These healthy carrot cake bites remind you of an indulgent slice of cake, but are actually good for you! They're vegan, no-bake and seriously delicious!
Wouldn't it be great to have all dessert in bite-sized form? Sure it's awesome to have a whole slice of cake sometimes, but most of the time I'm cool with just a bite or two. Which is exactly where energy bites come into play.
Energy bites, and other no-bake ball-shaped treats, are the ultimate way to get your dessert fix without having to a) bake and b) overstuff yourself. One bite, the craving is satisfied and you're feeling good.
We've got a few other dessert-inspired flavors on the blog already, but today it's all about carrot cake!
How to Make Carrot Cake Bites
Just like other energy ball recipes, these little carrot cake bites are made in your food processor. If you haven't read our Ultimate Guide for how to make energy balls, check it out because we outline it step-by-step BUT for all intents and purposes, let's peep the steps here:
- pulse your carrots
- remove carrots and pulse in your nuts and coconut
- add your oats and dates
- next, your carrots, nut butter and spices
- roll
- refrigerate
AND ENJOY!
No-Bake Carrot Cake Balls
I wanted to keep things as traditional as possible with the flavor combo which is why we're using pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The coconut and oats are there mostly for texture, but they also add a little sweetness. The cashew butter and dates both help to bind everything together, but they're also awesome for flavor.
The dates add natural sweetness, but have caramel undertones which are so good. Cashew butter to me is like the ultimate treat. It's naturally sweet, it tastes kind of decadent and it's delicious in energy balls.
And finally, we're rolling these cuties in some coconut to make them look extra special!
An Easy Meal Prep Snack Idea
I'd say that these little carrot cake bites are the ultimate snack. They're great for a quick mid-morning nosh, but also can be enjoyed as an on-the-go brekkie (just grab like 3 – 4), or an after-dinner treat.
Those are just one of the many reasons why I love making energy balls at home. They're portable, they're easy, they're delicious and they're actually healthy!
Just look at these nutrition facts: around 100 calories, 2g of protein, 4g of sugar and 2g of fiber. That's better than most granola bars!
More No-Bake Energy Ball Recipes:
- PB+J Energy Bites
- No-Bake Gingerbread Energy Balls
- Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Balls
- Golden Milk Energy Balls
- Turtle Cookie Energy Bites
- Snickerdoodle Energy Bites
Vegan Carrot Cake Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped carrots (about 1 large)
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup oats (rolled or quick)
- 1/2 cup medjool dates (about 5)
- 1/4 cup cashew butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut (for rolling)
Instructions
- Add the carrots into a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
- Return the bowl of the food processor back onto the base and add the pecans and coconut. Pulse to form a sandy texture. Add the oats and dates and process again until a sand texture has formed. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until a dough comes together.
- Shape the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used.
- Place the shredded coocnut in a shallow dish and roll each ball in the coconut to coat it. Place balls in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 1 - 2 weeks.
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Not much flavor, maybe more dates would help.
Incredibly easy to make – I was skeptical about the difference of using cashew butter vs peanut butter and am SO HAPPY with the cashew butter. It gives a better texture, flavor, and consistency than a creamy PB would have yielded.
Will definitely become a staple in our house for a quick healthy snack when we have extra carrots in the fridge.
These are awesome especially water the first day in the fridg3 if you love carrot cake it will blow your mind how good these are!
Wow these made me feel I was eating real carrot cake. I used raw almond butter instead but theywere awesome. Thankyou for the recipe.
I am thrilled you enjoyed it!!
OMG! These are the best things I’ve ever tasted! I added 1 tsp of carrot cake jam and it was out of this world! The ladies at church are going to love them!
I love that addition! So glad you enjoyed them!
Can you use dried cranberries in place of coconut?
We haven’t tried that but it could work! If you try it let us know how it turns out 🙂
Can I use raisins or dried cranberries instead of dates? I wonder if it would work rather same
I think that would definitely work! Let me know how they turn out!
They sound delicous!
Thank yyou!!
Made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand, worked great, super tasty! I uaed cashews and almond mix for pecans, and sunflower butter for the nut butter. Thanks for the great recipe.
Of course! I’m so glad you liked it!!
Oh my GOSH… these Carrot Cake Bites are amaaaaazing!! Can’t believe the sweetness comes only from dates! Will definitely make a double batch next time…! 🙂
Aren’t they the best?! I love them!
These are truly wonderful.and taste just like carrot cake. I used almond butter, and rolled in toasted coconut. If you love carrot cake, this is a perfect recipe for when you just want a bite or two.
Thanks so much for the kind review!!
Hi Alyssa, Thanks for the recipe!nPlanning to make this today. I was wondering: if I double the recipe, could I freeze half and store for 2-3 months in an airtight freezer container or bag?
Yes! They are freezer friendly 🙂
Looks like a quick and easy yummy treat with few calories. But I doubt I could eat just ONE!!!
I never can 😉
These were fantastic and so easy to make! I used almond butter because I had no cashew butter, and this worked well with the other flavors. Will definitely make again, and will maybe add a pinch of ground clove and ginger for a bit more spice. Thanks so much for the recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Yum! I was out of coconut so I used coconut butter and added more of it. They also were a little dry so I drizzled in some maple. Really delicious!
Sounds amazing!
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WOW! These were amazing and so easy. I did modify it a bit I used 2 carrots, 10 dates and extra peanut butter (no sugar). My 6 year old helped me with the balls and coconut rolling. They are a hit. Will definitely make again.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed them!!
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hi can u clarify the amount of carrots – in reipe it says 1 cup but in the comment u say 2 cups will do in repsonse to someone so which is it please ?as it sisnt rpelied to in the cmments – thank you so mch
The recipe was updated from years ago, so some of the comments are very old. The updated one uses 1 cup 🙂
Can I use almond flour instead of oats for this Carrot ball?
I haven’t tried, but I think it would be worth a shot!
These are delicious! Will definitely make them again
Woohoo!
This recipe is amazing, and I will definitely be making it regularly! My 1 year old loved it too. Thank you for sharing!!
Yay!! This makes me so happy 🙂 xo
What can you use to replace the oats for gluten free
Just pick up GF oats 🙂
I just tried the recipe and the carrot cake bites are delicious! I’ll definitely be making the recipe again 🙂 I did use peanut butter instead of cashew butter and I think it still turned out awesome!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! The addition of PB sounds fabulous 🙂
Carrots come in varying sizes. What is the measurement or, better yet, weight of the amount of carrots for this recipe? Thanks.
About two cups of carrots will work!
This is confusing. Why does it say one cup of carrots in the recipe and 2 cups here?
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Mmmmm, we actually had similar carrot cake bites for our wedding, but all piled up into a pyramid!
How cute! I love that idea 🙂
This looks very good, I have most of the ingredients have to just get the pecans, I don’t have a food processor will a vita mix work for this?
I’m honestly not sure if a Vitamix will work for this. I’ve only ever made these type of desserts in a food processor. If you do use a Vitamix, I would suggest just using the lowest speed and pulsing. See where that gets you texture wise and then if you have to increase the speed, do it one notch at a time. You don’t want to pulverize or blend the ingredients smooth. You want to still have some texture so that they roll together and stick. If you find that you’ve over blended, I might just add a few chopped up dates to give it some body. Let me know how it works out for you!! xo
Ate these at a friends party and thought I was cheating! I found out ingredients and had to make them at home! My vegan daughter loves them too! So delicious and nutritious 🙂 Thank you!
Yay! That just made my day 🙂 So happy you enjoyed them. If you like these little babies, you should check out the carrot cake smoothie I posted this morning. It’s like drinking cake for breakfast. Yum!
They have awesome flavor, I wish they weren’t quite as soft but they are still a keeper! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
I’m going to make this recipe and I’m just wondering how much 5 medjool dates weighs? My guess is 3/4 cup (120g), but maybe it’s only 1/2 cup (80g)? (I’m using dates, but not medjool).
I would say it’s about 1/2 cup. Let me know how they turn out for you!
These sound amazing! OMG, what a great idea! I will be definitely trying these! With my love to protein I might add some here.:) What do you think?
I think that’s a great idea!! If you try it, please let me know how it turns out. Would love to experiment with these a little more 🙂
Great recipe, thanks! These were delicious and were even enjoyed by some kids.
Glad you re-posted it – I’m always looking for health “cookies” to keep around these days 🙂
I tried these using dried and unsulfured figs and they turned out really good for a healthy snack.
What a great idea! I’m so glad to hear they worked out 🙂
I’ve been making green tea with almond milk. It’s my new favorite drink!
Thank you——
Yay! So happy you’re enjoying it. I could really use one right now 😉
Oh, yummy! I’ve pinned this to try later. Thanks!
Let me know when you do! Would love to know what you think 🙂