Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
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Last updated on Apr 18, 2025
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This carrot cake baked oatmeal is studded with carrots, pineapple and walnuts and topped with a maple cream cheese glaze. Fancy enough to serve for Easter brunch, but healthy enough to make for weekly meal prep!
I love a good carrot cake, which I get from my dad because it’s his favorite cake ever. Given my obsession with baked oatmeal I just had to create a carrot cake baked oatmeal recipe for spring!
It’s similar to my carrot cake overnight oats, it’s just a little more indulgent, especially with the maple cream cheese glaze, so it’s perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch.
If you’re looking for more carrot cake inspired recipes you’ll have to try my carrot cake smoothie, oatmeal carrot cake and healthy carrot cake bars.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make – You only need one bowl, one baking dish and about 10 minutes of prep to whip up this carrot cake baked oatmeal.
- Perfect for any occasion – This baked oatmeal is fancy enough for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch, but easy enough to whip up for meal prep.
- Make-ahead friendly – Prep it in advance for a stress-free holiday breakfast or busy weekday mornings.
- Tastes like dessert – This recipe has all the cozy flavors of carrot cake, just in baked oatmeal form. And the maple cream cheese glaze is really what makes it taste like dessert. It’s chef’s kiss!
// ★★★★★ Review //
“This baked oatmeal is so easy and delicious!! I almost went without making the glaze but boy am I glad I did…that really made it seem like a real piece of carrot cake! Delicious!!!!” — Michele
Ingredients Needed
- old fashioned rolled oats – my fave brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats.
- grated carrots – the star of the show here! You can use store-bought grated carrots to save time or just grate 1-2 large carrots to equal 1/2 cup.
- canned crushed pineapple – a common ingredient in carrot cake. It adds moisture and a nice sweet flavor to this baked oatmeal.
- chopped raw walnuts – for some crunch! Feel free to sub in a different nut like pecans or almonds or skip the nuts all together.
- raisins – I love the hint of sweetness that raisins add to this oatmeal. If you’re not a raisin fan you can sub in dates, figs or skip them all together.
- ground flaxseed – instead of an egg, we’re using flaxseed to help bind the dish together. You can swap the flaxseed for 1 large egg if you prefer.
- unsweetened vanilla almond milk – any non-dairy milk works but I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can make your own following my homemade almond milk recipe.
- maple syrup – pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use for baked oatmeal in my opinion!
- maple cream cheese glaze – this is optional, but highly recommended! The glaze is what takes this baked oatmeal to the next level. It’s a delicious combination of cream cheese, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla. To make the glaze vegan, just use vegan cream cheese!
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Recipe Substitutions
- Make it dairy-free: Use a dairy-free cream cheese for the glaze, like Kite Hill or Miyoko’s, or skip the glaze entirely and drizzle with a little extra maple syrup instead. A drizzle of this coconut butter would also make for a wonderful glaze.
- Go nut-free: Leave out the walnuts or swap them for pumpkin or sunflower seeds for a little crunch without the nuts.
- No pineapple? Applesauce works beautifully in place of the crushed pineapple and still adds a touch of natural sweetness.
- Not a raisin fan? No worries! Try chopped dates, dried cranberries, or just leave them out. This oatmeal will still be so good.
- Add coconut: Shredded coconut would be a lovely addition to this baked oatmeal. If you want, feel free to add 1/4 cup shredded coconut to the recipe.
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Ready to make this delicious dish? It really doesn’t get much easier… simply follow these steps for an easy baked oatmeal:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F and prepare a 8×8 baking dish. In a large bowl, combine all the baked oatmeal ingredients until well mixed.
Step 2: Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until set in the center.
Step 3: While the oatmeal bakes, whisk together the whipped cream cheese, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth.
Step 4: Let the oatmeal cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the frosting and enjoy!
Brittany’s Recipe Tips!
- Check at 45 minutes: If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil for the remaining bake time to prevent over-browning.
- Shred those carrots finely: The smaller the shreds, the better they mix into the oatmeal for that classic carrot cake texture.
- Use room temp ingredients for the glaze: Cold cream cheese won’t mix as smoothly, so let it soften before whisking for the creamiest drizzle.
How to Serve
This baked oatmeal is the perfect centerpiece for a cozy breakfast or holiday brunch. If I’m making it for a gathering, I love topping it with the maple cream cheese glaze and pairing it with my dairy-free spinach quiche, turkey bacon, easy fruit salad and arugula salad for some greens. If you’re not into the glaze here are some other topping ideas:
- Maple syrup – You can’t go wrong with classic maple syrup as a topping!
- Nut butter – I love adding a drizzle of peanut butter or almond butter to my baked oatmeal. So good!
- Coconut butter – If you’re looking for a nut-free option this baked oatmeal would. be delicious topped with a drizzle of coconut butter. You can make your own following my homemade coconut butter recipe.
- With Greek yogurt – For some added protein add a scoop of Greek yogurt (or any yogurt) on top before serving.
How to Store and Reheat
This baked oatmeal is a great meal prep recipe. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When freezing, I recommend cutting the oatmeal into portions, wrapping each in plastic wrap and placing the portions in a large freezer bag. The individual servings make it easier for reheating.
To reheat the entire pan of baked oatmeal: cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes or until warm.
To reheat individual portions: set oven or toaster oven to 350ºF and bake for 5-10 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. Once warm, add your toppings and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This baked oatmeal takes just over an hour, so feel free to prep ahead.
Option 1: Make the baked oatmeal and glaze as directed. Once baked, let it cool, cover, and refrigerate (along with the glaze) for up to 2 days. To serve, cover with foil and reheat at 350°F for 20 minutes. For individual portions, reheat in a toaster oven (350°F for 5–10 minutes) or microwave (about 1 minute).
Option 2: Prep the night before without baking. Mix dry ingredients and leave covered on the counter. Mix wet ingredients, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning, combine, pour into a baking dish, and bake as directed. Make the glaze while it bakes.
This recipe is a bit soft, but shouldn’t be too soggy. If yours turns out super gooey or soggy, you might need to cook it longer.
You can use steel cut or quick/instant oats for baked oatmeal, but you need to follow a recipe that calls for those oats because the liquid ratio is different. I do have a baked steel cut oatmeal recipe I would suggest if you’re looking for a recipe that calls for steel cut oats.
I’ve added a scoop of protein powder without adding in more liquid and it turned out just fine! If you’re adding more than one scoop of protein powder you might want to add more liquid.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
- Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Peach Baked Oatmeal
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
- Coffee Cake Baked Oatmeal
Be sure to check out my full collection of oatmeal recipes here on EBF.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
- 1 ¾ cups unsweetened almond milk, or any milk of choice
- ½ cup grated carrots, (I usually use the pre-shredded bagged kind)
- ½ cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, strained
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup whipped cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add all ingredients for the baked oatmeal in a large bowl and stir until combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 50-60 minutes. Check it around 45 minutes and if the top is getting too brown, cover with foil for the remaining time. The baked oatmeal will still be a little soft to the touch but should be cooked through and not jiggly in the middle.
- While the oatmeal is baking, prepare the glaze by whisking together the whipped cream cheese, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla in a small bowl.
- Remove baked oatmeal from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes to cool before serving. Drizzle some of the glaze over each portion when serving.
Video
Notes
- Glaze is optional: If you want to keep this recipe vegan or dairy-free simply omit the glaze or use vegan cream cheese to make the glaze.
- How to store: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- How to reheat: To reheat the whole baked oatmeal, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. For individual portions, set oven (or toaster oven) to 350°F and bake for 5-10 minutes or reheat in the microwave for 1 minute.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This rating goes with the “This was so yummy” comment. Sorry I submitted without the star rating.
This was so yummy!
Easy to make, no changes to the recipe.
Had to cook longer in my oven as the top was still wet. Couldn’t get the cream cheese to be smooth, it had very small chunks but still used and tasted yummy.
Overall this is a great recipe!
Thank you for trying the recipe, Amy! Every oven is a little different, so I’m glad the extra baking time did the trick. And I totally get the cream cheese struggle—it happens! Glad it still tasted great.
This carrot cake baked oatmeal is the perfect blend of healthy and delicious! Love the wholesome ingredients—can’t wait to make it for breakfast. Thanks for the yummy idea! preschool and daycare in gurgaon | best daycare centre in noida
I hope you enjoy this recipe if you end up making it! You’ll have to come back and let me know how it turns out. 🙂
I tried to make this recipe but I needed to add sweetener to make it edible and I had to put it in the microwave to cook properly!! It was all uncooked on the inside and cooked on the outside. Dont reccomend this recipe if you don’t want to waste food.
Sorry it didn’t turn out how you expected! If the middle was undercooked, it might have needed more baking time or a lower oven temp. Covering it with foil can help it bake more evenly.
I love this recipe and just popped another one in the oven for my weekly meal prep. It’s super simple and flavorful, and the texture is great, not super wet, so if you’re not a fan of traditional oatmeal, you’ll definitely like this one.
YAY! I am so glad you found this recipe and are loving it, Jo! Thanks for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
cream cheese with bourbon maple syrup only is amazing if you have it on hand. We’ve lived this recipe for a long time.
AH yay! I am so glad you’re loving this recipe, Sarah. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
Made it exactly as the recipe stated, and it turned out just wonderfully! We love it, and will be adding it to our regular breakfast rotation. We loved the icing so much, we ate it all the first day, and then had to make another batch for the leftovers. Oh! And I was so glad to have reheating instructions! Again, worked perfectly. Thank you!
Ah this is the best, I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Laura. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Absolutely delicious! And easy peasy to make! What more could you want?
Aw yay! I am so glad you are loving this oatmeal. Thank you for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
I found this to be a really light on flavour and even with cooking for an extra 15 mins it was still pretty soggy. I’m a big fan of oatmeal bakes but this one unfortunately didn’t work for me.
Hi Kristen, so sorry this one didn’t work out for you! This recipe is a bit soft, but shouldn’t be soggy. It might need a little more time in the oven.
My children and me really enjoyed this recipe ! It tastes just like carrot cake and the texture was soft and chewy, a little bit like bread pudding. I didn’t know that it was possible to make baked oatmeal and It will not be the last time I try. I didn’t have crushed pinapples so I replaced them by unsweetened apple sauce and it worked very well 🙂 thank you for all your amazing recipes 🙂
I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back to leave a comment + review, I appreciate it!