Want a healthy vegan carrot cake? Here it is with a special ingredient… mango! Tender, moist, delicious. Vegan, oil-free, and whole-grain.
At least once a month I’m asked for a healthy vegan carrot cake recipe.
Funny, I’ve made a pumpkin cake, sweet potato cake, carrot muffins (in a couple of cookbooks), and zucchini muffins. So, I’m not sure what has taken me so long to post an actual carrot cake.
Especially since I’ve had this vegan carrot cake recipe in my files for over three years.😲
Yep.
It was a recipe I had planned for Plant-Powered Families. As I’ve mentioned a few times, we ran out of space in that book and I had to cut some recipes.
What makes this vegan carrot cake special?
It’s such a unique version of carrot cake that I was sure to include it in Dreena’s Kind Kitchen (order book here).
Unique how, you ask?
Often applesauce is used as a default for oil-free baking. But this isn’t always best, as I’ve mentioned in other posts.
In this healthy carrot cake, in that it uses frozen mango (pureed with other wet ingredients) to add natural sweetness, beautiful color, and moistness to the cake.
Healthy Carrot Cake: The Frosting!
I’ve opted for a coconut butter-base for this frosting, as it is very reminiscent of a traditional cream cheese frosting to me. If you prefer not to use coconut butter, you can absolutely substitute cashew butter instead ( for optimal color).
I think this is just a beautiful cake to serve on Mother’s Day. Look how beautiful it is!
I’d love to hear what you think of this healthy vegan carrot cake.
We love it, and I hope you do too! x Dreena
Healthy Vegan Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks see note for substitution
- 1/2 cup sliced ripe speckled or overripe best banana
- 1/4 cup plain non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrots
Frosting:
- 1/3 cup softened coconut butter (see note for substitution)
- 3 – 3 1/2 TB nondairy milk
- 3 – 3 1/2 TB pure maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 glass brownie pan (or similar size) by wiping surface area with a light coat of oil, and then using a thick strip of parchment paper to line the inside (makes it easier to remove the cake after cooling). In a large bowl, add flour, almond meal, coconut sugar, baking powder and baking soda (sift in both), cinnamon, salt, and allspice. In a blender, add mango, banana, maple syrup, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Puree until smooth. Add wet mixture to dry, along with the carrots. Stir until just well combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Once cool, frost (see below), then let frosting cool, and serve.
Frosting: Gently warm the coconut butter (or raw cashew butter, see note) by either placing the jar in a hot water bath, or by placing the measured 1/3 cup in a warm oven (about 250 degrees) until it softens. Once softened, measure and mix all ingredients (starting with 3 tbsp each of milk and maple syrup) together in a bowl until well combined. Add extra milk/syrup as needed to thin and sweeten as desired. Use a spatula to spread frosting over the cake. Chill and serve!
Notes
- Note: You can make this batter into muffins if you prefer. Fill 11-12 lined cups, and bake for 23-25 minutes.
- Mango Note: I have tested this cake with frozen pineapple and it is also delicious! Because pineapple is sweeter, use a scant 1/2 cup measure of maple syrup.
- Coconut Butter Substitution: If you don’t want to use coconut butter, substitute raw cashew butter. It is thick and has a pale color, so works quite well. You won’t need as much milk to thin, since it isn’t as dry as coconut butter. Start with 1 tbsp milk, then adjust as needed.
Special thanks to Nicole Axworthy for the food photos.
This post was originally published May 2018 and updated for April 2022.
Tarhibit says
I would love to check this recipe. Many thanks for sharing!
Darcie says
I followed the recipe as written save for using whole wheat cake and pastry flour instead of spelt flour and it turned out super delicious! I’ll definitely make it again, adding walnuts and possibly raisins next time. The cake cooked beautifully moist (but still cake-like), the spices added a lovely depth of flavour, and the coconut butter icing was so easy and delicious! Once I mixed it all together, I placed the icing in the fridge while the cake cooled and it spread on very nicely. Thanks, Dreena! I love your addition of frozen mango!
Dreena says
Thank you Darcie for the glowing review! I’m so happy you loved the cake, and appreciate your time to leave a review. -Dreena
Lisa says
Dreena,
Could I substitute date sugar or date paste for the coconut sugar?
Thank you in advance
Julie says
Is it 1 C mango chunks before or after thawing? I used 1 C thawed mango chunks, and the cake turned out tasty but a bit denser than I expected. Was that too much mango?
Dreena says
Hi Julie, I measure with frozen pieces, that might be why, perhaps had a touch extra moisture.
Anne-Marie says
Hi ! Dreena, I would like to bake the carrot cake but was wondering if I could omit the allspice because I don’t really care for it. Do you think the cake would come out good? Thank you !
Dreena says
Hi Anne-Marie, yes you can certainly omit the allspice – will be fine! You can add a touch more cinnamon or nutmeg or just omit altogether. enjoy!
Anne- Marie says
I finally baked this fabulous cake to bring at a supper last night, everybody loved it. Thanks for this great recipe!
Dreena says
So happy to hear that, thanks Anne-Marie!
Sherri B says
I served this last weekend for Easter. Another Dreena masterpiece. It was a joy to serve a slice of this to my 1 year old grandson on his great-great-grandmother’s china. I get way too much credit for cooking your beautiful creations. Thank you for doing what you do. Can’t wait to get your new cookbook!
Dreena says
Oh you are sweet, Sherri. Well, thank you so much, and I’m happy for you to get the credit when you’re doing the baking and sharing the great vegan food. 🙂 Thank YOU for sharing such a beautiful note with me.
Kara Broome says
Hi! Looks so yummy I can’t wait to try it! Can you substitute almond flour for almond meal?
Dreena says
Hi Kara, yes, in fact they are the same thing! Enjoy
Bujji says
Thank you!! Yummy..Tasted very good.
Laura J says
Oh my goodness this was sooo good! I’ve never made a carrot cake before but this came together so simply!
I would agree that I struggled with the icing, but that was because of my own inexperience with coconut butter. Once I finally got it mixed, I put it in the fridge and iced it once it had cooled and went to a more solid state.
My coworkers loved this. I will definitely make it again.
Thank you so much Dreena for this amazing recipe!
Roxana says
I just made this. I do have a question: does it supposed to be really moist? Almost tasting creamy raw? Or I didn’t baked it enough?
Thank you
Dreena says
Hi Roxana, sorry for the delay in responding. It’s moist, but shouldn’t be gooey or ‘raw’. Did you tweak any ingredients, substituting with anything different?
Laura says
This is so delicious! My Mum made this for Easter (I hate chocolate) and it was incredible. I have severe M.E and a long list of allergies to go with it so it’s so difficult to find a recipe that works for me. This gave me no reactions whatsoever. We used gluten free flour, frozen pineapple instead of the mango and ground walnuts instead of almonds to make it Low Fodmap. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Dreena says
Just lovely to hear, thanks Laura!
Chris says
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! My family (husband, teenage son and 10 year old) loooooved it.
I can honestly say that EVERY one of your recipes for baked goods that I have ever made (and I made many!) turned out delicious. Oh yes, a recipe for a vanilla cake would be great as it is my husband’s favourite cake. His birthday is coming up in November. No pressure ; )
Dreena says
oh, thank you Chris! That really means a lot, about this recipe and the others you’ve tried. You are so kind to leave this note.
Jan Wolterman says
In my opinion this is one of your best recipes ever! I used brown rice flour instead of spelt (since I eat gluten free) and it turned out fabulous. I appreciate all the time and energy you put into creating and sharing such healthy and delicious recipes. I teach people how to improve their health by eating plant based meals that are low in fat/fat free and I often refer clients to your cookbooks. Using the frozen mango was pure genius – keep ’em coming.
Dreena says
Ohhh thank you so much, Jan! That is very rewarding for me, and I also appreciate you leaving such a sweet note – blessings!
Samantha says
I made this with whole wheat pastry flour, as I was out of spelt, and it turned out great! This and your sweet potato chocolate cake are two of my favorite cake recipes ever! Amazing how delicious they are with no oil and less sweetener. I hope one day you work your magic on a vanilla/white/yellow cake recipe. I have tried so many recipes, even ones with oil, and have yet to find one that is quite right!
Thanks for another delicious healthy recipe, Dreena!
Dreena says
Oh music to my ears, thank you Samantha! And that oil-free white cake is on my to-do list – I’ve run a couple of tests already. Thanks for the cheer!
Sarah says
This cake was delicious and came together easily. I wound up using Buckwheat Pancake Mix instead of Spelt Flour + Baking Soda (still added 1 t Baking Powder), which was tasty and lent that great buckwheat texture. My frosting really fell apart, though. After processing shredded dried coconut into butter, it broke and seized up when I added the lemon juice, creating something like marzipan. With time constraints I resorted to mixing lemon juice and powdered maple into a tub of Tofutti cream cheese. Will try making the frosting with cashews next time. My Mom, who is embarking on reversing her diabetes with Dr. Barnard’s program + Dreena’s recipes, really enjoyed this on Mothers’ Day—carrot cake is her favorite! I can’t wait to make this again for my workmates. Thank you so much for this and all of your recipes!! <3
Dreena says
Hi Sarah, glad you enjoyed the cake! Too bad that happened with the frosting. It should be warm to mix, but not hot. I’m thinking the processing might have made the coconut butter hot? Sounds like you sorted it with some tweaks. Thanks for your kind words, and send a high-five to your mom from me!
Sarah says
Thank you for your feedback, Dreena! Heat might have been the problem. I used the food processor until it looked smooth and then moved to the vitamix because it was still gritty (never stopped being gritty, really). So it was past “warm.” I will try making the coconut butter in advance next time to control the temperature. I may try soaking the coconut first, too, to hopefully eliminate or reduce the gritty texture.
Thank you, Dreena!
Sarah says
5 stars again!! Dreena, you are truly a magician. Happy Mothers’ Day to you. ☀️
Kristen says
I made this lovely cake for Mother’s Day and it turned out great with Bob’s Gluten free flour:) The frosting on the other hand was a total bust. I really have a hard time understanding how the frosting in the photo matches up with the recipe given. Mine came out dark brown from the maple syrup and was looser than a smoothie. It sounded so good to!
Dreena says
Hi Kristen, really glad the flour sub worked out for you! Not sure what went wrong with the frosting. It becomes like a thick glaze. Did you use the coconut butter?
Once it’s softened, it’s easy to mix with the milk and maple syrup, and becomes a light caramel color, as in the photo – but definitely not brown.
Debbie Vanderputt says
This looks soooo good, and I love the idea of mango instead of applesauce. Can’t wait to make it for my family!
Dreena says
Excellent! Glad you’re excited to try it, thanks Debbie.
Gail says
Looking forward to trying this as is ……….. yummm!
Allyssa says
This looks amazing! I’m curious, do you make your own coconut butter or just buy it? For the mango, did you purée it?
Anne says
Dreena, thank you for the recipe. I have a question about the baking pan. You mentioned that it needs to be glass. Does this recipe only work with a glass pan? Also, in the photo of your finished carrot cake it almost looks like you used a round pan that was much bigger than 8 inch by 8 inch.
Thank you!
Dreena says
Hi Anne, I use a glass dish, but you can certainly use a metal one. Just oil/line, and check the cake close to the baking time. My photographer mentioned she used an 8″ round pan – at most it would have been a 9″. The baking time was the same. Hope that helps!
Dina says
This sounds amazing and I’d love to try it today, but I have no spelt flour. I honestly have every possible other flour in my cupboard: almond, coconut, quinoa, buckwheat, Gluten-Free. Any possible substitute for the Spelt flour?
Dreena says
Hi Dina, well I wouldn’t substitute a straight GF flour, as they work very differently. If your GF flour is all-purpose, it may work okay – but I say this without testing it. Do you have w/w pastry flour by chance?
Sammi says
Excited to make this! By almond meal, you mean unblanched, correct? I can just process some almonds in the vitamix?
Dreena says
Wonderful! You can use unblanched, the almond meal I buy from trader joe’s is straight up processed, no blanching. Enjoy!
Jane Dekkers says
Great timing for your carrot cake recipe! I love your work. Can you suggest a substitute for the almond meal? My family can tolerate other nuts but not almond. Thanks.
Jane
robin m says
Hi Dreena,
What a perfect sounding carrot cake using mango. The pineapple idea sounds amazing as well. I rarely have over ripe speckled bananas around. Would 1/2 cup of applesauce be a good substitute or all mango?
Happy MOM’s Day
Robin M
Sarah says
Ohmy goodness. This looks delicious!!! I was going to make another batch of your Coco Carrot Muffins (which are amazing!), but now I want to try this instead! However, I’m allergic to almonds. Is there anything you can suggest I try instead of the almond meal? Can I just increase the flour? I’ll probably play around with it regardless, but if you have any ideas I would certainly appreciate your expert input. Thanks!!!