Grated carrot and cinnamon give these chilled oat bars their carrot-cake character. Vanilla protein powder, almond butter, and maple syrup complete the no-bake mixture, with walnuts or raisins available as optional additions.
The recipe takes about 10 minutes to prepare and one hour to chill. It makes eight bars. Finely grated carrots blend into the oat mixture more evenly than coarse pieces and make the pressed base easier to slice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ¼ cup almond butter
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Chopped walnuts or raisins, optional
Instructions
- Add the oats, vanilla protein powder, grated carrots, almond butter, maple syrup, and cinnamon to a mixing bowl.
- Add chopped walnuts or raisins if using.
- Mix until all ingredients are evenly combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a lined loaf pan.
- Press it firmly into an even layer, working the mixture into the corners.
- Chill for one hour.
- Lift the firm slab from the pan and slice it into eight bars.
Press the Bars Firmly
Stir the almond butter before measuring if its oil has separated. Add it across the dry ingredients rather than in one large mound, then mix thoroughly so the protein powder and cinnamon do not remain in pockets. Grated carrots carry moisture, so distribute them throughout the oats.
Lining the loaf pan creates handles for lifting out the chilled mixture. Use the back of a spoon or a flat-bottomed measuring cup to compress the base. Firm, even pressure helps the bars hold their shape after cutting.
Chill for the full stated hour before testing the slab. Use a sharp knife to make eight portions, wiping the blade between cuts if needed. Keep the bars in a covered container in the refrigerator because they contain fresh carrot. Place a liner between layers if stacking them.
