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!

snacks & dips / vegan / gluten free

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!

5.0 from 20 reviews

Almost-Raw Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

  PrintPrep time 15 minsTotal time 15 mins 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: Jeanine DonofrioRecipe type: SnackServes: 16 ballsIngredients

• 1 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut + ⅓ cup for rolling
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 12 soft Medjool dates, pitted and soaked if they’re very dry
• ⅔ 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.

3.4.3177
 

Did you make the recipe? I want to see!
Tag @loveandlemons on Instagram.

Free Bonus:5 Tips for Fast & Easy Dinners

You may like these too…

1. 
   Avocado Smoothie

2. 
   Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Overnight Oat Parfaits

3. 
   Easiest Chia Pudding

4. 
   Berry Superfood Smoothie Bowl

5. 
   Avocado Summer Rolls

6. 
   Carrot Cake Cookies

78 comments

Previous Comments

Leave a comment: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it) Rate this recipe (after making it)

Comment

Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail

Rate this recipe (after making it):

Current ye@r *

Leave this field empty

Δdocument.getElementById( “ak_js_1” ).setAttribute( “value”, ( new Date() ).getTime() );

1. 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?

   Reply ↓

   • 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.

     Reply ↓

2. Negin
   06.21.2023

   Hi is it raw carrots?

   Reply ↓

   • Jeanine Donofrio
     06.21.2023

     yep, the carrots are raw.

     Reply ↓

3. Raven
   09.03.2022

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

   Reply ↓

   • Jeanine Donofrio
     09.06.2022

     Hi Raven, not in this case since they’re the binder. Here’s another raw ball sort of treat that uses maple instead of fruit (I’m not sure if that’s better for you): https://www.loveandlemons.com/peanut-butter-no-bake-cookies/

     Reply ↓

4. 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, 🙂

   Reply ↓

   • 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.

     Reply ↓

5. 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.

   Reply ↓

6. 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!

   Reply ↓

   • Jeanine Donofrio
     12.22.2021

     Hi Wendy, chopped pecans should work!

     Reply ↓

7. Madison
   02.16.2021

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

   Reply ↓

8. Debbie
   02.10.2021

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

   Reply ↓

   • Rachel
     08.21.2021

     https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 is a great tool, just copy and paste a recipe that doesn’t already have nutrition info 🙂 you can even select your prefered brands for more accurate info

     Reply ↓

9. Jen
   01.04.2021

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

   Reply ↓

10. 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!

    Reply ↓