Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
These Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes are moist, fluffy and perfect for a delicious treat! They’re loaded with carrots, walnuts and raisins and topped with homemade coconut whipped cream.
Carrot cake recipes are some of my favourites. Anything from carrot cake baked oatmeal to carrot cake energy balls, I love the flavours of any carrot cake treat!
These cupcakes are naturally vegan and made with overall healthy ingredients like spelt flour, apple sauce and coconut cream.
The coconut whipped cream topping is best enjoyed fresh with these cupcakes, but feel free to make the cupcakes a day or two in advance before serving and make the coconut whipped cream topping right before serving!
How to make these cupcakes
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Mix both together just until combined then divide evenly between a muffin pan lined with muffin liners
- Bake at 350 degrees for 23-27 minutes.
How to make homemade coconut whipped cream
A good coconut whipped cream comes down to four main elements:
- Using full-fat coconut milk
- Using a good quality brand of coconut milk
- Placing the coconut milk in the fridge overnight before whipping
- Using just the cream on the top of the can
Light coconut milk or cartons of coconut milk will NOT whip up into coconut cream. You need to make sure to use full-fat coconut milk and a good quality brand that isn’t watered down.
Placing the coconut milk in the fridge overnight will help the coconut cream and coconut liquid separate, and you should be left with a thick cream at the top of the can. You want to use just this cream!
Whip the cream up in a mixer as you would regular whipped cream.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter can lead to tough cupcakes
- If preparing these cupcakes in advance, prepare the cupcakes first and store them in the fridge, then make the whipped topping right before serving.
- Make sure to spray your muffin liners with cooking spray to prevent the batter from sticking.
More cupcake recipes to try
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Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These vegan carrot cake cupcakes are topped with a homemade coconut whipped cream for a delicious treat!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 cups white spelt flour (can sub regular flour for 1-1- gluten-free flour)
- 1/2 cup+2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 2 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup sunflower seed oil (coconut oil or vegetable oil work too)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Coconut whipped cream
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk, chilled in the fridge overnight
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with liners sprayed with cooking spray.
- Mix the spelt flour, cane sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and orange zest together in a bowl
- Next, add the shredded carrots, sunflower seed oil, and applesauce and orange juice and mix until combined.
- Stir in the raisins and walnuts and mix until well combined.
- Bake for 23-27 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- To make the coconut whipped cream, remove the can from the fridge and scoop out just the cream on top (the cream and liquid will have separated in the fridge)
- Add the vanilla extract and cane sugar and whip on high until smooth and the whipped cream forms soft peaks
- Add the whipped coconut cream to a piping bag and place back in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up while the cupcakes cool.
- Pipe onto the cupcakes.
Notes
Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing the batter can lead to tough cupcakes
If preparing these cupcakes in advance, prepare the cupcakes first and store them in the fridge, then make the whipped topping right before serving.
Make sure to spray your muffin liners with cooking spray to prevent the batter from sticking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 15g
- Fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
Keywords: vegan carrot cake, vegan cupcakes
Can this recipe be used for cake instead of cupcakes? Thank you!
Hi Kristen, I haven’t tested it out so I’m not sure about the baking time if you were to make it into a cake
Going to make those over the weekend but only gave Wholegrain Spelt flour would that work?
Amazing! My friends all loved them and they were so easy to make. So moist and not too sweet, the right amount of spices also. I removed the raisins but I’m sure they’d still be lovely with them. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★
So happy you liked the recipe Fatima!
Hello, Jessica.
Is it possible using almond flour or coconut one?
I’m having problems even with gluten-free normal flour…
If yes, what are the proportions (measures)?
Thanks in advance!
Juliana
Hi Juliana, I wouldn’t recommend it. Almond and coconut flour would change the ratios of dry to wet ingredients.
So sad, your cake seems to be good!
Thanks for answering, Jessica.
Hi, I made these as an Easter treat and they were delicious! They were so moist and (as a non-vegan) I wouldn’t even have questioned whether or not these were vegan had they been given to me. Will be making them for my vegan friend!
I used less sugar and omitted the additional dried fruit and nuts for my taste, but overall great recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you Gemma! So happy to hear you loved the recipe!
Hi, don’t you need eggs in that recipe?:)
Hi Claudia, no you don’t, it’s a vegan recipe!
Will this recipe work using regular AP flour?
Yes Stephanie that will work fine! 🙂
Could you please tell me what gluten free flour would work best with these cupcakes and if any adjustments need to occur with the recipe when using GF flour? Hoping it would work as carrot cake is my fav!
Thank you!
Hi Terri! I use the bob’s red mill gluten-free blend and add in xantham gum so the texture doesn’t come out gummy. On the back of flour it tells you how much xantham gum to add depending on the baked good it is. For cakes/cupcakes, I believe it would be about 1 tsp of xantham gum to add in!
Hi Jess! Thank you so much for letting me know what GF flour you recommend… and I had no idea about the xantham gum! I’ve tried baking with many GF flours and often get a gummy texture, which my kids are turned off from. I appreciate the help. 🙂
Hi Terri, happy to help! And yes xantham gum is a lifesaver for gluten-free baking! Most packages you buy will even tell you the appropriate amount to use depending on what you are baking!
Hi, Jess! Today I’m planning to cook these beautiful muffins <3 Could you please help me to find out how many carrots do I need in grams or how many pieces? In the Internet it is said that I need ~7,5 but it sounds a lot!
Hi Elizabeth! For the carrots you’ll want to grate or shred about 2 1/2 cups full, but not packed. This should be about 2 large carrots! 🙂
Tried them yesterday for my birthday party, absolutely delicious. ! I’m saving this 😉
★★★★★
Hi Claire, I’m so happy you liked them! Carrot cake is my absolute favourite 🙂
Hi Jess! I love carrot cake a lot (maybe too much actually) and your cupcake creations look so delightful. I was making a big vegan birthday cake for my friend this weekend and was using coconut cream frosting for the first time – I was really surprised how delicious it turned out! Great recipe for Easter Jess x
Hi Tania, thank you! I’m a huge carrot cake fan too;) And how great is coconut whipped cream? such an easy and great thing to use for cakes and cupcakes!
Just look at that whipped coconut cream! I’m in love with these little beauties! Perfect for Easter holidays too!
Thanks Anna! They are the perfect Easter treat:)
Wow Jess! These look fluffy and healthy! Thank you for sharing the recipe! Dee xx
★★★★★
Thanks Dee! They’re my favourite!