Hi everyone! Can I just say that carrot cake is one of my absolute favorite things in life? I mean what’s not to love? It’s a dessert that is really amazing and you really don’t have to feel guilty about eating. It’s got a vegetable right in it’s name! These gluten free carrot cake bars are even more guilt free because I created this recipe with really healthy ingredients, and they are just the right size for a little snack, they’re a super yummy dessert, and they are even great for breakfast! I tried one (ok, two) first thing in the morning, just to make sure there was no sugar spike… I do these kind of things for you guys. You’re Welcome! 😉 Seriously, they don’t have sugar, so they are really great for breakfast with some coffee, but they stand up to dessert standards too.
We were recently in Las Vegas, and we went to a fantastic vegan restaurant called Violet’s Vegan Organic Eatery. The food was amazing and there were lots of gluten free items on the menu (yay!). My kids always want dessert, so we went to the case to look at them. We saw that they had some gluten free desserts, and I wasn’t even going to ask about them. I’m allergic to potatoes and most gluten free flour blends contain potato starch, so rather than disappoint myself, yet again, I was just going to pick up some brownies for the boys. My older son kept saying, “Just Ask Them!”, so reluctantly I did, and I was so glad I did! I couldn’t believe it! They had big beautiful pieces of (my favorite!!) carrot cake, with icing, and no potatoes! You can read more about this great restaurant on my Las Vegas Vacation post (coming up). The cake was just as delicious as I had hoped it would be! And the good news is that they get some of their desserts from an all vegan bakery somewhere else in Vegas (we didn’t go there this time), so who knows what other amazing vegan and gluten free goodies are out there?! I will be finding out next time, for sure! So this experience definitely got me in the mood for carrot cake baking, and when we got home I went to work on a recipe that I could enjoy more often than just on ‘cake’ occasions! I wanted to make something that tastes like the real thing but is healthy enough to eat more often. So I used agave instead of sugar, and the Citrus Cream Cheese icing is sweetened with stevia. I used Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese as the base for this icing.
There are many ways to prepare carrot cake, but I really like mine packed with lots carrots, raisins and walnuts. My version also has shredded coconut, and coconut oil, which is so good for you in so many ways, and oat flour that is not only delish, but whole grain, and full of heart healthy fiber.
Clockwise starting in the bottom left: Shredded Coconut, Agave Syrup, Applesauce, Allspice, Pink Salt, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Carrots, Raisins soaked in water, Coconut oil, Chopped Walnuts.
Gluten Free Oat Flour and shredded coconut.
Carrot Cake Bar Batter
Carrot Cake Bars ready for the oven. BTW – I’m totally crushing on my new Emile Henry baking dish! I think it’s so pretty, nothing sticks to it, and it’s very heat resistant. You can bake in it up to 515 degrees! I’ve been looking for a pan like this for a while, and I literally bought it the same day I made these bars – so excuse me while I have a little moment about it!
The icing just takes a few minutes to mix up while the bars are baking.
This icing is really light and refreshingly tangy. Fresh lemon and orange zest make this icing extra special!
Once the bars are cooled, you can easily drizzle the icing on with a spoon, pour it, or pipe it.
The icing is too thin (even when it’s cooled) to really pipe any patterns on these bars, so I just have fun drizzling it on there, I topped the bar with more zest and some walnuts, and now they look like they’re ready to party!
Yum! I really hope you make these ASAP, you’ll be so happy you did. Make sure you get all of my vegan, gluten free recipes as soon as they’re published by signing up for my email newsletter below. Also, I’m always on social media, (like way too much!) so I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and definitely on Pinterest! You can find all of my accounts by clicking the icons at the top or bottom of the page where my pictures are. Thanks for coming by!
Delicious carrot cake bars that are loaded with carrots, raisins, coconut, and walnuts, topped with a tangy citrus cream cheese icing. Vegan and Gluten Free- 2 C Gluten Free Oat Flour
- ¾ C agave syrup
- ⅓ C coconut oil, softened
- ⅓ C unsweetened applesauce
- 1⅓ C water
- 1 C Carrots, shredded
- 1 C chopped Walnuts + a little more for garnishing
- 1 C Raisins
- 1½ C shredded coconut
- 1½ t baking powder
- ½ t sea salt
- 1 t cinnamon
- ⅛ t nutmeg
- ⅛ t allspice
- 1½ t vanilla extract
- For the icing - You may need to adjust liquids for your taste, or if you use a different cream cheese.
- 4 oz. vegan cream cheese, softened (I used Follow Your Heart's Vegan Gourmet Cream Cheese)
- a few drops of stevia (About ⅛ tsp.)
- 2-3 tsp.lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 1- 2 tsp. orange juice, fresh squeezed
- 2 tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated + more for garnishing
- 2 tsp. orange zest, freshly grated + more for garnishing
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 13x9 baking pan and set aside.
- Put water in measuring cup (1⅓ C), and add raisins.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix together thoroughly with a fork or whisk. Add shredded coconut and mix. Add agave, grated carrots and walnuts. Add oil, and vanilla. Next pour water and raisins in and mix everything together.
- When thoroughly mixed, pour into pan and spread until it's even. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan.
- While bars are baking/cooling prepare icing.
- Icing - In a small bowl, stir cream cheese, until soft and creamy. Mix in vanilla, and then stevia. Start with a drop or two, you can always add more if needed. Add lemon juice, and orange juice to taste, little by little to get the consistency you want. Every brand of cream cheese varies in sweetness, taste, and salt levels, so you will need to taste as you go along. Icing should be creamy and light, like a glaze, but not runny.
- Refrigerate icing until ready to use.
- When bars are cool, cut into 20-24 even squares. Drizzle icing on bars with a spoon, or add icing to a bag and cut a small hole or use a piping tip and drizzle over bars. Garnish with more citrus zest and a few walnuts.
- Refrigerate leftovers....if there are any!
Angel McNall is the author and photographer of High Vibe Lifestyle. For over 20 years, Angel has been teaching people how to live more vibrantly by eating a plant based diet, and using plant based medicine. 
