This healthy vegan carrot cake is made without refined sugar, maple syrup or oil. Instead, date, and applesauce provide natural sweetness and moisture, while walnuts and cashews add healthy fats. The result? An incredibly moist, wholesome, warmly spiced, and naturally sweetened vegan carrot cake that tastes amazing!
I had a plan.
I wanted to bake a whole-food plant-based carrot cake without sugar and oil that didn’t taste… well… too healthy, if you know what I mean.
And I’m happy to report: the plan worked.
It did require quite a few test batches — and an impressive amount of dates, walnuts, and cashews. For about two weeks there was cake in our house almost every day. Sometimes even for breakfast. (Not that I’m complaining. Quite the opposite.)
But the effort paid off. This healthy vegan carrot cake with creamy cashew frosting turned out exactly how I imagined: moist, wholesome, and wonderfully flavorful.
I might even dare say this is the best vegan carrot cake recipe I’ve ever had.
Yes, it takes a little time and a few steps — but the result is absolutely worth it.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Moist and flavorful: Thanks to carrots, applesauce, and dates, this cake stays incredibly moist without oil — even after a few days in the fridge.
- Made with whole food ingredients: Whole-grain spelt flour, nuts, and carrots make this carrot cake a nourishing dessert (or breakfast!).
- Naturally sweetened: No sugar, no maple syrup - this cake gets its sweetness from dates, carrots, and applesauce.
- Classic carrot-cake flavor: Cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and nutmeg create that classic carrot cake taste.
- Creamy cashew frosting: The cashew-date frosting is super rich and creamy.
This healthy vegan carrot cake is perfect for Easter, birthdays, or any special occasion.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole-grain spelt flour: You can also use a mix of ⅔ spelt flour and ⅓ whole-grain flour for a slightly lighter texture. Whole-wheat flour works too.
- Walnuts: Provide healthy fats and a lovely nutty flavor.
- Carrots: The key ingredient for a perfectly moist carrot cake. Use fresh, crisp carrots. If they’re organic, you don’t even need to peel them.
- Applesauce: Adds moisture and natural sweetness. Make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Dates: The main sweetener in this cake. You’ll need quite a lot — about 2 cups total. Deglet Nour dates work perfectly.
- Spices: Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg create the classic carrot-cake flavor.
- Cashews: The base for the creamy vegan frosting.
- Lemon juice & Vanilla: Add brightness and balance to the frosting.
For a beautiful finish you can decorate the cake with:
- chopped (or caramelized) walnuts
- a drizzle of homemade carrot cake syrup
- chopped pistachios
- edible flowers
Step-By-Step Instructions
Before you start, read through the entire recipe and prepare all ingredients.
If you want to serve the this date-sweetened carrot cake the same day, start early so the cake has enough time to cool and set.
If you plan to serve it the next day, bake the layers by midday and assemble the cake in the evening once they’ve cooled. Let it chill overnight in the fridge.
- Step 1: Soak the dates for the cake in hot water. In a second bowl, soak the dates and cashews for the frosting in hot water as well. Let everything soak for 15 minutes.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the cake layers.
- Step 3: Drain the soaked dates and blend them with water, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Step 4: Grate the carrots using a box grater or food processor.
- Step 5: Add the date mixture to the dry ingredients and stir briefly. Do not overmix — otherwise the cake may become dense.
- Step 6: Fold in the grated carrots and optionally chopped walnuts and raisins.
- Step 7: Divide the batter between three 6-inch cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake at 365°F (185°C) for 28–32 minutes, until golden brown.
- Step 8: While the cake bakes, drain the soaked cashews and dates for the frosting. Blend with lemon juice, vanilla, and plant milk until smooth. Chill the frosting in the fridge.
- Step 9: Let the cake layers cool completely at room temperature for several hours. Spread the frosting evenly over the layers.
- Step 10: Stack the layers carefully. Optionally decorate with chopped walnuts. Refrigerate until serving.
Tips for the Perfect Vegan Carrot Cake
- Don’t overmix: Since the recipe contains no eggs, no sugar, and noil, overmixing can cause the cake layers to sink slightly. Stir gently and briefly.
- Let the cake cool completely: Leave the cake layers in the pan for 10–15 minutes before removing them. Then cool them completely on a rack before frosting.
- Cake pans: I use silicone cake pans, which don’t require greasing and release the cake easily. Regular cake pans/tins work too — just grease them well or line them with parchment paper.
- Two-layer cake option: Use two 8-inch pans instead of three 6-inch pans for a two-layer cake.
FAQ
This cake is made with whole-food ingredients and contains plenty of healthy fats, fiber, and other important nutrients. That said, it’s still quite rich. Even though it’s made with wholesome ingredients, it is still a dessert.
Yes. You can freeze individual slices for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply place them in the refrigerator overnight.
I haven’t tested it myself, but it should work in principle. Keep in mind that oat flour absorbs more liquid than whole-grain spelt flour, so you may need to increase the amount of water in the batter slightly.
Stored in the refrigerator, the cake stays fresh for about 4–5 days.
Instead of ground walnuts, you can also use ground almonds, hazelnuts, or even shredded coconut.
More Wholesome Vegan Cake Recipes
Looking for other healthy vegan cakes without refined sugar? Try these:
I hope you’ll give this oil-free vegan carrot cake recipe a try. If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe and tag me on instagram (#veggiejam) with your recreation.
PrintRecipe
Best Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake (Sugar-Free & Oil-Free)
- Prep Time: 15 Minute
- Cooling Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Total Time: 5+ hours
- Yield: 1 cake (6 inch) - 12 slices 1x
Description
This healthy vegan carrot cake is made without refined sugar or oil. Instead, date, and applesauce provide natural sweetness and moisture, while walnuts and cashews add healthy fats. The result? An incredibly moist, wholesome, warmly spiced, and naturally sweetened vegan carrot cake that tastes amazing!
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Base
- 2 cups (250 g) whole-grain spelt flour*
- ½ cup (50 g) ground walnuts** (or almonds)
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ cups (200 g) grated carrots (~2 medium-large carrots)
- 1 cup (250 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups (250 g) pitted dates
- ½ cup water (or soaking water from dates)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: ½ cup (50 g) chopped walnuts
- Optional: ⅓ cup (40-50 g) raisins
Cashew Frosting
- 1 ⅓ cups (180 g) raw cashews
- ½ cup (80 g) pitted dates
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3–5 tablespoon plant milk, unsweetened
Optional Decoration
- chopped walnuts or pistachios
- grated carrots
- carrot cake syrup
Instructions
Soak dates and cashews
- Cover the dates for the cake with hot water.
- In a second bowl, cover the frosting dates and cashews with hot water. Let soak for 15 minutes.
Prepare cake batter
- Grate the carrots.
- Preheat oven to 365°F (185 °C).
- Mix flour, ground walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, and spices in a large bowl.
- Drain the dates, press out excess water and blend with (soaking) water, applesauce, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and stir gently. Don't overmix! Or the cake will become very dense.
- Carefully fold in grated carrots and optional walnuts or raisins.
Bake the cake
- Divide batter between three 6-inch silicone cake pans***. Bake 28–32 minutes until golden and set.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Make frosting
- While the cake is in the oven, drain soaked cashews and dates.
- Blend with lemon juice, vanilla, and plant milk until smooth.
- Chill in the fridge.
Assemble the cake
- Spread frosting evenly on the three layers. Then stack carefully.
- Decorate with walnuts if desired.
- Refrigerate until serving.
Notes
*Flour choice: The recipe works with either 100% whole-grain flour or a mix of whole-grain and spelt flour. Using only whole-grain flour makes the cake slightly denser.
**Grinding walnuts: You can grind walnuts in a food processor. Don’t blend too long or they’ll turn into walnut butter.
***Using metal pans: If using regular cake pans, grease them well or line them with parchment paper.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (out of 12)
- Calories: 318 kcal
- Sugar: 21.7 g
- Fat: 12.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.3 g
- Fiber: 6.2 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
This post is also available in de_DE.
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