Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
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Published Apr 07, 2022, Updated Aug 06, 2023
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Eat cookies for breakfast with this simple recipe for carrot cake breakfast cookies! Loaded with whole grain oats, carrots and nuts for a filling and hearty on-the-go breakfast option.
I don’t know why, but I’ve been obsessed with the idea of carrot cake cookies for a couple years now. I specifically remember having the most amazing carrot cake cookie at the Union Square Greenmarket during a trip to New York.
The whole weekend I couldn’t stop thinking about coming home to recreate the recipe. Lucky for me, my friend Kathryne of Cookie and Kate just released her first cookbook, Love Real Food which happens to have the carrot cake breakfast cookie recipe in it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They’re hearty, filling and not too sweet.
- They’re portable and perfect for busy weekday mornings. Make a batch on Sunday during meal prep and have cookies for breakfast all week… doesn’t that sound awesome?
- All you need are 11 simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
- These cookies are dairy-free and can easily be made vegan!
Ingredients Needed
- rolled oats or quick-cooking oats – rolled oats or quick-cooking/instant oats will both work for these cookies. Instant oats are the most processed of all the oat varieties. They are pre-cooked, dried, and rolled and pressed slightly thinner than rolled oats. For rolled oats, the oat groats have been steamed and then rolled. These are my personal favorite. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats.
- white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour – I love using whole wheat flour for added nutrition. It is packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals and is really easy to bake with! That said, you can definitely use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have on hand.
- shredded carrots – the star of the show here! Feel free to use store-bought grated carrots or peel and grate them yourself.
- raw walnuts – I love the crunch the nuts add, but feel free to sub in a different nut like pecans or almonds or skip the nuts all together.
- raisins – carrot + raisins = best combo ever! They add a hint of sweetness to these cookies.
- honey – the perfect natural sweetener for these cookies. If you want to keep these vegan-friendly maple syrup is a great substitute.
- coconut oil – helps keep the cookies moist! Make sure you’re using in the liquid sate!
- baking powder – to help the cookies rise.
- ground cinnamon – you can’t have carrot cake without cinnamon!
- fine sea salt – just a pinch.
- ground ginger – for a little spice!
How to Make These Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and ginger. Whisk to blend. Add the shredded carrots, pecans, and raisins and stir to combine.
Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients: honey and melted coconut oil. Whisk until blended.
Step 4: Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. The dough might be rather wet, but don’t worry.
Step 5: Drop ¼-cup scoops of dough (an ice cream scoop is perfect for this) onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving several inches of space around each one. Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten each cookie to about ¾-inch thick.
Step 6: Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges, about 15 to 17 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (otherwise, the bottoms can brown too much).
Notes + Subsitutions
- Flour: All-purpose flour would work just fine as a substitute. I haven’t tried a gluten-free version of these cookies, but I bet gluten-free all-purpose 1:1 flour would work well. If you try it, let me know in the comments below!
- Honey: If you need the cookies to be vegan just use maple syrup instead of honey for the sweetener.
- Coconut oil: You can use another oil like avocado, olive or vegetable oil instead of the coconut oil. Melted butter will also work well.
- Walnuts: I prefer chopped walnuts, but you could play around with other nuts! I bet almonds or pecans would be delicious. Feel free to skip them if you need these cookies to be nut-free.
- Raisin: If you aren’t a raisin fan, you can use chopped medjool dates or skip them all together.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover breakfast cookies, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Carrot Cake Inspired Treats
- Oatmeal Carrot Cake
- Carrot Cake Smoothie
- Healthy Carrot Cake Bars
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
More Breakfast Cookies
- Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Oatmeal Chia Cookies
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
- Blueberry Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Protein Cookies
- Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie
Be sure to check out all of the cookie recipes as well as the full collection of breakfast recipes on EBF!
Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, or quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ cups peeled grated carrots
- 1 cup raw pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ cup honey, or maple syrup
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and ginger. Whisk to blend.
- Add the carrots, pecans, and raisins and stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, combine the honey and coconut oil. Whisk until blended. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined. The dough might be rather wet, but don’t worry.
- Drop ¼-cup scoops of dough (an ice cream scoop with a wire scraper is perfect for this) onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving several inches of space around each one. Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten each cookie to about ¾-inch thick.
- Bake until the cookies are golden and firm around the edges, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely (otherwise, the bottoms can brown too much).
- Leftover breakfast cookies will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Recipe republished from Love Real Food with permission.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look so tasty! I can’t wait to give them a try.
Awesome!! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them, Emily!
YUM! These look so good!!
Rebecca
xx
Thanks lady! They’re delicious and everything in Kathryne’s cookbook looks amazing!
These look delicious, Brittany! I’m definitely going to give these a try 🙂
Yay!! Hope you love them, Liz.
These are amazing! I made a double batch and I already want to make more. I switched half the oil and half the honey for an equal amount of unsweetened apple sauce for an even healthier option.
I’ve already shared it with my friends. What a great find! they’ll make a perfect breakfast with yogourt on the side
YUM! I am glad you found this recipe and are loving these cookies, Jessica. Thank you for giving it a try and for coming back to share your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!
I just made these. They are delicious!! And egg free!! I will definitely make these often for a quick breakfast option. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Amazing!! So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Kimberley.
This is a great on-the-go breakfast! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
This looks awesome! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Paola!! I hope you get a chance to try them! 🙂
Just took these out of the oven! The raw batter was awesome — I can never resist 🙂
Amazing recipe! Can not wait to make one! Thanks Brittany!
These look and sound amazing! Going to make NOW!
Oh! yummy and looks great gonna give a try to this once,,, If we really start to have such health food in breakfast or any time during the day must gonna live healthier.
Great, Thanks for the post.
Just made these! Amazing! Soft, chewy, and delicious! I omitted the nuts and added 2 scoops of Vega protein & greens powder. I may have doubled the raisins too, haha. They turned out perfectly! I’ll make a double batch next time so they last longer!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed the cookies, Laura!
If I wanted to make these Gluten free what flour would you suggest? Coconut flour?
Hi Sarah. Would use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix instead of the whole wheat flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes a great one!
These were delicious – soft, chewy and lots of good carrots. I used whole oats cause that’s what I had and turned out yummy. Thanks for the recipe. These could be a habit. I’ll have to make some for my neighbors. They love when I bake for them.
Brittany, I’m afraid I never commented to thank you for sharing this recipe. THANK YOU! Your kind words still mean so much. xoxo
It looks very much intresting.Instead of oil, plz give me the option
These cookies are absolutely delicious and are very hard to resist. I had to put some in the freezer and give a couple to a friend to try, to keep myself from eating them all too quickly. They are very filling and healthy. I plan on taking them for a snack during a round of golf, as they will be just the trick to renewing my energy half way around. Your recipes are always inspiring, and I really appreciate the way you share them and your knowledge with us. You help us more than you know! Sincere thanks.
Brittany, thanks for sharing this recipe. I made these today and they turned out great! I bought Love Real Food last year and have been enjoying cooking through it. Next up to try is your chia oatmeal breakfast cookies; I love the breakfast cookie concept!!
Would almond flour work with this recipe?
Hi Courtney! I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour so I am not sure if the cookies would turn out the same. The ratios might need to be altered a bit if using almond flour. If you’re looking for a GF option I would use an all-purpose gluten-free 1:1 flour. Let me know how they turn out if you end up making them!
These are great! I actually did two substitutions… I did 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of 1/2 cup of honey, and 2/3 cup Greek yogurt instead of the 1/2 cup of oil. The taste and the texture turned out perfect both for me and my toddler! They’re very healthy and I love that they included so many food groups.
Yay! I’m so glad you and your toddler enjoyed this recipe, Melinda! Thanks for noting the subs you made and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to make them! Can I use old fashioned rolled oats instead of quick oats, and if so, do I bake for the same amount of time?
Hey Asha – Yes, you can use rolled oats and can cook them for the same amount of time. Let me know how these cookies turn out if you end up trying them!
Really Delicious! A treat for any time
May I use old fashioned oats and almond flour? I have an insulin intolerance. TIA
Hey Cori – Yes, you can use rolled oats and can cook them for the same amount of time. I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour so I am not 100% sure how the cookies will turn out, but feel free to experiment. Let me know how they turn out if you end up making them!
Remember that all flours have different liquid needs. “For non-yeast baking (think cookies, scones, cake, biscuits, muffins), use 1/4 (25 percent) less almond flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of flour, use 3/4 cup of almond flour.”
Any recommendation for replacing the coconut oil (don’t like the taste) – I was thinking of using melted butter or olive oil. Thanks and looking forward to trying these out.
Either of those options would work!
In general we liked these,but I am wondering if you have ever tried making this recipe with an egg added. We are wondering if that would make them a little more moist. We found them to be a tiny bit dry.
Hi, Melissa. I haven’t tried adding an egg so I’m not sure how they’ll turn out. Let me know if you try it!
I love these cookies… I did a couple of additions… 1 egg, 1 tsp. Vanilla and I halved the walnuts and used a mashed banana instead of oil… plus only used a tablespoon of honey… they are good but I do need to up the honey next time. I thought the banana would add more sweetness. Oh well…still yummy. Thanks! Next on to try the carrot cake baked oatmeal!
Hi, Liz! So glad this recipe was a success for you! I like to use extra ripe bananas to ensure extra sweetness. I hope that helps next time 🙂
I would like to sub a nut flower in this recipe. Coconut or almond. Which would you recommend and in what quantity? Thank you
Hi, Barbara. I don’t recommend subsituting with coconut flour, as it is not a 1-for-1 swap. You can try using almond flour, though I haven’t tried it yet so I’m not sure how they’ll turn out. Let me know if you try it!
I just made them with Gluten free 1:1 flour. They turned out great and are so yummy.
Yay! So glad the swap worked well, Robyn. Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it.
These cookies just came out of the oven not only does my house smell amazing they turned out perfect thanks Brittney!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that, Niki! Thank you for making them and leaving a review, I appreciate it so much.
These are great!! My toddler, my baby, and I all enjoyed them 🙂
I only had 1 cup of grated carrots, so I had to go with just that, and it was fine.
Instead of honey I substituted apple sauce – and it was great!! Definitely still sweet enough, and still good for baby 🙂
I’ve made these in the past and subbed Greek yogurt instead of the coconut oil for a lower fat option. It turned out well and we enjoyed them FRESH, but didn’t like the leftovers.
Yay, I’m so glad these were a hit with your family, Melinda! Thanks for sharing the different swaps you’ve made and how they’ve turned out, it’s always helpful for other readers. 🙂
These are sooooooo good! I’m totally addicted and make them all the time 😄
Ah! I am so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe, Rakia! Thank you for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
Wow these are soo good!! A little sweet, but they are still very yummy! I used fresh garden carrots since the ones we had in our fridge looked questionable. After seeing how much the first tray spread in the oven, I made the cookies a little smaller. I got 15 out of the whole batch
Love the flavor of these cookies! Not sure why mine aren’t staying together? They’re just crumbling apart like granola. Any thoughts?
Hi Brianna – I am not sure why they might be falling apart, did you change anything about the recipe? How was the dough when you were forming it into cookies? How long did you bake them for?
I’m officially addicted. I’ve shared this recipe with everyone I know. And I’ve shared countless amounts of these cookies with my favorite people, including postpartum friends (Feeding people is my love language). I like to use unsweetened cranberries and a mix of walnut and pecan. I opt for the coconut oil and apple sauce options. These cookies are plenty sweet enough. To make myself a high protein batch, I add PB2 and/or vanilla protein powder.
WOO! I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Angie. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!
Hi! Could I sub almond flour for whole wheat flour? Thanks!
Hi Susan – I would not suggest almond flour as a sub for whole wheat flour. If you need to make these GF you could try 1:1 gf flour, I haven’t tried it so I am not sure how these would turn out, but if you give this recipe a try, let me know how they turn out for you.