Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Everything you love about carrot cake but in a quick and easy breakfast! Our Carrot Cake Oatmeal is one of the healthiest ways to fulfill that craving. Even better, this carrot cake oats recipe is ready in just 10 minutes!
Next, try our Italian Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Frosting!
What if I told you that you could get your kids to eat carrots for breakfast? Impossible, you’d say. But that’s just because they haven’t had our Carrot Cake Oatmeal, yet! This is hands down my favorite breakfast to make for my kids, because not only is it just down right tasty, but hellooooo nutritious oats, carrots, raisins, and nuts. This carrot cake oats recipe is one that has everything you need for a hearty, healthy start to your day!
Ingredients Needed
- Old Fashioned Oats – Also known as rolled oats, these are my go-to oats. They cook much faster than steel-cut oats and have a preferred texture over quick oats.
- Shredded Carrot – Fresh carrot, in breakfast! Just like any good carrot cake, these carrot cake oats have plenty of freshly shredded carrots. The finer the shred, the better it cooks down and incorporates into the oatmeal.
- Milk + Water– 2% is our go-to, but you can make this with any % or even nut or soy milk! We prefer a greater milk-to-water ratio, but you can also use all milk, but it will make for a very creamy oatmeal.
- Walnuts – Walnuts are the go-to because we always have them on hand, but we also love this carrot cake oatmeal with pecans!
- Raisins – I love the pop of sweet chewy texture that these add. Switch it up and add use some golden raisins, too!
- Maple Syrup – This is our go-to natural sweetener of choice, but you could also use honey.
- Chia Seeds – This is my favorite way to add a punch of nutrition to oatmeals, cereals, granola, smoothies, energy balls, and even popsicles!
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ground Ginger, Salt – Classic carrot cake flavors!
Ready in Minutes
Could there be anything easier than just adding everything to a pot and letting it all cook? Nope! That’s why this Carrot Cake Oatmeal is so incredibly easy and perfect for a weekday lunch to get your school/work day started.
All cooked and creamy, delicious, and packed full of all of the flavors your love from carrot cake, but in a healthy hearty breakfast!
Recipe Tips
Short answer, yes, of course. Long answer, steel cut oats have a much chewier texture and take longer to cook and quick oats have a mushier texture. While you can definitely use both, rolled oat or old-fashioned oats, in my opinion, have the perfect creamy slightly chewy texture that isn’t too chewy or watery or ‘gluey’.
This Carrot Cake Oatmeal is probably a medium on the oatmeal sweetness level. We’re not a fan of overly sweet – even in cakes – and so this is a solid medium, but with pops of sweet raisins. You can absolutely adjust the level by adding more maple syrup, or your sweetener of choice.
You can absolutely substitute your favorite dairy-free milk to make these carrot cake oats vegan!
Well, old-fashioned oats should be gluten-free, however, not all are. To be sure, buy an old-fashioned rolled oat that is labeled gluten-free.
Oatmeal is a great breakfast to make in advance. You can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just be sure to let it cool completely before covering it and adding it to the fridge, and then when reheating you may want to add just a little more water or milk to make it creamy.
So much flavor. So much nutrition. My absolute favorite homemade oatmeal recipe!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Equipment
- grater
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 1/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 lg carrot peeled and finely shredded, approximately 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Add everything to a medium sized saucepan and heat on medium high. Bring to a boil, stir, and reduce to medium to bring to a simmer.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, until oats are tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Remove from heat. Add to bowls and garnish with more shredded carrot, nuts, and cinnamon.
This was such a tasty oatmeal recipe! It really tasted like I was eating carrot cake! Will definitely make this again!
Carrot cake oatmeal sounds delicious! I have been looking for new oatmeal recipes, as we tend to eat oatmeal often for breakfast.