Carrot Cake Nanaimo Bars

These layered carrot cake Nanaimo bars have a spiced graham cracker crust, creamy filling, and decadently smooth white chocolate topping. They make a delicious Easter dessert and are an easy no bake recipe for a spring treat.

Make these anytime you're in the mood for the flavors of traditional carrot cake but don't feel like turning on the oven!

If you look at these carrot cake bars and are reminded of the classic Canadian treat, Nanaimo bars, you're correct. They served as my jumping-off point for this easy dessert recipe.

Living just 72 miles as the crow flies from Nanaimo in British Columbia, Canada, Nanaimo bars were a staple in my mom's dessert repertoire when I was a kid. She frequently made and packed them for summer boat trips (including to the namesake port city) we took as a family.

I've always loved the textural combination of those bars: the chewy coconut chocolate graham cracker base, the creamy center, the rich chocolate layer on top.

With this recipe, I wanted to use a similar three layer format but create a very distinct flavor profile. I hope you enjoy this spring-inspired rendition!

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST

Graham crackers - For this recipe, I used 10 sheets (each sheet has 4 connected crackers on it). You will need approximately 10 sheets to equal 1 ¼ cups of graham cracker crumbs. I've added the weight in grams so that you have an accurate amount of graham crackers no matter the brand or size you use.

I recommend grinding the crackers in a food processor for nice fine crumbs. That said, my grandma always put her graham crackers in a ziploc bag and crushed them using a rolling pin. That's an alternative method if you don't have a food processor.

If you need a graham cracker substitute, try replacing them with digestive biscuits, lotus biscoff cookies or gingersnaps.

Unsweetened shredded coconut - Use unsweetened shredded (desiccated) coconut, not a sweetened variety.

Unsweetened shredded coconut has less moisture than the sweetened variety. This helps balance out the added moisture from the shredded carrots.

Toasted pecans add a rich nuttiness to the base layer. Toasting is completely optional, but I appreciated the extra crunch and flavor that the toasted version provides. If you don't have pecans, you can substitute walnuts or almonds.

Almond flour (finely ground) helps bind the base and provide extra richness and flavor. You can replace it with a similar amount of graham crackers if needed.

Brown sugar adds a nice caramel flavor.

Salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla add delicious, warm flavor that really make the familiar carrot cake taste come alive. Without them, you're simply eating a graham cracker crust. Add the spices, and it's transformed into carrot cake in bar form!

Unsalted butter, melted, serves as the binder holding the base layer together.

I chose to go the extra step to brown my butter, which made for a decadent nutty addition that compliments the other flavors well. Browning the butter, like toasting the pecans, is optional, but really gives these an extra flavor boost.

Finely grated carrots are the key ingredient in these bars! Use a microplane or the smallest option on your grater for fine carrot gratings. Smaller pieces ensure even distribution and help keep the base from crumbling. Definitely grate your own carrots; prepackaged grated carrots are too large and often dry.

FOR THE FILLING

Unsalted butter forms the foundation of this sweet and rich filling. Having your butter at room temperature, or even slightly softer, will help ensure the smoothest filling possible.

Cream cheese gives a nod to the classic pairing of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Custard powder is a traditional ingredient in Nanaimo bars, and I wanted to keep it in this recipe.

I purchased my custard powder online. You might also find it in some specialty grocery stores. To substitute for custard powder, consider using an equal amount instant vanilla pudding mix. The custard powder I used, Bird's Custard Powder, contains annatto coloring.

The annatto is what turned the filling pale orange in color. It seems fitting for carrot bars.

If your custard powder doesn't have color (or you use instant vanilla pudding), your middle layer will likely not be orange. Feel free to add a very, very small amount of orange food coloring if desired.

Powdered sugar gives the filling its signature sweetness and smooth texture. Sift it well to avoid lumps in the custard filling layer.

Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor.

Heavy cream thins out the buttercream filling just enough to achieve a thick but spreadable consistency. You can substitute full fat milk if needed.

FOR THE TOPPING

White chocolate - Use good quality white chocolate for the topping. The white chocolate bar I used contained only sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, soy lecithin, and natural vanilla.

If you can find white chocolate chips with a similarly simple ingredient list without added fillers (for retaining their shape when baked), it will probably work out just fine!

Neutral vegetable oil is an integral part of the topping. It should be a taste-free oil such as grapeseed, canola or very light olive oil in order to not impart any of its own flavor.

It will thin the melted chocolate enough to flow around the pan as you tilt it. You'll achieve a silky smooth white chocolate layer on top since you won't need to use a tool to spread the white chocolate.

Frequently asked questions

Storage

Store: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days (although you'll be hard pressed to keep them around that long.)

Freeze: They can also be stored in the freezer in an airtight container. Place parchment paper between layers if you stack them. Thaw frozen bars overnight in the refrigerator prior to eating.

No bake caveats

I love a good no bake recipe. This honey orange cheesecake, key lime cheesecake bars, and chocolate cornflake cookies are all no bake desserts. It's lovely when you don't have to turn on the oven!

In full disclosure, this recipe does contain two optional steps that involve heating ingredients on a burner (toasting pecans, browning butter). However, they aren't necessary for the success of the recipe.

You can consider them flavor-enhancing steps. I DO highly recommend them in order to make these bars really sing - but they're not required.

Top tip

Chill each layer before adding the next. This will ensure that each layer is firm, keeping it from mixing with the next when layering.

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