Carrot Cake Bliss Balls (Vegan)

These are no-bake carrot cake bliss balls that are made with wholesome ingredients and they’re freezer-friendly.  They’re naturally sweetened with dates and raisins, making them perfect for snack time. 

We add ground cinnamon and ginger for a carrot cake-inspired vegan bliss ball.  Then we’ll make them a little bit fancy by rolling them in shredded coconut.  If you enjoy these you might like my recipe for apricot energy bites using dried apricots.  

These vegan bliss balls for kids don’t require any baking.  They’re great as a snack, a healthier dessert, or kids’ school lunches (unless the school is nut-free). 

Ingredients

Carrot - Gotta have carrots for carrot cake bliss balls.  I just rough chop the carrot before throwing it into a food processor.

Cashews - Once the cashews are ground up, they add fat which will help hold the energy bites together.  I haven’t tried making them nut-free, but sunflower seeds may work.  If they don’t add enough fat and the vegan bliss ball mixture isn’t sticking together, try adding a tablespoon of water at a time while the food processor is running.

Oats - I use rolled oats.  If needed use certified gluten-free oats for a gluten-free option.  Oats are naturally gluten-free, but some products are processed in facilities that may result in cross-contamination with products that are not gluten-free.

Dates - I use Deglet Noor dates, but Medjool dates should work.

Raisins - I’ve always enjoyed the flavor raisins add to carrot cake muffins, so I’ve added them here too.  If you prefer to skip them, replace them with more dates for the stickiness that dried fruit adds to the energy bites.

Shredded Coconut - Adds flavor and texture to the bliss balls.  Then it’s optional to coat the bites in additional shredded coconut.

Cinnamon and Ginger - For flavor!

How to Make Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

Just rough chop your carrot, then use your food processor to finely chop the carrot.  You don’t want large chunks.

Then add the cashews and dates to the carrots and blend until it becomes a wet sticky dough. The dates and cashews should be finely diced from blending. 

Then add the rest of the ingredients and blend until the dough sticks together. In the picture below, you can see the dough starts to form a clump and rolls in from the sides. 

You want everything to be ground up so there are no large chunks.  This process also enables your mixture to start to stick together, but keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth.

Then scoop out about 1 tablespoon of dough, and roll it in your palms to form a ball.  Then you can roll the energy bites in unsweetened shredded coconut to make them look pretty.  

Tips For Vegan Bliss Balls

• If your dates are not soft and mushy, soak them for 10-15 minutes, then drain and continue with the recipe.
• Measuring by weight is more accurate, but if you don’t have a scale make sure you tightly pack your half cup of dates for a more accurate measurement. 
• If your dough will not hold together, try blending it a little longer for all of the ingredients to break down more and become sticky.
• If the dough still will not come together, try adding a tablespoon of water and blend again.  
• Check your dates for pits even if the container says pitted.  I’ve had that problem several times when adding dates to a blender or food processor.  Then you hear something hard-hitting the blades.  Even though the bag says pitted, sometimes there’s a stray pit.
• I would recommend a food processor for this recipe since most blenders will require liquid in order to blend ingredients.

How to Fix Bliss Balls That Are Too Sticky?

If the mixture for the carrot cake bliss balls is too sticky, try blending in more rolled oats.

How to Fix Bliss Balls That Are Too Dry?

If the vegan bliss balls are too dry there are a few options.  If they are just a little dry, try adding a tablespoon of water at a time while blending.  Option 2 is adding more dates, preferably soft or soaked dates for them to work as glue.  Option 3 is to add a little nut or seed butter.

How to Store

Store the carrot bliss balls in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or freeze them in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

More Snack Ideas

• apricot energy balls
• banana nut oatmeal cookies
• blueberry walnut baked oatmeal cups
• blueberry lemon oatmeal cups
• cinnamon raisin oatmeal bars
• orange cranberry oatmeal bars
• whole-wheat carrot cake muffins
• whole-wheat chocolate chip pumpkin muffins

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for carrot cake bliss balls!

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