Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
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Healthy Carrot Cake Bars are the perfect springtime treat! Naturally sweetened and made with grain-free flours, plus a secret ingredient to add moisture without oil.
This is truly the BEST carrot cake you’ll ever eat! My dad is a carrot cake connoisseur and this recipe is his favorite. He tends to be very picky, so you can put your trust confidently in him. These Healthy Carrot Cake Bars are perfectly spiced and super moist thanks to a secret ingredient, and they’re topped with a simple high protein cream cheese frosting (of course, because what’s carrot cake without a cream cheese frosting?).
Carrot cake season might just be my favorite season. For me, it represents springtime and all the beauty that comes with it: birds chirping, flowers budding, bright and fresh flavors, etc. These Healthy Carrot Cake Bars are an easy and delicious dessert for springtime in general, but especially for Easter or Mother’s Day. They are always a hit!
To make this recipe healthier I used a natural sweetener, a combination of almond flour and oat flour which provide nutrients and fiber, and a secret ingredient to add moisture while keeping this recipe oil-free. Finally, I topped it with a super simple high protein cream cheese frosting to add that final touch of carrot cake flavor we all know and love.
Carrot Cake vs Carrot Cake Bars
This recipe can definitely be enjoyed as a traditional cake, just bake it in an 8″ round cake pan. I prefer to bake and cut it into bars since it’s easier to serve. It also puts a fun little twist on it.
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
- Made with healthy, wholesome ingredients – including carrots and applesauce! That’s one fruit and one vegetable checked off your daily dose list. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and naturally sweetened!
- One bowl – all of the ingredients come together in one bowl. Yay for easy recipes!
- Delicious flavor – most importantly, it’s delicious. They have that nostalgic carrot cake flavor we all know and love, but with healthier ingredients.
- Protein frosting – it’s topped with a 4-ingredient high protein frosting. Instead of using powdered sugar (as traditional frosting recipes call for), I’m using vanilla protein powder to omit the sugar and add some protein for a more wholesome treat!
Ingredients Needed To Make Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
- Carrots – what’s a carrot cake without carrots?
- Applesauce – I promise you can’t taste it at all. The applesauce adds natural sweetness, moisture and helps bind the cake.
- Coconut Sugar – adds natural sweetness and lightness to the texture of the cake.
- Non-Dairy Milk – any non-dairy milk will work. I like to use unsweetened soy milk.
- Vanilla Extract – to add a depth of flavor
- Almond Flour – the first grain-free flour in the cake that’s high in nutrients and fiber.
- Oat Flour – the second grain-free flour in the cake that provides heart-healthy nutrients. I usually make my own oat flour by blending oats into a flour.
- Flaxseed Meal – to create a flax egg to help bind the cookies together.
- Baking Powder – to help the cake rise.
- Baking Soda – to help the cake rise.
- Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Walnuts – notorious for pairing perfectly with carrot cake.
- Vegan Cream Cheese – to make the frosting.
- Vanilla Protein Powder – I love to use Truvani’s vanilla protein powder. Shop with my discount code: BOOBOO.
- Maple Syrup – just a little to add some sweetness to the frosting.
How To Make Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
Step 1: Add all of the wet ingredients to a bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 2: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Then, mix in the shredded carrots. Mix until just incorporated. Pour the batter into a parchment lined baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Make the cream cheese frosting by whisking the 4 ingredients together. Once the cake has cooled, frost it, slice it into bars, and dig in!
Wishing you all a wonderful Easter season! I hope you enjoy these Healthy Carrot Cake Bars as much as my family and I do. If you make them, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
More Healthy Recipes For Spring
Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Carrot Cake
Wet Ingredients
- ¼ cup applesauce
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 5 tablespoons water
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour blanched
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp oat flour
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shredded carrots freshly shredded (not from a bag)
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz vegan cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
For Garnish
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Make the flax eggs by adding the flaxseed meal and water to a small bowl and let it gel for 5 minutes.2 tablespoons flaxseed meal, 5 tablespoons water
- Add the flax eggs and the rest of the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk until combined.¼ cup applesauce, ½ cup coconut sugar, ⅓ cup non-dairy milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients.1 cup almond flour, ¾ cup + 1 tbsp oat flour, ½ tablespoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Fold in the shredded carrots.1 cup shredded carrots
- Pour the batter into the lined baking dish. Bake for 30-33 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Add all of the frosting ingredients to a bowl and cream together until combined.2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder, 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 4 oz vegan cream cheese
- Use a spatula to frost the cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Cut into squares and enjoy!¼ cup chopped walnuts
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an approximation.
