These no-bake Carrot Cake Bites have most of the things traditional carrot cake has ~ carrots, warm baking spices, raisins, nuts and cream cheese frosting. But these are flourless, gluten-free and vegan.
Raw vegan Carrot Cake Bites have a date almond crust, spiced carrot “cake” middle, and a toasted coconut almond “cream cheese” frosting. Healthy enough for a snack, and just sweet enough for a light dessert.
Does carrot cake count as a serving of vegetables?
The recipe…
It may seem intimidating or daunting when you first glance at the recipe, but it could not be easier. Bonus ~ it’s all made in a food processor and prep only takes about 20 minutes. And you only need to turn on your oven to toast the nuts and coconut (or you can buy pre-toasted for quicker prep time).
Medjool dates form the base of this dessert
The almond date crust:
This two-ingredient crust has toasted almonds and medjool dates, plus a pinch of salt. You just blend in a small food processor, press into a small glass dish and freeze 20 to 30 minutes to firm. I used this OXO glass dish (dimensions ~ 6”x4”).
TIP: layer dish with parchment paper, add crust, then top with another piece of parchment and flatten crust with the side of a glass before freezing
Blend the “cake” in a food processor
The spiced cake:
The no-bake raw cake filling is made with raw carrots, shredded coconut, walnuts, raisins and spices. You’ll need~
- fresh shredded carrots (about 2 large)
- toasted coconut
- toasted walnuts
- golden raisins
- spices & salt
I recommend hand shredding carrots on a coarse grater, rather than buying pre-shredded carrots. They will have more moisture this way and yield a better “cake”.
For the spices I use traditional baking and carrot cake flavors ~ cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Sub a few pinches of pumpkin pie spice if you don’t have the individual spices.
Then you just blend all of the ingredients in the same food processor as the crust (no need to even wash it after making the base). Press the cake onto the crust and return to freezer for 20 to 30 minutes more.
TIP: toast nuts and coconut used in the recipe for best flavor
The cream cheese frosting:
The super-easy and super tasty frosting is made with vegan cream cheese and pure maple syrup. Then you top with toasted coconut to serve. It takes all of 30 seconds to whip up! I just whisk it in a small dish.
You can use traditional cream cheese if you do dairy. Otherwise, I like Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese or Miyokos cashew cream cheese.
These treats are about two bites each
To serve, I like to bring the cake and the frosting to room temp. Remove cake from glass dish after freezing, add frosting, coconut, then slice into 8 little pieces. Each piece is about two bites, the perfect nibble of something sweet after dinner or late afternoon snack to satiate that hangry feeling.
If you make this recipe be sure to holla! Comment below or tag me on Instagram, I love seeing your creations!
Got a sweet tooth? Check these recipes out…
Magic Bars (vegan, GF)
Roasted Pears with Black Sesame Crunch (vegan, GF)
Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Passive Time | 60 minutes |
Servings |
servings
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- 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds toasted
- 5 each medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3/4 cup freshly shredded carrots medium coarse shred
- 1/4 cup unsweet shredded coconut flakes toasted
- 1/4 cup walnuts toasted
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 tsp ceylon cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground ginger
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 5 tbsp vegan cream cheese see blog post for brand recs
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 - 3 tbsp unsweet shredded coconut flakes toasted
Ingredients
Crust ingredients
Cake ingredients
Frosting ingredients
|
|
- make crust: in a small food processor, pulse almonds to a fine meal, then add dates and a pinch of sea salt and blend to make sticky crust
- press crust into a small parchment lined dish (the one I use has dimensions approximately 6”x4”); place another piece of parchment on top of crust and flatten with the side of a glass or jar; remove top layer of parchment and freeze 20 minutes to firm
- make cake: in same food processor, purée cake ingredients, then add to crust and return to freezer for another 20-30 minutes to firm
- make frosting: using a small whisk, hand whip cream cheese and maple syrup
- to serve, remove cake from freezer and remove from dish; bring cake to room temperature, top with frosting, toasted coconut and cut into 8 small pieces to serve
Recipe makes 8 small carrot cake bites
Store in refrigerator for up to 5-7 days. Cake is best enjoyed at room temp but can also be enjoyed chilled
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com