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–+ servings
featured carrot cake bars.

Carrot Cake Bars Recipe

Course: Bars, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cool Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 195kcal
Author: Becky Hardin
These carrot cake bars transform a simple box mix into a dense, cookie-like crust with a fudgy, cheesecake-inspired center. The perfect handheld treat for Easter egg hunts and spring parties!
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric

Equipment

  • Kitchen Scale (optional)
  • 8x8 Baking Pan
  • Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer

Ingredients

  • 15.25 ounces carrot cake mix (1 box)*
  • ½ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled (1 stick)
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese room temperature (½ brick)**
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk (about ⅖ can)***

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Leave the sides a little higher than the pan so the bars can be lifted out easily after they’ve cooled. Spray the parchment paper lined pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the dry cake mix, butter, egg, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Do not overmix.
    15.25 ounces carrot cake mix, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    carrot cake bar dough in a glass bowl.
  • In a separate medium bowl, beat the cream cheese on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
    4 ounces full-fat cream cheese
    beaten cream cheese in a glass bowl.
  • Beat the sweetened condensed milk into the cream cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
    ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
    carrot cake bar filling in a glass bowl.
  • Press about ⅔ of the dough mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. This dough will be thick (cookie dough consistency). If having difficulties spreading the dough into the pan, lightly spray a spatula with nonstick spray to help spread out the bottom layer.
    carrot cake bar dough pressed into a blue baking pan.
  • Spread the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk mixture evenly over the first dough layer.
    carrot cake bar filling spread over carrot cake bar dough in a blue cake pan.
  • Press the remaining ⅓ of the dough into super flat pieces and cover as much of the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk layer with the dough as possible. It’s okay if some of the cheesecake layer is still exposed.
    unbaked carrot cake bars in a blue baking pan.
  • Bake for 29-31 minutes – the middle will look set and the edges will be slightly browned. Do not overbake or these bars will lose the gooey texture.
    overhead view of carrot cake bars in a blue baking pan.
  • Let bars cool in pan for at least 60 minutes before removing from pan and slicing into 16 squares.

Notes

*You can swap the carrot cake mix for another type of cake mix, such as butter pecan, gingerbread, or spice cake.
**Make sure to use full-fat, block-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind.
***DIY sweetened condensed milk: mix ½ cup evaporated milk with 10 tbsp granulated sugar. Heat over med-low until dissolved, then let cool before using.
Tips:
  • This recipe starts with the dry mix only. Do not prepare the cake as directed on the box.
  • Don't overmix the cake mix; otherwise, your bars will come out tough.
  • Don't panic if the cake mixture looks green. It's totally normal and a result of alkaline leaveners reacting with the carrots.
  • Feel free to add in some raisins, walnuts, or chopped pecans to add extra flavor and crunch!
  • The cake mix dough should be thick like cookie dough. If it’s too thin, add a bit of flour to thicken it back up.
  • The cheesecake filling should have the consistency of yogurt.
  • Don’t press the dough into the cheesecake layer, or it will disappear.
  • If the dough is too sticky to handle, lightly flour your hands before pressing.
  • Don’t overbake these bars, or the filling will not be gooey and creamy.
  • If the filling won’t set after baking, it was likely too wet. Try adding more cream cheese to thicken it up.
  • For the absolute best texture, refrigerate the cooled bars for at least 2 hours.
  • For clean-edged squares, wipe the knife with a damp cloth in between cutting each row.
Make-Ahead: For the best texture and cleanest slices, I recommend baking these 24 hours in advance and letting them set in the refrigerator overnight; this allows the cheesecake layer to fully firm up and the carrot flavor to intensify.
Storage: Store carrot cake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 1mg