If you love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting but are looking for a healthier version, you have to make these healthy carrot cake bars.
These carrot cake bars are raw, vegan and super easy to make. Made from pantry staples like carrots, oats, dates and spices these bars whip up in no time.
And unlike actual carrot cake, these bars are super healthy — so healthy that you could technically have one for breakfast! Breakfast carrot cake bars? Yes please!
Whether you want to make these for a healthy dessert or sweet snack, these raw carrot cake bars are definitely going to satisfy any sweet craving. The base is sticky, sweet and packed with carrot cake flavor, which pairs perfectly with the creamy cashew coconut frosting!
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Raw Carrot Cake Bars Ingredients
- Carrots: Obviously you’ll need carrots to make these – one tip, taste the carrot before using it. Some carrots are actually not that sweet and taste stale, so taste them before using them in the bars.
- Medjool Dates: are the main sweetener for these bars. I recommend going for super gooey dates as these will be sweeter and more fresh!
- Oat Flour: I make my own flour since it’s so much cheaper, so I’ll leave instructions for this in the notes of the recipe.
- Walnuts: add in healthy fats and omegas to help balance out the sugar in these bars.
- Cashews: are the main component in the frosting.
- Coconut Cream: you know the top part of the coconut cream can, that creamy stuff, yep that’s what i’m talking about. This will be added into the frosting layer and not only add creaminess but also a hint of sweetness.
- Lemon: I love pairing lemon zest and lemon juice with carrot cake, it helps amplify the flavors and compliment the other spices in the bars.
- Spices: think ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and tons of cinnamon!
Ingredient Substitutes
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – most of the time, substitutions in any recipes are not good. However, the few substitutions below I will allow as they won’t alter the recipe too much.
- Oat Flour: If you’re gluten-free I recommend going for a gluten-free oat flour, or grinding up gluten-free oats to make GF oat flour. Another option is to use half almond flour and half coconut flour – although I have not tested this option.
- Coconut Cream: if you really want to go for the classic cream cheese and carrot cake classic combo, you can sub the coconut cream out for the same amount of vegan cream cheese. I love the brand Kite Hill for any non-dairy products!
Why these Carrot Cake Bars are Healthy
I’m just going to say that the amount of whole-foods in these carrot cake bars make the health benefits and nutrients too many to count. But I’ll list a few nutrients I want to highlight below.
- Beta-Carotene (from the carrots): Converts to Vitamin A (retinol) in the body – an essential vitamin for good vision and eye health. And if you’re thinking, “I use retinol in my skincare” you’re absolutely correct. Vitamin A is also essential for youthful wrinkle-free skin!
- Omega-3’s (from the walnuts): What I’ve read so far (researched and vetted studies) have indicated that people who consume omega-3’s regularly are less likely to be depressed. Additionally, of the three types of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA and DHA), EPA is the most effective and fights depression. And EPA is abundant in walnuts!
- Citrulline (from the lemons): Vitamin C can enhance levels of nitric oxide by increasing its bioavailability and maximizing its absorption in the body (32Trusted Source). Research shows that it may also bump up levels of nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme needed for the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide essentially helps expand your blood vessels, which beans better blood flow and lower blood pressure! Okay, I’ll stop with all the science!
If you have any questions when you’re making this recipe, feel free to DM me @munchingwithmariyah on Instagram — I’ll try to get back to you asap. Also, if you make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a picture and tag me on Instagram, I love seeing your recreations.
PrintRaw Carrot Cake Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting but are looking for a healthier version, you have to make these healthy carrot cake bars. These carrot cake bars are raw, vegan and super easy to make!
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Bars
- 2 cups (171g) Shredded Carrots ((no need to squeeze out any water))
- 12 medium (223g) Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 tbsp Water or Cashew milk
- 2 ½ cups (265g) Oat flour ((see notes to make your own))
- ⅔ cup (76g) Walnuts
- 2 tsp Orange or Lemon zest
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ginger
- ¼ tsp Clove
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 cups (224g) Raw Cashews
- ¾ cup (171g) full-fat Coconut Cream ((canned) )
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Lemon juice
- ¼ tsp Salt
Instructions
Carrot Cake Bars
- Start by lining a square tray, baking dish or pan with parchment paper. This is where the bars will be assembled, so don't use anything too large. A square pan about 6×6 or 8×8 would work perfectly.
- Begin by adding the shredded carrot, medjool dates and water/milk into a food processor or blender. Process this until a thick paste forms. If the blender is having difficulty blending this into a paste, you can add an additional 1 Tbsp of hot water. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides as you go.
- While the carrots and dates blend, add the oat flour, walnuts, spices, salt and lemon zest into a bowl and whisk well. Then add in the date and carrot paste and mix to combine. I like using my hands to mix the dough as it's just easier.
- Press the dough into the prepared tray, about .5" thick. Place the tray into the freezer for 5 minutes while you make the frosting.
Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add the cashews into a bowl and cover with boiling water and let soak for about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the cashews, coconut milk, vanilla, cream cheese, salt and lemon juice into a blender. Process the frosting on high for 4-6 minutes until completely creamy and smooth. You may need to stop occasionally and scrape down the sides.
- Take the base out of the freezer and generously frost the bars with the cashew frosting.
- Place the bars back into the freezer for an additional 5 minutes to set up a little more. Once the time has elapsed, remove the bars from the freezer and cut into pieces. This recipe should make about 10-12 bars. Store the bars in the fridge for one week or the freezer for up to one month!
Notes
- Make your own oat flour: Simply add 2 1/2 cups of oats into a blender or a spice grinder and blend until super fine. That’s it, super simple and so much cheaper than buying it from the store.
- Maximize Time: I recommend soaking the cashews in the boiling water first before you make the carrot cake bars to maximize on time!
Kid says
How much cream cheese is needed? It’s not on the ingredients list, but it’s in the directions.