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!
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.
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?
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!
If you love these bliss balls, check out these energy balls, my homemade granola bars, or any of these 47 Best Healthy Snacks next!
Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls
- 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
- In a food processor, combine the sunflower seeds, 1 cup shredded coconut, cinnamon and salt and pulse until it becomes a fine meal.
- 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.
- Use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture, then use your hands to roll it into approximately 1-inch balls.
- 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.
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Hi, I tried the carrot cake bliss balls. They tasted awesome. Everyone in the family enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe.
I love these. I have both books and have tried most of the date balls you have recipes for. These and the “chocolate chip” were our favorites. I pre-made them and took them to our family summer vacation so that everyone could snack on them. Please keep working on more variations for me to try!
These things are dangerously good. Super rich and totally satisfies my craving for something sweet. Subed the sunflower seeds with pecans, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts
Hi Juliana, I’m so glad you loved them!
These balls are nice. I just made them but I toasted my sunflower seeds n coconut powder for a roasted taste as i like less of rawness of seeds. I added some almonds too and used honey as I don’t have maple syrup.
This looks so delicious! I love carrot cake too. Right now I’m in the lookout for healthy snacks for the family. I need to try this one.
I read the info about making these with walnuts however I’m on an elimination diet and I cannot have walnuts or sunflower seeds. Am I able to make these with almonds or should I do peacans instead?
Hi Angie, I’ve made these with pecans, the soft nut works better here than almonds (plus, pecans are delicious). Just chop the pecans before you measure so that the yield is similar. Hope you enjoy!
Could you please tell how much 2/3 cups carrots are in grams? Thanks a lot!
I have been toying with the idea of abandoning the larabars and Rx bars I keep a supply of for pre or post-lunch hunger at work, and I’m pretty sure I found my solution. I made these yesterday and was actually blown away by how tasty they are. Carrot cake is my all-time favorite dessert and I am NOT easily impressed with actual carrot cakes or -flavored things. This will be a staple for me and I’m excited to swap out the sunflower seeds for various nuts & seeds to experiment with the different flavors and nutrient profiles! Thank you!
Hi Natasha – I’m so glad you loved these as much as I do! (p.s. so sorry for my slow reply!)
These are blissful! Just finished making them. They came together in a snap and they are very delicious. I’m going to make them again. Yummy!
I Liked the idea, but this was way too sweet and the coconut was overkill. I ended up doubling the carrots and only using half of the coconut. They’re actually still sweeter than I’d like. Next time I’ll probably use more nuts or seeds also.
So sorry you didn’t love these – they’re meant to be a sweet treat, but I hope you were able to adjust to your liking.
I made these with a cup of walnuts instead of sunflower seeds, and added raisins at the end so there were chunks of raisins in the end product. Delicious!
so glad you enjoyed these!
My husband made these recently and they are incredible. He bought the wrong kind of coconut so ours went without and even though they were much wetter than they should’ve been they were so. good. Thank you!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes😊
Omgosh this sounds amazing!! Do you think I could steam the carrots for a bit as raw carrots could make my stomach bloat. Would the texture change?
Thank you!!
OMGoodness! I stumbled upon your recipe this morning. Went to the store to buy some coconut, came home and made these delightful treats. They barely made way to the refrigerator as they are quite addicting. Only change was upping the cinnamon. These are delicious!! Quick, easy, minimal ingredients and by gosh will surely make again and again. Thank you for sharing the recipe. Now I must go see what other goodies you have in your recipe file.
Forgot to rate these 5 stars. 😉 Will definitely make again!
Love these bliss balls! I substituted almond butter for most of the sunflower seeds, since I ran out. And found this to be sweet enough with only 10 dates and no maple syrup. I like storing them in the freezer, and they’re perfect. Thanks Jeanine for supplying us with a yummy snack for upcoming travels!
I just made these and they are amazing! Very easy to make and the ingredients are very common as well. Highly recommend it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these!
This is a brilliant idea
Yum! Any suggestions for replacing the coconut? My kid’s school is no peanut, no nut, and no coconut (ugh!). Thx!
Very yum. Loved these.
I’m so happy to hear that!