These Carrot Cake Bars are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or snack. They are low-carb, keto-friendly, and packed with protein and healthy fats to keep you satisfied and energized throughout the day. The combination of shredded carrots, cinnamon, and nutmeg gives these bars a delicious carrot cake flavor, while almond flour and coconut flour provide a nutritious and gluten-free base.
Table of Contents
Our keto carrot cake bars take inspiration from the classic carrot cake, incorporating warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg to create a tasty breakfast or go-to snack on the move. Having carrot cake breakfast bars on standby is always a good idea for when the kids get peckish between meal times or when you need an afternoon boost with a coffee!
Along with shredded carrot, the almond flour and coconut flour keep the cake bars moist and dense, resulting in a nutritious, keto-friendly, gluten-free bake. Sweetened with Erythritol and vanilla extract, there’s no added sugar or syrups, keeping net carbohydrates to a mere 3.5g per serving. Adding roughly chopped walnuts to the carrot cake batter varies the texture between mouthfuls, providing a flavorful light crunch.
The process of making a batch of keto carrot cake bars takes less than an hour, so it’s the perfect recipe to turn to when time is limited, but you still need a satisfying and delicious snack. Eggs and baking soda do the hard work in the oven, giving the cake bars a gorgeous rise and a fluffy crumb.
Carrot Cake Bar Ingredients
- Almond flour: Traditional flavors of carrot cake include warm spices and nuts such as walnuts and pecans. Chopped walnuts are optional in our recipe, but if they are omitted, there is still a sweet, nutty flavor thanks to the addition of almond flour. The dense texture of almond flour makes it perfect for soaking up the spicy flavors of the batter, ensuring a flavorful cake that’s baked to perfection.
- Coconut flour: Alongside almond flour is coconut flour, which together provide the perfect base for the carrot cake batter. Coconut flour has a distinctive coconut flavor that’s noticeable but isn’t overpowering and bold, especially when in the same cake as cinnamon and nutmeg! Using almond and coconut flour together means the overall texture isn’t too heavy or dense, instead resulting in a gluten-free bake everyone will keep returning to.
- Baking powder: Achieving a rise in the oven is an important part of baking, especially when it comes to cake. To bring rise to the carrot cake bars, there are a few ingredients involved, the first being baking powder. The baking powder keeps the cake texture light and fluffy, avoiding the wet and dense results sometimes seen with gluten-free flours.
- Baking soda: The job of baking soda is to bring air into the cake batter, creating bubbles that increase the volume and keep the cake light. Half a teaspoon of baking soda is all that’s required to create a sponge-like final carrot cake texture.
- Cinnamon: Warm, fragrant spices are a favorite in the kitchen, and cinnamon truly comes into its own over the festive period. The natural sweetness of cinnamon blends with the shredded carrot and vanilla to create a cake so decadent and delicious that you won’t even realize it doesn’t contain added sugars, syrups, or obscure ingredients.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg is more pungent than cinnamon, bringing earthiness to the cake instead of sweetness. The bold notes of nutmeg infuse the cake with a light nuttiness, which helps balance the sweet flavors of the Erythritol and vanilla.
- Salt: Bringing balance and harmony to sweet and savory dishes is salt, a simple ingredient that shouldn’t be forgotten, even when baking sweet treats. A quarter teaspoon is enough to bring all the ingredients together and also provides a subtle contrast to the otherwise sweet ingredients included in the cake.
- Eggs: In addition to baking powder and baking soda, eggs are another ingredient to help the cake bars rise and cook evenly. Eggs are a magical, versatile ingredient, but in our keto cake bars recipe, the primary role of eggs is to aid in binding the ingredients together, providing structure and stability.
- Sweetener: There may not be any sugar added to our recipe, but that doesn’t mean these bars aren’t sweet and moreish! Erythritol is the perfect addition for bringing sweetness that tastes natural and light with no funky aftertaste.
- Coconut oil: Classic carrot cake tends to be made with oil instead of butter, as oil helps keep the cakes extra moist. Almond flour and coconut flour are fantastic at absorbing liquid, so adding melted coconut oil to the mix gives the two flours plenty to soak up.
- Vanilla extract: High-quality vanilla extract brings a subtle floral flavor to the cake bars, helping achieve the sweet and delicate flavor we’re looking for. Only a small amount of vanilla extract is needed to provide a sweet hit, but be sure to use quality vanilla that doesn’t contain a list of ingredients such as artificial flavorings, sugar, or syrups.
- Carrots: Shredded carrots are the star of the show in this recipe, and they provide a whole lot more than a moist texture. Carrots, once shredded, become quite wet, and this is ideal when using coconut and almond flour as it provides the flours with the perfect base to soak up all of the delicious ingredients. Shredded carrots don’t result in an overwhelming carrot-flavored cake but instead, create a dense texture with balanced flavor and sturdy structure.
- Walnuts (optional): Adding a handful of chopped walnuts into the mix is ideal if you like varying the texture of dishes. Walnuts have a modest flavor and moreish crunch, providing little surprise bursts of flavor and texture throughout the cake bars.
How To Make Keto Carrot Cake Bars
To make keto carrot cake bars, you’ll need some storecupboard staple ingredients, two mixing bowls, and a baking pan. This recipe is quick and easy, making it ideal for those who lack time and confidence in the kitchen. Within an hour, you’ll have golden, fragrant carrot cake bars ready to feed the family for the next couple of days, although don’t be surprised if they don’t last that long!
Step one: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking pan with coconut oil to prevent the bars from sticking while baking.
Step two: In a mixing bowl, whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together until well combined.
Step three: Take a different bowl and whisk together the eggs, Erythritol, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract before adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mixing well.
Step four: Gently fold in the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts if you would like to use them, and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing out the top with a spatula.
Step five: Bake the carrot cake for 25-30 minutes, until the batter turns golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with no wet batter.
Step six: Allow the bars to cool in the baking pan for 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps the cake firm up, making for a far easier time slicing each bar.
Step seven: Cut the carrot cake into 8 bars and serve. The bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips And Variations
Keto Carrot Coconut Cake: Coconut flour is already an ingredient in our keto cake recipe, but to enhance the coconut flavor even more, add a couple of tablespoons of shredded coconut to the batter in place of walnuts and lightly sprinkle desiccated coconut over the top of the cake as it cools.
Keto Carrot Cake Bars With Orange Glaze: Drizzling a light glaze over the cake bars makes for a real treat, so go ahead and whisk together powdered Erythritol, almond milk, and vanilla extract until the glaze thickens and can become an attractive decoration for the cake bars.
Keto Carrot Cake: Our recipe intends to create 8 individual carrot cake bars, but it’s also possible to enjoy this cake as one. Whether a loved one has a birthday coming up or you want to bring a nutritious, keto-friendly snack to the office Christmas party, there’s always the option of leaving the cake whole and slicing as you serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do Keto Carrot Cake Bars Last?
Our keto carrot cake bars last for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s best to keep the cakes cool as this will help prevent them from drying out, so each bar retains the gorgeous moist texture it should.
Why Does My Keto Carrot Cake Fall Apart?
Keto recipes are often gluten-free, using flours such as almond and coconut as the base of recipes in place of commonly used wheat flour. As almond and coconut flour don’t contain gluten, they aren’t quite as good at keeping the form of each cake bar alone. Allowing the cake to cool completely before slicing will help avoid the common issue of a carrot cake that’s falling apart. It’s also wise to avoid overbaking the cake as this can cause the texture to become crumbly and fragile.
What Can I Use Instead Of Carrot In Carrot Cake?
Shredded zucchini is an ideal replacement for carrots in carrot cake as it has a similar texture and is great at keeping bakes moist. Replacing carrots entirely with zucchini results in a carrot cake that’s slightly less sweet, so it’s useful to use a blend of both vegetables.
📖 Recipe
Keto Carrot Cake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- ¼ cup Coconut Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 medium Eggs
- ¼ cup Low Carb Sugar Substitute
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil melted
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Shredded Carrots
- ¼ cup Chopped Walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with coconut oil.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sweetener, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.
- Fold in the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts (if using).
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the bars cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut into 8 bars and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is calculated based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe we provide. Erythritol and other sugar-free sweetener carbs are not included in the carb counts. Net carbohydrates are the total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber.
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