Soft and flavorful, these Carrot Cake Protein Balls taste just like your favorite slice of carrot cake, but without the extra calories. Prepped in 10 minutes with oats, banana, and vegan protein powder, they’re an easy no-bake snack to satisfy a sweet tooth while keeping you fueled.
"My kids are going to love these! They even sound easy enough that my kids can make them by themselves." -Raia Todd
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 10 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 11 Balls
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 75 kcals and 4 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Gluten-free oats, banana, carrot, protein powder, and almond butter.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: These no-bake protein balls are soft, lightly spiced, and naturally sweet without added sugar.
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Keep things simple, but tasty with these vegan carrot cake protein balls. Traditional carrot cake is usually loaded with sugar and topped with thick frosting (delicious, yes… but not exactly everyday fuel), which is why I love having lighter swaps like this on hand, similar to my protein carrot mug cake when I want the flavor without the crash.
These carrot cake protein bites are made with real-food ingredients, easy to prep, and lower in calories, making them perfect for busy days. As a mom, I always keep a batch in the fridge around Easter, so there’s something quick to grab between school drop-offs or workouts, right alongside favorites like birthday cake protein balls or my no-bake protein cookie recipe.
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💭Why You'll Love This Recipe
Quick to make: You only need 10 minutes of prep time for these no-bake carrot cake protein balls to come together... and major kitchen skills.
Tasty: They're a soft, almost goey mix of sweet cinnamon flavor drizzled with an easy, dairy-free cream cheese frosting.
Bite-sized: Perfect for munching or great to bring to a gathering.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Regular Oats: Make sure that your oats are gluten-free if needed, and know that quick oats don't work as well as they become a bit mushy. This applies to banana cinnamon protein balls, too.
- Carrot: Grate the carrot as finely as possible so that the balls are smoother in nature and bind together properly. If you have extra, use it to make carrot ginger soup!
- Molasses: A great source of iron and definitely underused (learn what to make with molasses). Molasses helps bind the balls together while giving them a nutrient boost. Of course, you could do a coconut syrup in its place.
- Protein Powder: The texture and flavor will vary slightly depending on the one you choose ,as each protein powder absorbs liquid differently based on its blend. Initially made with vegan protein powder, as it binds the best, you could also make these with beef protein powder, too.
- Dairy-free icing: The carrot cake protein balls without dates are drizzled with dairy-free cream cheese frosting, but piping on high-protein buttercream frosting would also work!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
- Coconut: Roll the carrot protein balls into shredded coconut for a chewy texture and sweet taste.
- Crunch: Roll the balls in chopped pecans for a dose of healthy fats and extra crunch.
How To Make Carrot Cake Protein Balls
Step 1: Mash the banana and combine all the wet ingredients (including carrot!)
Step 2: Add in the protein powder and oats. Mix and let it all sit for 3 minutes to absorb.
Step 3: Use a trigger ice cream scoop to portion out seven balls. Pop them into the fridge to set.
Step 4: Mix together the icing ingredients and pipe on the frosting once the balls have had time to chill.
Expert Tips To Make It
The kind of protein powder you choose will affect both the texture and flavor of the protein bites. Learn more about choosing the best vegan protein powder for your goals. Most pea-based protein powders will work.
That said, beef protein powder will work as well, specifically the protein powder from Equip, which has the best flavors I've tasted. You'll probably want to roll the balls in coconut, though, as it tends to make things sticky.
The carrot cake balls are sugar-free and very nutmeg-flavored. If you want a bit of a sweeter variation (taste test before you roll!), sub the molasses for honey (so long as you're not vegan) or add a pinch of stevia to the mix. You could even add a pinch of coconut sugar to them to sweeten them up.
Store the carrot protein balls in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days and enjoy them chilled.
Carrot Cake Protein Balls FAQs
Carrot protein bites will last 5-7 days in the fridge if in a sealed container.
Homemade protein bites are often made with a combination of protein, healthy fats, and fiber. They can be a healthy addition to any diet and often make great, on-the-go snacks!
Protein balls can become sticky when too much liquid ingredients are used, or the protein powder isn't absorbing. The best way to make them less sticky is to increase the amount of protein powder, oats, or roll them once portioned into coconut or chopped nuts. Then, get them in the fridge as they tend to firm up when chilled.
More High-Protein Snacks You’ll Love
If you tried this Carrot Cake Protein Balls Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Low Calorie Carrot Cake Protein Balls
Video
Equipment
- Muffin cups
Ingredients
- 1 banana large
- ¼ cup carrot finely grated
- 1 cup oats gluten free
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ tablespoon molasses
- 2.5 tablespoons almond butter
- ¼ cup vegan protein powder
- 1 tbs Plant-based milk
Instructions
- Place half of the oats and all other ingredients except protein powder, milk, and carrots in a food processor and blend until mixed.
- In a medium-size bowl, stir together the protein powder, carrots, and remaining oats.
- Pour the mixture from the processor into the bowl and mix everything well until it is sticky.
- Add in the milk half a tablespoon at a time and ONLY if needed, only using as much as you need to make the batter thick and sticky. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes to absorb.
- Line a cutting board with parchment paper and use a trigger point ice cream scoop to portion out the mixture into balls. When you scoop, press down into the scoop with a spatula to get them to bind as best as possible.
- Place the bites onto the parchment paper and put the tray in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Once they've chilled, whip up the cream cheese frosting (if using) and pipe it on top. Serve!
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Shelby S says
So mini but so packed with my favorite fall flavor!
Raia Todd says
My kids are going to love these! They even sound easy enough that my kids can make them by themselves.
Renee D Kohley says
Oh I bet that hazelnut flour is amazing! YUM! My girls will love these - thanks!