Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies with Cashew Frosting

Gluten free carrot cake cookies are the perfect snack or dessert! You could even make these for breakfast!

These vegan carrot cake cookies with cashew frosting are everything you love about carrot cake but in cookie form!

Made with shredded carrots, oats, chopped pecans and warm spices, these soft, chewy and thick vegan carrot cookies are filling enough for breakfast but sweet enough for an afternoon snack or dessert. Top them with this simple 3 ingredient cashew frosting to take them to the next level!

Ingredient spotlight

Please see the recipe card for the full ingredient list, this is just a highlight of a few ingredients.

• Ground flax +Water: This creates a flax egg which replaces the eggs in a traditional recipe.
• Maple syrup: I like to use maple syrup to sweeten these cookies. They are not too sweet though. You could also use date syrup or honey (not vegan) in place of the maple syrup for sweetness.
• Gluten free flour: I use 1:1 gluten free flour. I do not recommend oat flour because the cookies get a little “cakey” but if you like a cakey cookie, it could work. I have not tested this with almond flour and do not recommend coconut flour (as it will absorb too much liquid).
• Tahini: this adds fat to the recipe (instead of butter). You could also use sunflower seed butter, almond butter, cashew butter or peanut butter (may change the taste).
• Grated carrots: I like to use the food processor with the grater attachment to make this a quick process. You could also use a hand grater or place store bought shredded carrots in the food processor to break them down more (or use a sharp knife to break them up).
• Chopped pecans: I love the combination of carrots + warm spices and pecans in cookies. You could also use walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or omit the nuts completely.

How to make gluten free carrot cake cookies

Tips for success

• Wait to add frosting until right before serving. The frosting won’t set on the cookies, so it’s best to wait to decorate them until right before serving.
• If you want to freeze the cookies, you can freeze them with the frosting, just be sure to flash freeze them on a baking sheet first. Once frozen, you can move them to a storage bag for long term storage.
• If you want to use store bought shredded carrots, be sure to chop them (they are too large for cookies as is).
• Other frosting option: combine maple syrup with coconut butter and melt it in the microwave together for 20 seconds to combine.
  Once melted, drizzle over cookies and put them in the fridge for a few minutes to set up (the coconut will begin to harden in the fridge). After it’s set, you can store them at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge 5 days.

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Oatmeal Carrot Cake Cookies

Vegan carrot cake cookies with cashew frosting are naturally gluten free, dairy free and egg free and so easy to make! These oatmeal carrot cake cookies are perfect for breakfast, snacking or dessert!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 6 minutes mins

Cook Time: 14 minutes mins

15 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons ground flax
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup gluten free flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup tahini
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ¼ cup chopped pecans

Cashew Frosting (optional)

• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon. maple syrup

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Peel and grate carrots (use food processor, hand grater or chop shredded store bought carrots). Reserve carrots to the side.
• In a large bowl, combine ground flax, water, applesauce and maple syrup.
  3 tablespoons ground flax, ¼ cup water, ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, ¼ cup maple syrup
• Add the gluten free flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, ground ginger and baking powder to the wet ingredients. Stir well.
  ¾ cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup gluten free flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Add the tahini to the batter and stir to combine.
  ¼ cup tahini
• Add grated carrots and chopped pecans. Stir well to ensure carrots are well incorporated.
  ½ cup shredded carrots, ¼ cup chopped pecans
• Place a piece of parchment to a baking sheet, spray with non-stick spray (olive oil, avocado oil or coconut oil). Add carrot cake batter 2 tablespoons at a time to the baking sheet to form cookies. This makes 12 cookies.
• Wet your hands and press down the cookies. Be sure to form them evenly. They don't spread during baking.
• Bake at 350 for 14 minutes. After baking, allow to cool at least 15 minutes to fully set the cookies and before frosting.

Cashew Frosting

• Soak the cashews Add cashews to a bowl with boiling water and let soak 5 minutes.
  ½ cup raw cashews
• After soaking, drain the water from the cashews and discard the soaking water.
• Add the soaked cashews, 1/4 cup water and maple syrup to high speed blender.
  ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon. maple syrup
• Blend on high 1 minute. Check the frosting and blend again 1-2 minutes if needed depending on your blender.
• Add the frosting to a plastic bag, cut off the tip (cut more off the tip than you think so that small chunks from the cashews can easily pass through). Drizzle the frosting over the cookies. Alternatively you can just frost the top of the cookies with the frosting without drizzling it.
• Store on the counter 3-4 hours or store in the fridge up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

141

Fat

 

8

g

Carbohydrates

 

16

g

Fiber

 

3

g

Sugar

 

6

g

Protein

 

3

g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.

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• 151

Author: Samantha Rowland

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cashew frosting, gluten free carrot cake cookies, oatmeal carrot cake cookies, vegan carrot cake cookies

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Other add-in ingredients

I wanted to keep this recipe pretty simple so I only added the ingredients that I always have on hand. But you can make these cookies your own! You can add your favorite carrot cake mix ins! Some great options include:

• Raisins or dried cranberries
• Crushed pineapple (be sure to drain off as much of the liquid as possible)
• Toasted or dried coconut flakes
• Other spices like nutmeg or cardamom

How to store oatmeal carrot cake cookies

Fridge: Store leftover cookies in the fridge up to 5 days. The frosting will stick to other cookies so store them in a single layer or frost them as you eat them.

You can store the frosting in the plastic bag in the fridge (be sure to put it in a small ramekin in case any leaks out) for 5 days as well.

Freezer: Store cookies in the freezer up to 3 months in an freezer safe bag. If you will be frosting the cookies, freeze the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Once frozen solid, you can stack the cookies in a freezer safe bag. Defrost in a single layer in the fridge or on the counter so frosting doesn’t spread to other cookies.

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