Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

These Carrot Cakes Bars are little squares of joy and happiness all topped off with a creamy, dreamy homemade cream cheese frosting. Perfect for Easter, easy to whip up, and sure to impress. Serve these at room temp or cold from the fridge for a sweet treat.

For when the vibe is ‘delicious dessert without the fuss.’

No Fuss Carrot Cake Bars!

I’m really leaning in to the calm, cozy, stress-free vibes lately.

Maybe it’s because the world is feeling a little chaotic at the moment or maybe it’s just something one does as they get older.

I don’t know, but I do know that these carrot cakes bars are just the thing for a quiet moment at home with a mug of tea and a good book and that they also work exceptionally well for an Easter dessert that tastes majorly yum without being majorly fussy.

They’re dense but soft, moist but not overly sweet, with just the right balance of spices to feel cozy without being overpowering. And then there’s the texture—the subtle crunch from chopped pecans paired with the tender bite of freshly grated carrots is heaven – all tucked into a easy-to-bake bar.

But the real magic? It’s in the tangy cream cheese frosting that we make with just 3 ingredients and a hand mixer.

♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

1. Easy: Gorgeous, without all the work of a layer cake + fancy cake decorating. 
2. Cream Cheese Goodness: We’ll take any excuse to eat cream cheese frosting! It’s just so good and it always pairs perfectly with carrot cake.
3. Travel-Friendly: Visiting friends or family for Easter and want to bring dessert? Just wrap your pan in foil and go! No special cake carrier needed.

Ingredient Notes:

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

For the bars:

Dry Ingredients – You’ll need some standard cake ingredients for this recipe including flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices including ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger!

Wet Ingredients – The dry ingredients will get mixed with some melted butter and beaten eggs to prepare the carrot cake batter.

Shredded Carrots – We tested this recipe with both pre-shredded carrots and carrots that we shredded ourselves. Highly (highly) recommend shredding your own carrots. They melt right into the cake for the best texture.

Chopped Pecans – We like the crunchy texture and nutty flavor that the chopped pecans add to these carrot cake bars. Walnuts would also work well.

For the frosting:

Cream Cheese – Be sure to use a block of cream cheese (not the spreadable kind in a tub) and make sure it’s at room temperature for the best texture.

Vanilla – For this recipe we like to use vanilla bean paste because it has a much richer vanilla flavor than extract and it includes the seeds but vanilla extract works fine here too!

Powdered Sugar – To sweeten up the cream cheese frosting!

My Favorite Vanilla!

A good quality vanilla really does make a difference and this is my favorite brand.

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Step by Step Instructions for Carrot Cake Bars:

Add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine. Next stir in the eggs, melted butter, and shredded carrots until just combined. Finally, fold in the chopped pecans.

Spread the carrot cake batter evenly into a greased 15×10 rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan.

Prepare the cream cheese frosting in a stand mixer by beating together the cream cheese and vanilla paste. Gradually add the powdered sugar while mixing on low until the frosting reaches your preferred consistency.

Spread the cream cheese frosting on the cooled carrot cake and then slice into bars. Serve at room temperature or chilled!

Karly’s Tips:

We’ve tested these bars quite a few times and here are some of our top tips so that yours turn out just as good as ours!

• Freshly grated carrots are a non-negotiable. They keep the bars insanely moist and tender—trust me.
• If you’re feeling fancy, sprinkle a little cinnamon or chopped nuts on top of the frosting for some flair. Piping a little carrot on there is also cute!
• Store leftovers (if you have any!) in the fridge to keep them fresh and the frosting firm. Bonus: they taste amazing cold!

• Easter Cookies: Our favorite cookie dough all dressed up for the Easter Bunny!
• Butter Cookies: My mama makes these for every holiday.
• Bisquick Peach Cobbler: So simple and always a hit!
• Easter Charcuterie Board: Full of colorful Easter treats!
• Mini Cheesecakes: Topped with the best strawberry sauce!
• Lemon Bars: The perfect spring dessert!
• Easter Oatmeal Brownies: Rich, fudgy, and chewy brownies with candies!