Can you believe it’s finally starting to feel like spring?! In celebration of the beautiful weather I whipped up these no-bake Healthy Carrot Cake Bites—and they turned out to actually be one of my favorite recipes that I’ve made in a while.
You have the sweetness of the carrot meeting the cake-like oat flour/nut butter mixture. I also decided to go hard on the spices (like always) and added cardamom in addition to the traditional cinnamon/nutmeg blend, and the results are SO good. Leaning into that Middle Eastern-inspired palate, I opted for chopped dates instead of raisins (although you can do raisins if you prefer). Looking for another spice-forward healthy recipe? Try my Winter Spice Snickerdoodles—they’re grain-free and vegan, and delicious no matter the season.
If you’re big carrot cake fan, I recommend you make these bites first, then try my Healthy Carrot Cake Latte. And even if you’re not a big fan of carrot cake (or have friends or family that are carrot cake haters), I still recommend you try these bites. I bet they’ll surprise you (and your friends and fam’).
Healthy cream cheese icing!!
Okay obviously, yes, you can eat these Healthy Carrot Cake Bites plain without any icing, but why would you do that when you could top them with healthy cream cheese icing?! The “icing” is actually just a mixture of unsweetened vanilla yogurt of choice with powdered sugar stirred in to taste (I did it right in the yogurt container because I will always, ALWAYS make a task slightly harder and more annoying to avoid washing even one more dish). Pick a dairy-free yogurt to make the entire recipe dairy-free and vegan, or don’t—chef’s choice, per usual.
Besides being incredibly delicious, these bites are gluten-free, dairy-free (again, depending on your yogurt), and packed with protein and fiber for happy blood sugar. What’s not to love?!
Watch it being made!
Enjoy, and tag me if you make it on Instagram (@lizmoody)—I can’t wait to see!
PrintHealthy Carrot Cake Bites
Ingredients
- 1 medium grated carrot (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/3 cup creamy unsalted cashew or almond butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup oat or almond flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
- Pinch nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon fine grain mineral salt
- 2 pitted, chopped dates (or about 2 tablespoons of chopped raisins)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 small container unsweetened vanilla or plain yogurt of choice
- Powdered sugar (can substitute powdered erythritol)
Instructions
- Mix together all ingredients except the yogurt and powdered sugar. It’ll be thick—I like to use my hands to really mix it!
- Roll the mixture into bite-sized balls.
- Add powdered sugar to yogurt until it’s your desired icing sweetness. Dollop a bit of icing on top of each ball, and sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg.
- Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours—but I like to keep these in the freezer so I can grab one at a time when I have a craving or I’m feeling hangry! Makes 10-12 balls.