Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
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Published Apr 06, 2022, Updated Mar 22, 2023
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These healthy carrot cake bars are made with almond flour and sweetened with coconut sugar. They’re moist, fluffy and absolutely delicious topped with a cream cheese frosting. Gluten-free + grain-free.
If you have a carrot cake lover in your life, you have to try these carrot cake bars.
I would happily serve them “naked” as a dessert, but the frosting definitely makes them more decadent and cake-like. They do not disappoint.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re moist and not too sweet with the perfect amount of carrots and raisins.
- They’re made with almond flour, so are grain-free and gluten-free.
- This recipe is simple enough to make for a weeknight dessert, but also fancy enough to be served for special occasions like Easter!
Lexi’s Clean Kitchen Cookbook
When I received a copy of my friend Lexi’s cookbook, Lexi’s Clean Kitchen, and saw this recipe for Carrot Cake Bars, I knew they had to happen.
Her cookbook is HUGE and absolutely stunning! She has 150 paleo-friendly, clean recipes and in true Lexi’s Clean Kitchen fashion, each recipe has a gorgeous photo.
The cookbook includes a ton of nutritious, healthy meals from breakfasts to soups, hearty salads (yay!) and main course dinners. And then there is a section for sweet desserts and treats, which is where these carrot cake bars come in.
Carrot Cake Bar Ingredients
- almond flour – I like using Bob’s Red Mill blanched almond flour. Make sure you are getting almond flour and not almond meal as the texture is finer and better for baked goods.
- coconut sugar – I love using natural sweeteners like coconut sugar in baked goods. If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand, granulated sugar or cane sugar will work as a substitute.
- baking powder, baking soda and sea salt – three baking essentials.
- ground cinnamon – you can’t have carrot cake bars without cinnamon!
- eggs – another key ingredient in these bars. The eggs help the bars rise.
- unsweetened applesauce – this helps to keep the bars moist and tender.
- vanilla extract – just to add a little vanilla flavor.
- ginger – this ingredient is optional, but it adds a nice flavor! You can either grate fresh ginger or use ginger powder.
- grated carrots – the star of the show here! You can use store-bought shredded carrots or peel and grate carrots yourself.
- chopped raw walnuts – feel free to sub in a different nut like pecans or almonds or skip the nuts all together if you need these bars to be nut-free.
- raisins – I love the hint of natural sweetness the raisins add to these bars.
- dark chocolate chips – This ingredient is optional, but if using I’ve been loving Lily’s chocolate chips lately but Enjoy Life is also a great option if you need diary-free chips.
- vanilla buttercream frosting – I used the classic frosting recipe in Lexi’s cookbook (on page 288), but if you don’t have the cookbook yet, you can find a similar frosting recipe here or my healthy cream cheese frosting would also be delicious! Feel free to also go the store-bought route. My favorite healthier store-bought frosting is Simple Mills vanilla frosting.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bars
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well blended. Whisk in the eggs, applesauce, vanilla and ginger, if using, until smooth.
Step 3: Fold in the shredded carrots, walnuts, raisins, and chocolate chips, if using.
Step 4: Pour the batter into the baking dish, smooth out the top, and bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Step 5: While the cake is baking, make the frosting and set aside. You will want to bake the cake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Step 6: When the cake is done, let it cool completely in the pan before frosting or cutting. Once completely cool, spread the frosting evenly across the top of the cake and garnish with extra chopped walnuts, if desired. Cut into 9 to 12 bars to serve.
Notes + Substitutions
- Almond flour – I don’t recommend using a different flour as this recipe has been tested specifically for almond flour.
- Coconut sugar – If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand you can use cane or granulated sugar instead.
- Walnuts – I prefer chopped walnuts, but you could play around with other nuts! I bet almonds or pecans would be delicious.
- Raisins – If you aren’t a raisin fan, you can use chopped dates or skip them all together.
- Vegan – I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs, so I’m not sure how a vegan substitute like flax seed eggs or chia seed eggs would work, but let me know in the comments if you decide to try it! Also, make sure to use a vegan frosting and vegan chocolate chips, if using.
How to Store Carrot Cake Bars
Store any leftover bars in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, you can store these bars in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you’re storing these in the freezer I would recommend storing them unfrosted. The day before you’re ready to serve, let them thaw in the fridge then frost and decorate as desired!
More Carrot Recipes to Try
- Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
- Carrot Raisin Salad
- Oatmeal Carrot Cake
- Healthy Carrot Raisin Muffins
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Carrot Cake Smoothie
More Almond Flour Recipes
- Vegan Zucchini Bread
- Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles
- Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Baked Almond Flour Donuts
- Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- Almond Flour Cupcakes
- Almond Flour Muffins
- Healthy Lemon Bars
Be sure to check out all of the popular almond flour recipes as well as the dessert recipes here on EBF!
Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almond flour I used Bob’s Red Mill
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ginger powder optional
- ⅓ cup grated carrots
- ⅓ cup chopped raw walnuts plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup raisins
- 3 Tablespoons dark chocolate chips optional
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups healthy cream cheese frosting or Lexi's vanilla buttercream frosting (page 288)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well blended.
- Whisk in the wet ingredients: eggs, applesauce, vanilla and ginger, if using, until smooth.
- Fold in the carrots, walnuts, raisins, and chocolate chips, if using.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth out the top, and bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
- While the cake is baking, make the frosting and set aside.
- When the cake is done, let it cool completely in the pan before frosting or cutting.
- Spread the frosting evenly across the top of the cake and garnish with extra chopped walnuts, if desired. Cut into 9 to 12 bars to serve.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Frosting – I used my healthy cream cheese frosting, but Lexi recommends using the vanilla buttercream frosting from her cookbook (page 288). Feel free to also go the store-bought route. My favorite healthier store-bought frosting is Simple Mills vanilla frosting.
- Almond flour – I haven’t tested this with another flour, but if you want to experiment, let me know in the comments below how it turns out!
- Coconut sugar – If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand you can use cane sugar instead.
- Walnuts – I prefer chopped walnuts, but you could play around with other nuts! I bet almonds or pecans would be delicious.
- Raisins – If you aren’t a raisin fan, you can use dates or skip them all together.
- Vegan – I haven’t tested this recipe without eggs, so I’m not sure how a vegan substitute like flax or chia eggs would work, but let me know in the comments if you decide to try it!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this yesterday for dessert after Christmas dinner. Everyone loved it! Even my super picky 7 year old and carrot cake loving hubby! Thanks for sharing!
I can’t believe this recipe only has one comment! I made this a few months back and it was amazing. I did a frosting with cream cheese and maple syrup because I just could not help myself lol and the whole thing was divine! I didn’t have raisins so u chopped a few dates (not too much to add too much sweetness) and I used a little extra grated ginger because we eat a lot of that. Everyone that tasted it could not believe they were eating something healthy with substitutes..it was that good! Did not save the recipe and spent the last 2wks searching for this because I just NEED to make it again…and soon!
This makes me so happy, Onaella. I’m so glad that you liked it. We love it too!
My daughter’s name is Lexi and I’m also paleo (Celiac)..thank you for sharing! Amazing and delicious! I share your site with many of my clients!
Kara
https://www.lifehubcenter.com
Do you know how many calories per serving?
Can a chia seed or flax seed substitute be used instead of eggs?
I haven’t tried a began sub for the eggs, so I’m not sure how this recipe will turn out. Let me know if you decide to experiment and how it turns out!
I made these tonight for a friend’s birthday (a fellow carrot cake lover!) and they were excellent! I used regular cane sugar as I didn’t have coconut and made cream cheese icing for them instead of the buttercream. Another #eatingbirdfood win!
So glad these bars were a hit! Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review, Kara. I appreciate it!
I made this and it turned out great but it needed 30 minutes. (Used plain flour) and regular cane sugar.
Do you have an icing that isn’t buttercream?
I have a Greek yogurt frosting, cream cheese frosting and chocolate frosting on the blog!
Can you substitute maple syrup for the coconut sugar?
Hi, Nting. I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m not sure. I think it might change the consistency of the final product, but if you try it let me know.
We are major carrot cake lovers here and this healthier version did NOT disappoint! Even my husband who is very critical of “healthy” recipes loved it
Woo! Love to her that, Michele! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I appreciate it.
We are major carrot cake lovers here and this healthier version did NOT disappoint!
Hi Brittany, I want you to know I really appreciate your hard work and great recipes. Would like to know if I can double this recipe and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. I want to make a bigger batch for a Easter gathering. Thanks.
Hi, Marlena. I haven’t tried it yet but I think that should work just fine! Keep in mind, you may need to adjust the cooking time to make sure it’s baked through.
Made the cake, mine for some reason was crumbly, double-check the recipe, not sure what I did wrong,
Hi, Pat. I’m sorry to hear that! Did you change anything about the recipe? Changing the kind of flour used could change the texture.
Can you sub out the granulated coconut sugar for maple syrup?
Hi, Margeaux! I haven’t tried it yet, but switching out granules for a liquid sweetener may change the overall texture of the bars. Let me know if you try it and how they turn out!
How would it work to replace the coconut sugar with maple syrup? Should you then omit the applesauce?
Hi, Margeaux. I do think that would work fine, however, I haven’t experimented with it before. I do know in another recipe, using maple syrup instead of coconut sugar definitely changed the moisture of the recipe and it took more time to bake.
Absolutely delicious! I made the bars per the recipe. They were devoured in one day, I had to make more. I also made a batch as cupcake/muffins. They were also a big hit. Such a quick and easy recipe!
Woo! So glad this recipe was a hit, Kim. THank you so much for sharing, I really appreciate it 🙂
Absolutely amazing recipe . My 4 and 6 yr old who are very picky eaters give it a 5 star rating. Easy to make and just yum! Thank you
Yay! Love when picky eaters love recipes I share. Thanks for sharing with me, Ruksheen! I really appreciate it.
tried this for my husbands birthday and everyone loved it.my daughter also asked if i would make it for her birthday.it sure did’nt last long. i love your recipes because we’re all trying to eat healthier.terrie
Aww yay! I am so glad to hear this recipe is a hit for the whole family, Terrie! Thank you for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!