4 Ingredient No Bake Carrot Cake Bars
These 4-ingredient no-bake carrot cake bars are made with simple, healthier ingredients and come together in minutes—no oven required. Naturally sweetened with dates and packed with carrots and walnuts, they’re soft and chewy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (146g) pitted Medjool date halves, see note
- 1 1/4 cups (145g) chopped walnuts
- 1 cup (78g) shredded carrots, see note
- 3 tbsp (21g) coconut flour
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal later.
- Add the walnuts and shredded carrots to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped and resembles coarse crumbs, with finely chopped pieces of nuts and carrots throughout. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the pitted dates to a food processor and process until they form a mostly smooth paste, about 1–2 minutes.
- Return the carrot mixture to the food processor along with the coconut flour. If adding pumpkin spice, also add it at this time. Pulse a few times until evenly combined and no large chunks remain. The mixture should look slightly crumbly, but if you pinch some of it together, it should hold together.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press firmly into an even, compact layer. Refrigerate for 1–2 hours, to allow the bars to firm up. Once set, lift the bars from the pan and cut with a large sharp knife. If desired, you can also frost the bars with cream cheese or yogurt frosting before serving. I share recipes for both in the recipe notes.
- Store uneaten bars in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Adapted from Minimalist Baker.
- If you want a spiced flavor, you can add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the mixture.
- Carrot note: I shredded my carrots using a box grater, using the larger set of holes. A box grater has four sides. One side is meant for thin slices. There are three sides that have holes. I used the largest set of holes.
- Date note: If you are using an older package of dates or your dates seem dry, you will need to rehydrate the dates. To rehydrate them, soak them in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Then drain out the water and thoroughly pat dry the dates with paper towels. Then add dates to food processor to make the date paste.
- Weight and measurement for the dates is after they have been pitted. I used whole dates, broke them in half and removed the pits. I find that dates that have already been pitted are usually more firm and not as soft as whole dates with the pits. I used Joolies Medjool Dates*
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Optional Healthy Frostings: I have two frostings I usually use, a yogurt frosting and a healthier cream cheese frosting:
- Yogurt Frosting
- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- maple syrup, if needed
- To make the frosting, add the yogurt to a medium bowl and whisk until it is smooth and creamy. If needed, you can add a little bit of maple syrup to thin it out or to add sweetness.
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup, to taste
- Whisk together the cream cheese and maple syrup in a small bowl until smooth and evenly combined
- Estimated nutrition does not include optional frosting.
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 183kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 9mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 13g, NET CARBS: 14
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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