Monday morning again and I’m dragging a bit… Lots of husband being gone during the day over the weekend (aka Mama on duty without a break) and then staying up late to catch up with him (aka not enough sleep). The kids literally had to pull me out of the bed yesterday because their little bellies were so hungry. (They knew this easy whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread was waiting and they wanted some!) But Monday morning is a little brighter with this breakfast! So you know we love our baked oatmeal here, right? Banana bread baked oatmeal is on our regular rotation and I love our pumpkin baked oatmeal with chocolate chips for a fun fall treat. But this spring, I’ve been addicted to this carrot cake baked oatmeal.
To the point where, when I first offered some to the kids for breakfast and they didn’t seem very excited, I thought, “woo hoo, more for me!” Of course, the next time I gave it to them, they gobbled it up and wanted a second serving. And a third. There goes mama’s morning treat… And my husband’s. He loves this one, too! Can’t blame them though. This is all the goodness of carrot cake, made healthier and made into breakfast!
This is something I usually make on the weekends for us to have for the week. But it would also be amazing as part of a brunch spread and definitely for Easter coming up! And if you are looking to dress it up, I’ve included a simple cream cheese glaze that seriously puts this over the top! (I included it in the video but didn’t take any pictures with the glaze on the oatmeal. I guess I was too excited to eat it!) The glaze of course makes this more of a dessert or afternoon treat than breakfast. But you know I won’t tell if you want to sneak a piece, douse it in glaze and gobble it up first thing in the morning
Notes on carrot cake baked oatmeal:
- I typically use ⅓ less fat cream cheese, but any kind will do.
- Same goes for milk. I’ve made it with soy, 2% and skim, so I think most any other milk alternative would work as well.
- I like it with both the walnuts and raisins, but you could try leaving out one or the other if you’d rather.
- It helps to use a whisk or a mixer when you’re combining the wet ingredients, but I’ve made it work with a fork before too. It’s OK to have a few cream cheese chunks, but you want it mostly broken down and combined.
- For the glaze, you can add more or less powdered sugar to get it to your desired level of sweetness. Also, I recommend you start with a tablespoon of milk and then add splashes as needed to get it to your perfect drizzling consistency.
This freezes great too, which makes it perfect for meal prepping! I cut it into squares and pack 4 pieces into a freezer-safe quart-size bag. Then you just need to thaw it overnight in the fridge (or you can microwave each piece for a quick option). I recommend freezing without the glaze. I’ll also say, we love this cold but you can warm it up. See which way you prefer! I hope you give this carrot cake baked oatmeal a try! It’s been an almost weekly favorite in our house the last few months. ❤️ (And I would LOVE for you to tag me on Instagram if you try this or any of my recipes! I love seeing your creations!) XO, Kathryn
I use ⅓ less fat cream cheese but any kind will do.
I’ve used soy, 2% and skim milk here and all are fine. I think most other milk alternatives would be OK to substitute as well.
You can add more or less powdered sugar to get the glaze to your desired level of sweetness. Also, I recommend you start with a tablespoon of milk and then add splashes as needed to get it to your perfect drizzling consistency.
This freezes great! I cut it into squares and pack 4 pieces into a freezer-safe quart-size bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge (or microwave for a quick option). I recommend freezing without the glaze.
We love serving this both warm and cold - see what you prefer!
