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When you need a delicious Spring brunch idea, try this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal recipe. It comes together in one bowl, then bakes to perfection for a relatively hands-off morning. It’s perfect for Easter, when you need to serve a crowd all at once, but it’s also great for meal prep when you want easy portions to reheat.
Inspired by my carrot cake oatmeal (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 it in a muffin pan for individual portions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Yum! I made this for breakfast this morning and loved it! Still have enough for tommorow too.” – Alia
Carrot Baked Oatmeal Ingredients
- Rolled Oats. Use certified gluten-free oats if you need this oatmeal bake to be gluten-free. You might be able to use quick-cooking oats, but don’t use steel-cut oats, since they won’t be tender enough.
- Carrots. You’ll need approximately 1 cup of shredded carrots, which you’ll get from 1 large carrot or 2 medium ones.
- Coconut Milk. I always think of carrot cake having some coconut flavor, so instead of adding shredded coconut to this recipe, we will get that flavor from using a can of coconut milk.
- Coconut Sugar. I originally tested this recipe with maple syrup, and the results were very dense and gummy. Using granulated sugar greatly improves the texture!
- Eggs. These bind the baked oatmeal and help it rise, all while adding protein. If you need a vegan recipe, you can replace the eggs with 2 flax eggs. The results will be less fluffy, and possibly more fragile, but still delicious.
- Raisins and Walnuts. These are classic additions to carrot cake, but you can swap walnuts for pecans if you prefer, or customize it however you like.
- Pantry Spices. Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg help create a delicious carrot cake-inspired flavor.
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Step 1:
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.
Step 2:
Whisk well to combine, then add the dry ingredients and spices, such as 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.
Serving Tips
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.
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 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
More Recipes to Try
- Banana Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cups
- Easter Deviled Eggs
- Bunny Pancakes
If you try this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below, letting me know how you like it.
Excellent baked oatmeal! Thank you! All your recipes are excellent!
Another great recipe! Parchment paper made for much easier clean up. Thank you.
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!
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.
Do you think I could use maple syrup instead of coconut sugar?
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.
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?
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.