This delicious and moist Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe is dairy-free and refined sugar free! Easy and perfect for enjoying in the Spring or as an Easter dessert!
Easy Gluten Free Carrot Cake
Table of Contents
This light and fluffy carrot cake recipe is so delicious that nobody will even know that it is gluten-free and dairy-free! This continues to be our favorite dessert recipe to serve at Easter dinner with lots of dairy-free cream cheese frosting on top. It is definitely a crowd-pleaser with adults and kids alike! Everyone is always asking for seconds!
And if you love the flavors of a carrot cake as much as we do, you should definitely checkout our Carrot Cake Smoothie!! So easy and with all the same flavors!
Why This Recipe Works
- Holiday – this cake is the perfect Easter dessert that the whole family will love!
- Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free – it can be really hard to find an amazing cake that is both gluten-free and dairy-free, but you guys…. This. Is. It. Ah-mazing!!
- Fluffy & Moist – the texture of this cake is seriously so amazing that nobody would know that it is gluten-free and dairy-free.
What You Will Need
- gluten-free flour & almond flour – this perfect flour combination keeps the cake light, fluffy, gluten-free, and adds a bit of nutrition too!
- xanthan gum – binding agent that is a must when baking a gluten-free recipe.
- baking soda & baking powder – they’re subtle but important to ensure that your cake comes out nice and fluffy.
- ground cloves, ground nutmeg, & ground cinnamon – classic spices for any traditional carrot cake recipe!
- kosher salt – always the perfect simple seasoning.
- coconut sugar & pure cane sugar – these are where all the natural sweetness comes from for this easy carrot cake!
- molasses & carrots – traditional ingredients that are always a must for carrot cake.
- eggs – used for adding structure when baking.
- olive oil – adds a bit of flavor and healthy fats to this easy recipe.
- vegan butter – you can also use regular butter, if you don’t need it to be dairy-free.
- nuts (optional) – we love to toss in some chopped walnuts or chopped pecans, but you can also omit them entirely to make this a nut-free carrot cake.
How To Make The Best Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
For starters, mix all of the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a large bowl.
Next, mix the sugar with the rest of the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to fully combine. Next, add in the shredded carrots.
Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 baking pan that is coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 35-40 minutes and then let cool completely.
Frost generously with dairy-free cream cheese frosting!
Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
The perfect topping to the BEST gluten-free carrot cake is the BEST dairy-free cream cheese frosting. These are simply a match made in heaven! You will want to make sure you let you cake cool COMPLETELY and then frost away – trust me, you won’t regret it.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Nuts: I used chopped walnuts but pecans also go well with carrot cake or feel free to leave the nuts out all together if you prefer it to be nut-free.
- How long can I keep the leftover cake? Storing a cake in the fridge will start to dry it out so even though you can keep an unfrosted cake in the fridge for about 1 week, I wouldn’t prepare it too far in advance if you want it to stay moist.
- Once it’s frosted, how long can I keep it? After being frosted it can be kept for 4-5 days in the fridge, but again it will start to dry out a bit.
- Xanthan gum: Gluten-free recipes can be a little crumbly, so adding a little extra xanthan gum (yes, even if your 1-to-1 gluten-free flour already has some in it) will help this recipe bind. You CAN omit it if you want to, but the results may not be as good as if you were to include it.
- Let fully cool: I repeat – let fully cool! Especially with gluten-free baking it is especially important to let them cool and the moisture/steam escape. Once it is cooled it will be light and fluffy on the inside!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Healthy Apple Pancakes
Gluten Free Pie Crust
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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The BEST Gluten Free Carrot Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Gluten Free Carrot Cake – a moist and delicious carrot cake recipe that is dairy-free and refined sugar free! Easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup pure cane sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup light extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
- 3 cups carrots, grated (approximately 6 medium carrots)
- (optional) 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- Frosting Suggestion: Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease 9×13 baking pan; set aside.
- Combine gluten free flour, almond flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl; Set aside.
- Add coconut sugar, pure cane sugar, molasses and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer to combine. Add oil and melted butter. Beat with a hand mixer for one minute.
- Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Add carrots and walnuts; Stir to combine.
- Pour into prepared baking pan and bake (middle rack) for 35-40 minutes.
- Let cool before cutting or frosting.
Notes
- Frosting: I used this Dairy-Free Cream Cheese Frosting (so good!).
- Nuts: I used chopped walnuts but pecans also go well with carrot cake or feel free to leave the nuts out all together if you prefer it to be nut-free.
- Storage: After being frosted it can be kept for 4-5 days in the fridge, but again it will start to dry out a bit.
- Let fully cool: I repeat – let fully cool! Especially with gluten-free baking it is especially important to let them cool and the moisture/steam escape. Once it is cooled it will be light and fluffy on the inside!
Ann says
Best Carrot cake ever! So moist and fluffy! No one believed it was gluten free, a big Easter hit. I omitted the nuts in the batter recipe and followed everything else. Flavor was outstanding! This recipe is definitely a keeper and will wow your family:)
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Ann! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review + feedback! I really appreciate it!
Marie says
Have you tried it using anything else for eggs, such as flax or chia seed eggs?
Erin says
Hi Marie! I haven’t tried any egg alternatives yet, but if/when I do I will update the Notes!