These no-bake carrot cake energy balls have everything I love about a slice of carrot cake: warm cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, sweet, caramel-like Medjool dates and walnuts, with real grated carrot in every bite. They’re soft, dense and a little chewy, closer to a truffle than a piece of cake, and the shredded coconut on the outside stands in for the frosting.
How to Make Carrot Cake Energy Balls
Step One: Add the oats, walnuts, shredded coconut and flaxseed meal to a food processor. Pulse for 30 to 45 seconds, until it looks like a coarse flour.
Step Two: Add the dates, grated carrot, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, spices and salt. Blend until a sticky dough forms that holds together when you press it between your fingers. If it’s too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time. If it’s too wet, pulse in a little more oats or coconut.
Step Three: Scoop out a scant tablespoon of dough and roll it between your palms into a ball. You should get about 14.
Step Four: Roll each ball in the shredded coconut to coat it evenly.
Step Five: Place the balls on a lined plate or tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up before eating.
Storage
Keep the energy balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen ones at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Carrot Cake Energy Balls
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pitted Medjool dates 120g, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots about 4 oz / 115g, peeled and finely grated
- 1 cup rolled oats about 90g
- ½ cup walnuts about 60g
- â…“ cup unsweetened coconut about 25g, finely shredded
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal about 15g
- ¼ cup almond butter about 65g
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup about 15ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- table salt
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut about 40g, finely shredded, for rolling
Instructions
- Add the oats, walnuts, shredded coconut, and flaxseed meal to a food processor. Pulse until broken down into a coarse flour, about 30–45 seconds. This helps absorb moisture later and prevents stickiness.
- Add the pitted Medjool dates, grated carrots, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until a sticky dough forms that holds together when you press it between your fingers. If your food processor struggles with the dates, stop and break up any large pieces by hand before continuing. If the dough is too dry, add water a teaspoon at a time. If too wet or sticky, pulse in a little more oats or coconut.
- Scoop out a scant tablespoon of dough and roll between your palms into a ball. You should get about 14.
- Roll each ball in the finely shredded coconut to coat evenly.
- Place on a lined plate or tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up before eating.
Notes
- Dates: Measure after roughly chopping. Make sure to use medjool dates – dried dates will be too tough in the food processor.
- Flaxseed meal: This must be ground flaxseed meal – not whole flax seeds, which won’t absorb moisture or bind properly. To make your own, pulse whole flax seeds in a spice grinder or blender for 20–30 seconds until powdery. You can substitute 2 tablespoons (15g) ground chia seeds (grind them the same way) if you don’t have flax.
- Nut-free: Swap walnuts for pumpkin or sunflower seeds, and almond butter for sunbutter.
- Storage: Fridge up to 1 week in an airtight container. Freezer up to 3 months – thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
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