4.44 65 Published Apr 05, 2022, Updated May 02, 2024 While dreaming up carrot cake ideas, I decided to try a carrot cake baked oatmeal recipe, kind of similar to my carrot cake overnight oats. It is a little more indulgent than your typical bowl of morning oatmeal so it’s perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day brunch… or just any ol’ Wednesday. 🙂
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Fancy enough for brunch, but simple enough for weekly meal prep. You can make this in advance for a stress free holiday breakfast. The carrot cake flavor is… chef’s kiss! It can easily be made vegan! Just skip the frosting or use vegan cream cheese.
Here’s What You Need:
old fashioned rolled oats – my fave brand is Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats. grated carrots – the star of the show here! You can use store-bought grated carrots to save time or just grate 1-2 large carrots to equal 1/2 cup. canned crushed pineapple – a common ingredient in carrot cake. It adds moisture and a nice sweet flavor to this baked oatmeal. If you’re looking for a substitute, applesauce or mashed bananas will work. chopped raw walnuts – for some crunch! Feel free to sub in a different nut like pecans or almonds or skip the nuts all together. raisins – I love the hint of sweetness that raisins add to this oatmeal. If you’re not a raisin fan you can sub in dates, figs or skip them all together. cinnamon – for a little spice. vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer. ground flaxseed – instead of an egg, we’re using flaxseed to help bind the dish together. You can swap the flaxseed for 1 large egg if you prefer. unsweetened vanilla almond milk – any non-dairy milk works but I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You can make your own following my homemade almond milk recipe. maple syrup – pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use for baked oatmeal in my opinion! sea salt – to bring all of the flavors together. maple cream cheese glaze – this is optional, but highly recommended! The glaze is what takes this baked oatmeal to the next level. It’s a delicious combination of cream cheese, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla. To make the glaze vegan, just use vegan cream cheese!
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Ready to make this delicious dish? It really doesn’t get much easier… simply add all ingredients for the carrot cake baked oatmeal into a large bowl, mix and pour into a baking dish. Another option is to mix everything together right in your baking dish! Pop it in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes. The other part of this recipe is making the maple cream cheese glaze. And let me tell you, even though it is an extra step and totally optional, it is #worthit. All you have to do is whisk the glaze ingredients together! After the oatmeal is done baking, let it cool for a few minutes and then drizzle the glaze on top. Make sure every serving gets a little of the glaze! There you have it! A super simple baked oatmeal recipe that is fancy enough for a special occasion like Easter or Mother’s Day, but also perfect for breakfast any day of the week.
Can You Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Ahead of Time?
This baked oatmeal takes a little over an hour to make so if you want to get a jump start on the prep, you totally can. Either of these options will work great if you want to make the baked oatmeal ahead of time for brunch (or for your meal prep).
Option 1: Bake and Then Reheat Before Serving
Option 2: Prep as Much as You Can Without Baking
What to Serve with Baked Oatmeal
This baked oatmeal is perfect for being the star of your holiday brunch! Here’s what else I would serve it with:
Something eggy: Dairy-Free Spinach Quiche or Kale and Feta Crustless Quiche Fresh fruit: Easy Fruit Salad Simple salad: Arugula Salad, Easy Kale Salad or Easy Spinach Salad Drinks: Mimosas, this Easy Bellini, Cold Brew Coffee or an Iced Matcha Latte
How to Store and Reheat
As I mentioned, this baked oatmeal is a great meal prep recipe. You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When freezing, I recommend cutting the oatmeal into portions, wrapping each in plastic wrap and placing the portions in a large freezer bag. The individual servings make it easier for reheating. To reheat the entire pan of baked oatmeal: cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 350ºF for about 20 minutes or until warm. To reheat individual portions: set oven or toaster oven to 350ºF and bake for 5-10 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave for 1 minute. Once warm, add your toppings and enjoy!
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal Peach Baked Oatmeal Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Coffee Cake Baked Oatmeal
Be sure to check out all of my baked oatmeal recipes as well as all the popular oatmeal recipes here on EBF.
