, or carrot rolls.
Vegan Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze
Equipment
- Bundt cake pan
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup almond or rice milk
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
For the glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest optional
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, place a strainer on top and sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, oil, and the milk with vinegar.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the grated carrots and orange zest.
- Grease a 10-inch bundt cake pan with vegan butter or oil spray. Pour the batter evenly into the pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the glaze, mix the powdered sugar with orange juice until thick and smooth. Microwave for 20 seconds to loosen it up. Drizzle over the cooled cake.
Notes
Grate your carrots at home, do not use storebought grated carrots.
Add your favorite add-ins: raisins, walnuts, or pineapple chunks.
You can also bake this in a 9×9 square pan, a 10-inch round pan, or two 8-inch pans for a layer cake. Adjust baking time accordingly.
Use gluten-free 1:1 flour if needed.
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hi, I’m Ale Graf!
I’m a Mexican home cook based in Texas and the voice behind AleCooks and Piloncillo & Vainilla.
I create easy, family-friendly recipes with Mexican roots and a plant-forward mindset—always flexible and made to bring people together. I’m also the co-author of Yo Cocino Latino and love helping home cooks feel more confident in the kitchen.
Come say hi on Instagram—I’d love to hear what you’re cooking.