Carrot Cake Oatmeal Nut Breakfast Bars

Why you'll love these carrot cake oatmeal breakfast bars

• Cake-like - carrot oatmeal bars have a cake-like texture and classic carrot cake flavor in a perfect bite size healthy snack. They're thick, chewy and almost fudgy.
• Healthy - carrot cake for breakfast? These squares are loaded with fiber, protein and healthy fats to balance out your day starting with a healthy breakfast and oatmeal recipe. Need extra protein? Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder with an extra mashed half banana to balance the moisture.
• Diet friendly - gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, sugar-free oatmeal breakfast bars. A quick breakfast made from wholesome ingredients and vegan.
• Quick to make - easy and flavorful and full of healthy ingredients. An on-the-go breakfast or perfect snack made with only a handful of ingredients.
• No added sugar - these oatmeal breakfast bars are naturally sweetened with dates.

• Cashews and walnuts - adds some crunch and texture. Swap the nuts for pecans, almonds or pistachios for a different flavor combination.
• Quick cooking rolled oats (gluten free) - adds heart healthy protein, fiber, carbs and whole grains. Substitute for old fashioned rolled oats if you like more texture in your healthy carrot cake bars. Or steel cut oats for more chew.
• Walnuts or pecans - add texture and makes a great addition to this carrot cake oatmeal bake. Swap for other nuts or seeds like chopped almonds or pumpkin seeds in the dry ingredients. Do not swap with butters like almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower butter, this will make the wet ingredients too moist and make it difficult to cut into bars.
• Bananas - add creaminess to these easy oatmeal bars.
• Fresh carrot - loaded with beta carotene for eye health. Substitute grated parsnips in this easy recipe.
• Dates - add natural sweetness and are high in dietary fiber and antioxidants. I like to use medjool dates to bind the bars as they have a sweet, caramel flavor without the need for coconut sugar or brown sugar. Also, no need for room temperature eggs or flax egg for binding.
• Dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger - add just the right amount of warming spices and carrot cake flavors.

See recipe card for all ingredients and quantities.

Expert tips and variations

Add-ins - raisins or dried cranberries would work well. Use other nuts like almonds, pecans or pistachios. You can also swap in chia seeds or hemp hearts for extra protein.

More texture - mix all ingredients except carrots in the food processor, then pulse in the carrots at the end to have larger layers of carrots throughout the healthy carrot cake bars.

More sweetness - add a drizzle of maple syrup to the top of the baked bars. Or add a layer of vegan cream cheese like in my delicious carrot cake recipe.

Store - the carrot cake breakfast bars can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. If stacking the bars, make sure to separate each layer with a sheet of parchment paper.

Freeze - the bars can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Wrap each bar or square individually with parchment paper, wax paper or plastic wrap for a quick grab-and-go snack.