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These No Bake Carrot Cake Bites are just what you need for delicious and easy afternoon snacking. 10 minutes to prep and a perfect hint of cinnamon, carrots, nuts, medjool dates and more come together to make this simple and no back energy bite recipe. Stay fueled!
I LOVE carrot cake. It is the best of all kinds of cake in my opinion and anything that tastes even remotely close to it is a win as well. I live on these Carrot Cake Overnight Oats so a simple, poppable snack with the same flavors is a necessity!
Energy bites and balls are so perfect for the busiest of days. Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bites, Coconut Mango Balls and my other FAVE, Pecan Pie Bites are what this nonstop mom needs a good stash of!
Why You Will Love These Carrot Cake Bites:
- They are no bake and ready in 10 minutes. No baking required for these carrot cake inspired snacks and that makes for easy prep. They come together in practically no time so you can have a delicious snack in just minutes.
- Vegan and gluten free. Aside from nut allergies, these carrot cake bites are naturally vegan and contain no gluten so they are great for accommodating a variety of dietary needs.
- Great for meal prepping. Snacking is so important to keep you fueled and energized. These balls will last all week so you can make them in the beginning of the week and have them on hand when you start to get that mid afternoon slump.
- Delicious, cake flavored snacking! Who would ever say no to carrot cake?! Not me. The medjool dates naturally sweeten these snacks so a great way to fuel up and eat "cake!"
cans. These Carrot Cake Energy Balls are a great way to add more veggies to your day. A very tasty addition, might I say!
You can always make these into bars or cookie-like if you prefer. Heck, you can eat it straight from the food processor as well! Now go have some cake!
What You need to make these Carrot Cake Energy Balls:
- almonds: raw almonds versus roasted or salted are ideal for these carrot cake bites.
- pecans: again, unroasted and unsalted. If you have an allergy to either nut included in this recipe, you can easily adjust by using two cups of your favorite nut such as cashews or walnuts, etc.
- carrots: I use 2 small- medium carrots. It's about ½ cup packed.
- shredded coconut: unsweetened is my preference, but if you have sweetened it will work, just may be a bit more moist from the oil of the sweetened coconut.
- medjool dates: these are large dates so if you use another kind of date, the amount will vary.
- cinnamon: your favorite cinnamon will work great. I love Saigon
- raisins: these are not everyone's favorite, and that is fine. You can easily omit them if desired. I also like to use golden raisins sometimes.
- vanilla: extract versus imitation if possible.
- sea salt: just a small pinch is all you need
How To Make This Recipe:
To make these carrot cake bites, add carrot chunks, almonds and pecans to the food processor. If you have shredded carrots, don't add the carrots until another step. Process until a fine, grainy texture. The moisture from the carrots will cause it to start clumping up but that is okay. Stop and scrape down the sides as needed.
Add in the pitted medjool dates, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt. If using shredded carrots, add those here. Process until the dates are broken down and a dough like consistency begins to form.
The "dough" should easily form into balls. If it seems too dry, you can add a teaspoon or two of water and pulse the mixture a bit. You can also chill for about 15 minutes to make rolling into balls easier as well.
Roll the mixture into bite sized balls. Chill to set. You can roll the carrot cake balls into finely shredded coconut if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips:
- Use the nuts that work best for you when making these carrot cake bites. As I said above, as long as you use 2 cups of nuts, you are good--regardless of the combo, this recipe should still turn out. Cashews, pecans and almonds are all amazing for this recipe. I have added macadamia nuts as well.
- Adjust the texture of your energy balls if it seems dry. If your "dough" seems to be too dry, add in about a teaspoon of water and process further until it becomes the desired consistency.
- If your dates seem very dry, soak them in hot water. The medjool dates should be moist but they can dry out over time. If they seem very dry, soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes and then drain and pat off excess water. This will help make the carrot cake bites nice and moist.
Storing your Energy Bites:
These no bake carrot cake bites will last a decent amount of time if you don't eat them all in two days like I typically do. They can be kept at room temperature if preferred for about 4-5 days. I chill mine in the refrigerator for about 7 days in an air tight container.
You can also freeze these energy balls in freezer safe container for about 3 months. Allow to thaw before eating or eat them frozen!
Ways to Vary These No Bake Carrot Cake Bites:
I love these no bake carrot cake bites as is, but there are some fun ways to make them even better or change them up a bit:
- Roll these in coconut for extra coconut goodness!
- Add your favorite protein powder for a protein boost.
- Add white chocolate chips.
- Toss in some dried pineapple.
- Drizzle over top with melted white chocolate.
- Form them into bars and ice them with a cream cheese frosting.
Other Energy Ball Recipes:
- Coconut Lemon Energy Bars
- Blueberry Lemon Energy Bites
- Chia Spiced Energy Balls
- Piña Colada Bites
- Pumpkin Pie Balls
- Peppermint Chip No Bake Brownie Bites
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Carrot Cake Energy Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 2 medium carrots chopped into chunks
- ½ c shredded coconut unsweetened
- 8 medjool dates pitted
- ½ T cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dash of sea salt
Instructions
- In a food processor, process the nuts and carrot chunks until a fine, grainy texture. (you can use shredded carrots instead. If doing so, add the shredded carrot with the medjool dates)
- Add all other ingredients and process until a dough begins to form. Add a teaspoon or two of water if the dough seems too dry.
- Roll into bite-sized balls.
- Store in the fridge for about one week.
Notes
- Use the nuts that work best for you when making these carrot cake bites. As I said above, as long as you use 2 cups of nuts, you are good--regardless of the combo, this recipe should still turn out. Cashews, pecans and almonds are all amazing for this recipe. I have added macadamia nuts as well.
- Adjust the texture of your energy balls if it seems dry. If your "dough" seems to be too dry, add in about a teaspoon of water and process further until it becomes the desired consistency.
- If your dates seem very dry, soak them in hot water. The medjool dates should be moist but they can dry out over time. If they seem very dry, soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes and then drain and pat off excess water. This will help make the carrot cake bites nice and moist.
Nutrition
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Alisa says
I love snack balls too - but my husband would ask the same question if I started making them a bunch - haha. These look awesome and so much yummy carrot!
Lorie says
Thanks Alisa!
amanda -runtothefinish says
Can we get some icing to dunk these in? 🙂 just sayin' I really love icing. Seriously these are a great snack, especially for on the go!
Lorie says
My thoughts exactly. Going to need to update this one!!!
Maria says
Haha my husband is just used to date balls in our fridge by now! It's just so easy! Love the carrot cake idea. 🙂
Lorie says
You have trained him well, Maria!
Jenn says
These sound so delicious! I love carrot cake flavored things and these little bites look quite addictive! Yet healthy!
Lorie says
Addictive is the perfect word!