If you love carrot cake, you’ll love these Carrot Cake Bars! They’re cookie bars with a delicious layer of cinnamon-spiced cream cheese and topped with a carrot cake crumble.

This recipe costs $5.38 to make eighteen large bars. It costs $0.29 per serving.

Love all carrot desserts? If so, I recommend my Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake Copycat, Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies, and Easy Carrot Cake.

Three cake bars stacked on top of each other.

This recipe is perfect for Spring gatherings or even Easter! They make a TON, so they’ll feed a crowd.

These bars are perfect when you don’t have the time or desire to make a layered cake. They are simple to make, and everyone loves them. 

The Carrot Cake Bars are moist, perfectly spiced, and have a delicious cream cheese layer. These dessert bars are fabulous for pot lucks, family parties, dessert after dinner, after-school snacks, and breakfast. You get the gist! 

A Carrot Cake Bar on a white plate with a scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce.

Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.29

Recipe Cost: $5.38

  • 15.25 oz box carrot cake mix – $1.34
  • ½ cup walnuts – $0.78
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil – $0.16
  • 2 large eggs – $0.34
  • 8 oz brick cream cheese – $1.96
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar – $0.08
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon – $0.04
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – $0.68

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

All of the ingredients needed to make these carrot cake bars.

How To Make Carrot Cake Bars:

  1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then spay the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. 
  2. Next, using a large bowl, stir together the carrot cake mix, vegetable oil, walnuts, and one egg. 
  3. Set aside one cup of the mixture.
  4. Pat the remaining crumb mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for ten minutes and then set it aside to cool. 
  5. Beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth. 
  6. Add the sugar, one egg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
  7. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture over the carrot cake crust in the pan.
  8. Sprinkle the remaining cup of the crumb mixture over the top of the cream cheese.
  9. Bake for an additional eighteen minutes. 
  10. Finally, set the baking dish on a wire rack to cool completely for around an hour and then cut into bars to serve with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream (optional).

A picture collage showing how to make this Carrot Cake Bars recipe.

***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations

  • You can make endless flavors of cake bars by just changing out the cake mix flavor. Try other flavors of cake mix including red velvet, lemon, strawberry, vanilla, etc. Omit the walnuts and cinnamon if you try another flavor.
  • Substitute chopped pecans for the walnuts or leave them out completely if you like.
  • You can omit the cinnamon and just have a plain cream cheese filling.
  • You can use low-fat cream cheese, but please don’t use fat-free!

Storage Tips

SERVE: Once the Carrot Cake Bars have cooled for an hour, slice and serve plain or with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

STORE: Store any leftovers in a covered airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It should be stored in the fridge because of the cream cheese filling.

FREEZE: Prepare as directed and then let it cool completely. Cut into squares and wrap up individually to freeze for up to 3 months.

 

The finished Carrot Cake Bars in the pyrex baking pan.

Cook’s Tools

  • 9×13-inch baking pan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Handheld mixer
  • Liquid measuring cup
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Wire rack
  • Offset spatula

Recipe FAQ’s

Is carrot cake better for you than regular cake?

It literally has vegetables in the cake, so it’s pretty healthy, right?! I wish! The added fat from the cream cheese frosting makes carrot cake not the healthiest choice compared to other cakes. But as I always say, all things in moderation!

What goes well with carrot cake?

Fruits such as pineapple and coconut go well with carrot cake and are often added to various carrot cake recipes. Nuts also go well with carrot cake. I prefer walnuts with these carrot cake bars, but you can easily substitute pecans instead.

A pile of these carrot cake bars on a white plate.

More Desserts

Three cake bars stacked on top of each other on a white plate.
4.86 from 14 votes

Carrot Cake Bars

Recipe Cost $ $5.38
Serving Cost $ $0.29
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 28 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 43 minutes
18 people
If you love carrot cake, you’ll love these Carrot Cake Bars! They’re cookie bars with a delicious layer of cinnamon-spiced cream cheese and topped with a carrot cake crumble.

Equipment

  • 9×13-inch baking pan
  • mixing bowl
  • handheld mixer
  • liquid measuring cup
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • wire rack
  • offset spatula

Ingredients
 
 

  • 15.25 oz box carrot cake mix
  • ½ cup walnuts chopped
  • cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs divided
  • 8 oz brick cream cheese softened
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR SERVING:

  • caramel sauce optional
  • vanilla ice cream optional

Instructions

PREP OVEN AND PAN:

  • Move the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

MAKE CRUMB CAKE LAYER:

  • In a large bowl, stir together carrot cake mix, vegetable oil, chopped walnuts, and 1 egg. It should be a crumbly consistency.
  • Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for later.
  • Pat the carrot cake crumb mixture into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake for 10 minutes.
  • Set aside to cool.

MAKE REST OF BARS:

  • Add the cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on low speed until smooth. Add sugar, 1 egg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over the carrot cake crust in the baking pan.
  • Sprinkle reserved 1 cup of carrot cake crumb mixture evenly on top.
  • Bake for 18 minutes.

COOL:

  • Place the pan on a wire rack and let the bars cool completely, about 1 hour.
  • Cut into bars.
  • Serve with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream (both optional).

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. Lizet Bowen says:

    Every time we make this recipe, it turns out perfect. My kids requested we make it for Christmas this year. Just so delicious!

  2. Shadi Hasanzadenemati says:

    I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend!

  3. These cookie bars are delicious and one of my hubby’s favorites. I need to make them for him again!

  4. Carrie Robinson says:

    Oh yum! I just think I might be adding these to my weekend baking list. 😉

  5. Love carrot cake so this goes straight on my to-try list!

  6. Carrie Robinson says:

    These look delicious! And I just love that they start with a cake mix. 🙂

  7. Sara Welch says:

    Enjoyed these for Easter brunch and they were a hit all around the table! Easy and delicious; my whole family loved them!

  8. These are too good not to try them. Fantastic instructions – they make the whole process so easy to follow.

  9. We made these for Easter, and everyone loved them! They’re super easy to make and full of that classic carrot cake flavor. So delicious!

  10. Love this twist on a traditional carrot cake recipe!! Carrot cake is one of my absolute favorites so I can’t wait to make these sweet treats soon!