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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Baking Recipes

    Published: Nov 27, 2022 · Modified: May 19, 2024 by DJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Best Vegan Carrot Walnut Loaf Cake

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    These easy vegan carrot walnut cake loaves are exactly what you need in the springtime. Carrot cake is by far my favorite and this recipe is a thing of beauty. I can't wait for you to try it!

    You'll also be glad to know that this recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make too which is another reason why you should try this treat.

    A full loaf of my vegan carrot walnut cake. Plenty of walnuts sprinkled on top of the thick lemon glaze. this recipe

    The cakes are so soft, fluffy and totally delicious. The walnuts add a nice extra element to the texture and I really think you'll love it. I also hope you like zesty lemon glaze as much as I do!

    For more carrot-cakey goodness, be sure to check out my vegan carrot sheet cake, vegan carrot cake with lemon curd and vegan carrot cake easter bars recipes.

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Cake
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • How To Make Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Vegan Cake Recipes
    • Best Vegan Carrot Walnut Loaf Cake

    Why You Will Love This Cake

    • Amazing Flavor Combination - If you love a fresh-tasting cake, then this is the one you've been looking for. Only freshly grated carrots are used in this recipe, ensuring that it comes out of the oven tasting it's best every single time. The carrot flavors go perfectly with the lemon glaze. It's a match made in heaven.
    • Wonderful Texture - The consistency of these cakes is next level. It may even be the softest carrot cake that I've ever made. It's right up there with my vegan chocolate orange cake, vegan black forest cake and vegan gingerbread loaf cake recipes for it's pillowy qualities. Light and fluffy is an understatement. I know you're going to love it!
    • Easy to Make - Making these cakes couldn't be any simpler. All you need to do is fold the dry and wet cake ingredients together, pour the batter into two cake tins, bake and make the glaze. It really is that easy!
    • Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan carrot walnut cake recipe is fully vegan and dairy free.

    Ingredient Notes

    The ingredients that you need to make my vegan carrot cake with walnuts laid out in front of a brown wall.
    • Apple cider vinegar - This is a super important ingredient. Firstly, stir it into the soy milk to create a vegan buttermilk. This amazing mixture with then react with the dry ingredients and leavening agents to create the ultimate airy and soft cake texture.
    • Light brown sugar - This is the best kind of sugar to use for a carrot cake like this. Brown sugars contains molasses and this makes a cake beautifully moist and moreish.
    • Carrots - Always use freshly grated carrots, instead of pre-packaged carrots to ensure a delicious, fresh flavor like I did in my vegan carrot cake muffins.
    • Walnuts - These tasty nuts will be used for both the cake batter and the topping. They're the most complimentary nuts for carrot cakes in my opinion. They were also great in my eggless coffee cake loaf.
    • Canola oil - This kind of oil is the exact same as rapeseed oil. Depending on where you are in the world will influence what you call it.
    • Freshly squeezed lemon juice - Please don't use any artificial lemon juice alternatives. Using fresh lemon juice will always give you the tangy flavor that you want.

    See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • Another way that you can take this carrot cake recipe to a new level is by adding dried sultanas to the cake batter. I often add them to the batter when I feel like spicing the cake up a little. You don't need to add many but they make a positive difference to the outcome. Poppy seeds are another fantastic option that you'll find in my vegan lemon poppy seed cake. If you like chopped peanuts my vegan chocolate snickers cake is the one for you.
    • If you need to, you can simply make this cake gluten free. To do this substitute your all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour blend and this will contribute to you having a delectable cake with no gluten in sight.

    How To Make Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake

    For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Two greased loaf cake tins waiting to be filled with cake batter.

    1: Grease two loaf cake tins with vegan butter.

    The buttermilk curdling inside a pyrex jug.

    2: Make the vegan buttermilk.

    The dry ingredients including the grated carrots and the walnuts inside a large mixing bowl.

    3: Combine the dry ingredients inside a large mixing bowl.

    The wet ingredients have now been added to the dry ingredients.

    4: Add in the wet ingredients.

    The batter has now been folded into a smooth mixture.

    5: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

    The two baked cakes cooling down in the tins.

    6: Pour the batter into the cake tins and bake inside the oven.

    Freshly made lemon glaze inside a clear. bowl. It is thick.

    7: While the cake is baking, make the lemon glaze. Top the cake with glaze and walnuts once it cools.

    Expert Tips

    Use freshly grated carrots - Freshly grated carrots are full of moisture which makes them far better than pre-grated store bought carrots which are already quite dry.

    Don't add too much lemon juice to the glaze - The glaze should be nice and thick for this cake so only add the recommended amount of lemon juice.

    Don't over-mix the batter - If you want a super light texture, fold the cake batter. This will take slightly longer than mixing but it's worth it.

    A slice of vegan carrot walnut cake, laying on its side on a brown rimmed white plate.

    Recipe FAQs

    How can I store vegan carrot walnut cake?

    Store this carrot cake at room temperature for 2 days inside an airtight container.

    Does vegan carrot cake need to be refrigerated?

    This cake tastes best when it is stored at room temperature but you can also store in the fridge for 3 days. Make sure that it is inside an airtight container.

    Why is my carrot cake dry?

    The main reasons are that the oven temperature may have been too high or that you may have added too much flour to the batter.

    More Vegan Cake Recipes

    • A large slice of vegan orange poppy seed cake. It is filled with white buttercream and topped with chocolate.
      Vegan Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Chocolate Ganache
    • An incredibly thick slice of vegan brownie cake on a white plate, generously decorated with vanilla buttercream frosting.
      Easy Vegan Brownie Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
    • Four chocolate ganache cupcakes on a white and brown plate. They're topped with creamy hazelnut buttercream.
      Vegan Chocolate Ganache Filled Cupcakes with Hazelnut Frosting
    • A close up shot of my chocolate lemon cake loaf. The front of the cake has been sliced so that you can see the thick layer of chocolate buttercream inside.
      Easy Chocolate Lemon Cake

    If you tried this Vegan Carrot Walnut Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    A close up shot of a glazed vegan carrot cake loaf. Walnuts sprinkled on top.

    Best Vegan Carrot Walnut Loaf Cake

    This vegan carrot cake is so soft and delicious. The lemon glaze on top along with the walnuts makes this cake one of my favorites. 
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Carrot Walnut Cake
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 Slices
    Calories: 236kcal
    Author: DJ

    Ingredients

    Cake:

    • 200 ml soy milk
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    • 190 g all-purpose flour sifted
    • 150 g light brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 160 g carrots freshly grated
    • 50 g walnuts chopped
    • 50 ml canola oil rapeseed
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Lemon Glaze:

    • 160 g powdered sugar sifted
    • 2.5 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

    Topping:

    • Chopped walnuts to taste
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • Preheat your oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
    • Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf cake tins with vegan butter. Set aside.

    Make the cake:

    • Firstly, mix the apple cider vinegar and the soy milk to make the vegan buttermilk. Let the buttermilk curdle for 8 minutes. In the meantime, measure out all the other cake ingredients. 
    • To a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt, carrots and walnuts. Combine well.
    • Pour the soy milk into the dry mixture. It should have curdled. Also pour in the canola oil and the vanilla extract. Gently, fold the dry carrot cake ingredients into the wet ingredients. Avoid over-mixing.
    • Equally, pour the cake batter into the two prepared loaf tins. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
    • Allow the baked cakes to cool down in the tins for 15 minutes, before transferring them over to a cooling rack to cool a little more.

    Make the glaze:

    • Add the powdered sugar to a medium bowl and gradually mix in the lemon juice. The glaze should be quite thick. Spoon the glaze onto the cooled cakes, then sprinkle on the chopped walnuts.

    Video

    Notes

    • Freshly grated carrots are full of moisture which makes them far better than pre-grated store bought carrots which are already quite dry.
    • The glaze should be nice and thick for this cake so only add the recommended amount of lemon juice.
    • If you want a super light texture, fold the cake batter. This will take slightly longer than mixing but it's worth it.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 336mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 2295IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @vegan_treats_blogger or tag #vegantreatsblogger!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hilary Gowen says

      September 13, 2024 at 8:18 am

      Great! I used wholewheat flour and baked this in a breadmaker. Tasty and light and almost healthy 🙂

      Reply
      • DJ says

        September 14, 2024 at 8:34 pm

        So happy that you enjoyed it Hilary! If you could leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card, it would be greatly appreciated 🙂

        Reply
    2. Andreea says

      September 10, 2024 at 4:36 pm

      I've just baked this cake and it's absolutely delicious! Of course, I've also added the dry sultanas and it's so, so good! I had to prolong the oven time, took mine almost the double of time to bake. Thank you so much, I know for sure this will become one of my signature sweets.

      Reply
      • DJ says

        September 12, 2024 at 2:23 pm

        Thank you, Andreea! 🙂 I'd really appreciate if you'd also leave a 5-star rating too so that other bakers can see how much you loved it.

        Reply
    3. Kathleen says

      January 19, 2024 at 8:34 pm

      Can you use almond or cashewd milk instead of soy

      Reply
      • DJ says

        February 04, 2024 at 5:40 pm

        Almond milk often makes a great substitute compared to other types.

        Reply
    4. Dan says

      January 07, 2023 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      In love with this recipe. So easy and so delicious. Thank you.

      Reply
    5. Jim says

      November 28, 2022 at 2:13 pm

      5 stars
      Made this last night. Very soft and delicious. Will make again.

      Reply
    5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi, I'm DJ. Welcome to Vegan Treats Blogger!

    I'm a self-taught baker and all the recipes which are developed for this website are fully plant-based, dairy-free and egg-free.

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