Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal

This carrot cake oatmeal is dessert transformed into a healthy breakfast bowl. Loaded with warming spices, shredded carrot, raisins and walnuts. Easily made in 10 minutes.

I adore carrot cake for a number of reasons.

1. It’s delicious.
2. Reminds me of spring.
3. Includes my favorite spice combo.

Combine all of this with the fact it also manages to mix in plenty of shredded carrot, I’m sold. No one is surprised especially since I’ve been a huge advocate for shredded veggies in oats since making these Zoats. So it only made sense that I would share one of my favorite breakfast bowls to make that combines all of these classic flavors into one satisfying meal.

Why You’ll Love This Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast

• These oats are quick and easy to make
• Comes together in 10 minutes
• A healthier take on the typical breakfast bowl
• An easy way to get in extra veggies first thing in the morning
• Great to meal prep for easy grab and go breakfast
• Packed with fiber, beta-carotene, omega 3s, vitamin K and potassium

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Oats: Use rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) for this preparation. You can do a mix of rolled and quick oats if you want a creamier thick texture. Unless adjusting the other ingredients, do not swap for steel cut oats.
• Plant Based Milk: I like to use almond or soy milk as it makes the oats more creamy. You can use water or a mix of water and milk as well.
• Apple Sauce: Provides some natural sweetness so we don’t have to add much sweetener. You can also use a mashed banana.
• Grated Carrot: This is a must for a carrot cake oatmeal, but if you are not a fan of carrot, you can also try this dish with some grated zucchini.
• Spices: I use a combo of cinnamon, ginger and allspice to help give that authentic carrot cake flavor.
• Raisins: My favorite carrot cakes always have raisins in them. Feel free to swap with another dried fruit if preferred. Diced dried pineapple is a second favorite in this.
• Walnuts: Provides a nice boost in omega 3s. You can also swap for pecans.
• Sweetener: Generally I like the flavor of maple syrup or light brown sugar as it gives these oats the right amount of sweetness.

How to Make Carrot Cake Oatmeal

The most ‘complicated’ part of this recipe is grating the carrot. I just use a box grater to finely shred the carrots. This helps the carrot melt into the oats as it cooks.

Once grated, add all of the ingredients to a sauce pan and place on the stove top. Bring to a simmer and cook the oats while stirring frequently to help the oats thicken. Pull the oats off the stove just right before they hit your desired oatmeal texture.

As your oats sit, they will continue to thicken. Serve the oats with extra raisins and walnuts or even a vegan cream cheese drizzle.

Expert Tips

• Depending on how creamy or thick you want your oatmeal, remove your oatmeal from the heat right before it gets to your desired thickness. Your oats will continue to thicken once removed from heat, so this will preserve the texture you like.
• Make sure to stir the oats regularly. Stirring as it cooks helps to release some of the natural starches that help improve the texture and creaminess of the oats.
• Shred the carrot based on preference. I often shred mine very fine because I really want it to melt into the oats as it cooks, but shred closer to the texture you like.
• Note that your oats will keep thickening even after you store it in the fridge. To restore the texture you like, add a few splashes of milk and a pinch of some spices to help bring it back to life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Tips

These oats are easy to prep in advance for breakfast during the work week. Once cooled, place in airtight containers and place in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat you can either:

1. Add the oats to a sauce pan along with a splash of milk. Just stir and mix until warmed through.
2. Place in a microwave safe dish along with a splash of milk. Stir, cover and heat for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Give another mix and add additional milk if desired.

Add Ins and Variations

The best part of this oatmeal is that it is very easy to customize. Consider any of the following ideas to jazz up your own bowl.

• Sprinkle with brown sugar
• Stir in a mix of walnuts and pecans for a buttery flavor
• Top with extra seeds like pepitas for more iron and magnesium
• Replace the shredded carrot with shredded zucchini
• Leave out the raisins or swap with some diced dried pineapple
• Swap the apple sauce for some crushed canned pineapple for extra natural sweet
• Use soy milk or pea milk for extra protein
• Sprinkle some shredded or toasted coconut on top
• Replace 1/4 cup of the milk with canned coconut milk for extra decadent oats

More Healthy Oatmeal Bowls to Try

• Chocolate Oatmeal
• Earl Grey Oatmeal
• High Protein Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats
• Apple Cider Oatmeal
• Coconut Cream Zucchini Oatmeal
• Matcha Latte Oatmeal

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★ Catherine

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