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
Cake
- 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.
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. ☀️