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This Carrot Zucchini Bars Recipe is one of my favorite snacks to make! The bars come together with almond flour, flax seed, carrots, zucchini, and raisins and are topped with a sweet and tangy cream cheese glaze.
This recipe is Paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, and so delicious!
Gluten-Free Carrot Zucchini Bars
These carrot and zucchini bars taste just like Carrot Cake but are secretly full of veggies for a boost of nutrients and fiber. All we do is combine the ingredients and bake them in the oven.
Quick to prepare, these bars are a great recipe to make with the kids. Plus, when topped with a 3-ingredient cream cheese glaze they’re also fancy enough for a celebratory family dinner or holiday gathering.
Moist and sweet, they’re so tasty no one will even realize they’re secretly healthy!
I typically serve this zucchini bars recipe as an afternoon snack or dessert, but they also work well as a sweet breakfast! Try pairing them with my Perfect Scrambled Eggs or Hard Boiled Eggs for a little extra protein.
Looking for More Carrot Cake-Inspired Recipes? Try our Healthy Carrot Cake Loaf, Carrot Cake Baked Oats, and Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cookies, too!
Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
- Eggs: We use two eggs to bind the ingredients, holding the bars together. We don’t recommend substituting the eggs in the recipe, because there’s already flax seed.
- Coconut Oil: Feel free to substitute avocado oil or melted butter.
- Sweeteners: Coconut sugar and maple syrup add the perfect touch of sweetness. You can substitute maple sugar for coconut sugar, but we don’t recommend using liquid sweeteners.
- Vanilla: We use this in the bars and the glaze to enhance the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.
- Almond Flour and Tapioca Starch: These form the base of the batter. We haven’t tested this recipe with any other flours. So, you may have to experiment with ingredient ratios if you do!
- Ground Flax Seed: Flax seed helps hold the bars together and provides an excellent source of healthy fats and fiber.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Make sure they’re fresh! Without these ingredients, the bars won’t rise as they bake.
- Ground Ginger: A little goes a long way to add extra depth and a tangy flavor.
- Fruits and Veggies: You’ll need 1 cup of shredded carrot, ½ cup of shredded zucchini, and ½ cup of raisins.
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, not cream cheese from a tub. I use a dairy-free option, but any kind you like best will work.
Alternative Frosting Options
If you’re not a huge fan of cream cheese, feel free to top these bars with a dairy-free cashew glaze like we use in our Overnight Cinnamon Roll French Toast Casserole. Take a look at the recipe card below for the complete details on our favorite healthier frosting option!
You can also add a dusting of powdered sugar, or omit the glaze completely. Just keep in mind that there is less sugar than most carrot cake-inspired recipes. So, you may notice a lack of sweetness without a frosting.
How Do I Shred Carrots and Zucchini?
I’ve found that using a box grater is the best way to shred veggies. Chop off the ends with a sharp knife. Then, using a downward motion, scrape the ends of the veggies along the holes of a box grater. Repeat until all of the carrots and zucchini are shredded!
Easy Shredding!
We love this box grater for easy shredding! The small holes allow for thinly shredded vegetables that blend seamlessly into the bars. However, any grater you like best will work.
How to Make Carrot and Zucchini Bars
- Prepare: Preheat your oven. Then, grease a square baking pan with cooking spray, and make a parchment paper sling.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to a large bowl. Whisk until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients: In the same bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca flour, flax seed, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda. Mix just until smooth.
- Drain excess liquid: Place the shredded carrots and zucchini in a cheesecloth or a clean, thin kitchen towel. Squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Combine: Fold the carrots, zucchini, and raisins into the batter, incorporating them evenly.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Transfer the mixture to the oven, and bake until the top is puffy and springs back when lightly pressed.
- Cool: Transfer the zucchini bars to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Add the glaze: In a second bowl, whisk the cream cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the bars. Then, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Tips and Notes
- Peel the zucchini if you want to hide them from picky eaters.
- Sift your almond flour and tapioca flour if they are lumpy. This makes it easier to incorporate them into the batter.
- Use an electronic kitchen scale if you have one. It makes it easier to measure the gluten-free flours, and we’ve included grams in the ingredient list.
- It can be a little trickier to know when gluten-free baked goods are done. Some signs to look out for when baking these carrot zucchini bars include a golden exterior, a puffed-up batter, cracks across the top, and a springy center. If the bars remain dented when gently pressed, it’s a sign that they’re underdone. A toothpick inserted into the center will also come out clean when the bars are done.
- The bars can be made up to two days in advance. Leave them covered at room temperature until ready to frost.
FAQs
Store leftover unfrosted zucchini bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Or, transfer frosted bars to an airtight container, and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes, you can omit the cream cheese frosting, and freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight, and add the glaze just before serving. They’ll taste as good as new!
Save it for another batch of these carrot zucchini bars. Or, put it to use in other recipes like our No Boild Pasta Bake, Zucchini Spaghetti with Homemade Meat Sauce, Oven-Baked Zucchini Fries, Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread, or Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats!
Sure! Follow the directions as usual, shredding the zucchini and squeezing out any excess moisture.
We haven’t tested it but would love to know how it goes if you do! Or, try our Healthy Carrot Muffins or Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins instead!
Watch The Video:
More Sweets We Love
- Peach Fruit Leather
- Nut Free Energy Bites
- Chia Honey Lime Fruit Salad
- Creamy Peppermint Coconut Cups
- Avocado Brownies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Coconut Cranberry Protein Bars
Healthy Carrot Zucchini Bars
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups 200 grams almond flour
- ½ cup 60 grams tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- ½ cup shredded peeled zucchini
- ½ cup raisins
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (see note)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Prepare a 8 x 8″ square baking dish by coating with cooking spray and making a parchment paper sling. Set aside.
- Add the eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla to a large bowl and whisk together until fully combined.
- To the bowl add the almond flour, tapioca, flax seed, baking powder, ginger, and baking soda mix it together until it’s fully combined.
- Place carrots and zucchini in cheesecloth or a clean, thin kitchen towel and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Fold in the carrots, zucchini and raisins to the batter.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth down the top with an offset spatula.
- Baking in the middle rack for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is puffy and it springs back when lightly pushed down in the middle.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
- Add softened cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a bowl. Whisk together vigorously until the frosting is smooth. Drizzle over the zucchini bars.
- Cut into slices and serve!
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
- To make this fully dairy-free either use dairy-free cream cheese, or use this Vegan Cashew Vanilla Glaze for a frosting instead.
- This recipe was originally published in 2015 and updated with a new recipe and photos in 2020 and recently updated the copy and images in 2024.
Can I sub the carrots for zucchini? Have a carrot allergy:/
Sure!
These are soooooooo good. I love carrot cake and I’m so delighted that I can now have it in GF and refined sugar form. A really tasty but simple recipe that I will happily make again and again. Thank you Lexi.
LCK is my go to for baking and I love seeing all of the “traditional” baked goods in a cleaner version☺️ As there are just 2 of us, do you think this would freeze well, prior to icing?
These are amazing, like carrot cake but so much better! Delicious!!!
Made these today. Absolutely delicious. Made a few changes due to my food requirements and did not put any icing on them. Had all I could do to eat just one.
INCREDIBLE! So moist and flavorful. Got to use up some garden carrots and zucchini! Had it for breakfast some days and for a snack/ dessert others! I made it into a quick bread because I could not find my 8×8 sheet. I just doubled the cooking time and took it out once my fork came out clean. I would say about 60 minutes. I will he making again!
Thanks for sharing!
Do you think this batter could work for muffins?
I’m not sure, as we haven’t tried. But you can try and let us know how it goes? We also have a carrot oat muffin recipe and a zucchini muffin recipe made with almond flour you can search for!
going to store today to get ingredients. Since I do not use anything coconut will change the oil to butter and for the sugar am going to try Stevia or Erythritol. So glad it calls for almond flour. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Oooh these bars look and sound spectacular. I’m loving the servings of veggies in each one!
LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes!! Thank you!! xo
WOW, these look awesome. I am obsessed with Carrots so I am going to have to give these a go!
Lexi, they look delicious!! I love adding veggies to baked goods too- I’m keen to try beets soon!
Hi Lexi. Will you be posting “your” recipe? I hope so. I’d like to try these
Thanks
Susan
Hi Susan,
My substitutions are listed on the BHG site! Click the link in the post to get to it.
🙂
Lexi
These look super moist, yum!
Hi Lexi, Thank you so much for your fabulous ideas and recipes. I looked and looked and I can’t find your recipe for these. Please direct me.
Loving this! Kinda reminds me of morning glory muffins! Can’t wait to try your grain free version Lexi!
With a picky toddler, I’m all about hiding veggies! Never thought I would be, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 😉 Love these!
These bars sound delicious I love to hide cauliflower and pumpkin.