Freezer carrot cake bars are the perfect no-bake recipe to make for springtime! With all the carrot cake flavor, but without the fuss of baking. This healthier version is made with nuts, dates, carrots, coconut, and warm spices, and topped with the best vegan cream cheese frosting – so good!
Thank you to Larder & Vine for sponsoring this post and providing the 8-Piece Ceramic Bakeware Set for the recipe.
No Bake Freezer Carrot Cake Bars with Cashew Frosting
I love how much these bars taste like actual carrot cake. The flavors are spot on, but it’s made with wholesome ingredients!
I mashed together my carrot cake energy balls recipe for the base and took the cashew frosting from my fruit pizza for the top. It worked beautifully!
It’s perfect to prep in advance, and have ready for an easter dessert, or any time you want dessert bars filled with nourishment.
Both the base carrot cake batter and the cashew frosting are made in the food processor and then pressed into a loaf-sized Larder & Vine baking pan.
I have the 8-piece French Grey bakeware set, but they come in many other colors and all have a smooth, non-stick ceramic surface that is free of PFOA, PFAS, PTFE, & all heavy metals.
Their new kitchen utensils set comes in handy too for scraping the sides of the food processor and smoothing the batter into the loaf pan.
Once the bars are frozen and set, they can be cut into perfect-sized bars to serve and enjoy!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Carrot cake flavor – Carrot cake lovers will not be disappointed by this recipe! It is loaded with classic carrot cake flavor, while also being filled with good-for-you ingredients. Win-win!
Healthy dessert – Full of healthy fat from nuts, natural sugars from dates and maple syrup, plus fresh grated carrots for veggies. Feel good enjoying this and serving it to friends, family, and kids!
Great for meal prep – Since this recipe lives in the freezer, whenever carrot cake cravings hit, you can grab and bar and enjoy! They will keep well for longer than a fridge dessert, making it the perfect treat to enjoy any time of year.
Simple ingredients you’ll need for healthy carrot cake bars
Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.
- dates
- raw almonds
- shredded carrots
- unsweetened shredded coconut
- coconut oil
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon
- sea salt
- ground clove
- ground ginger
- raw cashews
- maple syrup
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- coconut cream
- vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
How to make no bake carrot cake bars
Step 1: Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Step 2: Add the dates to a food processor and pulse until the dates are broken into a smooth mixture like a date puree.
Step 3: Add the almonds, shredded coconut, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, clove, and ginger. Pulse until everything is evenly combined and a sticky mixture. Scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula a couple of times as you pulse the mixture.
Step 4: Press the carrot cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and place it in the freezer while you make the cashew frosting.
Step 5: To make the cashew frosting, drain the water from the cashews. Add the cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, coconut cream, vanilla, and sea salt into a food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the slides as needed.
Step 6: Pour the cashew frosting on top of the carrot cake base and smooth it out. If you’d like, you can add some lemon zest on the top of the bars.
Step 7: Freeze for 3-4 hours, until the cashew frosting is set.
Step 8: Remove from the loaf pan, slice into bars, and enjoy!
Notes: If you are using medjool dates you won’t need to soak the dates as they are softer. If you typically buy deglet dates, soak them in water for 30-60 minutes. After soaking, drain them and they soften nicely.
You can freeze the bars for much longer. Cover the top in plastic wrap or add to an airtight container. When you want to enjoy a bar, remove it from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes – this will give you the best texture.
Watch me make raw carrot cake bars
The full how to video can be watched below, or on my YouTube channel!
Can you double this recipe?
Absolutely!
Double the recipe and press it into a square pan instead of a loaf pan. Once chilled and set, cut into bars, or you can also cut the raw carrot cake into squares.
If you don’t have a square pan, you can also use 2 loaf pans, but I would not suggest putting a double batch into 1 pan. The bars will be too thick.
How to store
The bars are best stored in the freezer. Once cut, you can add it to an airtight container or a freezer bag.
They will keep well for up to 6 months (if they last that long!).
When you want to enjoy a yummy carrot cake bar, remove it from the freezer and allow it to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes – this will give you the best texture.
Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments
Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this vegan carrot cake bars recipe.
If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!
Dates – To replace dates, try soaked dried figs or raisins for natural sweetness.
Almonds – You can swap whole or slivered almonds for any type of nut or seed. If you only have almond flour on hand that will work too! Just reduce the total amount of almond flour to 1 cup.
Carrot – Try this recipe with shredded parsnips or shredded zucchini for a fun new bar flavor!
Shredded coconut – Larger coconut flakes will work in place of shredded coconut. You could also swap in coconut flour but use half the amount since it absorbs so much more liquid than shredded coconut.
Coconut oil – Cacao butter is a good alternative to coconut oil. You could also swap in peanut butter or your favorite nut butter here.
Raw cashews – There isn’t another nut that replaces cashews for the cashew frosting, unfortunately. You could swap in a healthy homemade cream cheese frosting in place of the cashew frosting though.
Lemon juice/zest – Orange juice and zest are delicious alternatives!
Coconut cream – Coconut milk is a good alternative to coconut cream.
More recipes you’ll love
- 3 ingredient raw brownies
- Chocolate covered dried figs
- Low sugar carrot cake with greek yogurt frosting
- No bake peanut butter coconut bars
No Bake Freezer Carrot Cake Bars with Cashew Frosting
Ingredients
For the Bars
- 1 cup dates
- 1.5 cups raw almonds
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
For the Frosting
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked for at least 1 hour
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp coconut cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Add the dates to a food processor and pulse until the dates are broken into a smooth mixture like a date puree.
- Add the almonds, shredded coconut, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, clove, and ginger. Pulse until everything is evenly combined and a sticky mixture. Scrape down the sides with a silicone spatula a couple of times as you pulse the mixture.
- Press the carrot cake batter into the prepared loaf pan and place it in the freezer while you make the cashew frosting.
- To make the cashew frosting, drain the water from the cashews. Add the cashews, maple syrup, lemon juice, lemon zest, coconut cream, vanilla, and sea salt into a food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the slides as needed.
- Pour the cashew frosting on top of the carrot cake base and smooth it out. If you’d like, you can add some lemon zest on the top of the bars.
- Freeze for 3-4 hours, until the cashew frosting is set.
- Remove from the loaf pan, slice into bars, and enjoy!
Nutrition
If you try this no bake freezer carrot cake bars recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!
XO
Heather
1 comment
I made these over Easter weekend and they were a hit with everyone! So easy too.
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