Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Tried, tested, and true, these easy carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting are sweet, spiced, moist, and everything nice. Made with less sugar than your average recipe, they’re simple to make and ready to eat in about an hour.
These carrot cake bars were a labor of love, you guys. We went through five rounds of testing to achieve the perfect taste and consistency. The first batch was too dry. The second was too wet. But the fifth? Perfection.
They happen to be gluten-free because gluten-free flour is what we had on hand. And they taste just like the classic cake. Technically, you can serve this recipe as a single-layer cake.
However, we managed to reduce the refined sugar, for a slightly better-for-you spring treat perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day, and any random Tuesday.
🥕 Recipe Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete ingredients and instructions!
- Flour – We use gluten-free all-purpose flour, but regular all-purpose flour also works.
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt create the warm flavor we want in carrot cake recipes.
- Sugar – Use both light brown sugar and granulated sugar to sweeten the bars while keeping them moist.
- Eggs – We’ve also tested this recipe with flaxseed, and it works. However, the bars will be pretty dense.
- Coconut Oil – Avocado oil will also work.
- Applesauce – This helps keep the bars moist while reducing the amount of sugar needed.
- Freshly Grated Carrots – Skip store-bought shredded carrots. For the best results, buy whole carrots, peel, and grate them yourself.
- Cream Cheese Frosting – We use our homemade cream cheese frosting, but you can save time with storebought if preferred.
🎉 Add Mix-Ins
If you want even more flavor and texture, fold raisins, chopped walnuts or pecans, or coconut flakes into the batter.
🍰 How to Make Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Before you begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×9 baking pan with cooking spray, and set it aside.
⁇ Common Questions
Store unfrosted bars at room temperature for up to three days. Or, store them frosted or unfrosted in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, freeze frosted or unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight to serve.
If you’re not a fan of cream cheese frosting, swap it out for powdered sugar or regular frosting. Or, omit it completely.
🍽️ More Easy Recipes
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Carrot Cake Bars Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 1 (9×9 inch) Baking Dish
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Bars:
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 90 grams unsweetened applesauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour may sub regular all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces whole carrots peeled and grated
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces full-fat brick-style cream cheese
- ½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 14 grams sugar-free cheesecake Jello pudding mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.
- Melt the coconut oil in 20 second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between.¾ cup coconut oil
- In a large bowl, whisk the coconut oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.½ cup packed light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 large eggs
- In a second medium-sized bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water at a time as needed until a smooth consistency forms.1 ½ cups 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 90 grams unsweetened applesauce
- Working slowly, whisk the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients just until combined.
- Gently fold in the carrots and walnuts.4 ounces whole carrots
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan completely.
- In the meantime, add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, vanilla, maple syrup, and pudding mix to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.8 ounces full-fat, ½ cup plain, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, 14 grams sugar-free cheesecake Jello pudding mix
- Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled carrot cake bars.
- Slice into 9 equal-sized pieces, and getcha some of that!
Notes
– Store unfrosted bars at room temperature for up to three days. Or, store them frosted or unfrosted in the fridge for up to 5 days.
– Freeze frosted or unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight to serve.
This is the BEST easy carrot cake recipe! 😍