This Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal is made with old-fashioned oats, a touch of maple syrup for sweetness, and plenty of fresh grated carrot. It’s like a delicious slice of carrot cake in every bite.
What is Baked Oatmeal?
Baked oatmeal is warm breakfast casserole that usually contains old fashioned oats, eggs, and milk. One of the great things about baked oatmeal, in comparison to a traditional bowl of oats, is that baked oatmeal can be prepped, baked, and then reheated. It is a great option for when you’re on the go, and need a quick healthy start to your day.
More Delicious Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Blackberry Baked Oatmeal
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Ingredients
Old fashioned oats: if you have a gluten sensitivity or allergy be sure to grab certified gluten free oats.
Eggs: these help bind everything together so you can get a delicious solid slice of baked oatmeal.
Almond milk: I love the neutral flavor of almond milk in this recipe but cashew, coconut, or oat milk would also work well.
Unsweetened applesauce: using unsweetened applesauce allows you to better control the sugar content in the baked oatmeal.
Maple syrup: for a little sweetness, this recipe uses maple syrup which works well with all of the other warm and cozy flavors in the oatmeal. You could also use honey if you prefer.
Melted butter: this adds a little extra richness and great flavor to the oatmeal.
Fresh carrot: you can’t have carrot cake baked oatmeal without plenty of fresh carrot. I recommend grating the carrot using a box grater for the best results.
Walnuts and Raisins: these are optional but really help to make the baked oatmeal taste like a slice of carrot cake.
Coconut: this is another optional ingredient but so good in the oatmeal. Look for unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut.
Spices & Vanilla Extract: warm carrot cake spices and vanilla extract are a must for that classic carrot cake flavor.
Cream Cheese Icing: What really takes this baked oatmeal to the next level is the delicious cream cheese icing on top. It’s made with a combination of cream cheese, orange zest, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, almond milk, apple sauce, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk all of the wet ingredients together until well combined.
Step Two: Next, add the gluten free oats, baking powder, spices, and salt to the mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
Step Three: Next, fold in the chopped walnuts, raisins, shredded coconut, and finely shredded carrot, into the batter until well combined.
Step Four: Transfer the carrot cake oatmeal batter to a well greased 9×13 baking dish.
Step Five: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the oatmeal is golden and set.
Step Six: While the oatmeal is baking, make the cream cheese glaze. In small bowl mix together the cream cheese, almond milk, powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla sugar until well combined.
Step Seven: Let the oatmeal cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with the cream cheese glaze drizzled over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a flax egg?
Yes! Several readers have reported that they have used flax eggs as a substitute in my baked oatmeal recipes with great results. You could also use you favorite egg replacement instead.
What can I substitute for butter?
Melted coconut oil or melted ghee will both work well as a substitute for melted butter in this recipe. If you’re feeling fancy you could swap the regular butter for brown butter instead.
Do I have to use dairy free milk?
No! Feel free to use regular whole milk if you prefer.
How do I reduce the sweetness?
This baked oatmeal is pretty forgiving when it comes to the sweetness. I’ve actually made it without sweetener altogether at times and while it definitely is less sweet, the texture is not impacted at all.
If you would like to reduce the amount of sweetness in this baked oatmeal you can halve the amount of maple syrup or leave it out entirely.
I don’t have applesauce, can I use something else?
If you like, you can use mashed banana but it will change the flavor of the recipe a bit.
Can I use Quick Oats or Steel Cut Oats?
For the best texture and results, I’d recommend using old fashioned whole grain oats or quick oats in this recipe, not steel cut oats.
How to Serve Baked Oatmeal
There are so many delicious ways to serve this carrot cake baked oatmeal. If you don’t feel like using the cream cheese glaze then there are a few other ways to serve the oatmeal.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- add a dollop of Greek yogurt
- pour on a bit of maple syrup or honey
- sprinkle on extra cinnamon and a few fresh apple slices
Can I Meal Prep This Recipe In Advance?
Option One: Because the oats will soak up all of the liquid in the batter, I do not recommend prepping the batter in advance and baking the next morning. Instead, I find it more helpful to prep all of the dry ingredients and all of the wet ingredients separately the night before.
Option Two: The second option is my personal favorite which is to bake the oatmeal the night before and then reheat in the morning.
How to Store and Reheat Leftover Baked Oatmeal
- Store the baked oatmeal in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Reheat the baked oatmeal in the microwave for thirty seconds at a time until warm or in the oven at 350 degrees, wrapped in foil, until warmed through.
Can You Freeze This Baked Oatmeal?
Yes! To freeze the oatmeal, let it come to a complete cool and then transfer to a freezer safe storage container. You can reheat the oatmeal in the oven at 350 degrees wrapped in foil until warmed through or in the microwave.
Reader Favorite Carrot Cake Recipes
- Homemade Carrot Cake
- CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES
- CREAMY CARROT CAKE SMOOTHIE
- CARROT CAKE ENERGY BITES
- CARROT CAKE BREAD WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- CARROT CAKE BANANA BREAD
- CARROT CAKE BAKED OATMEAL
Get all of our favorite reader favorite carrot cake recipes!
I hope you give this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal a try! This makes a quick and easy breakfast or snack that everyone will love!
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
Print
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal is made with old-fashioned oats, a touch of maple syrup for sweetness, and plenty of fresh grated carrot. It’s like a delicious slice of carrot cake in every bite.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cups almond milk
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/3 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup finely grated carrot
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1–2 tablespoons almond milk
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, almond milk, apple sauce, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk all of the wet ingredients together until well combined.
- Next, add the gluten free oats, baking powder, spices, and salt to the mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Next, fold in the chopped walnuts, raisins, shredded coconut, and finely shredded carrot, into the batter until well combined.
- Transfer the carrot cake oatmeal batter to a well greased 9×13 baking dish.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the oatmeal is golden and set.
- While the oatmeal is baking, make the cream cheese glaze. In small bowl mix together the cream cheese, almond milk, powdered sugar, orange zest, and vanilla sugar until well combined.
- Let the oatmeal cool for 5-10 minutes before serving with the cream cheese glaze drizzled over.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA
