I’m never up to speed with the latest trends. My closet is dated, my hair has been the same style for 10+ years, and I listen to old country western music (no really, I do. Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings are my buds). The only trends I follow are foodie fads – I must taste and try it all! And right now, balls are all the rage. So naturally I had to make a ball so delicious, so snack-worthy, it would rival all other balls. These are paleo carrot cake energy balls.
Rewind for a second. Who ever thought of carrot cake? Like what kind of though process went in to that?
“Hmmm I shall make a cake, but not just any cake. A cake made with a root vegetable!” Whoever this crazy person is, he/she had a stroke of brilliance.
Someone else came along and said, “I shall make a snack, but this snack shall be round. And from now until eternity, these round snacking balls can be customized and people will rejoice and make millions of little balls with millions of ingredient variations!” Also pretty dang smart.
Then I came along and one day I mumbled, “My snacks are boring. Hmmm…maybe I’ll throw together some balls. Balls that are sweet yet healthy, adult and toddler-approved.” Then I raised the roof (that’s still cool to do, right?)
Not only are these paleo carrot cake energy balls the perfect snack on the go, they are great for a healthy treat packed with vitamins A and K and antioxidants. So snack on them when you have two hours before lunch and your stomach is yelling, pop them in ‘yo mouth for an afternoon treat, or grab a few as pre-workout fuel.
Snacking never ever goes out of style. And habitual snackers like myself need to mix it up to avoid a clinically recognized condition called SBS (snack boredom syndrome). It can lead to crabbiness, emergency frozen yogurt trips, and later…regret.
So don’t get stuck in a rut or fall behind the foodie trendsetters. Instead, make a solid batch of these paleo and family-friendly delights asap. Although I found them to be the perfect sweetness, double the raw honey if you have a major sweet tooth!
- 1 cup baby carrots - shredded finely
- ¾ c pecans
- 1 egg white
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Shred the baby carrots and pecans in a food processor or blender, and pour into a medium bowl
- Whisk egg white until frothy then add to bowl
- Add the cinnamon, raw honey, coconut flour, and ground flaxseed
- Mix well until thoroughly combined
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Using your hands, take a small amount of the mixture (about 1½ - 2 tablespoons) and condense the mix. Then gently roll into a ball form
- Bake the balls for 12-15 minutes
I’m never up on the trends….I hate following them 😛 I’m my own person and always have been that way since I was little!
But bites….they are essential 😉 And carrot cake <3 My favorite cake in the world!
I feel like I don’t have the time to follow trends. Or I’m always at the tail end. So I just stopped trying! Ok but for the serious question – does carrot cake really come before red velvet? I mean, SUPER tough call there…
Fabulous! Pinned 🙂
Thanks for the pin love friend!
These look so delicious! I feel like I could always use a boost of energy!! 🙂
Thanks Chelsea! And feel free to load up on all this energy goodness!
OMG, I have been searching for a such a recipe for a long time now. Yours seem to the least complicated and tasty..will love to try this.. 🙂
Ooooh happy dance! So glad you found it! And heck no, complicated is NOT what I’m about! Enjoy 🙂
Yum! I’m pinning these for after my whole 30! I’m hoping to utilize more paleo recipes afterwards.
Karin | truncationblog.com
Great idea! These are great snacks to reintroduce, because they are still super nutritious but not overly sweet. Enjoy Karin!
Just pinned because I will be making this soon! This recipe look so delicious and i love energy balls they are so easy to make and easy to carry!
Thanks Shamira! I love pin love! Enjoy these fun, healthy, snack-able balls!
These carrot cake energy balls look too good and something I would eat way too many of! Thank you for sharing this healthy and delicious recipe!
Good news is, if you ate too many, just means you ate a lot of carrots! So no holds bar Ashleigh – go for it!
Hahah Chrissa you’re so cute. I also love Johnny Cash and think he is amazing.
So curious about these balls! I love carrot cake, but my biggest weakness is the cheese cream icing. Is it cheating if I dip these balls in cream cheese =D
YOU DO?!?!?! Ok I’ve never met anyone that is under 50 that like Johnny Cash. HAPPY DANCE! He is totes amazing. Ugh YES that cream cheese icing is freaking addicting. I could eat that in it’s entirety. But these balls are a much better choice. And I won’t judge if you dip them in cream cheese. 😉
I’m a total SNACK monster, too! I’d eat snacks all day instead of meals, if it was up to me! These look like such a great afternoon pick-me-up for SPRING! Delish!
That would be the best way to live – just snacking. All the time, every single day. Totally with ya Blair!
This healthy treat is just what I’ve been looking for! I love carrot cake but let’s be honest the original version is anything but healthy. Thanks so much for sharing this, and can’t wait to give it a try!
Oh I’m so glad these ballzzz found you at just the right time Cara! The best part of the naughty version of carrot cake is the cream cheese frosting, let’s be honest. But these come without the guilt 😉
Love this for a healthier snack option!
Thanks Dara! Happy snacking!
Carrot cake is one of my fave, so I REALLY have to give this a try. Thank you for sharing – they look so cute and delicious!
Yes do Noemi!! Enjoy these fun little ball/carrot-cake inspired snackies!!
I love these!! I make a similar version with oats – but this looks perfect to switch things up a bit. And I have ALL this stuff in my house. Trend on girl… 🙂
Ah yes! Oat balls are great too! So many ball variations, I mean seriously, you could go crazy thinking of all the fun ways to make a ball. I hope you love these Erica!
Your food photography is fabulous! I know these energy balls are tasty but sometimes you see them looking so blah in photos… you make them look as incredibly delicious as chocolate truffles!
XO – Danielle
twentydollardate.com
Oh my gosh thank you!! Food photography is not easy, so that means a lot Danielle! Carrot balls/chocolate truffles, same thing right?! LOL!!
Oooo these energy balls sound fantastic! I will definitely be giving them a try!
I hope you do! They are such a fun and healthy treat!
These look so good and I can eat them! Yay!! So many times I see these awesome desserts and cannot eat them. I love carrot cake so this will be a great little treat. Thanks for sharing!
I can totally relate. There’s usually a gluten-free options or dairy-free, but it’s hard to find BOTH. This is a nice ‘lil treat but not overly “OMG sweetness overload!” Thanks Jenn!
Mmmm, these look delicious! And I am so excited they are nearly allergen free and have no processed sugar! 🙂 Awesome job girl – can’t wait to try!
Taylor Layne
Thanks Taylor. A great snack for food allergies! I just went to your site – excited for the big changes you have ahead! Thank you for stopping by!
These look delicious!! As soon as I can add sweetener back into my diet I’m going to try them. Yum! Thanks for sharing at the Best of the Blogosphere link up!
Thanks Amber! And yes I’d definitely suggest waiting until you can add the honey back in to your diet. Unless you just want a big ball of carrot 😉
I am with you – I am the least trendy person I know with everything but food.
These look so good! A great snack for adults and kids alike.
Oh good – I thought I was just a super-weird foodie-obsessed person. But there are other weirdos (errr I mean rockstars) like me!!!! Thanks Wendy 😉
Mmm you had me at carrot cake! These energy balls look delicious! 🙂
Thanks Kelly. CARROT CAKE is like the magic password for anything. Mmmmm….
All about those balls, and love this carrot cake version! I raise the roof all the time and say “HOLLA” when I nail a recipe, so I’m with ya! 😉
You are pretty bomb at making balls! RAISE THE ROOF my fellow ball-lovin’ Midwest sista!!!
How did you know that carrot cake flavored everything was currently my obsession? No seriously…my husband told me Im not allowed to make anything else carrot cake flavored. I think he’s worried I might try to invent some sort of carrot cake dinner casserole. But I mean…carrot cake is just so goooood.
Hahahaha that’s funny! Husbands tend to get weirded out by veggie-inspired anything (or at least mine does). But hey, I’d totally try your carrot cake dinner casserole. A meal and dessert in one. Love that!
Haha, I totally loved your intro paragraph! And these balls…AWESOME! Pinning and tweeting but I’d much rather be eating 😉
LOL! If I pinned or tweeted as much as I ate my social media would be THROUGH THE ROOF! Thanks so much Sonali!
I love energy balls! I need to try these!
Totally give ’em a whirl! Enjoy a new snacky-snack!
Mmm I am all about these carrot cake energy balls! Love that they are fill with lots of vitamins and nutrients! These are perfect to snack on at work, because my stomach is always gurgling when I’m working haha!
Thanks Linda! I swear my stomach is always gurgling, pretty much all the time. Serious snacker over here! Hope you love these fun and healthy treats.
I have a gluten & dairy allergy. Definitely making these!!
Flip Flops and Furs
Such a bummer Sarah! But glad you found this! A lot of my recipes are gluten and dairy-free, so I hope you can pick up a few while you stopped by.
I’ve seen carrot cake snack balls but never with so much carrot packed in! Brilliant recipe.
Right?! I wanted these to have some serious carrot action!! Thanks so much Alisa!
Ohh you are a snack genius!! Love carrot cake ANYTHING, and I’m sure I’d love these 🙂 Xoxo
Snacks are where it’s AT. I’m no genius but I’m glad you’re down with the carrot cake 🙂
I love making energy bites! Carrot cake is the best flavor ever 🙂
It is a pretty dang good flavor combo! I mean, who doesn’t love carrot cake?!
What an awesome snack! Can’t wait to try these!!! Yum! 🙂
Thanks Kelly! It’s definitely a no-guilt kind of snacky snack!
These are baking as I type…so can’t wait!! Question, if I make a ton of these, do they freeze well?
Hmmmm good question! I’ve never froze these Dani. They are pretty delicate, so I am weary that they might fall apart if frozen and thawed. Let me know if you try it though – now I’m curious!
I made these today and they came out exactly like they went in except warm. There was no ‘cake’ about them. Only warm soft dough. Any suggestions? I baked them 15 minutes then another 3 minutes. Still the same. I wonder if I added apple cider vinegar to help it rise would make a difference?
Hi Jennifer – thanks for the note. These won’t come out with a traditional ‘fluffy cake’ consistency. Sorry if the title was misleading to you! They are inspired by carrot cake – but a healthier version. The baking process is intended to soften the carrots and help the balls stay together. I do not think adding apple cider vinegar would help much, but you could certainly try. Thank you very much for stopping by!
Do they need to be refrigerated or can be stored just in a container on the counter?
They can be stored on the counter for a day or two, but after that I’d probably store in the refrigerator 🙂
These looks AMAZING. How could i make them tree nut free? I need a substitution for the pecans.
Hmmmm maybe try a combo of sunflower and chia seeds?