Easy Carrot Cupcakes [Eggless]

These vegan carrot cupcakes are perfectly spiced, moist, tender, & topped with a rich, tangy citrus or vegan cream cheese frosting – minus all the eggs and dairy, and optionally gluten-free!

Super Moist and Fluffy Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These vegan carrot cupcakes contain the same warmly spiced, moist, tender, delicious goodness of a slice of our vegan carrot cake, but now as an individually portioned treat! When topped with rich, tangy citrus or vegan cream cheese frosting (or a lighter coconut cream one), they’re perfect for spring, Easter, birthdays, and any celebration.

Better yet, they’re super moist and tender enough to rival any traditional recipe – even with zero eggs or dairy! They’re also so simple to make with inexpensive pantry staples, can be adapted with various add-ins (like nuts, dried fruit, and pineapple), and will make your kitchen smell amazing while baking.

They can even be stashed in the freezer for later. Plus, if you love these cupcakes – you’ll love our vegan carrot cake muffins, too!

Jump to:

• Table of contents
• Super Moist and Fluffy Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• The Ingredients and Substitutions
• What Could I Add To Carrot Cake Cupcakes?
• How to Make Carrot Cupcakes Eggless
• FAQs
• Pro Recipe Tips
• Storage Instructions
• More Vegan Cupcake Recipes
• Easy Carrot Cupcakes [Eggless]

The Ingredients and Substitutions

The Wet Ingredients

• Flax egg: To make carrot cupcakes vegan, we replaced eggs with ground flaxseed (or chia seeds) and warm water, which form a gelatinous, binding mixture.
• Plant-based milk: Use any unsweetened dairy-free milk in this vegan carrot cupcakes recipe. E.g., soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, etc.
• Apple cider vinegar: This combines with the plant milk to create a dairy-free ‘buttermilk.’
• Vanilla extract: Use a natural extract for the best flavor.
• Oil: Adding a mild oil makes super tender, moist easy carrot cake cupcakes. We recommend vegetable oil/canola oil.

The Dry Ingredients

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour, spelt flour, or a 50/50 blend of AP with whole wheat.
• Sugar: We used regular sugar (use organic, to ensure it’s vegan), though brown sugar also works amazingly. Or, use a less refined option, like date or coconut sugar.
• Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda make fluffy eggless carrot cupcakes.
• Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt combine for this simple, warmly spiced carrot cake vegan cupcakes recipe.

For warmer spiced cupcakes, optionally add a pinch of ginger powder or mixed spice. A tiny pinch of cardamom or clove also taste great.

Other Ingredients

• Carrots: Use freshly shredded carrots over pre-shredded for the best texture.
• Vegan cream cheese frosting: Either pick up a vegan tub of cream cheese frosting or make it yourself with vegan cream cheese, vegan butter, and powdered sugar.

Not a fan of cream cheese frosting? Try vanilla buttercream, lemon/orange buttercream, sweetened coconut cream ‘frosting,’ or even a simple citrus glaze.

What Could I Add To Carrot Cake Cupcakes?

• Nuts/seeds: We often fold in chopped walnuts for crunch and flavor. Pecans, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds work well, too.
• Dried fruit: For sweetness and chew, sprinkle in raisins, sultanas, cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or chopped dates.
• Vegan chocolate chips: Add up to ½ cup of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips/chunks.
• Coconut: Add up to ½ cup shredded coconut for texture and flavor.
• Citrus zest: Add lemon or orange zest to the batter for a subtle citrusy flavor.
• Pineapple: Add about ½ cup of crushed/chopped pineapple, well-drained and patted dry, to make decadent pineapple carrot cake cupcakes for extra sweet, tropical flavor.

How to Make Carrot Cupcakes Eggless

• First, preheat the oven to 375F/190C and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with silicone or paper liners.
• Then, in a small bowl, combine the flaxmeal and warm water, mix well, and set aside for 5 minutes to thicken.

• In a medium bowl, combine the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar and mix until it thickens/curds slightly. Then, stir in the vanilla extract and oil and set it aside. Also, peel and shred the carrots using a box grater or food processor shredding disk.

Adjust the texture based on the size of the carrot shreds. Thick shreds create a noticeable carrot look and ‘bite.’ The smallest holes create shreds that practically melt into the cupcakes for evenly dispersed flavor but no added texture. Medium shreds fall somewhere in between.

• Next, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.

• Add the previously prepared wet ingredients and gently stir until just combined – but be careful not to over-mix the batter.

• Carefully fold the shredded carrots into the batter, once again being careful not to overwork it, then divide it between the cupcake tin, ensuring each liner is ¾ full.

• Transfer the vegan carrot cupcakes to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean (or a few moist crumbs).

• Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before piping or spreading vegan cream cheese frosting over the top. Enjoy!

FAQs

Pro Recipe Tips

• Measure the flour accurately: First, fluff it up in the bag with a fork. Then, use a spoon to transfer it to the measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
• Adjust the carrot texture: Some people like visible carrot strands and a more noticeable bite,’ others want it melting into the batter with even flavor throughout, and some like the best of both worlds. Simply swap the shred size (coarse, medium, fine – or a mixture) based on your desired texture.
• Don’t over-mix the batter: It’s best to mix the ingredients until just combined and not more; otherwise, you risk overworking the gluten in the flour and ending up with dense, gummy, and even sunken cupcakes.

Storage Instructions

Once cooled and frosted, store the vegan carrot cupcakes in a paper towel-lined container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

You can also freeze the cupcakes (unfrosted is best) for up to 3 months. Flash-freeze them on a tray first, then transfer them to a Ziplock/Stasher.

To thaw a cupcake, leave it in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for several hours.

More Vegan Cupcake Recipes

• Easy vegan vanilla cupcakes
• Lemon cupcakes
• Raspberry cupcakes
• Blackberry chocolate cupcakes
• Funfetti cupcakes
• Pumpkin cupcakes

Photos by Alfonso Revilla