A healthy breakfast that tastes like dessert! This carrot cake baked oatmeal is moist, warmly spiced, and topped with the most delicious protein cream cheese frosting.
As a dietitian, I love this recipe because it makes eating more fiber and veggies genuinely enjoyable. Make it ahead for easy weekday breakfasts, or serve it warm for a cozy weekend brunch. If you’re looking for more baked oatmeal recipes, try my peanut butter baked oatmeal or protein baked oats.
A Cozy, High-Fiber Breakfast
This carrot cake baked oatmeal will make your whole kitchen smell amazing. Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Tastes like carrot cake. It’s moist, sweet, and warmly spiced with cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup. The tangy cream cheese frosting makes it extra delicious.
- Packed with fiber and plants. You’ll get whole-grain oats and a full cup of carrots in every batch for a satisfying and nutritious breakfast. Explore more of my high-fiber recipes!
- Perfect for meal prep or brunch. Bake it ahead for easy weekday breakfasts, or serve it fresh from the oven when you have guests.
Dietitian tip! 💡 Want a more filling breakfast? Pair your baked oatmeal with an extra source of protein. I’ve shared my favorite options below.
Key Ingredient Notes
Carrots: Finely shred your carrots so they soften into the baked oatmeal without leaving big chunks. You’ll need about one large carrot to get one cup.
Old-fashioned oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best texture. I don’t recommend swapping for quick or steel-cut oats because they absorb liquid differently. Check out my other popular oatmeal recipes like greek yogurt oatmeal, cheesecake overnight oats or salted honey nut granola.
Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt adds moisture to the baked oatmeal and makes the cream cheese frosting extra creamy and tangy. I use low-fat, but other fat percentages should work too.
Maple syrup: This recipe uses maple syrup for sweetness in both the oatmeal and frosting. You can substitute honey if needed.
Raisins and nuts: Both are optional! Add raisins, chopped pecans, and/or walnuts if you like them in carrot cake, or leave them out.
Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is thoroughly softened before making the frosting to prevent clumps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed recipe.
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Step 1: Whisk together wet ingredients.
Step 2: Stir in remaining ingredients.
Step 3: Transfer to a baking pan and spread flat.
Step 4: While that’s cooking, whisk together protein cream cheese frosting.
Step 5: Bake for 40-45 and cool. Drizzle with frosting, and enjoy!
Miranda’s Tips
Recipe Tips
Finely shred your carrots. Large shreds can leave noticeable chunks of carrot in your baked oatmeal. Finely shredding them helps the carrots soften and blend into the oats for the best texture.
Make sure the oats are submerged. Baked oatmeal doesn’t form a smooth batter like cake. Before baking, spread the oats evenly and gently press them into the liquid so you don’t end up with dry patches on top.
Thoroughly soften your cream cheese. Cold cream cheese can make your frosting clumpy. Microwave it for 10-20 seconds if needed, and use a whisk to get your frosting completely smooth.
Let your oatmeal cool before slicing. Give it at least 10 minutes to set after baking so you can easily slice it into squares.
How to Add More Protein
This carrot cake baked oatmeal contains some protein from Greek yogurt, eggs, and milk, but I recommend adding another protein source for a more filling breakfast.
My favorite option is to crumble a warm slice over vanilla Greek yogurt instead of using the cream cheese frosting. You’ll still get that sweet and creamy contrast, with a boost of protein too.
You can also keep the cream cheese frosting and serve your oatmeal with a couple of hard-boiled eggs. Or, pair it with a protein shake when you need something quick.
Storage and Reheating
Let your baked oatmeal cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge, with the cream cheese frosting in a separate container.
When you’re ready to eat, enjoy a slice cold or microwave until warm. Add your cream cheese frosting after reheating.
You can also freeze individual slices for longer storage. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating, and keep the frosting separate.
Common Questions
Yes. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they can come into contact with gluten during processing. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, use certified gluten-free old-fashioned oats.
I recommend sticking with old-fashioned rolled oats for the best texture. Quick oats absorb liquid differently and may make your baked oatmeal softer or mushier. You can swap them, but large flake oats work best!
Nope! Feel free to leave this off entirely, or swap for vanilla greek yogurt for an easy, high-protein swap.
More Baked Oatmeal Recipes
Protein Baked Oatmeal
Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Equipment
- 9-inch square baking pan (non-stick)
Ingredients
Baked Oatmeal
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup neutral oil or melted butter, I use avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 cup low fat plain greek yogurt
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely shredded carrots, about one large carrot
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup raisins, optional
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, optional
Protein Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened (about ¼ cup)
- 1 ½ Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
Instructions
- Prep: Position your oven rack to the middle and preheat to 350 F. Get your non-stick pan out and ready.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, yogurt, milk, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add other ingredients: Stir in all remaining ingredients, making sure the carrots and raisins are evenly distributed throughout the batter and not clumped.
- Bake: Pour into the baking dish. Using the back of a spoon or spatula, gently spread and flatten the oats. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until baked oats are medium golden brown and cooked through.
- Make frosting: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese frosting.
- Frost and enjoy: Let your oats cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes. Then, transfer to a cutting board to slice into 6 even pieces. When you're ready to eat, drizzle on the cream cheese frosting and enjoy!
Notes
- Microwave the cream cheese 10-20 seconds to soften.
- Use a whisk to get out any clumps in your cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use vanilla yogurt instead of greek yogurt?
Yes but it may change the nutritional breakdown 🙂
This is the 3rd Real Life Nutritionist recipe I’ve made this week, all turned out so well! I used walnuts instead of pecans as that’s what I had in the cupboard. Looking forward to my breakfasts this week, I plan to eat warm with yogurt or vanilla almond milk. 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Meredith!! Thank you so much for your reviews!
Quick and easy and so delicious. But they do make me crave cream cheese icing 🤓
Thanks so much for your review!
I recommend mixing some greek yogurt with your favourite vanilla protein powder – whip well and add to the top! Delicious! Another great recipe.