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You have to try my insanely delicious Carrot Cake Bars! They’re easy to make, incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting!
Why You’ll Be Obsessed with These Bars
- All the Cozy Spices in Every Bite: Think warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, all the best parts of carrot cake, but in a simple bar!
- Way Easier Than a Layer Cake: All the flavor, no layering! You just bake, frost, and enjoy!
- Cream Cheese Frosting Heaven! I’m going to tell you right now that the cream cheese frosting mixed with the spiced cake is my FAVORITE part!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Grated Carrots: I highly recommend grating fresh carrots. Your bars will be moister and sweeter than using pre-shredded. Trust me, it’s worth it!
- Oil Substitution: You can substitute the oil with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce, melted butter, or even browned butter for a nutty flavor.
- Mix-Ins: You could add walnuts, pecans, golden raisins, coconut, or crushed pineapple to your carrot cake bars. Keep your mix-ins to ½–⅔ cup total so the batter doesn’t overflow.
How to Make Carrot Cake Bars
These carrot cake bars are yummy and easy to make! They are perfect for Easter or Sunday dinners with the family. Everyone will want the recipe once they try it!
Cake
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 10 x 15 x 1 baking pan (make sure it is a jelly roll pan, not a full sheet pan) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Combine: Add the oil, brown sugar, and granulated sugar to a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Mix: Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Just Combine: Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- ‘You Fold It In:’ Fold the shredded carrots in evenly.
- Bake and Cool: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 28-34 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Remove the bars from the oven and let the carrot cake bars cool completely.
Frosting
- Beat Until Smooth: Beat unsalted butter and softened cream cheese in a large bowl on medium-high speed until smooth, scraping the sides and bottom to ensure even mixing. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to the bowl and beat until smooth.
- Frost Bars: Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled carrot cake bars. Store them covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to slice them into bars and serve.
Storing Carrot Cake Bar Leftovers
Because the bars have cream cheese in the frosting, they should NOT be kept at room temperature.
- In the Fridge: Store them in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap, foil, or press-n-seal for up to 5 days.
- In the Freezer: Freeze the bars in the pan! After cooling and frosting, chill for an hour to set. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours.
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Carrot Cake Bars
You have to try my insanely delicious Carrot Cake Bars! They’re easy to make, incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting!
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded carrots
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup room temperature unsalted butter
- 6 ounces softened cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 large pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 10 x 15 x 1 baking sheet (jelly roll pan) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Whisk together 2 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, and 1 cup granulated sugar to a large bowl and mix until combined. Add 3 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in 2 cups shredded carrots until evenly dispersed in the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 28-34 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center. Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool completely.
Frosting
- Add ½ cup room temperature unsalted butter and 6 ounces softened cream cheese to a large bowl and beat on medium-high speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it is all incorporated evenly.
- Add 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 large pinch salt to the bowl and beat until smooth.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cooled carrot cake. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to slice it into bars and serve.
Notes
*If you don’t have a 10×15 jelly roll pan, you can make this in an 18×13 sheet pan. Just reduce the baking time by 5ish minutes. They will be thinner but will cook evenly.
Originally Posted March 12, 2021
Updated March 28, 2025
Nutrition
Calories: 327kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 189mgPotassium: 81mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 2026IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Can you freeze with the frosting?
Yes, you can! It’s best to refrigerate the cake first so that the frosting is firm before wrapping it in plastic wrap.
Thank you so much Kristen. I’ll be making these for Easter dessert, since (unfortunately) there will only be 7 of us for dinner this year, so a ‘huge’ dessert won’t be needed. I plan to add yellow raisins & finely chopped pecans. I always look forward to receiving your emails, since you since you post the most useful & delicious recipes. Have a Happy Easter ?
These sound not only delish, but also easy to make. I especially like that there is no mixer required! One question: Do the carrots (absolutely) need to be ‘finely grated’, or can they be ‘shreaded’ on the lrg. holes of a box grater? Thank you ?
While I haven’t tested it, I suspect that shredding the carrots on the large holes of a grater will probably work fine. I just like the way that the finely shredded carrots blend into the batter. 🙂