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About This Recipe
Anyone else LOVE carrot cake? I’m obsessed with all forms of it and this carrot cake oatmeal bake is no exception! 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!
Really you can have it for breakfast, dessert, or as a snack. It’s a great option for meal prep (honestly tastes better after being chilled in my opinion!) and only takes 10 minutes to prep!
You can add a cream cheese frosting to really make this carrot cake baked oatmeal taste like dessert, but it’s good even without the frosting for something less indulgent! Try with some vanilla Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey to up the protein or smear with some creamy peanut butter (also perfect for on the go!)
For more yummy ways to bake oatmeal, try my blueberry muffin baked oatmeal, baked zucchini oatmeal or my all time favorite pumpkin oatmeal bake!
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!
- Great for meal prep and only takes 10 minutes to prep
- Macro-friendly packed with protein and fiber!
- Grated carrots – freshly grated or shredded. The smaller you shred the carrots, the more moist the oatmeal bake with be. You can peel the carrots first if desired. I wouldn’t use pre-shredded or matchstick carrots for this recipe. They just don’t blend with the flour and oats very well and it doesn’t bake the same!
- Quick oats – or old fashioned oats
- Flour – I used oat flour and coconut flour. If you don’t have coconut flour, you can simply substitute for more oat flour (doesn’t work for all recipes but it does for this one!)
- Baking essentials – grab some salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
- Protein powder – I used PEScience Vanilla. You can also just replace with more oat flour or omit completely.
- Sweetener – sugar or sugar substitute
- Canned pumpkin – you don’t taste the pumpkin, it just adds moisture to the oatmeal bake (and a pretty orange tint!) You can substitute with mashed banana (same amount).
- Unsweetened applesauce – you could also use mashed banana here (preferred) or add extra pumpkin.
- Egg
- Maple syrup – the maple flavor is delicious here but you can sub for another sweetener, like honey or agave.
- Milk – I used unsweetened almond milk. Use whatever milk you like!
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.
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?
Yes, instead of oat flour you can use all-purpose flour (gluten free if needed) or white whole wheat flour.
Can I omit the protein powder?
Sure. This oatmeal bake is pretty forgiving so feel free to leave out (or add an extra 1/4 cup oat flour). The protein powder adds some sweetness so you may need to adjust sweetener a little.
Does carrot cake baked oatmeal freeze well?
It sure does and I love freezing it. Just cut the oatmeal bake into bars and wrap individually (don’t add any frosting if freezing). 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 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.
