This moist and delicious Carrot Cake Bread has the perfect blend of spices and loads of texture from freshly grated carrots and chopped nuts. Topped with a cream cheese-based frosting it makes for the ideal anytime treat, guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth. Believe me!
This carrot cake bread has been known to be my on-the-go breakfast, but I’ve also snuck a piece here and there as an afternoon snack. I think it’s also great as a celebratory cake for Mother’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, or any holiday.
Easily modified by changing up the nuts, adding dried fruit, or swapping the frosting, it’s the perfect go-to cake as it’s easy to prepare and doesn’t require loads of hard-to-find ingredients.
If you love this carrot cake loaf, you’ll love these Carrot Cake Pancakes, this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal, and these Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes.
Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake Bread Recipe
- Soft and moist: This carrot cake loaf turns out with a soft, moist crumb.
- Flavorful: The spice combination in this cake makes it super yummy and adds a touch of sweetness.
- Modifiable: The great thing about this cake is it will taste great even if you don’t add the nuts or if you prepare it with a different type of frosting.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: I used regular all-purpose white flour is used to make this carrot cake loaf.
- Sugar: You can use white granulated sugar or coconut sugar, but coconut sugar will darken the color of the cake.
- Baking powder & baking soda: Both of these help the cake loaf rise and achieve a soft, fluffy texture.
- Spices: I find the combination of cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and allspice gives the cake the perfect flavor.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened apple sauce adds moisture and some sweetness. If you use sweetened applesauce your cake will turn out a touch sweeter.
- Oil: Any mild-flavored oil will also add moisture. Use grapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract helps bring out the natural sweetness in the cake.
- Carrots: Carrots are the hero in this cake loaf so use the freshest and best quality carrots you can find.
- Nuts: Mix in chopped walnuts or pecans for some crunch. Toast them beforehand for a deeper flavor.
- Frosting: To make the frosting you’ll need to combine vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Gluten-free: For a gluten-free carrot cake loaf, use a 1-1 gluten-free flour.
- Modify the frosting: Instead of cream cheese frosting swap it for a vegan buttercream or simply dust the cake with powdered sugar.
- Make a layer cake: Divide the batter into two 6-inch pans and double the frosting recipe to make a carrot layer cake.
- Mix in raisins: Stir in raisins for added sweetness.
- Bake a carrot banana bread: If you’ve got a ripe banana sitting on the counter, go ahead and stir it into the batter in place of the applesauce for a bread that’s a touch sweeter.
- Prepare a carrot zucchini bread: For an even moisture loaf, stir in shredded zucchini. This is a great option if you have an abundance of fresh zucchini from your garden lying around.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bread
Step 1: Get ready. Preheat the oven, wash, peel, and grate the carrots, and then chop the nuts.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients: Add the wet ingredients to a bowl, followed by the dry ingredients. Mix well to combine and then fold in the carrots and nuts.
Step 3: Transfer the loaf: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Pour in the batter.
Step 4: Bake the loaf: Transfer to the oven to bake.
Step 5: Make the frosting: Whisk together the frosting ingredients and then set it aside until the cake has fully cooled.
Serving Suggestions
This carrot cake loaf makes the perfect treat. Here are some great examples of what to pair it with:
- Make the carrot cake for breakfast with this Mango Protein Smoothie or this Mango Blueberry Smoothie. These options are perfect for both an on-the-go breakfast or eat-at-home breakfast.
- Prepare for an afternoon snack with Creamy Lemonade, this Whipped Coffee, or this Dalgona Matcha Latte.
- Make and serve for dessert at your next family gathering with these Frozen Yogurt Fruit Cups.
Expert Tips
- Frost a fully cooled cake: Cream cheese frosting is very particular and will melt and fall off the cake if the cake is not completely cooled.
- Room temperature ingredients: Take all the ingredients out of the fridge before you begin to prepare this loaf as they are easier to work with when mixing. This is especially true with the vegan cream cheese for the icing.
- Use a food processor: To make prepping the carrots easier and quicker, grate in a food processor.
- Storage: Store uneaten carrot cake bread in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Video
Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you prefer a square pan to the loaf, you can go ahead and use one. Watch the bake time as it will likely require less time to bake in a square pan.
Yes, pour the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake. Here too, the bake time may be less than the loaf, so watch them carefully.
Sure, there’s no problem if you want to leave out the nuts. You can substitute with seeds if you prefer.
More Delicious Vegan Cake Recipes
Carrot Cake Loaf
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup neutral oil
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fold Ins
- 2 ½ cups of grated carrot
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Frosting
- ¾ cup vegan cream cheese
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Start by washing, peeling, and grating the carrots. Then chop the walnuts or pecans. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients, followed by the dry ingredients. Mix well, then fold in the carrots and nuts.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it lightly. Pour the batter into the loaf and bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes.
- Note: You can also make a full cake with this recipe by dividing the batter into two 6-inch pans. Make sure to double the frosting recipe if you go this route and make a layered cake instead of a loaf!
- While the cake is baking, whisk together the frosting ingredients. Wait for the cake to *fully* cool, then add the frosting on top of the cake.
- Note: cream cheese frosting is very particular and if you don't wait for the cake to be fully cooled off, it will melt off!
- Once you've frosted the cake, slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Frost a fully cooled cake: Cream cheese frosting is very particular and will melt and fall off the cake if the cake is not completely cooled.
- Room temperature ingredients: Take all the ingredients out of the fridge before you begin to prepare this loaf as they are easier to work with when mixing. This is especially true with the vegan cream cheese for the icing.
- Use a food processor: To make prepping the carrots easier and quicker, grate in a food processor.
- Storage: Store uneaten carrot cake bread in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Sydney
Seriously one of the best carrot cakes ive had and i liked that it was a sheet cake so it wasnt hard to make!
Ali
The best carrot cake recipe! You would never know it was vegan and gluten free. I’ve made this so many times now and get told from everyone how amazing it tastes. I tend to bake it in a loaf tin and make a simple cream cheese frosting for mine. Definitely one I’ll be making on repeat forever! Thanks for the amazing recipe Gaby!
Gaby Dimova
Alison thank you soooo much for your feedback! This truly made my day- I am so happy to hear that you like it ! 🙂
Laurel Dalzen
This turned out delicious! It has more oil than I like to use. I felt like it doesn't have enough liquid in it. The mix comes out super thick. I had to keep adding extra applesauce and oil to it. I don't understand how yours is coming out normal and not thick? I followed the recipe. I used Avcado oil, Brown sugar, and I added yellow raisins to it. Everything else I did what was written in the recipe. I made 4 mini loaves of bread. I did not put any frosting on it. It's plenty sweet without that. Thank goodness it turned out perfectly! There's got to be a way to use less oil and do something to add more wet to the mix. I'm not sure what? Maybe someone has some suggestions? I may give this recipe one more try? Not sure? Thanks for the recipe! It's good to try new things.
Melissa
This was the best vegan carrot cake I’ve ever had! It was a huge hit with my entire family (non-vegan) for Easter. So good, my mom requested I make it again next week for her birthday! This will be a go to dessert for us. I used 1/4 cup vegan butter for the frosting instead of 1/2 cup, to have it be a bit thicker, and still turned out perfectly.