Carrot cake baked oatmeal is a fun start to the day! Naturally sweetened and loaded with walnuts and raisins, plus an optional cream cheese glaze, this is great for a make-ahead breakfast!

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

Yield: 9 servings

Carrot cake baked oatmeal

Name: Carrot cake baked oatmeal
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats; 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 large egg; 4 oz. cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is OK); 1 1/4 cups milk of choice; 1/3 cup maple syrup; 2 tablespoons canola oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 cup grated carrots (from about 1 large carrot); 1/3 cup raisins; 3 oz. plain cream cheese (reduced fat is OK); 1/4 to 1/3 cup powdered sugar (see notes); 1/4 teaspoon vanilla; 1 to 3 tablespoons milk (see notes)

Carrot cake baked oatmeal is a fun start to the day! Naturally sweetened and loaded with walnuts and raisins, this is great for a make-ahead breakfast!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is OK)
1 ¼ cups milk of choice
⅓ cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup grated carrots (from about 1 large carrot)
⅓ cup raisins

For the optional cream cheese glaze:

3 oz. plain cream cheese (reduced fat is OK)
¼ to ⅓ cup powdered sugar (see notes)
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1 to 3 tablespoons milk (see notes)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, walnuts, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat together the egg, cream cheese, milk, maple syrup, canola oil and vanilla. It helps to use a whisk or mixer but a fork can work, too. It's OK to have a few cream cheese chunks but you want it mostly broken up and well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Fold in the carrots and raisins.
Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until set.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares so it can set up.
To make the glaze: Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk in a small bowl and beat on low with a mixer. Add extra milk, a teaspoon or so at a time, until the glaze reaches desired consistency.
Drizzle or spread over baked oatmeal and serve!

Notes

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!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 316Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 281mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 16gProtein: 7g

Comments

Dawn - Girl Heart Food

March 27, 2017 at 10:23 am

First of all Pinning!! What a genius idea! Carrot cake in a healthier breakfast form? Um, yes please ! I can understand why the kiddies loved this one. I guess you were disappointed when they liked it the second time round 😉 This would definitely be something that I would make a big batch of and eat throughout the week too. Perfect grab and go kinda breakfast...with coffee too, of course! Have a wonderful (and restful) week, my friend! xoxo

- Kathryn
  
  March 28, 2017 at 9:25 am
  
  Yes, it's great for munching on all week long! Have a great week Dawn! XO
  
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen

March 27, 2017 at 12:40 pm

Whoa! This sounds incredible! I love carrot cake and oatmeal (and cream cheese glazes). I know I'll be making this soon! (And eating for bfast--with plenty of glaze.) I hope you're able to get some rest this week :).

- Kathryn
  
  March 28, 2017 at 9:26 am
  
  Thanks so much Kelsie - it's such a great combo of flavors! 🙂
  
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

March 27, 2017 at 1:47 pm

Oh gosh, sorry you didn't have the most relaxing weekend, Kathryn! Hopefully this week goes by fast and next weekend is SUPER relaxing for you!!! I'm seriously obsessing over this oatmeal!!! I love baked oatmeal too, and I'm a huge carrot cake lover, so combining the two is just making me over the moon happy!!! Love that you loaded it up with walnuts and raisins too!!! Plus that cream cheese glaze? Totally not optional in my world. I need it ALL!!! Pinned!! Cheers, dear! Xo

- Kathryn
  
  March 28, 2017 at 9:29 am
  
  Putting these two favorites together has made me a very happy lady 😉 XO
  
Kelli McGrane

March 28, 2017 at 6:30 am

This would be perfect for Easter and definitely with the cream cheese glaze - yum!

- Kathryn
  
  March 28, 2017 at 9:30 am
  
  Absolutely! It'd be great for an Easter brunch (and yes, the glaze should definitely go on it to celebrate!)
  
Easy Dessert

March 28, 2017 at 9:16 am

This website definitely has all the info I needed about this
subject and didn't know who to ask.

Amanda

March 28, 2017 at 5:46 pm

Love everything about this!

- Kathryn
  
  March 30, 2017 at 9:18 am
  
  Thanks Amanda! It's a great way to wake up! 😊
  
Erin @ Brownie Bites Blog

March 28, 2017 at 8:24 pm

Oh my gosh! Carrot cake and oatmeal are two of my favorite foods on the planet, and here it is all together in a single dish. *bowing down* THANK YOU for sharing this!

- Kathryn
  
  March 30, 2017 at 9:19 am
  
  Haha, yay! This is perfect for you Erin! 😊
  
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen

March 29, 2017 at 5:37 am

I adore carrot cake, but it's not something I eat all the time. Lately I have seen carrot cake all over the place and LOVE the creative ways everyone is incorporating that carrot cake flavor 🙂

- Kathryn
  
  March 30, 2017 at 9:20 am
  
  Me too Tara! I rarely have a big slice of cake but I'll eat this any day of the week! And all the other carrot cake snack bars and cookies out there! ❤️
  
GiGi Eats

March 29, 2017 at 9:33 am

Mmmmmmm! Looks sensational. I would ditch the raisins and dive in, head first!

- Kathryn
  
  March 30, 2017 at 9:22 am
  
  My daughter is with you on this GiGi - she started picking out the raisins when she was eating this yesterday morning. 😊
  
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy

March 29, 2017 at 3:55 pm

I can't believe I can have this for breakfast!!!!! <3

- Kathryn
  
  March 30, 2017 at 9:22 am
  
  OH YES!!! 😊🙌😊
  
Megan @ MegUnprocessed

March 30, 2017 at 8:45 am

What a great breakfast option!

- Kathryn
  
  March 30, 2017 at 9:23 am
  
  Thanks Megan! It's a favorite here - we had it again yesterday!