Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

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This carrot cake baked oatmeal is studded with carrots, pineapple and walnuts and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting. Fancy enough to serve for Easter brunch, but healthy enough to make for weekly meal prep!

Are there certain desserts that you just have to order if you see them on the menu? That’s how I feel about carrot cake. Granted, I don’t always indulge, but let’s just say I really enjoy a good carrot cake. I get my love for carrot cake from my dad because it’s his favorite cake ever.

While dreaming up carrot cake ideas, I decided to try a carrot cake baked oatmeal recipe, kind of similar to my carrot cake overnight oats. It is a little more indulgent than your typical bowl of morning oatmeal so it’s perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch… or just any ol’ Wednesday. 🙂

A baking dish containing carrot cake baked oatmeal. A plate with a slice is next to the dish.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Fancy enough for brunch, but simple enough for weekly meal prep.
  • You can make this in advance for a stress free holiday breakfast.
  • The carrot cake flavor is… chef’s kiss!
  • It can easily be made vegan! Just skip the frosting or use vegan cream cheese.
Ingredients measured out to make carrot cake baked oatmeal: cinnamon, flaxseed, vanilla, sea salt, maple syrup, pineapple, carrots, raisins, whipped cream cheese, walnuts, oats and almond milk.

Here’s What You Need:

  • old fashioned rolled oats â€“ 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. If you’re looking for a substitute, applesauce or mashed bananas will work.
  • chopped raw walnuts â€“ for some crunch! Feel free to sub in a different nut like pecans or almonds or skip the nuts all together. 
  • raisins â€“ 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.
  • cinnamon – for a little spice.
  • vanilla extract â€“ a flavor enhancer.
  • ground flaxseed â€“ 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 â€“ 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 â€“ pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use for baked oatmeal in my opinion!
  • sea salt â€“ to bring all of the flavors together.
  • 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!
Collage of 6 photos showing how to make carrot cake baked oatmeal, mixing and baking the mixture, and making and topping with frosting.

How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Ready to make this delicious dish? It really doesn’t get much easier… simply add all ingredients for the carrot cake baked oatmeal into a large bowl, mix and pour into a baking dish. Another option is to mix everything together right in your baking dish! Pop it in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes.

The other part of this recipe is making the maple cream cheese glaze. And let me tell you, even though it is an extra step and totally optional, it is #worthit.

All you have to do is whisk the glaze ingredients together! After the oatmeal is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes and then drizzle the glaze on top. Make sure every serving gets a little of the glaze!

There you have it! A super simple baked oatmeal recipe that is fancy enough for a special occasion like Easter or Mother’s Day, but also perfect for breakfast any day of the week.

A slice of carrot cake baked oatmeal with a wooden spoon drizzling icing over top.

FAQs

What if I don’t have ground flaxseed?

If you don’t need this recipe to be vegan, you can use 1 large egg instead of the flaxseed. You could also use chia seeds or skip the binder altogether. I’ve found that the baked oatmeal still turns just fine without using the egg or flaxseed.

What can I swap the walnuts with?

You can swap for a different nut or seed of choice or omit if you’d like.

Can I make baked oatmeal ahead of time?

Yes, you can totally make baked oatmeal ahead of time. See below for my suggestions on how to prep this recipe in advance.

Can you swap rolled oats for steel cut oats or quick oats?

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. 

Can I add protein powder to baked oatmeal?

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.

My baked oatmeal turned out soggy. What happened?

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.

Carrot cake baked oatmeal in a baking dish. A small bowl of glaze in next to the dish.

Can You Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Ahead of Time?

This baked oatmeal takes a little over an hour to make so if you want to get a jump start on the prep, you totally can. Either of these options will work great if you want to make the baked oatmeal ahead of time for brunch (or for your meal prep).

Option 1: Bake and Then Reheat Before Serving

  1. Prepare baked oatmeal as the recipe suggests. Once baked, let the oatmeal cool, cover the baking dish and place the oatmeal and the maple cream cheese glaze in the fridge. You can do this 1-2 days in advance.
  2. When ready to serve, take oatmeal dish from fridge, cover with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes. For individual portions, set toaster oven to 350°F and bake for 5-10 minutes or reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. If the oatmeal seems a little dry, add a splash of milk when serving.

Option 2: Prep as Much as You Can Without Baking

  1. Mix together your dry ingredients in a bowl, cover and let sit out on the counter until morning.
  2. Mix together all the wet ingredients in another bowl, cover and store in the fridge until morning.
  3. In the morning, simply mix the wet and dry ingredients together, pour oatmeal mixture into your prepared baking dish and bake as recipe suggests.
  4. Make maple cream cheese glaze while the oatmeal bakes.
A slice of carrot cake baked oatmeal on a plate. The slice has been drizzled with a maple cream cheese glaze.

What to Serve with Baked Oatmeal

This baked oatmeal is perfect for being the star of your holiday brunch! Here’s what else I would serve it with:

How to Store and Reheat

As I mentioned, 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!

More Carrot Recipes

More Baked Oatmeal Recipes

Be sure to check out all of my baked oatmeal recipes as well as all the popular oatmeal recipes here on EBF.

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4.43 from 63 votes

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

This carrot cake baked oatmeal is fancy enough to serve for a special brunch but easy and healthy enough to make for your weekly meal prep.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups rolled old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup grated carrots
  • ½ cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, strained
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk, or any milk of choice
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • pinch of sea salt

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

  • ¼ cup whipped cream cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 Tablespoon almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

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.
    Rolled oats, grated carrots, crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed, maple syrup and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl. Almond milk is being poured into the bowl.
  • 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.
    Ingredients for carrot bake baked oatmeal in a baking dish.
  • 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.
    Whipped cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla in a small bowl. Almond milk is being poured into the 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.
    Carrot cake baked oatmeal in a baking dish. A small bowl of glaze in next to the dish.
  • Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • 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.

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of recipe | Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 118mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake baked oatmeal
Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
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Recipe Rating




63 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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 🙂

    1. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back to leave a comment + review, I appreciate it!

  2. 3 stars
    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.

    1. 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.

    1. Aw yay! I am so glad you are loving this oatmeal. Thank you for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!

  3. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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!

  4. 5 stars
    cream cheese with bourbon maple syrup only is amazing if you have it on hand. We’ve lived this recipe for a long time.

    1. 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!

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