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This gluten free carrot cake recipe is incredibly moist and tender, with just the right balance of sweetness and spice. The light, fluffy crumb stays fresh for days thanks to oil and tons of freshly grated carrots, but it never tastes oily or soggy like some other recipes you'll find.
Even die-hard carrot cake skeptics ask for this one as a birthday cake. You’ll come back to it every spring, holiday, and birthday celebration.
Why this recipe works
Many gluten free carrot cake recipes rely on extra ingredients like applesauce or almond flour to compensate for dryness or lack of structure, often due to poor flour blend selection or ingredient balance. Those additions can shift the flavor away from traditional carrot cake and make the crumb inconsistent from one bake to the next.
I built this recipe from the flour blend up, like I've been doing since 2009. The ratios are designed specifically for gluten free baking, so the cake rises evenly, sets fully in the center, and stays tender without becoming sticky or fragile.
The carrots are finely prepared and properly distributed throughout the batter, which allows them to add moisture naturally as the cake bakes. You get depth of flavor and softness without needing filler ingredients or tricks, and a carrot cake the gluten-eaters love.
Cake ingredients
This cake comes together with everyday pantry and fridge ingredients. Here's what you'll need, plus a few words about the role of each ingredient in perfect results:
- Gluten free flour: Use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free blends for the right structure and texture. Avoid anything with a coarse rice flour or overly starchy blends. I highly recommend Better Batter's original all purpose gluten free flour blend or Nicole's Best Multipurpose with added xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 also works with more xanthan gum (the blend doesn't have enough on its own).
- Baking powder/baking soda: A combination of these leaveners helps the cake rise evenly and brown perfectly in the oven.
- Cinnamon: Adds warm, aromatic depth that pairs perfectly with the carrots.
- White & brown sugars: A balanced mix of sugars brings sweetness, keeps the crumb tender, and adds some depth of flavor from the molasses in the brown sugar. They also help the cake brown and lock in moisture.
- Eggs: Essential for structure and a light, fluffy texture. Eggs also help the cake hold its shape as it cools.
- Neutral oil: Creates a moist, tender cake by adding fat without adding any competing flavor, even when chilled.
- Milk: Adds moisture and brings the cake together; be sure to use something with fat for richness.
- Apple cider vinegar: Helps the cake rise by reacting with baking soda to create a full rise in the oven.
- Carrots: Freshly grated carrots add color, moisture, and a natural sweetness that pairs really well with cinnamon.
- White chocolate chips + pecans (optional): These add richness and texture in the background, unlike regular chocolate chips which would add a prominent competing flavor. You can easily swap or skip them to suit your taste.
Frosting ingredients
This simple cream cheese frosting is tangy, smooth, and perfectly sweet—not too stiff, and easy to spread or pipe. Here's what you'll need:
- Cream cheese: Adds tangy flavor and a soft texture which pair perfectly with the sweetness and soft crumb of the cake. Bring it to cool room temperature so it blends smoothly with the butter.
- Butter: Adds richness and mild flavor, and helps the frosting holds its shape.
- Confectioners' sugar: Sweetens and thickens the frosting so it spreads easily and stays stable at room temperature.
How to make gluten free carrot cake
This batter comes together in one bowl and bakes into two fluffy layers. The recipe card has detailed ingredient amounts, but here's a step by step overview with photos:
1. Mix the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend (with xanthan gum if needed), baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, breaking up any lumps so they don't become hard in the oven.
2. Add the wet ingredients
Create a well in the center and add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and milk. Mix to form a thick, soft batter. It will come together easily because of the oil as long as your eggs and milk are at room temperature.
3. Fold in carrots and mix-ins
Stir in the grated carrots, white chocolate chips, and pecans—or your favorite mix-in combo. We add the carrots last so we only need to fold them in and they won't bleed color all over the batter or start to break apart.
4. Bake the cakes
Divide the batter evenly between two greased and lined 8-inch round pans, and spread into even layers with an offset spatula so the cakes bake flat and evenly. Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes, rotating once, until the tops are set and the edges pull away from the pan.
5. Cool completely
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes so they're stable and don't fall apart. Turn the cakes over onto a wire rack once to cool fully so the frosting doesn't melt and slide off.
6. Make the frosting
To make a cream cheese frosting, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, then beat in confectioners' sugar until you reach a scoopable but soft consistency. You may need more or less sugar depending on the consistency you're looking for and how stiff you want your frosting.
7. Frost the cakes
Place one cake upside down on a serving platter so the flat bottom creates a smooth surface. Add half the frosting and spread it into an even layer. Top with the second cake, also upside down, and press gently to adhere.
Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. A swoopy pattern on top looks polished without needing perfect technique.
substitutions
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free cake
This carrot cake is already made with oil, not butter, so it’s easy to make dairy free. In place of cow's milk, use an unsweetened non-dairy milk with a similar consistency and fat content. I really like unflavored coconut milk in the carton (not the can) or unsweetened, unflavored soy milk. And replace the white chocolate chips with more chopped nuts or a dairy-free alternative.
Dairy free frosting
You can make a dairy free cream cheese-style frosting using:
- 4 ounces Daiya or Violife non-dairy cream cheese
- 8 tablespoons (96 g) nonhydrogenated shortening
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko's or Melt brand)
I don’t recommend using a full 8 ounces of non-dairy cream cheese since the flavor can be overpowering.
For a store-bought option, try Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s gluten free and dairy free (but contains soy), and tastes delicious.
Egg free
Replacing all 4 eggs is a challenge, but it may work using:
- 4 flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water per egg);
- JustEgg brand plant-based liquid egg; or
- Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer
Expect a denser, less airy cake, but still flavorful and tender. If you use flax eggs, they will add some competing bitter flavor, so I recommend using vanilla bean paste instead of regular vanilla extract for more balancing flavor.
Nut free
Skip the pecans entirely, and increase the white chocolate chips to 6 ounces (from 3 ounces).
Expert tips
Grate fresh carrots
Skip the pre-shredded carrots, which are dry and too thick, so they'll remove moisture from the carrot cake rather than adding it. Grate whole carrots using a box grater or the grater attachment on a food processor for the best texture and moisture balance.
Measure flour by weight
Always measure your gluten free flour blend by weight, not volume. It’s the only way to avoid dry cake from over-measuring or inconsistent texture from under-measuring. And remember to completely ignore volume measurements, since the only weight-to-volume ratio that matters is the one the recipe developer (that's me!) uses, to get my same results.
Don’t rely on the toothpick test
This cake is so moist that a toothpick may come out with quite a few crumbs even when it’s fully baked. Look for light browning on top and slight pulling away from the sides of the pan to gauge doneness.
Scaling the recipe
To make a single 8-inch cake layer, reduce the “yield” in the recipe card from 8 to 4 slices. All of the ingredients will reduce by half. Halve the frosting, or keep the full batch if you love extra frosting.
Customize with mix-ins
For more texture or flavor, try chopped pecans, walnuts, raisins, or chocolate chips. Be sure to choose something that hold its shape during baking and doesn't add moisture. And don't eliminate the mix-ins entirely, since they help balance the cake. Without any, the cake may cave in the center a bit as it cools due to excess moisture.
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment or handheld mixer
Ingredients
For the cakes
- 2 ¼ cups (315 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (112 g) neutral oil, (like sunflower or grapeseed oil)
- 4 (200 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) milk, at room temperature
- ½ cup (55 g) chopped pecans, plus more for decorating (optional)
- ½ cup (3 ounces) white chocolate chips, (See Recipe Notes if omitting pecans)
- 3 cups (270 g) peeled and grated carrots, (from about 3 large carrots)
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups (460 g) confectioners’ sugar, plus more as necessary
Instructions
Make the cake batter
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and granulated sugar. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the brown sugar, and whisk again to combine, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, eggs, vinegar, and milk, and mix to combine.
- Add the grated carrots to the mixture, plus the (optional) pecans and white chocolate chips, and mix until evenly distributed throughout. The batter will be thick, but relatively soft.
- Divide the batter evenly among the two prepared baking pans, and spread into an even layer in each.
Bake the cakes
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cake is uniformly light brown on top, and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan rotating the pans once during baking (35 to 40 minutes).
- Remove the pans from the oven from the oven and allow the cakes to cool for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting
- While the cakes are cooling, in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a handheld mixer), place the cream cheese and butter.
- Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the salt, and 3 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the frosting is thickened and fluffy.
- Add more confectioners’ sugar as necessary to thicken the frosting enough to hold its shape when scooped with a spoon.
Frost a layer cake
- Turn one of the cooled cakes, top down, onto a serving platter. Spoon about half of the frosting onto the top of the cake. Spread the frosting into an even layer on top of this cake.
- Top with the second cake, top-down and press to adhere. Spoon the remaining frosting on top of the cake.
- Spread the frosting on the top and sides of the cake. It's easiest to create a swooping pattern on top of the cake so it doesn't have to be super smooth and perfect.
- Top with more chopped pecans, if desired. To make the cake easier to slice, chill for about an hour in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
Use one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends (like Better Batter original blend or Nicole’s Best multipurpose). If you use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, add an extra heaping ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to avoid a crumbly cake. I don’t recommend Cup4Cup anymore—it’s changed and no longer performs reliably. To make your own blend using one of my “mock” recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page. Skipping the pecans?
If you leave out the pecans, use 6 ounces of white chocolate chips instead of 3 to make up the difference.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage instructions
Make ahead:
Bake the cake layers in advance, wrap them tightly, and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost at room temperature before frosting.
Storing frosted cake:
Store slices or a whole frosted cake at room temperature, tightly wrapped and/or covered, for up to 3 days.
Freezing leftovers:
Wrap frosted slices in freezer-safe wrap and freeze. Defrost at room temp before serving (don't microwave or the frosting will melt).
Frosting ahead:
Make the cream cheese frosting up to 3 days ahead. Store it in the fridge, then bring to cool room temperature and beat again before using.
FAQs
You can mix and store the dry ingredients (through the brown sugar) in a sealed container at room temperature for a few days. Don’t refrigerate the mix, since brown sugar tends to clump when cold.
Yes—just know that your cakes will be slightly shorter and bake a bit faster. Begin checking for doneness around 25 minutes.
I love a carrot cake with pineapple, but that's a different recipe because it adds a ton of extra moisture that this recipe can't handle. Try our Entenmann's style gluten free carrot pineapple cake recipe.
Yes! You can make the cake layers up to a month ahead, wrap and freeze them, then defrost and frost the day before serving.
Absolutely. Just replace the pecans with extra white chocolate chips, or leave both out. The cake still bakes perfectly.
I made cupcakes from this recipe and they were delicious. I omitted the white chocolate as I didn’t have any in pantry and they were fine.
I little tip I read somewhere when baking with gf flour is to let batter sit for at least an hour before baking as gf flour takes longer to absorb liquids than regular flour, it helps with less gritty & dryness.
Best gf carrot cake recipe I’ve ever used.
There is no grittiness in any of the flour blends I use and recommend, Cat. If you’re using a gritty rice flour, many if not most of my recipes simply won’t work.
I made 2 dozen cupcakes with this recipe and they came out FANTASTIC! And didn’t taste “gluten free” at all!! My whole extended family raved about them. I used the Krusteaz gf flour and it worked fine for this recipe.
I also made a pineapple filling and filled the cupcakes and then piped a big ol’ topping of cream cheese frosting leaving a well in the center for more pineapple filling. Topped them with a couple white chocolate chips and a few pecans. They were a DREAM.
Typing this now I think I have all the ingredients for another batch, except the pineapple… might give them another go tonight lol :)
First time making this and everyone loved it. Didn’t even have time to frost it before it was gone!
Hi! I can’t wait to try this recipe! Am I able to sub the neutral oil for unsalted butter?
Have a look through the comments section, Haley. I think another reader has said they’ve been successful with that, but I don’t generally recommend swapping oil for butter or vice versa as oil is 100% fat and butter has moisture.
This may be the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. My teen daughter made it for Easter dessert. She grated the carrots finely with our food processor. She used King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour which contains xanthum gum. She did not weigh the ingredients, and she also increased the recipe by 50% in order to have three layers. It was a professional-looking delicious dessert.
After reaching out to my mother-in-law (who has a recipe for everything) and being told that she’s never had success with gluten free cakes, I was not optimistic. I chose this recipe because of the reviews and the fact that I already had 90% of the ingredients in my pantry. I followed this recipe to a T, weighing every ingredient. I had to use a one to one flour that was not recommended, but it was the only option available on short notice. I did sift all 315 grams of flour in hopes of reducing the grittiness, if there was any!
When I say this cake was amazing, it was STELLAR. My Easter guests chose it over the chocolate cake prepared by a local bakery. It was soft and several people said they would have never guessed it was gluten free.
I will definitely be saving this recipe for use in the future! Thank you!
That’s really great, Allison! I’m glad you were able to make do with what you had, and that you and your guests were so pleased. That’s all that matters.
Oh my goodness. This is the most gorgeous cake, my family could not believe it is GF. I made a few modifications, which worked out so wanted to pass them along. First, I mostly followed the cake recipe to a T, but I did not weigh, and that was okay. I used Oatly oakmilk (straight milk bothers me whereas cream cheese/butter does not). Thrilled to report that was just fine, and used grape seed oil which is my preference in baking. All great. For the frosting, I doubled the butter and cream cheese but only did 2.5 c of powdered sugar and for whatever reason that was enough! The salt was key though, the frosting came to life after that was added in. I always do it to taste…my whole fam agreed it was plenty sweet at 2.5 cups of sugar. I’m so proud of this beautiful Easter cake! I might play with alternative sugars just to lower the inflammatory ingredients even more. Thank you for this recipe, it will be a favorite!
Thanks, Lisa. I was wondering how far I could go in cutting the sugar in the frosting. So I appreciate the sugar note.
Did you add the original salt amount?
Love this cake, it’s the only carrot cake I make! I usually use your better than Cup4Cup blend that I make in large batches. I’m making this cake for Easter. Can I make it the day before, ice it and then keep in the fridge?
Please see the make ahead directions in the post, Deb!
Can this cake be made in a 9 by 13 pan ?
I’ve never tried that, Audrey, but not all layer cake recipes can be made in a 9×13 inch cake pan. I don’t believe that this cake, which is made using the “reverse cream” method, instead of the creaming the butter and sugar together method, would work well in a rectangular cake pan, no. Feel free to experiment, but I don’t think you’ll get particularly good results.
Would this work at high altitude (5280 feet)?
You should assume that you’ll have to make the same adjustments you would ever have to make for a recipe made at altitude, Kay. It’s the one condition I cannot replicate in any way, so I’m afraid I can’t offer any concrete advice!
Do you think this recipe would work in a bundt pan?
I’m always reluctant to say for sure that a regular cake recipe will hold up to being made in a bundt pan, Mary, but I suspect this would work well, yes. Unfortunately I can’t promise, though! I do have some suggestions on bundt pan success in my recipe for a gluten free marble bundt cake, if you’d like to have a look.