These no-bake carrot cake bars are a delicious spring dessert! A creamy, tangy frosting layer tops the warmly spiced carrot and date base.
I’ll be making these carrot cake bars all spring long! I don’t know about you, but I always crave carrot cake in the spring. The combination of warm spices, sweet carrots, and tangy cream cheese frosting just feels like the perfect dessert as the days get warmer and longer. I’m not about to make a full-blown layer cake with any regularity…but these carrot cake bars? I try to keep a stash on hand at all times. 🙂
Why You’ll Love These Carrot Cake Bars
- They’re full of classic carrot cake flavor. They start with a spiced carrot and date layer that then gets topped with a tangy cashew “frosting.” Fresh lemon juice adds the perfect tangy kick to the frosting layer—you won’t miss the cream cheese one bit!
- They’re no-bake. These bars set up in the freezer.
- They’re made with simple, whole foods ingredients like fresh carrots, dates, nuts, and maple syrup. They’re totally vegan and gluten-free!
I first published this recipe in my third cookbook, Simple Feel Good Food. I shared a video of the recipe on social media before the book came out, and it went totally viral. It’s gone viral again a few times since, so I thought—over 5 million views later—that these bars had earned a spot on the blog. If you haven’t tried them yet, I hope you love them as much as I do!
Carrot Cake Bars Ingredients
You won’t find standard baking ingredients like all-purpose flour, eggs, baking powder, and brown sugar in this recipe. Because it’s no-bake, you just need these simple ingredients:
- Carrots, of course! I grate the carrots on a box grater when I make my regular carrot cake recipe. But since the base of these bars comes together in a food processor, you can just roughly chop them. No need to peel!
- Medjool dates – They add sweetness to the carrot layer and bind it together. If your dates aren’t soft, soak them in warm water for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
- Walnuts and coconut – These classic carrot cake ingredients add nutty, chewy texture to the carrot base.
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg – They add warm, spiced flavor to the carrot layer. Other warm spices, like ginger and cardamom, would be great here too.
- Raw cashews and coconut milk – They blend together to create the creamy plant-based “frosting.”
- Maple syrup – It sweetens the frosting layer.
- Fresh lemon juice – For that tangy cream cheese flavor.
- Vanilla extract – It adds warm depth of flavor to the frosting.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bars
These carrot cake bars recipe has three main steps:
1. Make the carrot layer. Pulse together the dates, carrots, walnuts, coconut, spices, and salt in a food processor. Process until the mixture holds together when pinched, then press it into the bottom of a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
2. Make the cashew layer. Blend together the cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt until smooth and creamy. Pour over the carrot layer.
- Tip: If you’re not using a high-speed blender, soak the cashews for at least 6 hours or overnight so that they blend more easily.
3. Freeze until set, 8 hours or overnight. Finally, slice and serve!
- Tip: If the bars are too firm to slice right away, let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to soften.
That’s it!
Storage Tips
Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I love having them on hand for a quick afternoon treat!
More Carrot Recipes to Try
If you love these no-bake carrot cake bars, try one of these delicious carrot treats next:
Carrot Cake Bars
Ingredients
Carrot Layer
- 12 soft Medjool dates, pitted
- 1½ cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cashew Frosting Layer
- 1½ cups raw cashews*
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Make the carrot layer: If your dates are not soft, soak them in a small bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes. Pat dry before using. Add the dates, carrots, coconut, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture sticks together when pinched.
- Make the cashew frosting layer: In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, coconut milk, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Press the carrot mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Spread the cashew mixture evenly on top.
- Freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Slice into bars. If too firm, let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
Would pecans work in place of walnuts?
Just made these! And I think I came up with a hack that’ll work! I made them in my 1/2cup and 1oz Souper Cube trays.
Since they need to be frozen anyway, I figured this would be a great way to keep track of my portions without guess work and without needing to cut them.
Will low fat coconut milk work?
The nutritional information you have posted, is that for the entire recipe. It seems like it would be way overboard for each bar. I’m looking forward to making it prior to going into the hospital for surgery. It will be a nice treat for recovery.
Is there any chance I can use 10% cream instead of the coconut milk. I am not vegan so it doesn’t matter to me. Also how long can they be kept out of the freezer after they are set.
I’m always looking for healthier sweets and these look good. I’m curious, why do these need to be frozen? Can you just harden them in the refrigerator? Also can you eat these without the icing?
Hi Andee, good question! The frosting layer needs to be frozen to set. It adds some nice richness and tangy flavor to this dessert, but you could try omitting it. Without it, you might be able to store the bars in the fridge. They will have a softer texture that way.
Thank you Phoebe…I think I will give it a try without the frosting just to see how that works out. I appreciate your quick reply.
Is the shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened?
Hi Pat, we use unsweetened. Sweetened would likely work too, but the bars will of course be sweeter.
We have someone with a severe nut allergy (to all nuts) at my house. Do you have any ideas for a nut replacement in this recipe or is it just not possible? Thank you!
Hi Erin, this is a tough one to replace the nuts in because it has both the cashews and walnuts. I’d recommend trying our classic carrot cake instead and omitting the nuts.
Same here. I’ll try the carrot cake, but what a bummer because this looks SO good. Maybe I’ll make it the next time my husband is out of town. lol
Can you use whole dairy milk instead of coconut milk?
Hi Soni, it might work—we’ve never tried it! It could give the top layer a slightly icier texture.
Thanks, I’ll try and let you know!
Will you please recommend a substitute for the coconut milk in this no-bake carrot cake bar recipe? Thanks
Hi Mike, you could try using another thicker type of non-dairy milk like oat milk. The top layer may not be quite as creamy because oat milk is lower in fat, but I think it could work.