Go Back
Vegan carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting soft moist homemade

Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies

Thick, warmly spiced vegan carrot cake cookies made with no eggs and no dairy — just simple pantry ingredients mixed in one bowl. Soft in the center, barely golden at the edges, and loaded with that classic carrot cake flavor you love.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 58 minutes
Servings: 18 cookies
Course: Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 148
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough
  • 115 g vegan butter room temperature, soft but not greasy
  • 150 g brown sugar packed
  • 120 g fresh carrots finely grated (about 2 medium) — do not use pre-shredded
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 190 g all-purpose flour spooned and levelled not scooped
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp fine salt
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
Optional Add-Ins
  • 60 g raisins soaked in warm water 10 min then drained
  • 50 g chopped walnuts skip for nut-free version
  • 30 g unsweetened shredded coconut for the coconut variation
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
  • 115 g vegan cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 120 g powdered sugar sifted
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Box grater (fine side)
  • Rubber spatula
  • Cookie scoop (45ml)
  • 2 large baking sheets
  • Parchment paper
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Piping bag with round tip (optional, for frosting)

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature vegan butter and brown sugar together using a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and slightly fluffy.
  2. Finely grate your fresh carrots on the fine side of a box grater. If they seem very wet, squeeze out a little excess moisture with your hands. Add to the butter mixture and mix until combined.
  3. Add the vanilla extract and mix briefly.
  4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix until just combined — do not overmix. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Fold in any optional add-ins now if using.
  5. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Do not skip this — chilled dough gives thick domed cookies instead of flat ones.
Bake the Cookies
  1. Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line one or two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Use a cookie scoop or damp hands to portion the dough into balls of roughly 45g each. Place them on the lined sheets at least 5 cm apart — they will spread a little.
  3. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until edges are just set and barely golden. The centers will look slightly underdone — that is correct. They firm up as they cool.
  4. Leave cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Optional Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. Beat the softened vegan cream cheese until smooth. Add sifted powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat until light and fluffy.
  2. Transfer to a piping bag or use a small spatula to frost completely cooled cookies. Never frost warm cookies — the frosting will slide off.

Notes

BUTTER TEMPERATURE: Soft enough to press with a finger but not greasy or shiny. Too warm = flat cookies. If in doubt, refrigerate for 10 minutes before starting.
CHILL TIME IS NOT OPTIONAL: Even 30 minutes makes a big difference to thickness. You can chill the dough overnight for even better results.
FLOUR MEASURING: Always spoon flour into your measuring cup and level off with a knife. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much and makes dry, cakey cookies.
FREEZING RAW DOUGH: Freeze portioned dough balls on a sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 175°C, adding 2 to 3 extra minutes.
FREEZING BAKED COOKIES: Layer unfrosted baked cookies between parchment sheets in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour.
KEEPING COOKIES SOFT: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Place a slice of bread in the container — the cookies absorb its moisture and stay pillowy longer.
FROSTED COOKIES: Store in the refrigerator and eat within 3 days.
GLUTEN-FREE: Swap all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Texture will be slightly more crumbly but the flavor stays excellent.
SUGAR SWAP: Coconut sugar is the best alternative and adds a mild caramel note. Avoid liquid sweeteners as they change the dough consistency significantly.