Transform your favorite kind of cake into a nourishing breakfast casserole with this easy recipe! Featuring tender coconut, warm spices, crunchy nuts and a drizzle of cream cheese icing, Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal is fit for a king. Gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free with grain-free, paleo, vegan and low-carb options.
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Updated November 2022
Healthy Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Recipe
Everyone in my house adores waking up to this warm and cozy carrot cake oatmeal – especially on chilly mornings. While I prefer to make it a day ahead of time, you could easily mix up the ingredients and bake your oatmeal on the same morning you plan to enjoy it. The batter comes together with ease in a single bowl!
Even though there’s no actual cake in this baked oatmeal, it has that light and tender texture down pat. Pair that with the classic flavors of carrot cake and you’ll be convinced you’re doing dessert for breakfast! But don’t worry – this oatmeal bake is jam-packed with all sorts of nutrients and easy to work into your diet plan.
What You’ll Need
Ready to round up your ingredients? Check out the recipe card below this post for the exact amounts needed.
For the Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Egg: If you’re vegan, substitute this by combining 1 tbsp ground flax seeds with 2 1/2 tbsp water. Let the mixture sit and thicken before you use it.
- Unsweetened Applesauce: Or mashed ripened banana.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Or another liquid sweetener of your choice, added to taste.
- Unsweetened Almond Milk: Feel free to swap this out for any kind of milk you have on hand.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Ground Nutmeg
- Ground Flax Seeds: Optional, for added nutritional benefits.
- Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats: For grain-free and paleo baked oatmeal, use a combination of 1/3 cup roughly chopped coconut flakes and 2/3 cup roughly chopped almonds instead.
- Carrots: Washed, dried and grated.
- Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- Chopped Pecans: Or walnuts, for the topping.
- Raisins: To finish off the dish.
For the Cream Cheese Glaze
- Dairy-Free Cream Cheese: Brought to room temperature.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Or your preferred sticky liquid sweetener.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Once your ingredients are ready to go, it’s time to preheat the oven and grease your baking dish. An indulgent yet wholesome breakfast is right around the corner!
- Prep for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with avocado oil spray or olive oil spray. Set the prepared pan aside.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Whisk together the egg, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Mix in the baking powder, cinnamon and flax seeds if you’re using them.
- Add Oats, Carrots & Coconut: Stir in the oats, grated carrots and shredded coconut.
- Transfer to Baking Dish: Spread the batter evenly into the prepared casserole dish.
- Add Toppings: Sprinkle the chopped walnuts and raisins evenly over the batter.
- Bake: Bake the oatmeal in the preheated oven until it’s just set and no longer jiggly, about 30-35 minutes.
- Make Glaze: Use a fork or a spatula to combine the cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla in a small bowl. Mix until smooth, adding more maple syrup to suit your tastes and/or bring the glaze to your desired consistency.
- Let Oatmeal Rest: Once the baked oatmeal is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes before you cut and serve it.
- Add Glaze & Enjoy! Drizzle the glaze overtop the oatmeal in a zigzag pattern. Use a spoon if the consistency is thinner and a piping bag if the consistency is more frosting-like. If desired, throw on a sprinkle of cinnamon and some more grated carrots, walnuts and raisins before you cut and serve the oatmeal.
Tips for Success
Want to make sure your carrot cake baked oatmeal is up to snuff? These handy tips have got you covered.
- Rolled Oats Only: Feel free to use the provided ratio of coconut flakes to chopped almonds instead of the rolled oats if you’d like. Just make sure you don’t swap them out for quick or steel-cut oats, which won’t work in this recipe.
- Avoid Over-Baking: If you leave your baked oatmeal in the oven for too long, it may come out hard instead of tender and chewy. Take it out as soon as it no longer jiggles when you give the pan a gentle shake.
- Fine-Tune the Glaze Consistency: I personally prefer a runnier glaze for this baked oatmeal, but you can use less maple syrup and leave it thicker if you’d like. If it’s too thick to drizzle onto the oatmeal with a spoon, use a piping bag or a ziplock bag with one of the corner tips cut off instead.
Variation Ideas
If you’re interested in taking your carrot cake baked oatmeal in a different direction, one of these fun variations is sure to pique your interest:
- Add Chocolate: Stir 1/4 cup of dairy-free chocolate chips into the batter and sprinkle some extra ones on top of the baked oatmeal, omitting the glaze. Alternatively, you can add a drizzle of melted dairy-free chocolate in place of the extra chips.
- Make Single-Serving Oatmeal Cups: Instead of baking your carrot cake oatmeal in a casserole dish, pour the batter into a greased muffin tin or silicone muffin liners. Bake the oatmeal cups for 25-30 minutes, or until they’re just set and no longer jiggly.
- Add Dried Pineapple: If you don’t include crushed pineapple in your carrot cake, you’re really missing out. While the same addition would add too much liquid to your oatmeal batter, dried pineapple chunks are a wonderful alternative.
Serving Suggestions
This oatmeal makes a great breakfast-on-the-go all by itself, but there are also some yummy things you can pair it with. I like to put mine in a bowl and top it with a scoop of dairy-free yogurt or a splash of plant-based milk. It’s also delicious when it’s slathered with your favorite jam, jelly or Homemade Nut Butter!
Storage and Reheating
Leftover carrot cake baked oatmeal should be tightly covered or transferred to an airtight container after it has cooled completely. Either way, it’ll stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Large portions of baked oatmeal should be covered with foil and reheated in a 325°F oven until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. Individual servings can be warmed up in the toaster oven at the same temperature or microwaved in 30-second intervals until heated through.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes – let your oatmeal cool completely and cut it into individual servings. Wrap each portion in cling wrap and freeze the baked oatmeal in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw out frozen baked oatmeal in the fridge before you reheat it.
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Casseroles
Transform your favorite kind of cake into a nourishing breakfast casserole with this easy recipe! Featuring tender coconut, warm spices, crunchy nuts and a drizzle of cream cheese icing, Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal is fit for a king. Gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free with grain-free, paleo, vegan and low-carb options.
- 1 large egg for vegan – combine 1 tbsp ground flax seeds with 2.5 tbsp water, then let rest to thicken
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripened banana
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or another liquid sweetener of your choice, plus more depending on how sweet you like it
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk or any other milk of your choice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground flax seeds optional
- 2 1/3 cups gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats for grain-free/paleo – combine 1 1/2 cups roughly chopped coconut flakes with 2/3 cup roughly chopped almonds
- 3/4 cup grated carrots about 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots, plus a little bit more for the topping if desired
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut plus more for topping
- Chopped pecans or walnuts for topping
- Raisins for topping
- 4 ounces dairy-free cream cheese room temperature (or regular if not dairy-free)
- 1-2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or preferred sticky liquid sweetener
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with avocado oil spray or olive oil spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla and milk until combined. Add baking powder, cinnamon and flax seeds if using.
Stir in the oats, grated carrots and shredded coconut.
- Spread batter evenly into a casserole dish. Sprinkle it with walnuts and raisins.
Bake in a preheated oven until just set and no longer jiggly, about 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small bowl, use a fork or spatula to combine the cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until smooth, adding more maple syrup to taste/desired consistency.
Once the oatmeal is done, remove the pan from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Drizzle the glaze in a zigzag pattern [use a spoon if the consistency is thinner and a pipe using a piping bag/ziplock bag with a corner tip cut off if the consistency is thicker like frosting. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon, some more grated carrots, walnuts and raisins if desired
Cut, serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
- To Store: Wrap baking dish tightly in plastic wrap or transfer individual servings to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: Cover large portions with foil and reheat in a 325°F oven until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. Reheat individual servings in the toaster oven at the same temperature or microwave in 30-second intervals.
- To Freeze: Wrap each cooled serving in cling wrap and freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
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