Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Loaded with fresh carrots, spices, and topped with cream cheese frosting or icing, this Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal recipe is an easy to make breakfast casserole that comes together in just minutes. It’s packed with nutritious ingredients like oatmeal, nuts, milk, and eggs, and is the perfect way to turn a dessert into a healthy breakfast or brunch offering.

This breakfast treat tastes just like your favorite carrot cake, and be sure not to miss out on the cream cheese icing drizzle. Pop it in the oven, and enjoy. Relax, mornings just got a little easier! It’s so good, you could even serve it as dessert.

If you love oatmeal for breakfast or brunch, you’ll want to try it in these fun recipes! Oatmeal cookies, Peanut butter oatmeal muffins,  Peaches and Cream Baked Oatmeal, and Oatmeal lemon bars.

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Meal prep

This is a perfect easy recipe for meal prep. One pan will make enough breakfasts to last for a week.

Just cut it up into squares and pop em in the fridge. Then they’re ready to be pulled out for breakfast.

Enjoy cold, or into the microwave to warm up.

How to make

This baked oatmeal recipe has been a household favorite around here for many years. I’ve switched up the mix ins, this time using carrot cake flavors. But it’s also great as a baked oatmeal with berries.

And, just FYI, this is not an overnight oats recipe. It is a baked dish.

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.

Preheat the oven. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Generously butter the inside of the parchment paper. Lining the pan makes it easy to remove the oatmeal after it’s baked. It also makes clean up easier. You can skip lining the pan and just butter than pan if you prefer.

I prefer old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe. They have a nicer texture and chew to them. The recipe will also work with quick oats, but will have a slightly different texture. I wouldn’t use steel cut oats for this one.

mix up the goodies

In a bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

If you want to add in any pineapple, raisins, coconut, or other add-ins, mix them into the oat mixture now.

In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, and vanilla.

Sprinkle two-thirds of the shredded carrots into the prepared baking dish. Cover the carrots with the oat mixture. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the oats, and scatter the remaining shredded carrots on the top.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown, and the oat mixture has set.

Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. While to oatmeal cools, make the icing.

Make the cream cheese icing

This icing is based on my cream cheese frosting recipe.

Make sure you use softened cream cheese and softened butter for the icing.  

Mix the cream cheese and butter together; you can do this with a hand mixer, in a stand mixer, or by hand.

Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste. Mix in the milk. If you’d like it thinner, add in a little more milk, just a few drops at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

frost and serve

Cut the oatmeal into squares and serve with a drizzle of the cream cheese icing.

I like the serving size of 9 squares for this dish – it’s not too big and not too small. This oatmeal is also great cut into mini squares and served in cupcake liners for a crowd or a party.

If you’d like a thick layer of frosting over the top of the oatmeal, more like a cake, simply double the icing recipe.

This baked oatmeal is great served warm or cold from the fridge.

Storage

Store the baked oatmeal in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

For best results, I recommend storing the cream cheese icing separately from the oatmeal. The cream cheese icing can soak into the oatmeal, making it soggy.

Just add the icing when you’re ready to eat.

For longer storage, you can freeze the oatmeal. Let it cool completely, cut it into squares, and wrap in plastic wrap. Pop in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply place in the fridge overnight.

Changes to the recipe

Like I said, I play around with the mix-ins in this recipe all the time.

What do you like in your carrot cake?

Add pineapple, raisins, or coconut. Switch up the nuts using walnuts or hazelnuts if you prefer. Even try pepitas for crunch.

Make it nut free by leaving out the nuts.

Serve it with a smear of peanut butter or a drizzle of coconut butter. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt on top for a creamy bit of protein.

Can I make this vegan?

Yes, this is easily made vegan.

• Use your favorite plant-based milk
• Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water together, let it sit for 15-20 minutes before adding it into the recipe as the egg replacer.
• Use coconut oil instead of butter
• For the cream cheese icing, use vegan cream cheese substitute

Can I make it gluten-free?

Be sure to use {affiliate link} certified gluten-free rolled oats.

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