Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal {Dairy-Free}

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal is a tasty, wholesome recipe featuring oats, carrots, coconut oil, and maple syrup...AKA, a healthy breakfast for carrot cake fans!

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Collage with Text Overlay


 

Two carrot recipes in a row, but I'm not even going to apologize, y'all. After all, it's not everyday that you can trick your kids into eating veggies for breakfast, but that's exactly what we're doing here today! Say hello to my new friend, Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like...traditional baked oatmeal with a carrot cake twist. Yum.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal in a Glass Baking Dish Fresh from the Oven

Now when I allude to carrot cake, I'm primarily talking about the fact that there are indeed grated carrots and carrot cake spices in this recipe. As for the sugar, flour, butter, etc...we're leaving those out. Instead, this oatmeal is fortified with coconut oil, flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, and spices, and sweetened with maple syrup. So yes, it's wholesome...but it's also deeelicious. (Oh, and I deeply apologize for that. My 2-year-old is obsessed with Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and I have lost my ability to say think type that word without sounding like a whiny, preschool-going feline.)

Serving on White Plate

My family adores baked oatmeal and since I make it often, I try to come up with different seasonal variations to keep things interesting. In case you haven't noticed, I do the same thing with baked French toast...but while I consider baked French toast to be a more decadent, special occasion/holiday breakfast or brunch, baked oatmeal is a nourishing way to start regular weekday mornings.

Aerial View

For example, a few weeks ago, I brought you Lemon Blueberry Overnight Baked French Toast with Lemon Syrup (ribboned with a layer of sweet, lemon-infused cream cheese, might I add). So that would be my suggestion for a special Easter breakfast treat. But this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal can be enjoyed all spring long...or really any time of the year that carrot cake sounds good to you!

Close-Up

Aside from loving how it tastes, the other thing I appreciate about baked oatmeal is that it can be made ahead of time, because it just so happens to reheat beautifully. After I took these photos, I placed the cut piece back in the baking dish and popped the dish in the refrigerator. The next morning, my boys were just a few microwaved seconds away from a quick, healthy breakfast before school (but it kinda' makes you wonder who got the "famous" piece that's now gracing the internet, huh? 😉 ). I like to drizzle each slice of baked oatmeal with a bit milk (or cream, if you're feeling crazy) before reheating. And while I think that this recipe is sweet enough already, thanks to the maple syrup that's baked inside, you can always add more on top if you prefer your oatmeal sweeter.

Delicious Breakfast of Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal With a Cup of Coffee

Speaking of the maple syrup, let's take a moment for a few quick recipe notes. My previous baked oatmeal recipes call for ¼ cup maple syrup, but I decided to increase that amount in this carrot cake variation since, well, we're emulating cake here (albeit a much healthier version). 😉 But you can certainly use less maple syrup, if you prefer. I also decided to add baking powder to this recipe, again, to add a bit of cake-like lift. I don't typically add baking powder to my baked oatmeal and I've never missed it, but I think most baked oatmeal recipes out there do include some type of leavening. So I tried it here and honestly didn't notice much of a difference...but in it stays. Finally, I leave the traditional carrot cake inclusion of raisins up to you. My family is divided as far as being raisin fans/haters (and I happen to be a latter), so I opt to leave the raisins out when making the oatmeal. But then I offer them up as a garnish to sprinkle on top for anybody who so desires. See? Everyone's a winner.

Close-Up Featuring Ingredients of oats, carrots, nuts

If you've yet to try baked oatmeal, you've gotta change that...and soon! Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal would be a great place to start. In fact, leave a piece out for the Easter bunny instead of plain, ol' raw carrots, and I bet he'll bring you extra jelly beans in your plastic eggs. 😉

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Text Overlay

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal {Dairy-Free} Recipe

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal ~ a tasty, wholesome breakfast recipe featuring rolled oats, grated carrots, coconut oil, and maple syrup, with flavors of the classic dessert.
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 260kcal
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pecans, chopped (plus additional for garnish, if desired)
  • 1 cup almond milk, OR whole/2% milk, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cup packed grated carrots , (about 3 medium carrots)
  • ½ cup raisins, optional
  • 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or spray with nonstick cooking spray an 8-inch square baking dish.
  • Spread chopped pecans on an ungreased baking sheet and toast for 4 to 6 minutes or until fragrant and light golden brown. Cool on baking sheet.
  • In a large bowl, mix together milk, eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in carrots and raisins (if using). Blend in oats, toasted pecans, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, and salt; stir until mixture is well-combined.
  • Spread oatmeal into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set and light golden brown on top. Allow to cool in the baking dish for at least 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with optional garnishes: warm milk drizzled over the top, additional toasted pecans, maple syrup, or fresh fruit.

Notes

  • The reason the milk and eggs should be at room temperate is because if they are cold, they will cause the coconut oil to resolidify. To quickly warm everything up, I usually just put the whole eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and zap the milk in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
  • Feel free to decrease the maple syrup to ¼ cup, if you prefer.
  • Reheat oatmeal by placing an individual serving on a plate, drizzling with a little milk, and then heating in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 310mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 3025IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

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14 Comments

  1. Hi. I've made this several times and I agree...it's deeelicious! 🙂
    I am not a baking expert and I have a question. We have lots of eggs to use up in the house right now - do you think I could replace the almond milk with more eggs and the recipe would still work?
    Thanks so much!
    PS - I am a "with raisins" kind of person, but I don't like nuts in my food so I left them out! LOL Still tasty!
    Kim

    1. Hi Kim! I'm so glad to hear you enjoy this recipe. You might be able to replace some of the almond milk with extra eggs (I don't think I would omit the almond milk entirely), but it would definitely change the ultimate consistency of the baked oatmeal. That being said, I don't think it would turn out bad...just more "eggy." 😉 So if you're frequently looking to use up your eggs, might be worth a shot to see how it turns out!

    1. Hi Laura! Melted butter or any light cooking oil (like canola oil) should work just fine in place of the coconut oil in this recipe. 🙂 Enjoy!

  2. This looks wonderful! I love baked oatmeal and carrot cake. I'm definitely a cream kind of gal with no raisins, please. 🙂 Pinned!

    1. You and me both, Heaven...bring on the cream but hold the raisins! 😉 Hope you enjoy this if you try it. Thanks so much for the pin!

    1. Thanks so much, Mandi! I hope you enjoy this if you have a chance to try it, and I appreciate the pin! 🙂

  3. Oh my gosh! I'm so carrot cake obsessed! I know I'll have to try this soon! There can never be too many carrot treats 😉

    1. I'm a big carrot cake fan as well, Megan...and from cookies to baked oatmeal, I'm learning that it's very adaptable to other types of treats! 😉 Hope you have a fantastic week!

  4. I'm not a huge fan of oatmeal but I think this would make a great make and take for a brunch pot luck!! Btw...am I the only one seeing a random picture of a pulled pork sandwich in the middle of your post? Or is my phone playing tricks on me?

    1. Ha, Meaghan...that made me laugh! I'm not seeing a pulled pork sandwich in this post on my phone or computer (was it even my pulled pork recipe? or someone else's?)...but if you're still seeing it, please let me know and I'll investigate further! Silly technology... 😉

  5. Lol, you got me here with the cake, but look at all those recipes, wow!!! I would take a piece please.
    And I think your post would be enjoyed on my Friday Feature Linky party,
    if you would like to share, I would love to have you stop by!!
    Have a great weekend!
    Karren

    1. Thanks so much, Karren, for the sweet comment and for the invite to your link party! It looks like I missed the most recent one, but I'll try to remember to check back for a future party. 🙂 Have a great week!