Healthy No-Bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls are made with grated carrots, rolled oats, creamy nut butter, raisins, walnuts, and shredded coconut. An optional scoop of protein powder gives them an extra protein boost, making them the perfect grab-and-go breakfast or pre-post-workout snack.
Looking for a healthy treat that tastes like a cross between a slice of my gluten-free carrot cake and raw cookie dough bites? I’ve got the perfect recipe: no-bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls!
These protein-packed carrot cake energy bites are perfect for breakfast on the run or as a late-afternoon snack with a cup of coffee or tea! Looking to change up the flavor? Try my No-Bake Matcha Protein Bites or my No-Bake Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bites!
Ingredients Needed:
These carrot cake energy balls are made with simple, nourishing ingredients and taste like carrot cake with plenty of crunchy yet doughy texture. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these energy bites:
- Rolled oats – The base of these energy bites is rolled oats. Feel free to use gluten-free.
- Almond butter—These energy balls use creamy, natural roasted almond butter made from just almonds or almonds and salt. You can substitute peanut butter as desired.
- Protein powder – Add a scoop of your favorite vanilla protein powder for an extra protein boost. Tera’s Whey Protein is my favorite brand! To keep these dairy-free and vegan, either omit the protein powder or use a plant-based protein powder.
- Extras—To achieve that classic carrot cake flavor, we’re adding shredded carrots, raisins, walnuts, and shredded coconut.
- Honey—For a little natural sweetness, you’ll need just one tablespoon of honey. You can swap with pure maple syrup to make these vegan if preferred.
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are mixed in for a warm, cozy flavor.
How to Make No-Bake Energy Balls
These energy balls are easy to make and also happen to be gluten-free and easily dairy-free! All you need is a few ingredients, a food processor and a cookie scoop (or you can use your hands).
Here’s the simple process, but for full, printable instructions, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until all of the ingredients are fully combined.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon per ball, squeeze it in your palm to make it stick, and roll it into a ball. Place it on a plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Chill in the fridge for about 1 hour and then enjoy!
Variation Options
Feel free to get creative and use ingredients you have available and truly make these energy bites your own!
- Nut butter – instead of almond butter, feel free to use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter. You can also use a natural, crunchy nut or seed butter instead of creamy, if preferred.
- Vegan energy balls – to make these vegan, simply be sure to use pure maple syrup and not honey and also use a plant-based protein powder or omit the protein powder and use an additional 1/4 cup of oats.
- Gluten-free energy balls – if the oats you’re using are certified gluten free, these energy bites are naturally gluten free.
- Add-ins – feel free to sub the raisins for dried cranberries or blueberries and the walnuts for pecans. Also, if you’re not a fan of coconut, you can omit the shredded coconut.
Everything We Love About Carrot Cake Energy Bites
There’s so much to love about these tasty little bites! They are the perfect healthy snack or breakfast to meal prep! Here are some of the reasons they’re so great:
- No bake recipe – There’s no baking needed to make this easy recipe!
- Kid-friendly – These taste like a sweet dessert and even picky eaters love these snack bites. My kids also love these Oatmeal Energy Balls.
- Portable – If you have these meal prepped in your fridge, you’ve got a ready-to-go snack to grab anytime.
- Nutritious – These energy balls are filled with healthy, wholesome, all-natural ingredients with no refined sugar!
- Customizable – This recipe is easy to change up and experiment with different mix-ins. For a different spin on these, we love Pumpkin Chip Energy Bites and Peanut Butter & Jelly Energy Bites.
How to Store Carrot Cake Energy Balls
In the fridge: No-bake energy balls are great stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
In the freezer: You can also store these energy balls in the freezer for up to 3 months. If they get too hard, let them sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before eating.
Try adding this energy balls recipe to your weekend meal prep! You’ll have a nutritious snack ready to go for a busy week. This recipe is also super easy to double (or triple) and freezes well, so keep that in mind when preparing your meal. Enjoy!
Thanks so much for reading! You can watch the video below, and if you make this recipe, I would love for you to give it a ★ rating below. Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for more healthy food inspiration.
Healthy No-Bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup creamy roasted almond butter
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 scoop (30g) vanilla whey protein powder*
- 1/4 cup shredded carrots
- 2 tablespoon raisins
- 2 tablespoon walnuts
- 2 tablespoon shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- a pinch each nutmeg + ground ginger
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until everything is mixed together. The consistency will be similar to sand.
- Grab about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and squeeze in your palm to get it to stick. Then, form into a ball. Repeat until you have 10 balls.
- Place all balls on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and chill in the fridge for one hour. Transfer to an airtight container and leave in fridge until ready to enjoy!
