I cannot get over the fact I can call this insanely delicious carrot cake baked oatmeal breakfast!  It comes together with just 15 minutes of hands on prep thanks to my easy blender method, which also turns the rolled oats into a smooth, cake-like texture. With a full cup and a half of grated carrots, and topped with my quick Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting, it’s a satisfying and absolutely crave-worthy healthy meal prep breakfast (makes 8 servings)! 

A square slice of carrot cake baked oatmeal with Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting and shredded carrot on top is served on a pink plate with a gold fork nearby.
This carrot cake baked oatmeal is the ultimate feel-good breakfast. Packed with nourishing ingredients including rolled oats, grated carrots, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup and warming spices, the batter is whipped up quickly in the blender, giving it a tender cake like crumb.

Who decided carrot cake should be reserved for dessert only? This recipe says otherwise.

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This carrot cake baked oatmeal has all the warm, cinnamon-spiced, carrot cake vibes, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and apple sauce and baked into a sliceable breakfast you can prep ahead and enjoy all week.

And yes… we’re topping it with my Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting friends, because what is cake without icing!? And the good news, this luscious topping actually makes your favourite baked goods more filling, satisfying and better for your blood sugars thanks to the boost of protein it adds! 

It also makes it 200% more likely that my kids will eat this easy weekday breakfast, and if that’s not the ultimate mom win, I don’t know what is. 

Let’s Chat About Why This Baked Oatmeal is the Ultimate Feel-Good Breakfast

The dietitian in me loves that this recipe is built to fuel you with my go-to PFF combo (protein, fiber, healthy fats). 

Oats provide soluble fiber to support steady blood sugars, carrots add fiber and beta-carotene (hello eye health, cause as a woman in my 40s my eyes are needing all the help they can get. haha), and using three whole eggs boosts the protein and nourishing fats for staying power. 

1. Blended oats = true cake texture
Most baked oatmeal recipes use whole oats, and while I love that too (especially in my high protein apple cinnamon baked oatmeal), I wanted true cake-like vibes here. While it took a lot of testing to get the texture just right, it was so worth it.  By blending everything together, we get a soft, sliceable bake that feels way closer to carrot cake than a bowl of oats.

2. Naturally higher protein (without the protein powder)
Between the eggs, milk, and Greek yogurt frosting, we get around 10g of protein per serving, making thse more filling that traditional baked oatmeal so you’re not feeling snacky 30 minutes later.

3. Just sweet enough
We’re using maple syrup and applesauce for a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon and carrots so it still feels like a nourishing breakfast, but make it cake. Because this is a lightly sweetened baked oatmeal, I do find that if you skip the icing, it needs an extra drizzle of maple syrup when you serve it!

4. Meal prep magic
Bake once, slice into 9 pieces, and you’ve got breakfast ready for the whole week and then some (my sister also likes this for a little post diner dessert). Warm it up, top with frosting, and you’re good to go.

Success Tips (From Testing This One More Time Than I’d Like to Admit)

An overhead view of bowls containing ingredients for breakfast cookies, including rolled oats, shredded carrots, eggs, applesauce, yogurt, milk, raisins, olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Do not wring out the carrots and use the full 1 ½ cups! When I initially tested this recipe, it was too moist in the middle and didn’t rise like I wanted. I thought patting the carrots dry before adding and decreasing them to 1 ¼ cups would fix that, but that batch turned out too dry. It was adding the 3rd egg that fixed the structure and balanced out the moisture, so just grate, and dump for the best result! 

The 3rd egg is intentional! While most baked oats use 1 or 2 eggs, with the heavier ingredients like the carrots and raisins, plus the oats being blended, the third egg is needed for structure (and bonus, it ups the protein too!)

Let it cool before slicing: I know it’s hard, but this helps it set properly and slice cleanly so you don’t end up with crumbling, fall-apart oats.

Let your breakfast cake cool completely before icing! Because it’s made with Greek yogurt, if you top the bake when it’s hot, it will melt and become runny!

Let’s Bake This Carrot Cake Oatmeal Together!

A close-up view of a blender containing a frothy, pale yellow liquid, with a hand holding the side of the blender jar.
Blend your wet ingredients first.
A close-up of a spatula covered in creamy, light brown batter held above a blender jar containing more of the same mixture. The background is softly blurred.
Add the dry ingredients (except the carrots and raisins) and blend until the oats are mostly broken down.
A close-up of a spatula lifting thick, textured batter with visible shredded carrots and raisins from a clear mixing bowl.
Stir in the carrots and raising (do not blend!)
A square white baking dish filled with an uncooked, light brown batter that has visible specks and shreds, likely carrots and other ingredients, spread evenly across the surface.
Pour into your greased baking dish
A close-up of a freshly baked, golden-brown cake or bread in a white rectangular baking dish, showing a slightly cracked top surface.
Bake until the top is crackly and golden
A slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and grated carrot on top sits on a pink plate. A fork with a bite of cake rests next to it. The cake pan with more cake is visible in the background.
Let the bake cool before frosting so the frosting doesn’t melt.

HERE’S HOW TO MAKE IT

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A slice of carrot cake with white frosting and shredded carrots on top sits on a pink plate beside a gold fork.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Lindsay Pleskot, RD
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Description

I cannot get over the fact I can call this fluffy carrot cake baked oatmeal breakfast!  It comes together with just 10 minutes of hands on prep thanks to my easy blender method, which also turns the rolled oats into a smooth, cake-like texture. With a full cup and a half of grated carrots, and topped with my quick Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting, it’s a satisfying and absolutely crave-worthy healthy meal prep breakfast (makes 8)! 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup milk
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil 
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ cups shredded carrots, lightly packed (no need to peel!) 
  • ½ cup raisins
  • 1 serving Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9 inch baking dish and set aside (I used olive oil to grease it).
  2. To a blender, add the milk, apple sauce, eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla and blend until smooth
  3. Add the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend until combined and the oats are mostly blended, a few larger pieces is ok. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine (do no blend!) 
  4. Pour the flour mixture into your prepared baking dish and bake for about 30-40 minutes (I typically find 35 mins is perfect!), until the top is golden and the center is set (a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs when inserted in the middle. 
  5. Let it cool completely before topping with the Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting (at least 10 minutes in the baking dish, and then you can transfer to a cooling rack if you like, or leave it in the dish to finish cooling). Frost, then cut into 8 slices and enjoy!  *if you plan to reheat it, store it separately from the frosting and frost it when ready to eat. 

Notes

Storage: Store in the fridge up to 5 days. I like to frost it, then cover the baking dish with beeswax wraps or plastic wrap and store in the fridge like this. The frosting thickens up perfectly when spread across the bake and lightly covered, vs. in a complete airtight container (this can cause a bit of moisture to pool on top and a slightly). If storing in an airtight container you may just have to re-spread the frosting slightly before eating!

Sweetness: This recipe was developed to go with the cream cheese frosting. Because of that, the baked oatmeal itself is lightly sweetened. If you decide to skip the frosting, you may find it needs an extra drizzle of maple syrup when served!