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 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.
“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!!!!”
Why I Love This Baked Oatmeal
- 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!
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 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!
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
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 to Try
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
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
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.2 cups rolled old fashioned oats, 1 ¾ cups unsweetened almond milk, ½ cup grated carrots, ½ cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, ⅓ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup chopped walnuts, ¼ cup raisins, 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseed, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 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.¼ cup whipped cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1 Tablespoon almond milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 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.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I made this without the glaze as I try to follow dairy free and didn’t want to spend the money on vegan cream cheese and it was AMAZING even without the glaze, I will for sure make it again for meal prep. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Carrot cake baked oatmeal is an absolute favorite of the baked oatmeals…maybe due in part to my love of carrot cake and cream cheese icing. The fact that it is vegan is, er, icing on the cake. My daughters, 9 and 11, have been making these for the past year completely solo. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Woo!! So happy to hear that. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, Mandy. I really appreciate it!
I made thia yesterday because I have been craving for careot cake but I have no time to make it. This is sooooooo good! My husband had two slices!
Woo!! I’m so glad it was a hit!! Thanks for the review, Natasha. I so appreciate it. 🙂
An awesome dish! The walnuts, carrot, and raisin flavors mix beautifully, and the pineapple helps add a nice moist texture. Even my dad, who doesn’t really like carrot cake, enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for this recipe!
(I also added maple extract and used Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese for the frosting and it worked fabulously)
So glad this baked oatmeal recipe was a hit!! Thanks for making it and for leaving a review, Barbara. I so appreciate it!
Can I substitute the raisins for black walnuts? I am big fan of actual carrot cake … this would be a GREAT treat instead of feeling guilty of eating super rich cake.
Yes, you can totally use black walnuts instead of the raisins. Let me know how the baked oatmeal turns out for you.
Hi loving this recipe – can I substitute the crushed canned pineapple with canned pear? Thanks!
Hey Darshani – I think that would work just fine. 🙂 Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
I loved this recipe but I added the topping of your sweet potato baked recipe and wow it was amazing.
Ohh love that idea! So glad you enjoyed this baked oatmeal recipe, Joanna. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
I am definitely trying this! That imaginary person at the beginning of your post? Totally me. I work four ten-hour days so I can have 3-day weekends to work on my blog, and by the time I walk in the door at the end of a work day I can hardly think straight, let alone make a time-consuming recipe. This kind of dinner is just what I need!
I substituted apple sauce for the maple syrup, and it turned out great. In the frosting I substituted Greek yogurt for the cream cheese, and of course the consistency was different, but the taste was still great. Altogether, we LOVED this! My husband and my toddler and I gobbled up the whole thing for breakfast.
Smells like heaven! Instead of complete rolled oats, used 1/2 cup pumpkin-flax-sunflower seed mix. And brown sugar in place of maple syrup. Turned out great! Thanks!
Amazing, I’m so glad it turned out with the seed mixture!! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. <3