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My carrot cake bars are chewy, lightly spiced, and enveloped in a tangy cream cheese frosting. It’s a no-bake recipe that’s easy to make ahead!
Need more no-bake bar recipes? Try my banana blondies, pumpkin bars, or peanut butter bars next.
Whenever I happen to have extra carrots in my fridge, I use them to make carrot cake desserts. They are, after all, the superior vegetable for baking.
For this recipe, I combine the natural sweetness of carrots with pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nut butter, and a dash of coconut flour to give them a cakey bite. When coupled with a layer of cream cheese frosting, you have a dessert that rivals any carrot cake (yes, even mine!).
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Deceptively healthy. These bars are filled with vegetables, nut butter, and minimal added sugar, yet they taste quite indulgent.
- Easy to make ahead. These bars taste as good (if not better) the following day, so feel free to make them the night before.
- Naturally gluten-free. Because there are no grains or flour…or eggs for that matter.
- The frosting is optional. These bars will taste just as decadent with or without the frosting.
Ingredients needed
- Coconut flour. My preferred flour for no-baked treats as it gives the bars a chewy bite and absorbs moisture the best of any no-bake flour.
- Salt. To enhance the bar batter.
- Spices. I kept it simple and used cinnamon, but you could add nutmeg or ground ginger if you prefer.
- Sugar. I used granulated white sugar, but light brown sugar or sugar-free sweeteners both work.
- Pumpkin puree. Look for puree, not “pumpkin pie filling,” as the latter will have sugar and spices mixed in. Better yet, make your own!
- Grated carrots. They don’t need to be peeled, but you can if you want. Make sure they’re finely grated and not chopped since they won’t soften in the oven.
- Maple syrup. For sweetness and to bind the ingredients.
- Almond butter. Adds richness and thickens the bars. Use a drippy, unsweetened brand or make my homemade almond butter. Alternatively, any nut butter can be substituted.
- Vanilla extract. A must for carrot cake.
- Milk. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk works.
For the frosting:
- Cream cheese. I prefer using full-fat cream cheese, as the texture of low-fat cream cheese won’t quite cut it.
- Cinnamon. For extra flavor.
- Sugar. I used white sugar, but you could also use powdered sugar.
How to make carrot cake bars
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prep. Line the baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 2- Mix. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Fold in the pumpkin, shredded carrots, and vanilla.
Step 3- Add the nut butter. Microwave the almond butter and maple syrup until smooth. Add it to the bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 4- Add milk (optional). Add milk, one splash at a time, until the batter reaches your desired consistency.
Step 5- Chill. Transfer the batter mixture to the pan and press into place. Refrigerate the bars for about 35-40 minutes.
Step 6- Add frosting. Combine the frosting ingredients until thick, then spread it evenly over the bars. Refrigerate briefly before slicing.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Save time. Use a food processor to grate the carrots and an electric mixer to mix the cream cheese frosting. Don’t use the mixer for the bar batter–I tried it, and it was way too thick.
- Prefer thicker bars? Use a loaf pan instead of a square baking dish. If you go this route, I suggest layering the bars. Add half of the batter to the pan, followed by dollops of frosting, then top with the remaining carrot cake batter.
- Add mix-ins. Like chopped walnuts, raisins, or white chocolate chips.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover carrot bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To freeze: Wrap the bars in plastic wrap, store them in a freezer-safe container, and freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
I wouldn’t recommend baking these bars as they will dry out and become brittle.
More recipes for carrot cake lovers
No Bake Carrot Cake Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 medium carrots grated
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup almond butter can sub for any nut or seed butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Line a 8 x 8 baking dish or loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside- For thicker bars, use a loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sea salt, sugar, and mix well. Add in the pumpkin puree and shredded carrots.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or stovetop, melt your almond butter with maple syrup. Whisk in the vanilla extract and pour into the dry mixture. Mix very well until fully incorporated.
- For a more soft and fudgy carrot cake bar, add milk until a relatively thick batter is formed. For a firm and chewy bar, add milk of choice only if needed to the desired thickness. Transfer to a lined baking tray and press firmly in place.
- Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, or until firm. Once firm, add frosting of choice and refrigerate for another 30 minutes to firm up before slicing.
- To make the frosting, combine all ingredients and mix well until a thick frosting is formed. Cover the carrot cake bars and refrigerate for a further 10-15 minutes, for the frosting to firm up.
Again I will say-creamy, sweet and healthy dessert. Thanks so much for this.
This is very nice dessert for Christmas. Lumpkin carrots cinnamon-oh!
I needed to see this i just bought many carrots as they were on discount and dont know what to do with them. Now I do.
These are SO good!
If I follow all the “omit the sugar” steps entirely with your suggested alternatives how low would the carbs be?
Super Great Recipe!
Ii love carrot cake. Every day of the week is fine with me..
GREAT RECIPE.
😝
Great recipe. FLAVOR IS THE BEST.
In the baking instructions on #2 it says to add protien powder, but there is no protein powder listed in the ingredients for the bars. How much do you add? Also, I had to add way more than 1/2 cup milk to get my bars to stick together–1 cup plus. Otherwise, these bars taste very good.
I am going to try this… Do you know if I could use almond flour instead of coconut (my husband is allergic to coconut).
That won’t work 🙂
So no protein powder at all in the batter. Okay, thanks!
Hello, if you are still answering questions on this recipe, I’d like to know if you do include protein powder in your batter. The instructions say to “combine flour, protein powder, cinnamon, sea salt, granulated sweetener of choice and mix well.” But there is no protein powder in your list of ingredients. Thanks for clarifying, I’d like to make this!
Hi Diane- We are amending the recipe, incorrectly says protein powder 🙂
Thank you so much! I am going to make this now 🙂