Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal is a delicious gluten-free breakfast idea. It’s perfect for a Spring brunch and can be made ahead as part of your meal prep routine.
Inspired by my carrot cake oatmeal (which is served in bowls), this whole grain baked oatmeal tastes like a lightly-sweetened dessert, only without the cream cheese frosting.
Baking it in a square dish makes this recipe easy to slice for an Easter brunch, but you can also bake this mixture in a muffin pan for easy individual portions. (Like carrot cake oatmeal cups!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you plan on serving gluten-free guests. Old-fashioned rolled oats will give you the best texture, but quick oats can be used in a pinch.
Using coconut milk as the liquid eliminates the need for oil. It adds healthy fats and a hint of coconut flavor, while also keeping this recipe dairy-free. You can use any other milk you prefer, though.
Coconut sugar is also used purposefully here. I originally tested this recipe with maple syrup, and the results were very dense and gummy. Using granulated sugar improves the texture greatly!
If you need a vegan recipe, you can replace the eggs with two flax eggs instead. The results will be less fluffy, and possibly more fragile, but still delicious.
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan if you want to guarantee easy removal later. (This is not necessary, but it makes clean-up easier, too.)
In a large mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients including the eggs, vanilla extract, and coconut milk.
Whisk well to combine, then add in the dry ingredients and spices like the rolled oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Stir well.
Fold in the shredded carrots, raisins, and chopped walnuts, or pecans, if using.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly. Top with additional chopped nuts, if desired, then bake at 350ºF for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center feels firm to a light touch.
Let the carrot cake baked oats cool in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing. Top with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or a drizzle of maple syrup, for extra flavor.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze individual portions for up to 3 months. Reheat the slices from the fridge in the air fryer at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, or microwave a slice for roughly 20 seconds until warmed through again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baked oatmeal may become gummy when swapping the sweetener. Using a liquid sweetener, like maple syrup or honey, will not produce the same texture as using granulated sugar, like coconut sugar. Adding a leavener, like baking powder, also helps avoid a gummy texture.
I would not swap steel cut oats in this recipe, as the liquid ratio and bake time will need to change. (They would probably benefit from soaking overnight first, too!)
Replace a 1/4 cup of rolled oats with a 1/4 cup of unflavored protein powder. This is my go-to ratio for protein pancakes and waffles, without affecting the flavor too much.
Yes, but keep in mind that you’ll be lowering the fat content if you use something like almond milk or oat milk. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of melted coconut oil or olive oil in that case.
Looking for more baked oatmeal recipes? Try Banana Baked Oatmeal with a drizzle of peanut butter on top, Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal, or Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cups for more ideas.
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup shredded carrots (~ 2 medium carrots)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (or other nut)
- ¼ cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the dish to ensure easy removal later. (This is optional, but makes clean-up easier, too.)
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the rolled oats, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Stir well, then fold in the shredded carrots, walnuts, and raisins.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle a few extra walnuts on top, if you like. Bake at 350ºF for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top feels dry to a light touch. Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before slicing.
- Slice into 6 large pieces (my preference for meal prep) or slice into 9 squares if serving it as part of a brunch spread. Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes as it preheats to 350ºF. (Or microwave for 20-30 seconds.)
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
This looks good…Can the eggs be replaced with something like Flax eggs? We eliminated eggs out of our diets years ago but would love to try your recipe. Thank you! 🙂
Yes, I think flax eggs would work fine here! The results will be slightly more dense, but still tasty. You may only need 2 T water per 1 T flax, since there’s already plenty of moisture in this recipe.
Yum! I made this for breakfast this morning and loved it! Still have enough for tommorow too. Would you be able to post a morning glory muffin recipe? I really love them and I’d like to see your spin on them. Maybe gluten-free?
The recipe sounds delicious! But I would like to make it less sweet. In the description, it gives the option of reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup, but that is the same amount as the full amount of sugar?
Thanks for catching that! I originally made this recipe with 2/3 cup sugar, which is delicious, but I ended up reducing it to 1/2 cup to keep it less sweet. I imagine you can use even less than that, if you like.
Wow, this is delicious! I made it yesterday and still have several slices left over for breakfast this week. It’s not that sweet, so I drizzled almond butter and honey on top this morning. Yum!
Love those topping ideas! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Do you think I could use maple syrup instead of coconut sugar?
Yummy we made it as a dessert, and shared it with our extended family. I didn’t have raisins, but it turned out great. Also I used regular milk and added around 1/4 cup of butter to substitute for the coconut milk.
I’ve been searching for this! These reminded me of a Bobos, but more moist and delicious! I’m wondering if I could use the recipe as a base for different flavors, maybe switch the raisins and carrots out for chocolate chips and dried cherries? Thanks so much for this!
Another great recipe! Parchment paper made for much easier clean up. Thank you.