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This moist vegan apple cake is warmly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and packed with tender chunks of apple. It’s made without eggs or dairy, you mix it in one bowl, and it’s ready in about 45 minutes. Have more apples to use up? Find plenty of ideas in my vegan apple recipes.
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Enjoy a slice as an afternoon snack with your favorite hot drink, or serve it for dessert with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top. It’s a simple, budget-friendly bake that’s perfect for fall potlucks, too.
Quick Glance
- Recipe Name: Vegan Apple Cake
- Why You’ll Love It: A moist, spiced cake packed with apple chunks, made in one bowl with simple pantry ingredients.
- Time and Difficulty: 10 minutes of prep and 30 to 40 minutes of baking, easy.
- Main Ingredients: Apples, flour, sugar, oil, applesauce, plant-based milk, vanilla, flax meal, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
- Method: Whisk the wet ingredients, stir in the dry ingredients, fold in the apples, and bake.
- Texture and Flavor: Soft and tender, with juicy bites of apple and warm cinnamon spice.
- Quick Tip: Stir the batter only until no dry flour remains, so the cake stays light and tender.
Table of Contents
What Makes This Vegan Apple Cake So Good
Apples and cinnamon are an irresistible combination! In this classic cake, they make a tender, flavorful treat that’s perfect for brunch, a girls’ night, or any fall potluck (or an afternoon pick-me-up just for you).
- One bowl: The batter comes together in a single bowl, so cleanup is quick.
- No eggs or dairy: A simple flax egg and applesauce hold it together and keep it moist.
- Pantry staples: Flour, sugar, oil, spices, and a couple of fresh apples.
- Ready in about 45 minutes: Perfect for a last-minute dessert or craving.
- Freezer-friendly: Bake it ahead and freeze it for up to 3 months.
- A reader favorite: It has a 4.9-star rating from 65 readers, and one reader made it for a church potluck, where it was a big hit.
Here for more apples and cinnamon? You’ll love my baked apple chips, vegan apple cinnamon bread, and apple cinnamon waffles. If you love fruit cakes, my vegan pear cake is made the same simple way with juicy pears.
Vegan Apple Cake Ingredients
You only need simple ingredients for this vegan apple cake, and most of them are already in your pantry. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
- Apples: Use firm, crisp baking apples like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, or Granny Smith, so the chunks hold their shape. Peel and dice them into small pieces. Two medium apples make about 2½ cups diced.
- Sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps it brown. Readers have also made it with coconut sugar.
- Canola oil: Keeps the cake moist and tender. Any neutral oil works.
- Unsweetened applesauce: Adds moisture and helps bind the cake. Can’t find it at the store? You can make your own, like my homemade strawberry applesauce.
- Plant-based milk: Any unsweetened variety works.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, sweet flavor.
- Flax meal and warm water: Mixed together, they make a flax egg that takes the place of an egg. Readers have also used chia seeds the same way.
- All-purpose flour: Gives the cake its structure. Readers have used a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and spelt flour with good results.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg: The warm spices that make this cake taste like fall.
- Baking powder and salt: Baking powder helps the cake rise, and salt balances the sweetness.
- Powdered sugar (optional): For dusting over the top before serving.
Add-On Ideas
Aside from dusting it with powdered sugar, you can add more goodies and garnishes to keep your vegan apple cake fun and festive:
- Nuts and dried fruit: Stir in chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds, or add raisins or dried cranberries for more texture.
- Streusel topping: I haven’t tested it on this cake yet, but the cinnamon crumble from my vegan apple crumble would be delicious sprinkled over the batter before baking.
- Glaze: Drizzle it with a simple vanilla sugar glaze, my vegan date caramel sauce, or a pumpkin spice glaze.
- Toppings: Serve it with vegan whipped cream, vegan yogurt, or vegan ice cream.
- For Halloween: Top it with my peanut butter spiders for a fun party cake.
How to Make Vegan Apple Cake
Before you start, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) and lightly grease an 8-inch pan with oil. You’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prep the apples and flax egg. Peel and dice the apples. In a small bowl, stir the flax meal into the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes, until thick.
Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, applesauce, plant-based milk, vanilla, and flax egg until smooth.
Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt, and stir until just combined.
Step 4: Fold in the apples. Gently fold the diced apples into the batter.
PRO TIP: Try not to overmix the batter! Stirring too much makes the cake tough and dense. A few small lumps are fine.
Step 5: Fill the pan and bake. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool and dust. Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Measure the flour correctly: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife, rather than scooping it straight from the bag. Too much flour makes the cake dry.
- Dice the apples small: Small, even pieces bake through at the same rate and spread evenly through the cake.
- Avoid overmixing: Stir only until no dry flour remains, or the cake can turn out tough and dense. A few lumps are fine.
- Check for doneness: Insert a toothpick or skewer in the center. If it comes out clean, your cake is done. Baking time depends on the size of your pan and your oven, so start checking at 30 minutes.
- Let it cool: Let the cake rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes before moving it to a cooling rack. If you remove it too early, it might fall apart.
Pan Sizes and Variations
- Other pans: You can bake this cake in a loaf pan, square pan, or Bundt pan. Grease the pan well and start checking for doneness a little early, since the baking time changes with the pan. I haven’t tested a 9-inch springform, but the cake will be a little thinner, so start checking it with a toothpick at about 25 minutes.
- A bigger batch: One reader doubled the recipe for a church potluck and baked it in a glass 9×13 dish for about 60 minutes.
- Muffins: I haven’t tested this batter as muffins yet, but it would be fun to try in a greased muffin pan. They’ll bake much faster than the cake, so check them early, and if you give them a try, I’d love to hear how they turn out in the comments!
- Pear and apple: One reader swapped one of the apples for a pear and loved how moist it turned out.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Room temperature: Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: This cake is freezer-friendly. Wrap it well and freeze it whole or in slices for up to 3 months.
- Thaw and reheat: Thaw it in the fridge overnight and serve it cold, or warm it in the oven if you like it warm.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy a slice of this apple cake warm or at room temperature with:
- Vegan ice cream (vanilla, salted caramel, or cinnamon), including banana ice cream
- Vegan custard or vegan whipped cream
- A mug of mulled apple cider, chai, or a vegan pumpkin spice latte
- Your other favorite fall desserts, like my apple pie bars, for a dessert table
Vegan Apple Cake FAQs
Yes! Wrap the cooled cake well and freeze it whole or in slices for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight, then serve it cold or warm it in the oven.
Readers have used chia seeds instead with good results. Mix them with the warm water and let them sit until thick, just like the flax egg.
I haven’t tested it without oil. Some readers have swapped part of the oil for more applesauce, but the texture may be a little denser. If you try it, let me know how it goes in the comments!
Yes. Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. One reader made it this way with great results.
Firm, crisp apples like Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, and Granny Smith hold their shape when baked. Granny Smith makes a slightly tarter cake.
More Vegan Fall Cakes
Vegan Desserts
Pumpkin Coffee Cake [+ Optional Streusel]
Vegan Desserts
Butternut Squash Cake
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Coffee Cake
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Pumpkin Cake
If you tried this vegan apple cake or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Vegan Apple Cake
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Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar or coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) canola oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsweetened applesauce
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon (7 g) flax meal
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) warm water
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium apples peeled, about 2½ cups (300 g) diced
- Powdered sugar optional, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch pan with oil.
- In a small bowl, stir the flax meal into the warm water. Let it sit for a few minutes, until thick.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, applesauce, plant-based milk, vanilla, and flax egg until smooth.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in the diced apples.
- Spread the batter in the pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the cake pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes. Dust it with powdered sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off, so the cake doesn’t turn out dry.
- Stir the batter only until no dry flour remains, since overmixing makes the cake dense.
- Baking time depends on your pan and oven, so start checking with a toothpick at 30 minutes.
- You can also bake it in a loaf, square, or Bundt pan, and check for doneness early in smaller pans. I haven’t tested a 9-inch springform, but the cake will be a little thinner, so start checking it with a toothpick at about 25 minutes. I haven’t tested it as muffins yet, so if you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
- For a gluten-free cake, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 1 day, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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question could I use 9inch springform pan to make this if I don’t have an 8 inch would the baking time change
That should work out! We on the PBOAB team haven’t tried out the recipe with an 8 inch pan, so I can’t guarantee the results. I imagine it would just require a few more minutes. I’d recommend checking for doneness in the center with a toothpick every 5 minutes after the 30 minutes mark to keep an eye on it. Let us know how it turns out for you 🙂
Hi Courtney! Just to follow up on Andrea’s reply, this cake is made in an 8-inch pan. I haven’t tested a 9-inch springform, but the cake will be a little thinner, so I’d start checking it with a toothpick at about 25 minutes. I hope you enjoy it!
Delicious recipe
I used chia seeds as I had no Flax……..worked out well. I cooked mine a bit longer in a fan oven
I think I may try it the recipe in a muffin bun tin next
Many thanks for the recipe
Love that! Thanks for letting us know a chia seed mixture worked well to sub for flax! Hope you enjoy it the next time you make it too 🙂
So good and the house smells amazing!
I love it when the house is full of yummy baking smells! So glad you enjoyed this easy apple cake 🙂
do all your recipes contain canola oil ?…not a wise choice & all purpose flour….can a person substitute coconut or almond flour??
Not all of them and you can always sub in your preference for oil 🙂 As for the sub flour, we at PBOAB haven’t tried out those subs yet so can’t guarantee the results for this apple cake. Let us know if you give it a try and how it turns out for you! 🙂
I made this for our church potluck and it was a big hit. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a glass 9×13 dish for 60 minutes. I will be making this part of my fall baking list.
Love that everyone enjoyed this apple cake! It’s the best!
So delicious! I used what I had on hand: one apple and one pear. Then 1/2 cup all purpose wheat and 1/2 cup whole grain spelt flour. Refined coconut oil for the fat, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, added 1/2 cup pecans. It’s so moist from the fruit it almost tastes like a pudding. I had to bake it 50 min before a bamboo skewer came out clean.
Love that! So glad you enjoyed it!
So good!! I try to not eat a lot of oil so I changed recipe to use 1/4 cup canola and 1/3 cup applesauce. Also I had some Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1to 1 baking flour and used that instead of reg flour. The replacements worked great. Such good flavor and consistency. Next time I’ll even replace more of the oil with applesauce and I’ll report back.
Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
can i use almond flour?
We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out almond flour yet so can’t guarantee the results. Let us know how it turns out if you do!
Questions: Could I make this cake oil free by substituting more applesauce? And can this be make gluten free by using 1:1 gluten free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill?
Thanks in advance!
You can sub in gluten free flour if you’d like. We haven’t tried out subbing in more apple sauce to make the cake oil free though. Please let us know how it turns out if you give it a go!
Can I use a gluten free all purpose flour mix for this recipe?
Yes! You can use a gluten-free flour brand 1:1. Please let us know how it turns out! 🙂
I have never seen Flax meal in my country. What could I use instead. And we have smooth and chunky apple sauce in the supermarkets … what would be best?
If you are able to access chia seeds, they work similarly as flaxseeds as an egg substitute. You could also use unsweetened applesauce. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hello,
How would I use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Thank you so!
Hi Marie! I haven’t tried this cake with whole wheat flour yet, so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out. If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Can I double the recipe for a bunt cake
We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried that out yet but I don’t see why not 🙂 Let us know how it turns out!
I baked this cake today and it turned out really good.
So glad you gave it a go! It’s such a great apple cake!
Love the apple cake. Can I replace the oil with more applesauce
Hi Tina! Hi! We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out that sub yet so can’t guarantee the results but if you try it out, please let us know how it comes out! 🙂
I will definitely try this looks yummy
Hope you enjoy it! It’s a yummy one!
hi, In my country we don’t have applesauce available at supermarkets . How can I make it at home? Thanks
Hi! You can try making your own homemade apple sauce 🙂
Hello! Can melted coconut oil be used instead on canola?
Hi! We at Plant-Based on a Budget haven’t tried out that sub yet so can’t guarantee the results but if you try it out, please let us know how it comes out! 🙂
Thank you, I made this cake yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it. I used spelt flour and coconut sugar and it turned out perfectly.
Love it! It’s definitely a delicious one!
Easy recipe and it came out just perfect!
Gotta love the easy ones!!
Hello! I was craving a juicy vegan apple cake and this one really delivers! I followed the recipe exactly (using coconut sugar and spelt flour). Very easy! I added a handful of raisins to the batter, and sprinkled chopped walnuts on top. It turned out great! Firm yet tender crumb, just sweet enough, with lovely warm spices and yummy pops of Fuji apple. I will definitely make this again. Thank you, Honor and Toni! 💖 Franny
Love to hear it! So glad you enjoyed it!