This delicious vegan carrot cake baked oatmeal recipe has all the warming spices and grated carrot you’d find in the classic dessert baked into a healthy breakfast. Baked oatmeal recipes like this one are my favorite for meal prepped healthy breakfasts for the week.
Since baked oatmeal has become such a meal prep staple for me, I have been having so much fun coming up with new flavor variations! This carrot cake baked oatmeal has quickly become one of my favorites. I love the combination of the cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg with the sweetness of the raisins and the crunchy walnuts.
Healthy oatmeal recipes like this one are a family favorite around here! Be sure to check out my other baked oatmeal recipes: banana bread baked oatmeal, pumpkin baked oatmeal, and lemon blueberry baked oatmeal.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Super simple to make and great for meal prepping! I love having this in my fridge for a quick breakfast on busy mornings.
- This healthy carrot cake baked oatmeal is made with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
- Got brunch plans? This carrot cake baked oatmeal is a great option for a plant-based brunch! Serve it up with one of other recipes in this roundup of vegan brunch recipes.
- This baked oatmeal recipe is vegan, egg free, dairy free, and gluten free if you use gluten-free certified oats.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oats: I like to use old fashioned rolled oats best for baked oatmeal, but you can also use quick oats. You just want to avoid steel cut oats as they need a lot more liquid and longer cooking time.
- Spices (Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg): all the best spices to give this baked oatmeal that classic carrot cake flavor.
- Grated Carrot: use the small grater edge for finer grated fresh carrots – they taste better this way! No one wants big pieces of carrot in their carrot cake.
- Soy Milk: use any plain, unsweetened milk that you like such as almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or coconut milk. I really like soy milk for baking.
- Maple Syrup: adds natural sweetness to the recipe.
- Flax Egg: helps bind these baked oats together into a cake-like texture. Flax is also loaded with nutrients! I break it all down in my flaxseeds vs chia seeds post.
- Baking Powder: You’ll be using baking powder as a rising agent in this baked oatmeal. It just makes it a little more fluffy and cake-like.
- Walnuts & Raisins: add a bit of texture to these baked oats. Chopped pecans or dried cranberries would also be great in this recipe.
Step by Step
STEP ONE: First, you’ll add your ground flax and water to a bowl to make a “flax egg”. This helps hold to oats together without using a regular egg since this recipe is vegan. After the flax has gelled, you’ll add the rest of your wet ingredients to the large bowl and stir.
STEP TWO: In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients like the oats and leavening agents.
STEP THREE: Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
STEP FOUR: Stir in the walnuts and raisins.
STEP FIVE: Add your batter to a greased 8″x8″ baking dish and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until firm and golden brown. After baking, I like to let mine cool for about 10 minutes on the counter. I find that it holds together better when slicing once it has had a chance to cool off a bit.
STEP SIX: To make the pretty glaze on top, I just added some vegan vanilla yogurt to a ziplock bag and snipped off a little bit of one corner to make it into a piping bag. (I used Kite Hill vanilla yogurt and it was perfect! Added just a bit of sweetness.) I then just drizzled it into a zigzag pattern on top. You could also add some shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, cashew butter, or a drizzle of maple syrup to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Simply divide the batter into 6 cups of the cups in a standard muffin tin that have been well greased or lined with paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
Yes! Baked oatmeal is a great option for a healthy breakfast as oats are full of heart healthy fiber. Combined with all the vitamin A and antioxidants in the carrots, these carrot cake baked oats make for a hearty breakfast that is so good for you.
No – there’s not need to soak your rolled oats before making baked oatmeal. In this recipe, you’ll be adding some milk so the oats soak that up and soften when baking to form a tender cake-like texture.
How to Store and Freeze
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also slice it into individual servings and freeze it in a container with parchment paper between the slices. When ready to eat, just reheat the baked oatmeal for a couple of minutes in the microwave until warm. It is just as good reheated, so you can easily make this ahead of time!
Oats are a versatile and budget-friendly pantry staple that I always keeps on hand. Check out my health benefits of oats post for the lowdown on this nutritious whole grain from a plant-based dietitian.
More Oat Recipes You’ll Love
- Carrot Cake Oatmeal
- Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Vegan Breakfast Cookies
- Super Seedy Granola
- Protein Overnight Oats
- Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal
- Spiced Pear Baked Oatmeal
Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 5 tablespoons warm water
- 1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk (or preferred non-dairy milk)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup peeled and grated carrot
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray 8″x8 baking dish with oil.
- Combine flax seeds and water in large mixing bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to gel.
- To the same bowl, add the milk, maple syrup, carrot, oil, and vanilla. Stir well.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the oats, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir and then add to the wet ingredients and stir again.
- Add the walnuts and raisins and stir to distribute through batter. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and firm.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. To serve, drizzle with vegan vanilla yogurt if desired.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also slice it and freeze it in a container with parchment paper between the slices. When ready to eat, just reheat the baked oatmeal for a couple of minutes in the microwave until warm. It is just as good reheated, so you can easily make this ahead of time!
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
I have trouble with flax. Can I just use egg? It sounds fantastic!
Hi Judy, Yes – you can use 1 egg instead of the flax or just skip the flax – it still works well without it.
I made this with golden raisins, served it with vanilla greek yogurt and fresh fruit. It was delicious!
I am not a vegan, but eat a lot of vegetable base foods, and love oatmeal and carrot cake! I would like to try this without and egg, and again with an egg….could I make this with an egg, and if so, would it be just one.
Thank you!
Great question! Yes, you can use 1 chicken egg instead of the flax “egg” in this recipe.