No-Bake Carrot Cake Protein Bars (2024)

These easy, homemade protein bars are inspired by classic carrot cake. Enjoy them for breakfast or as a healthy vegan snack.

Treat yourself to a plant-based, no-bake snack with these vegan carrot cake protein bars. Inspired by the classic dessert, this recipe is easy to customize and make. All you need to do is mix, chill, and slice. It’s also perfect for when you have more plant-based protein powder than you know what to do with!

Plus, with ingredients like real carrots and maple syrup, you can power up without the extra preservatives and additives. They’re also much cheaper than store-bought versions.

What You’ll Need

The recipe calls for coconut flour, vegan vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, maple syrup, coconut milk, cashew butter, mashed carrots, and melted coconut oil. You can also incorporate add-ins like chopped walnuts, coconut flakes, and roughly chopped shredded carrots.

The cashew butter can be substituted for any nut or seed butter, like almond or sunflower seed butter.

Also, to prepare the mashed carrots, you’ll need about 2 medium or large carrots. Peel and slice the carrots, then boil until soft and easily pierced with a fork. Mash them up with a fork or potato masher; this can be as smooth or as chunky as you’d like.

As for the vegan protein powder? We used KOS Organic Plant Protein Powder in Vanilla, which won first place in our vegan protein powder review.

How to Make No-Bake Carrot Cake Protein Bars

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. This includes the coconut flour, vegan protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pinch of salt.

Whisk together until combined.

Add the wet ingredients: mashed carrots, cashew butter, maple syrup, coconut milk, and melted coconut oil. For now, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk. You’ll add more as needed later on.

With a spoon, mix the ingredients. Use the spoon to spread out the cashew butter and combine it with the dry ingredients.

As the ingredients clump together, you’ll need to use your hands. Continue combining the ingredients until it can clump together. Slowly add coconut milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, as necessary.

Once the mixture forms a doughy consistency, fold in the coconut flakes, walnuts, and/or chopped carrots. You can also add raisins, if you’d like.

Press the dough into a parchment-lined 8×8 baking pan. Fill in any spaces with the crumbly pieces of dough. Use a cylindrical object to press and flatten the mixture. A shot glass works great.

Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. If you’re short on time, chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

Slice into squares or rectangles. You can even cut them into small, bite-sized squares for a fun snack.

To store your bars, place them in the refrigerator. Enjoy!