These carrot cake energy balls take minutes to make with just 4 simple ingredients and are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free!

A carrot energy ball with a bit taken out of it on a plate.

Recipe Features

  • dietary needs – vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and nut-free (they do contain coconut though)
  • naturally sweetened – soft and sweet dates naturally sweeten the balls so they have no added sugar
  • nutritious – they make a great snack for kids and a sneaky way to get in some veggies
  • healthier snacking – they’re the perfect, healthy treat to satisfy your sweet tooth while sticking to your nutrition goals

Ingredient Notes

  • oats – you can use minute, quick, rolled or old fashioned oats in this recipe
  • dates – make sure they’re soft and moist, if not, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes then drain before using in the recipe
  • carrot – finely grated is best
  • coconut – look for unsweetened fine or medium dried coconut, it may be labelled desiccated coconut

Step by Step Instructions

Start by processing the oats into a coarse, grainy flour. Next, add the rest of the ingredients and process into a thick, sticky dough.

Quick Tip: If the mixture isn’t forming a dough, add 1 tbsp of warm water and process again. That should do the trick!

Oats in a food processor.
Dates, carrot and coconut in a food processor.

Now that you’ve made the dough, it’s time to roll! Use your hands to roll the dough into about 20 balls.

Raw energy ball dough in a food processor.

If you like, you can roll each ball in shredded coconut for an extra treat.

An energy ball being rolled in shredded coconut on a counter top.

Tips for Success

  • It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe. If your dates are dry they won’t bind the dough. Soak dry dates in hot water for 10 minutes and drain well before using in the recipe.
  • Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients for best results.
  • A food processor works best but you can use a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec if needed.

How to Store

Store the finished energy bites in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.

A plate of carrot energy balls rolled in coconut.

Recipe Variations

If you feel like switching things up, the dough can either be pressed into bars or made into raw granola.

Carrot Cake Energy Bars

To make carrot cake energy bars, line a 7-8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper, press the dough into the pan, place in the freezer for an hour until firm and then lift out and cut into bars.

For other easy energy bar recipes, try these superfood energy bars or sesame hemp seed bars.

Carrot Cake Rawnola

Another way to use this recipe is to press and crumble the batter into bits so it resembles chunky carrot cake raw granola.

My favorite way to use this is crumbled over smoothie bowls, into banana ice cream or enjoyed with yogurt or a splash of dairy-free milk. It’s seriously amazing.Rawnola can be stored in the fridge for a week or so.

A stack of carrot cake energy balls on a plate.

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A carrot energy ball with a bit taken out of it on a plate.

Carrot Cake Energy Balls

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 0 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 20 1x
  • Category: Snack
  • Method: Food Processor
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

These delicious energy balls take just minutes to make and taste like little bites of carrot cake. Enjoy these for a healthy snack anytime, at home or on-the-go.

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (100 g) rolled oats (use gluten-free certified if needed)
  • 2 cups (450 g) tightly packed, soft pitted dates
  • 3/4 cup (75 g, approx. 1 medium carrot) lightly packed, finely grated carrot
  • 1 cup (70 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Add the oats to a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse a few times to break them down a bit.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until it forms a thick, sticky dough. If it’s not sticking together, add 1 tbsp of warm water and process again.
  3. Roll the mixture into approximately 20 energy balls.
  4. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

It’s important to use soft, fresh dates in this recipe. If your dates are dry, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes then drain well before using.

It’s important to use soft, moist dates in this recipe. If your dates are very dry they won’t bind the dough. Soak dry dates in hot water for 10 minutes and drain well before using.

Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients for best results.

A food processor works best but you can use a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix or Blendtec if needed.

Keywords: carrot cake balls, carrot cake energy bites

Update Note: Originally published on May 4, 2017. Updated in April 2020 with new photos and text.