Moist, sweet, and delicious vegan carrot cupcakes made using wholesome ingredients for a fantastic treat with NO guilt attached!
These festive vegan carrot cupcakes are perfect for Easter, Christmas, any celebration or any time you’re craving carrot cake!
This was inspired by my pumpkin cupcakes, and red velvet cupcakes and is the perfect treat when you’re craving something sweet without the high amount of calories and fat that typically come with it. 😉
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Why you’ll love these
- Wholesome: Made using whole wheat pastry flour, unrefined sugar, and no oil or vegan butter, and they’re very low in calories and fat as far as cupcakes go! 😉 These cupcakes are perfect for a WFPB (whole-food-plant-based) diet.
- Moist: The carrots and applesauce do a fantastic job keeping these cupcakes moist and lovely in texture, without any eggs or oil.
- Tasty: The flavour is fantastic, and even though they’re only lightly sweetened, the carrots add additional natural sweetness and moisture.
Ingredients + Substitutions
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these delicious and healthy vegan carrot cupcakes.
For the cupcakes:
- Whole wheat pastry flour: Make sure to use whole wheat PASTRY flour or white whole wheat flour. Not regular whole wheat flour or the results will be very dense.
- Soy milk + lemon juice: This creates vegan buttermilk as the acid from the lemon curdles and thickens the non-dairy milk. If you must have soy-free you may use almond milk with similar results.
- Shredded carrots: Use fresh carrots and shred your own for the best flavour and moisture.
- Applesauce: The use of applesauce in these cupcakes replaces the need for oil and/or eggs, keeping the cupcakes not only vegan but virtually fat-free.
- Maple syrup: My sweetener of choice, but you may choose date syrup or agave if you prefer.
- Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract, and not artificially flavoured.
- Spices: Cinnamon and nutmeg add warm flavours and complement the carrot cupcakes nicely. But if needed, you may omit them.
- Baking powder + soda: Make sure to use active baking powder and baking soda for maximum lift. Once packages have been open in the pantry for 6+ months, they may start to lose their rising power.
For the vegan cream cheese frosting:
- Tofu: Use extra firm tofu, and drain any excess liquid first.
- Cashews: Use raw, unsalted cashews, and soak them first if you don’t have a high-speed blender. This will help with breaking them down smoothly.
- Maple syrup: Or use date syrup, or another liquid sweetener you like.
- Lemon juice: Adds a little tang to give the frosting a cream cheese flavour.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step by step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Add all the liquid ingredients to a large mixing bowl. (photo 1)
Stir until evenly combined. (photo 2)
Then add the dry ingredients to the same bowl. (photo 3)
Mix until combined without over-mixing. (photo 4)
Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups. (photo 5)
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. (photo 6)
NOTE: Since these cupcakes have no added fat, make sure to use a non-stick muffin tin OR grease your pan or cupcake liners to prevent sticking.
While you wait for the cupcakes to cool, prepare the vegan cream cheese frosting.
Add all the frosting ingredients to your blender. (photo 7)
Blend until completely smooth and refrigerate until needed. (photo 8)
Once the cupcakes have completely cooled pipe the frosting on them using a piping bag or a zip-top bag with one diagonal corner cut.
Variations
Want more ideas for these vegan carrot cake cupcakes?
- For a traditional frosting, you may use vegan butter and powdered sugar with a little lemon juice, but keep in mind this will drastically increase the calories and fat.
- You may use store-bought dairy-free cream cheese to avoid making your own. Then sweeten it to taste using maple syrup or sugar of choice.
- For vegan carrot muffins instead of cupcakes, just skip the frosting, or try these banana carrot muffins for a gluten-free version.
Storage
These vegan carrot cupcakes taste best on days 1-2, but you may store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep them in a sealed container to preserve moisture.
You may freeze the cupcakes in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- Weigh the flour for the most accurate results. Do not scoop from the bag!
- If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and swipe the excess off the top using a knife.
- Use a box grater or food processor to shred your carrots, but either way, freshly grated is best as store-bought shredded carrots may be dry.
- Don’t overmix the cupcake batter. Stir until there are no floury bits, but don’t worry about working through every lump. Over-mixing can result in a gummy or dense texture.
- Use fresh and active baking powder. Baking powder that is open in your pantry for 6+ months can start to lose its effectiveness.
- Since these cupcakes have no added fat, make sure to use a non-stick muffin tin OR grease your pan or cupcake liners to prevent sticking.
- If you do not have a powerful blender, soak your cashews in hot water for 30 minutes before blending your frosting. This will help them swell and soften, making them easier to blend into a smooth frosting.
- Drain and pat your tofu dry to remove some excess liquid and prevent your frosting from getting too thin.
- If the frosting gets warm as you’re blending (this can happen in strong blenders), transfer it to a bowl and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes before piping the frosting onto your cupcakes.
- Let your cupcakes cool in the muffin pan for at least 10 minutes before handling them. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool BEFORE frosting them.
More healthy vegan desserts
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the vegan carrot cupcakes
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup soy milk
- ¼ cup lemon juice approx. 1 large lemon
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 packed cup grated carrots approx. 2 large carrots
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 240 grams whole wheat pastry flour approx. 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Optional (Choose 1 or None)
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
For the vegan cream cheese frosting
- 340 grams extra firm tofu drained and patted dry (use GMO free if possible)
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 5-8 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Add the soy milk and the lemon juice to a large mixing bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken and curdle. (This is your vegan buttermilk.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C and grab a nonstick muffin tin. (Or grease your tin or liners if needed.)
- Once curdled, add the remaining wet ingredients to your bowl and mix well. Then add the dry ingredients to the same bowl and stir until combined WITHOUT over-mixing. (If using an optional fill-in, fold those in as well.)
- Divide the cupcake batter among your 12 muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, approx 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the frosting
- Add all the frosting ingredients to your blender and process until smooth. Start with 5 tablespoons of the maple syrup, then taste, and add more until desired sweetness is reached. Don't go overboard or the frosting will be too soft.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost your cupcakes with a piping bag, and enjoy.
Notes
- Weigh your flour for the most accurate results. I highly recommend that you do not rely on cup measurements when baking. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you may spoon the flour into your measuring cup and use a knife to scrape off the excess, with similar results. Do not scoop from the bag!
- Use a box grater or food processor to shred your carrots, but either way, freshly grated is best as store-bought shredded carrots may be dry.
- Don’t overmix the cupcake batter. Stir until there are no floury bits, but don’t worry about working through every lump. Over-mixing can result in a gummy or dense texture.
- Use fresh and active baking powder. Baking powder that is open in your pantry for 6+ months can start to lose its effectiveness.
- Since these cupcakes have no added fat, make sure to use a non-stick muffin tin OR grease your pan or cupcake liners to prevent sticking.
- If you do not have a powerful blender, soak your cashews in hot water for 30 minutes before blending your frosting. This will help them swell and soften, making them easier to blend into a smooth frosting.
- Drain and pat your tofu dry to remove some excess liquid and prevent your frosting from getting too thin.
- If the frosting gets warm as you’re blending (this can happen in strong blenders), transfer it to a bowl and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes before piping the frosting onto your cupcakes.
- Let your cupcakes cool in the muffin pan for at least 10 minutes before handling them. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool BEFORE frosting them.
Adenike
Thank you for sharing this recipe
I used oat flour instead and it was good
Rosa
Glad you enjoyed these Adenike. 🙂
Deb
Hi Rosa. Thank you for this recipe. I receive your emails and always look forward to trying your healthy recipes. Like your other recipes I’ve tried, this was delicious and satisfying! Moist and sweet enough. I don’t like too much sweetness so these cupcakes were perfect. I will be making them again for Easter next week. Thank you!
Rosa
You’re most welcome Deb. Thrilled you enjoyed these. 🙂
Karen
Will this recipe work with gf flour?
Rosa
Hi Karen, I haven’t tested this one with gluten-free flour. However, you can try our gluten-free carrot muffins instead and still use the frosting from this recipe.