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    Recipes » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

    Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    Last updated - July 13, 2021; Published - June 22, 2019 By Rhian Williams 26 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Two carrot cake cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and a walnut on a marble slab against a grey background

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes are super moist, fragrant and fruity, and covered with a delicious "cream cheese" frosting!

    Two carrot cake cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and a walnut on a marble slab against a grey background

    My Tropical Carrot Cake has been very popular, so I decided it was time to make more carrot cake recipes. And I hadn't made any gluten-free vegan carrot cake cupcakes yet, so it seemed like a good idea to fuse the two!

    And, unlike my Tropical Carrot Cake, I wanted to create a more classic carrot cake recipe this time. Instead of pistachios and coconut, I went for walnuts, and instead of dried mango, I went for more traditional raisins.

    Why you'll love these Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes:

    • they're undetectably vegan and gluten-free
    • they're moist and fluffy 
    • they're subtly spiced
    • they're fruity and fragrant 
    • they're covered in a tangy "cream cheese" frosting
    • they're refined sugar free 
    • they're easy to make
    • they come together in one bowl
    • they make an adorable dessert for birthdays, Mother's Day, baby showers and bridal showers!

    How to make these Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including measurements and full instructions.

    • Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

    Tip: Use a box grater to grate the carrots and a measuring jug to measure out the plant-based milk.

    Raw carrot cake batter in a mixing bowl against a marble background

    • Transfer the mixture into cupcake cases in a muffin/cupcake tin.

    Six cupcake cases filled with raw carrot cake batter against a white background

    • Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes.

    Two carrot cake cupcakes against a white background

    How to make vegan "cream cheese" frosting

    • Place coconut cream, lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl and use an electric whisk to whip up until fluffy.
    • You can apply the frosting with a palette knife for frosting, a spatula, or a piping bag depending on how fancy you want to be.

    Top tips for making the frosting

    • For super fluffy frosting, make the frosting fresh and top the cupcakes with it just before serving - the frosting does set well, however, and frosted cupcakes will keep their shape and texture for up to a few days in the fridge.
    • Make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before applying the frosting, otherwise it will melt!
    • The recipe below yields a medium-sized amount of frosting per cupcake. However, if you do want to apply a generous amount of frosting (like in my photos), I’d recommend doubling the amount of frosting.

    Two carrot cake cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and a walnut on a marble slab against a grey background

    I decided to decorate these cupcakes with walnuts, but you can use whatever you like!

    How long do these Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes keep for?

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes are best enjoyed fresh, but they do keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

    Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

    • you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil
    • you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc
    • you can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc
    • you can substitute the ground almonds (almond meal) with ground walnuts
    • for a nut-free version: substitute the ground walnuts with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ cup) ground walnuts
    • you can substitute the raisins with any other dried fruit such as dried cranberries or chopped dates, or dried mango, dried pineapple or dried papaya for a tropical vibe
    • you can substitute the walnuts with pecan nuts or pistachios
    • you can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.

    Two carrot cake cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and a walnut on a marble slab against a grey background

    More gluten-free vegan cakes:

    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Cherry Bakewell Cake
    • Black Forest Cake
    • Lemon Drizzle Cake
    • Orange Pound Cake
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
    • Gingerbread Loaf Cake

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Two carrot cake cupcakes topped with creamy frosting and a walnut on a marble slab against a grey background

    Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

    These Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes are super moist, fragrant and fruity, and covered with a delicious "cream cheese" frosting!
    4.50 from 30 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes, vegan carrot cake cupcakes, vegan gluten-free cupcakes
    Prep Time: 25 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 12 cupcakes
    Calories: 312kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    For the cupcakes:

    • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
    • 230 ml (1 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice *
    • 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1 teaspoon mixed spice (or sub a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves)
    • Pinch salt
    • 100 g (3.5 oz) carrot , grated (one medium-sized carrot)
    • 50 g (⅓ cups) raisins or sultanas
    • 30 g (¼ cup) walnuts , roughly chopped
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) **
    • 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
    • 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

    For the frosting:

    • 400 g (14 oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk ***
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    To decorate (optional):

    • 12 walnut halves

    Instructions

    For the cupcakes:

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
    • Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
    • Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, ginger, mixed spice, salt, grated carrot, raisins, walnuts, and ground almonds
    • Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
    • Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry
    • Transfer mixture between 12 cupcake cases in a cupcake tin
    • Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
    • Once out the oven, leave the cupcakes to cool completely before applying the frosting

    For the frosting:

    • You'll need to keep your tin of coconut milk in the fridge overnight for the rich creamy bit to separate from the watery bit at the bottom. Make sure it is full fat coconut milk, otherwise this separation won't happen and you won't be able to make this cream!
    • Open the tin upside down - the coconut cream will be at the bottom and you can just pour off the watery liquid (save this for adding to soups or smoothies)
    • Place the thick, creamy part into a bowl
    • Add the lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla extract
    • Use an electric whisk (or a manual one and a lot of elbow grease) to whip up the coconut cream until light and fluffy

    To decorate:

    • Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a knife or spatula to apply an even amount of frosting to each of the cupcakes
    • Decorate each cupcake with a walnut half if desired
    • Best when fresh, but keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days

    Notes

    *The lemon juice is crucial as its acidity needs to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda to make the sponge fluffy. If you don't want to use lemon juice, substitute with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar instead
    **You can alternatively use almond flour
    ***You can alternatively use 200g (7oz) coconut yogurt

    Top tips for making the frosting

    • For super fluffy frosting, make the frosting fresh and top the cupcakes with it just before serving - the frosting does set well, however, and frosted cupcakes will keep their shape and texture for up to a few days in the fridge.
    • Make sure the cupcakes have cooled completely before applying the frosting, otherwise it will melt!
    • The recipe below yields a medium-sized amount of frosting per cupcake. However, if you do want to apply a generous amount of frosting (like in my photos), I’d recommend doubling the amount of frosting.
    Nutrition Facts
    Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 312 Calories from Fat 198
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 22g34%
    Saturated Fat 11g55%
    Sodium 61mg3%
    Potassium 209mg6%
    Carbohydrates 28g9%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Sugar 12g13%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 1390IU28%
    Vitamin C 3mg4%
    Calcium 97mg10%
    Iron 2.3mg13%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Alice

      October 08, 2020 at 1:31 pm

      Can I put this mixture in a baking tin and what size would you suggest?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        October 08, 2020 at 2:00 pm

        Yes - you can use my carrot cake recipe: https://www.rhiansrecipes.com/carrot-cake/

    2. Rachel marsh

      March 06, 2021 at 7:14 pm

      5 stars
      I made these for my Dad’s birthday and they went down very well. The cake mixture was very runny for some reason but was fine when it was cooked. I found that the coconut was too stiff to mix (uk wintertime!) so I melted the frosting ingredients together on a very low heat in a small pan, then let it cool until it was the right consistency to spread. A great recipe which I will use again.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        March 06, 2021 at 10:52 pm

        Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

    3. Sue

      April 08, 2022 at 12:22 am

      Hi, how well do these freeze please?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 08, 2022 at 12:26 pm

        Hi, you can freeze just the cupcakes (and leave to defrost at room temperature) but the frosting can't be frozen! Hope that helps!

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

    Learn more.

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