Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Do you ever reach for carrot cake thinking it’s a slightly healthier choice than a regular cupcake? You wouldn’t be alone! But the truth is, traditional carrot cake can often pack just as much sugar and calorie punch as its frosted cousin. That’s why I was on a mission to create a delicious, satisfying low-point alternative! While I knew achieving the classic fluffy cake texture might not be possible with healthier ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. These moist carrot cake bars with cream cheese frosting are packed with flavor and use ingredients that won’t break the bank on your points budget.

Now, I know texture preference is a personal thing, and some might miss the typical cake fluffiness. But trust me, these bars are simply scrumptious! Plus, the delectable low-point cream cheese frosting adds the perfect finishing touch. Even better? The recipe yields 9 generous bars, each clocking in at just 5 Weight Watchers points. So go ahead and indulge in a guilt-free treat that satisfies your sweet tooth without derailing your goals!

Three reasons why you need to make this recipe!

These are amazing for a weekend brunch.

Imagine sitting outside on a warm, breezy mid morning, enjoying a delicious (healthy!) carrot cake bar! Well with this recipe keeping your waistline in check, you can fully make that happen. 

Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting are perfect for guilt free indulgence. 

One carrot cake bar is just 142 calories – compare that to a 400 calorie slice of regular carrot cake, and you’ll be hooked for life. It saves you calories without sacrificing taste. 

You can easily adjust this recipe to your carrot cake liking. 

I prefer nuts in my carrot cake, so I add chopped pecans. But if don’t like nuts, or prefer to add raisins, make it your way! You can even add a dash of extra cinnamon if you like a spice kick. 

Ingredients you need to make Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting: 

• 1 (100 g) container of nonfat plain Greek yogurt 
• ⅓ cup almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• ½ tablespoon oil such as canola
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 2Tbsp all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1.5 cups shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons chopped nuts 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• ¼ cup light cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup icing sugar or confectionery sugar
• ½ tablespoon reduced calorie margarine
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

How to make Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting (step by step): 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F, and spray a 9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Using a food processor shred the carrots, then pat them dry with a paper towel. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the egg, egg white, nonfat Greek yogurt, and milk. Mix well and then stir in the oil and vanilla extract. Mix in the sugar, all purpose flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda, and mix well.
4. Fold in the carrots and nuts.
5. Pour the batter out into the baking dish, using a spatula to get all the batter into the dish.
6. Bake the bars in the oven for 40 minutes. Let them cool completely. The cake will settle once it is out of the oven.
7. Mix together all of the icing ingredients until its light and fluffy. Let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
8. Once the bars are cooled, cut them into 9 and top with the chilled icing. Enjoy! 

Makes 9 bars. Nutrition info for 1 bar: Calories 142,  Fat 4 g, Saturated fat 1.06 g,  Carbs 22 g,  Fiber 1.28 g, Sugars 8.8 g, Sodium 138.29 mg, Protein 4 g. 

WW Points For Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

• Nonfat plain Greek 0 points
• Almond milk 0 points
• Egg 0 points
• Egg white 0 points
• Canola or olive oil 2 points
• Vanilla extract 0 points
• All purpose white flour 15 points
• Brown sugar 12 points
• Baking powder 0 points
• Baking soda 0 points
• Cinnamon 0 points
• Nutmeg 0 points
• Shredded carrots
• Chopped nuts 3 points

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• Light cream cheese softened 6 points
• Icing sugar or confectionery sugar 5 points
• Reduced calorie margarine 2 points
• Vanilla extract 0 points

5 points per bar based on the WW app recipe creator.  

If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below. 

Freestyle SP- (blue & purple) 4 using WW recipe builder

Smart Points- (green) 4 using SP calculator

Points Plus- 3 using PP calculator

Different ways to change up this recipe: 

• These are a denser carrot cake bar and not a fluffy cake like bar. 
• There are a few sugar free store bought icing options out now, that you could use rather than make your own icing if you want something faster but still low in points. 
• Rather than adding the nuts to the batter, sprinkle them on top of the bars for a pretty presentation. That way, if you know someone doesn’t like nuts, you can easily leave a nut-free bar for them. 

Tips and Tricks for Making Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting: 

• Store any leftover bars in a sealed container it the fridge for up to seven days. These bars freeze well, so you can store them that way too if you prefer. 

Similar recipes you’ll enjoy: 

• Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Apple Crisp Pizza
• Peanut Butter Donuts