Carrot Cake Oatmeal

This must-make will turn your breakfast oatmeal into a carrot cake lover’s dream. 

Carrot Cake Oats

After my family and readers raved about my carrot cake overnight oats, I decided to give another breakfast classic a delicious twist: oatmeal that tastes like carrot cake! It’s cozy, creamy, and full of good-for-you ingredients. A winning recipe, my friends!

Shredded carrots mixed with creamy oatmeal, sweet raisins, and crunchy walnuts make this morning meal one for the books. As a bonus, you can make it easily in less than 10 minutes on the stove. Yay!

Keep reading to learn how to make it ahead, get the best oatmeal consistency, all the ingredient swaps, and the most delicious oatmeal topping ideas!

Ingredients 

You’ll find all the measurements for this carrot cake oatmeal in the recipe card below, but first, let me walk you through the ingredients and what you need to know about them:

• Old-fashioned oats: a.k.a. rolled oats; they have the best texture for this recipe.
• Milk: any regular or non-dairy milk. Water also works, but oatmeal won’t be as creamy.
• Salt: just a pinch to enhance all the flavors.
• Carrot: the star of this recipe!
• Raisins: add natural sweetness, nutrition, and texture.
• Cinnamon: adds more delicious flavor.
• Brown sugar or maple syrup: use your favorite for added sweetness.
• Vanilla: the ultimate flavor for oatmeal that tastes like cake!
• Chopped walnuts or pecans: extra crunch on top; yummy!

How to Make Carrot Cake Oatmeal

These creamy bowls of carrot cake oatmeal are a cinch to make in minutes. Grab a saucepan and the ingredients, and let’s cook:

1. Combine
   Combine the oats, milk, salt, grated carrot, raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a saucepan.
2. Cook
   Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once it simmers, cook on low for 5 minutes until you get the desired consistency.
3. The final touches
   Add the vanilla at the very end before turning off the heat. For thicker oatmeal, let the oats sit covered for 3 minutes.
4. Enjoy!
   Serve in bowls, add chopped walnuts on top, and enjoy!

Best Toppings for Carrot Cake Oatmeal 

I love topping this carrot cake oatmeal with something crunchy, like chopped walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds. Shredded coconut is another delicious oatmeal topping! For extra creaminess, add a dollop of whipped cream or Greek yogurt.

Prep Ahead Tips

Whether you have leftovers or plan to make a few batches of this carrot cake oatmeal to enjoy later, follow these tips:

Store
You can prepare this carrot cake oatmeal ahead or store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Allow the oatmeal to cool down to room temperature before refrigerating.

Reheat
When you want to enjoy a serving, reheat it in the microwave for about a minute, stopping halfway through to stir.

Add milk
Oatmeal can get too thick after some time in the fridge. Add milk, little by little, while reheating until the oats are warm and have the desired consistency.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 2 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 7 minutes mins

A simple stovetop carrot cake oatmeal recipe with carrots, raisins, cinnamon, and nuts that's ready in minutes.

5 from 5 votes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 cups milk, any
• Pinch of salt
• 1 large carrot, grated
• ¼ cup raisins
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar or maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Chopped walnuts or pecans, for serving

Instructions

Cook:

• Add the oats, milk, salt, grated carrot, raisins, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and once it simmers, reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
• Cook the oatmeal for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the desired consistency is reached. Add the vanilla, stir, and turn off the heat. For a thicker oatmeal texture, cover and let the oats sit in the saucepan for 3 more minutes.

Serve:

• Divide the oatmeal into bowls and top it with chopped walnuts or pecans.

Notes

Using milk instead of water will yield a thicker and creamier bowl of oats.

Equipment

Oatmeal Mug

Clean Treats Cookbook

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bowl | Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 778mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 5559IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 342mg | Iron: 2mg