Easy vegan carrot cake loaf is ultra moist and tender, perfectly spiced, and topped with optional vegan cream cheese frosting – perfect for spring and year-round!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This vegan carrot cake loaf is the perfect spring treat (but enjoyable all year long!)—super moist, warmly spiced, and easy to make. Thanks to brown sugar, applesauce, carrots, and a bit of oil, it's ultra soft and tender with just the right amount of sweetness and cinnamon-nutmeg spice. No eggs, dairy, or mixer needed!
It’s everything you love about traditional carrot cake without the hassle of layering or fancy decorating skills – just one bowl, one loaf tin, and an hour later, you have a tasty quick bread perfect for breakfast, brunch, dessert, and anything in between. And if you like this loaf recipe, you'll also enjoy this easy protein banana bread.
Dress it up with raisins, coconut, and/or a rich vegan cream cheese frosting—or keep it simple! Either way, it’ll be love at first slice – perfect at Easter, Mother’s Day, and Afternoon Tea - just like my easy vegan lemon cake, vegan strawberry cupcakes, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Ingredient Notes
Please refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and substitutes.
Recipe Variations and Add-ins
- More spices: Add depth with ground ginger, cloves, and/or cardamom.
- Citrus zest: Orange or lemon zest will add bright depth.
- Dried fruit: It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but feel free to add up to ⅔ cups raisins, sultanas, chopped dates, or even apricots.
- Pineapple: ⅓ -½ cup crushed pineapple, drained and patted dry.
- Other add-ins: I.e., some shredded coconut or about ½ cup of vegan chocolate chips (plant-based white chocolate works well, though dairy-free milk/dark are good, too).
- Other vegan carrot cake frosting/topping: This vegan carrot bread tastes just as delicious with vegan lemon or vegan orange buttercream frosting or easy lemon glaze, coarse cinnamon sugar crust, cinnamon streusel, or vegan white chocolate drizzle.
How to Make Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf Cake
Step 1: First, preheat the oven to 350F/175C and lightly grease a loaf tin with parchment paper. Peel and grate the carrots using the medium holes on a box grater. Also, chop the walnuts. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Then, add the brown sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and grated carrots, and mix until fully combined – but be careful not to over-mix.
Step 3: Gently fold in the walnuts, pour the batter into the pan, and smooth the top. Bake the carrot cake in the loaf tin for 40-50 minutes. Let the vegan carrot cake loaf cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Finally, remove it from the loaf tin, optionally top it with vegan cream cheese frosting, slice, and enjoy!
FAQs
Sure! Divide the batter into smaller pans and reduce the baking time accordingly, using a toothpick to test for doneness.
Yes, you can reduce the sugar slightly, but it affects moisture, too. Likewise, you could sub some oil with more applesauce, but I don’t recommend completely omitting it, as oil helps make a tender egg-free carrot cake loaf.
That shouldn’t be a problem. Simply use a 1:1 swap of AP flour to a gluten-free flour blend, like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill. The loaf might need a little more liquid, though, and may be slightly more dense/dry.
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Pro Recipe Tips
- Don’t add too much flour: When measuring flour, avoid scooping the cup directly in the flour bag. Instead, fluff it with a fork, spoon it into the cup, and level it with the back of a knife. This way, you’ll avoid overly dense, dry bakes.
- Adjust carrot texture: Medium shreds provide more texture and noticeable pieces. Finely shred carrots ‘melt into’ the batter more. Or even use a combination of both.
- Don’t overwork the batter: To avoid a dense, gummy vegan carrot loaf, mix until only just combined – a few tiny lumps are fine.
- Monitor the bake: It will be too soft and gummy if underbaked and becomes dry when overbaked. As ovens vary, I recommend first testing at 37 minutes.
Storage Instructions
Store: In a paper towel-lined container at room temp for 2-3 days (unfrosted) or in the fridge for 5-7 days.
Freeze: Whole or sliced, with parchment paper between slices, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.
Heat: In a toaster oven or a few seconds in a microwave.
Other Vegan Bakes to Consider....
If you tried this vegan carrot cake loaf recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
Vegan Carrot Cake Loaf
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrots
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- vegan cream cheese frosting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175°C) and lightly grease or line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- To the same bowl, mix in the applesauce, brown sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and grated carrots until well combined.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts, stirring gently to distribute evenly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top.
- Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden. Be careful not to overbake, as this can dry out the loaf.
- Let the loaf cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- Once cooled, lift it out using the parchment paper. If desired, spread vegan cream cheese frosting on top before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don’t add too much flour: When measuring flour, avoid scooping the cup directly in the flour bag. Instead, fluff it with a fork, spoon it into the cup, and level it with the back of a knife. This way, you’ll avoid overly dense, dry bakes.
- Adjust carrot texture: Medium shreds provide more texture and noticeable pieces. Finely shred carrots ‘melt into’ the batter more. Or even use a combination of both.
- Don’t overwork the batter: To avoid a dense, gummy vegan carrot loaf, mix until only just combined – a few tiny lumps are fine.
- Monitor the bake: It will be too soft and gummy if underbaked and becomes dry when overbaked. As ovens vary, I recommend first testing at 37 minutes.
Andrea says
Love this vegan carrot cake loaf!