These No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls are easy, delicious, and veggie-loaded! Gluten free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened and super easy to throw together. Bite-sized and made from healthy real food ingredients, this is a treat everyone will love!

An overhead shot of Carrot Peanut Butter Balls stacked in a bowl with oats surrounding the bowl

Guys, it is silly hot out. As I write this, I have all the shades pulled closed and every fan in the house going. I am doing everything I can think of to keep the house at a tolerable temperature, aside from busting out the AC unit (which I buried in the garage under some Christmas decorations).

This kind of weather makes me want to be as far away from my kitchen and stove as humanly possible. But this is not exactly ideal when you have a family to feed.

The ingredients for carrot peanut butter balls before being mixed together. They are displayed in a white bowl  on top of a white marble surface with a wooden spoon resting on the edge of the bowl and a white tea cloth

Luckily, there are lots of easy, no-cooking-required real food options to make to help keep you from melting into a puddle of sweat in front of your stove. Like these No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Energy Balls.

The ingredients for carrot peanut butter balls after being mixed together. They are displayed in a white bowl  on top of a white marble surface with a wooden spoon resting on the edge of the bowl and a white tea cloth

I love that these bite-size pieces of heaven do all their “baking” in my freezer. Totally my favorite way to cook in the summer.

These No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls are full of healthy fat, carrot goodness and are made with just a handful of real food ingredients that you probably already have hanging out in your kitchen. So, you can whip up these suckers together now without breaking a sweat and still enjoy a nutrient-dense treat without touching your oven.

Carrot peanut butter balls after being rolled into balls, lined up on a baking sheet before being placed in freezer.

Tips

Use a thick peanut butter

Natural peanut butter tends to be thin and can vary from brand to brand. Depending on how a peanut butter is made, it may have more oil. And other brands will have less. If the peanut butter you use for these no-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls is extra runny, your end result will still be delicious….but a bit soft. The thicker the PB, the firmer the bites will be.

Store your No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls in the freezer

As I mentioned above, natural PB can be thin. And since there are no dates in these bites to act as a binding agent, these balls have the best texture right out of the freezer. Because of the natural oils in the peanut butter, they never get super hard, so even frozen they are easy to bite into.

Make sure you stir your peanut butter well

Open a new jar of natural peanut butter. You will probably notice that there is a layer of oil on top of the nutty goodness. This is totally normal and your PB just needs a good stir. Put on some tunes, grab a spoon and stir your little heart out until you peanut butter has an even consistency. If you skip this step or only give it a few courtesy stirs, you will have runny PB at the start of your jar and dry PB at the end.

Carrot peanut butter balls stacked in a bowl on a white marble table top. Chocolate chips and raw rolled oats surround the bowl.

Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!

Suggested Adaptations

Reduce the sugar

Some like it sweet. And some want to keep the sugar (even the natural kind) to a minimum in their life. So if that’s you, you can cut down on the sugar in this recipe by using 1/4 cup honey and skipping the chocolate chips.

Make them nut-free

Ease peasy. Just swap out the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter!

Swap the chocolate chips for dried fruit

Chopped dates, raisins, figs, blueberries, cranberries….whatever you fancy. Swap away!

Throw in extra goodness!

Add hemp hearts to help pump up the protein. Swap out the chia seeds for ground flax! Toss in a handful of chopped nuts!

Other carrot recipes you are going to love

Did you try these carrot bites and now you’re hungry for more? 

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An overhead shot of Carrot peanut butter balls lined up in a single layer in a glass storage container to demonstrate how they can be stored.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls in a white bowl
5 from 6 votes

No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls

Yield: 12 balls
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
These No-Bake Peanut Butter Carrot Balls are easy, delicious, and veggie-loaded! Gluten free, dairy-free, vegan and super easy to throw together.

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup natural and smooth peanut butter;, if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt to the mix
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 cup dry rolled oats
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • ½ cup finely grated carrot
  • cup quality mini chocolate chips

Equipment

  • grater
  • small cookie scoop

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
  • Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and evenly distributed throughout.
  • Chill in your freezer for 30 minutes. This helps make the batter to form into balls easier.
  • Using a small cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, portion the mixture out and roll it into balls.
  • Place the balls on a cookie sheet and chill in your freezer for about 2 hours or until firm.
    Tip: for easy clean up, line the baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
  • Once the balls have set, transfer them to an air-tight, freezer-safe container and return to freezer to enjoy for up to a month (though I doubt they will last that long). Enjoy the chilled sweet treat straight from the freezer all summer long.

Notes

As I mentioned above, natural PB can be thin. And since there are no dates in these bites to act as a binding agent, these balls have the best texture right out of the freezer. Because of the natural oils in the peanut butter, they get firm but never get super hard, so even frozen they are easy to bite into.
However, a lot of this depends on the nut butter you are using. If you find your peanut butter carrot bites too hard to bite into fresh out of the freezer, move them over to your fridge after the initial chilling process. 
Serving: 1ball, Calories: 150kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 0.05mg, Sodium: 56mg, Potassium: 146mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 893IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 1mg