Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Perfectly spiced and incredibly moist, these vegan carrot cake cupcakes make any occasion all the more festive! Top them with a delicious homemade almond cream cheese frosting or simply enjoy them as muffins.
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Bonnie - Serene Trail
Servings: 12
Calories: 295kcal
Ingredients
For the Carrot Cake Cupcakes/Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (180g)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, (70g)
- 1/3 cup cane sugar, (65g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup applesauce, (122g)
- 1/4 cup plant-based milk, (60ml)
- 1/4 cup oil, light-tasting olive, canola, etc., (60ml)
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup carrots, ~3 medium carrots, (183g)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, optional, (50g)
For the Vegan Almond Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese, ~half a standard container, (114g)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, (170g)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
For the Cupcakes/Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Peel and finely grate the carrots.
- Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl. Add the applesauce, plant milk, oil, and vanilla to it. Stir the ingredients together with a spoon until they are mostly combined.
- Gently fold in the carrots and walnuts with just a few turns to prevent over-mixing the batter.
- Place 12 liners into a cupcake pan and then divide the batter evenly across the liners. Each one should be about ¾ full.
- Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 20-25 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of them comes out clean. You can either enjoy these as carrot muffins or frost them to make cupcakes by following the steps below.
For the Frosting
- Make the frosting while the cupcakes are baking. Add the softened vegan butter and vegan cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Cream them together until they are fully combined with a mixer or by hand.
- Add the powdered sugar to the bowl, one cup at a time. Mix everything together until they are fully incorporated.
- Stir in the almond extract, cover the bowl, and place it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so it can firm up.
- Frost the carrot cupcakes once they have completely cooled. Sprinkle nuts on top and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Use freshly grated carrots for their added moisture.
- Finely grate the carrots with the smallest option on a box grater.
- Store the cupcakes in the refrigerator if they are frosted to keep the frosting from softening.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cupcake | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 45.6g | Protein: 2.3g | Fat: 11.1g | Saturated Fat: 3.7g | Sodium: 460mg | Potassium: 255mg | Fiber: 1.1g | Sugar: 27.9g | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
The nutritional information provided is an estimate from third-party calculations.
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below or share it on Instagram and tag me @serene.trail.