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About This Recipe
Anyone else LOVE carrot cake? I’m obsessed with all forms of it and Easy Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake is no exception! You can have it for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack.
It literally tastes just like fresh carrot cake—sweet, cozy, and perfectly spiced—and it’s packed with nutrients to help fuel your body for whatever kind of day lies ahead!
Somehow, I always find myself craving this carrot cake oatmeal bake as an afternoon snack. And don’t get me wrong, it’s DELICIOUS on its own. But I love to really take it to the next level by adding some frosting—just like a carrot cake!
Even better is that it’s so quick and simple to make. You can mix everything in just one bowl. Then, you just bake it for 30 minutes in the oven. It also makes multiple servings so you can have some more for later! YUM!
Looking for more easy and delcious oatmeal recipes? Try my Strawberry Protein Overnight Oats, Spiced Pear Vanilla Cauliflower Oatmeal Bake, or Baked Zucchini Oatmeal with Nutella Spread.
Why You’ll Love This Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake
- Enjoy it for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
- Super voluminous and a great source of fuel for those busy days.
- It literally tastes like fresh carrot cake! What a cozy treat.
- Low calorie, low carb, and low fat. So macro-friendly!
- Very easy to make.
- Great for meal prep!
- Freshly grated carrots – Adds so much moisture for a wonderful texture! I do NOT recommending subbing for matchstick carrots. The recipe will work but it will not be nearly as moist.
- Quick oats – To keep things easy.
- Flour – I used both oat flour and coconut flour. If you don’t have coconut flour, you can simply substitute for more oat flour.
- Baking essentials – Grab some salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
- Protein powder – I used PEScience Vanilla protein powder (code Laurenfitfoodie saves you 10%)
- Sweetener – I used Swerve granular sweetener. Use your favorite sweetener here.
- Canned pumpkin – Don’t worry. You won’t get an overwhelming pumpkin taste. The carrots are still the star of the show!
- Unsweetened applesauce – Great flavor and texture.
- Egg
- Pancake syrup – I used sugar-free pancake syrup. You can use pure maple syrup if you wish.
- Milk – I used unsweetened almond milk. Use whatever milk you like here.
How To Make
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 8-inch dish with parchment and/or spray with cooking spray,
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients (except the carrots) and whisk again until combined. Then fold in the grated carrots.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until ingredients are mixed well. Then transfer batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
What To Top Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake With
- Vanilla Maple Cream Cheese Frosting – For a true carrot cake vibe!
- Whipped cream cheese – Also for carrot cake vibes, but a little more convenient. 😂
- Nut butter – A creamy drippy nut butter on this bake is soooo good!
- Pancake syrup – This might sound weird, but it works! I love topping my carrot cake oatmeal with Walden Farms zero calorie pancake syrup.
- Skinny Dunkaroo Dip – Turns this into the ultimate dessert!
- Healthy Brownie Batter – For my chocolate lovers out there. SO YUMMY!
Once the oatmeal bake has cooled to room temperature, store covered in the fridge for up to 7 days.
To freeze, cut oatmeal bake into bars and wrap each one in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Store in a Ziploc bag with all the air removed. The bars will stay fresh in freezer for up to 4 months.
Can I use a different flour?
Yup! This recipe is super forgiving if you need to switch up the flours. I’ve tried with all-purpose flour and Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 Gluten Free flour and both turned out great!
Can I omit the protein powder?
Sure! If you wish to leave out, I would just replace with 30g (1/4 cup) of flour to maintain the wet/dry ingredient ratio.
Does this recipe freeze well?
It does. Just cut the oatmeal bake into bars and wrap individually. Then, store tightly in a Ziploc bag with all the air removed. The bars will stay fresh for up to 4 months.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure leave a review, tag me on Instagram or TikTok at @LaurenFitFoodie or hashtag #LaurenFitFoodie so I can see your creations!
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (30g)
- 1 cup quick oats (80g)
- 1/4 cup granular sweetener of choice
- 2 Tbsp oat flour (15g)
- 2 Tbsp coconut flour (14g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp EACH: salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
Wet ingredients:
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin (120g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (122g)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (120g)
- 1/4 cup SF pancake or maple syrup (60g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups loosely packed carrots (175g) finely grated*
Vanilla Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese I used reduced fat
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup (30g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup monk fruit confectioner’s sugar (72g) or regular
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Instructions
Carrot Cake Oatmeal Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 8-inch dish with parchment and/or spray with cooking spray,
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients (except the carrots) and whisk again until combined. Then fold in the grated carrots.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until ingredients are mixed well. Then transfer batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Vanilla Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large bowl using a handheld mixer (or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment), beat the cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla together on high speed until smooth.
- Add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat on low speed for 1 minute or until thoroughly mixed.
- Allow oatmeal bake to cool to room temperature before frosting (otherwise it may melt off). You can also store the frosting separately from the bake which I like doing usually since it's less messy this way.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
