Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

We love snacking on these 7-ingredient carrot energy balls. They taste just like carrot cake, but they're nut-free, vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make!

Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

It’s April which means – time for carrot desserts! Or, well, in this case, carrot snacks. These lightly sweetened carrot bites are great for 3pm snacktime or an on-the-go breakfast. They’re more carroty than cakey – and by that I mean that they’re not cake-like at all and there’s no baking required (if you’re really craving cake click here or here). They’re chewy little balls made from a mix of carrots, sunflower seeds, dates, coconut, and cinnamon.

Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

By popular request, I made these nut free (as long as coconut is ok) – I was very tempted to try an almond version, but I held back because sunflower seeds hold these together quite nicely. For an almond-carrot recipe, remember these cookies?

Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

These are super simple to put together. Just pulse all of the ingredients in the food processor and roll into balls. If you like, you can roll them into some shredded coconut – they’re delicious with or without the extra coconut. Pop them in the fridge for a convenient snack all week!
Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

If you love these bliss balls, check out these energy balls, my homemade granola bars, or any of these 47 Best Healthy Snacks next!


5.0 from 20 reviews

Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

 
Prep time
Total time
 
We love to snack on these vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free carrot energy balls! Make a big batch and freeze them to keep on hand.
Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 16 balls
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut + â…“ cup for rolling
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 12 soft Medjool dates, pitted and soaked if they’re very dry
  • â…” cup chopped carrots
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup, more to taste
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, combine the sunflower seeds, 1 cup shredded coconut, cinnamon and salt and pulse until it becomes a fine meal.
  2. Add the dates and carrots and pulse until the mixture combines and sticks together. Taste and add more maple syrup if you would like your bites sweeter. If the mixture is too dry, add more maple syrup; if it’s too moist, add more coconut and/or let the mix chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up.
  3. Use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture, then use your hands to roll it into approximately 1-inch balls.
  4. Roll in the remaining coconut to coat the outside, if desired. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

 

80 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Aubrey
    01.10.2024

    Can you freeze these and if so for how long?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.12.2024

      Hi Aubrey, you can freeze them for up to 3 months! Any longer, and they’ll start to lose their flavor.

  2. Beth
    07.30.2023

    Hey Jessica! All of your recipes are great, I’m just wondering if you’ll ever revise them to include nutritional information?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.01.2023

      Hi Beth, I’m sorry, we don’t post nutrition facts but you could plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.

  3. Negin
    06.21.2023

    Hi is it raw carrots?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.21.2023

      yep, the carrots are raw.

  4. Raven
    09.03.2022

    These sound great, but Im trying to advoid dried fruit. Can the dates be left out?

  5. TT
    04.21.2022

    Will these be good without using the shredded coconut at all? I do try to avoid coconut as it is very high in saturated fats. Thank you, 🙂

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.22.2022

      I think they could work, but they might be too wet – you might have to add more sunflower seeds or some walnuts or pecans to replace them. I haven’t tried, so I’m not exactly sure how much.

  6. Ali
    04.17.2022

    I recommend grinding the sunflower seeds very fine in the initial step, and grating the carrots instead of chopping to help with the final texture. The flavor and simplicity was nice.

  7. Wendy
    12.21.2021

    Any suggestions for what to use as a substitute for sunflower seeds? I am allergic to them 😪 I REALLY REALLY want to make these!

    Thank you in advance!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.22.2021

      Hi Wendy, chopped pecans should work!

  8. Madison
    02.16.2021

    Fantastic ! I don’t have any food allergies or restrictions and I absolutely LOVE this snack! Crowd pleaser for sure.

  9. Debbie
    02.10.2021

    Hi can you please tell me how many calories are in each ball please

  10. Jen
    01.04.2021

    Hi!
    I cannot seem to find nutrition information for these (calories etc)…is it somewhere I am missing? Thanks!

  11. Mitali
    12.07.2020

    These look yum and I can’t wait to make them after work tonight! The dates I have are much sweeter so I’ll likely use 10 dates instead. Do you think adding a tablespoon or two of flaxseed meal would impact the texture of this? Thank you for all that you do!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.