These vegan carrot cake cupcakes are a great dessert to enjoy any time of year. The texture is perfect, it isn’t gummy or dry. It’s moist and slightly crumbly (but in a good way). The gluten free flours used are almond flour, oat flour and brown rice flour, which seem to always be my go-to. They don’t leave a weird flavour or texture. These carrot cake cupcakes are topped with a vegan cream cheese frosting that had me licking the bowl (honestly). If you are looking to spruce up any special occasion, then these vegan carrot cake cupcakes are it! These easy vegan carrot cake cupcakes are the perfect treat to celebrate spring with.
Why You’ll Love These Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- The TEXTURE is everything you want in a normal cupcake, and the fact that these cupcakes are vegan AND gluten free with a killer texture is just next-level. No, really.
- These vegan carrot cake cupcakes are the perfect festive addition to any spring dinner and especially Easter.
- I tested this recipe SO MANY times that you can be confident that this recipe is going to turn out. I wanted it to be perfect after testing other people’s gluten free cupcakes that only turned out OK. These needed to be epic!
- Don’t even get me started on the vegan cream cheese frosting. HUBBA HUBBA. It’s so creamy, and has the perfect balance of sweetness and cream cheese. It’s an absolute must with these vegan carrot cake cupcakes.
How To Make Gluten Free Cupcakes
- Although testing these gluten free carrot cake cupcakes was quite the process for me, it won’t be for you, because I did the hard work for you!! Start by preparing the flax eggs and melting the coconut oil. Then in a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients together and whisk. Set it aside. Add the flax egg, coconut oil, vanilla extract, milk, maple syrup and apple sauce together in a large bowl and whisk. The flax eggs and apple sauce act as the binding agents in these vegan cupcakes. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until it’s JUST combined.
- Then fold in the grated carrots. A little fun fact about the carrots: if you don’t peel them, the skins will turn green when cooked, so these cupcakes will have little green specks in them. It doesn’t alter the taste of the cupcakes just the look. So if you care, just make sure you peel those fresh carrots. Using a large cookie scoop fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way. then place the muffin tin in the oven.
- This recipe makes roughly 10 vegan carrot cake cupcakes and they go in the oven for 5 minutes at 400ºF then an additional 20-23 minutes at 350ºF. It’s important to let the vegan carrot cake cupcakes cool for 10 minutes in the pan when they come out of the oven. They will still be slightly soft but when you press down on the top, your finger imprint won’t stay. After 10 minutes, move the cupcakes to a cooling wire rack and let them cool completely before you add the vegan buttercream frosting.
How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- The vegan cream cheese frosting is simple to make but you do need hand beaters or a stand mixer. Simply add the cream cheese, butter and sifted powdered sugar or icing sugar (so there are no clumps) together and whisk until it’s thick but smooth! You don’t want to skip this frosting because it is the perfect pairing with these gluten free carrot cake cupcakes. Use a piping bag, if that’s your thing, to top the cupcakes with the frosting and maybe some crunchy walnuts.
- Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container.
Vegan Cupcake Recipes
FAQ
How Can One Use Vegan Substitutes To Make A Delicious Cake
Each recipe is different which means that some recipes can easily be made vegan while others it’s a lot trickier. But start with an egg replacement: flax eggs, or apple sauce is a good place to start. And change over any dairy products to vegan products (i.e plant-based milk, butter, sour cream and/or cream cheese).
Is Carrot Cake Healthier Than Other Cakes Because It Has Carrots In It?
I’m no dietitian but the short answer is no. Most carrot cakes have very similar ingredients in them compared to other cakes (sugar, butter, flour) and simply adding carrots to a cake doesn’t make it healthier.
How Do I Bake Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Start by preparing the wet ingredients and mixing them together. Combine flour and the other dry ingredients. Then combine them. Lastly, add the shredded carrots. Fill paper liners in a muffin pan 3/4 of the way and bake for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown on top. Let the gluten-free cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before adding any frosting. Store on the counter in a sealed container.
For More Vegan Easter Recipes, Check These Out
- Vegan Lemon Tart
- Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy
- Brussel Sprout Salad with Apple and Pecans
- Gluten Free Brownies
The best part of these carrot cake cupcakes is that they are vegan and gluten free. They are moist, perfectly spiced and actually quite simple to make. Gluten free baking definitely has many ups and downs but when you find a recipe that you can come back to time and time again, you know all the failures were totally worth it to get you where you are now. These vegan cupcakes are going to be the best addition to your upcoming Easter celebrations. They are a delicious treat that everyone will love.
Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax meal mixed with 6 tbsp water)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 3/4 cup oat milk (unsweetened)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup shredded carrots (peeled + added last)
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/2 cup vegan butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (earth island brand)
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- Begin by melting the coconut oil and then set it aside.
- Prepare the flax eggs by combining 2 tbsp of flax meal with 6 tbsp of water in a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside for 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Combine all the dry ingredients together (except the carrots )in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add all the wet ingredients (including the flax eggs and oil) together in another bowl and whisk together.
- Next, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until everything is combined. Then fold in the carrots. NOTE: The carrot skins (if left on) will become green once cooked- it won't alter the taste of the cupcakes but there will be little green specks. So make sure to peel the carrots if you don't want the green specks.
- Fill the cupcake liners up 3/4 of the way and bake in the oven for 5 minutes at 400ºF and then lower the temperature to 350ºF without opening the oven and bake for an additional 20-23 minutes. The cupcakes should look golden on top when they are done. They will still be soft but if you touch the top of the cupcakes your finger indent will bounce back.
- IMPORTANT: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then gently (they will still be a little soft) transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool before adding the frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the butter, cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar to a bowl. Either using hand beaters or a kitchen aid mixer, mix until it is thick but smooth.
- I used a Wilton 2D tip to pipe the cupcakes.
- Cupcakes are best enjoyed within a few days of baking them. Store them in a sealed container on the counter.
Adam
Great read bobby 🙂
it’s the one you were waiting for! xx
Oh my goodness! So much time to nail the recipe! Way to go and I would say you are definitely a PRO!!