Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Cream Cheese Topping is a healthy and delicious breakfast that you can make ahead and eat all week.
I must really love baked oatmeal because this is the third variation of it that I've posted. Baked oatmeal is great because it's make-ahead friendly, and with two young kids at home, I probably wouldn't cook at all if it weren't for make-ahead cooking.
I take the time to make this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal when the Little Guy is napping, then I put it in the fridge or cut it up and freeze it for breakfasts to come.
Let's talk some more about this delicious dessert...I mean breakfast. Okay, if I'm being honest, there's not enough sugar in this Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal that you'd actually mistake it for dessert, but it's still a really great breakfast.
I followed my basic baked oatmeal recipe and added toasted pecans, carrots, and spices to give it all the flavors of a great carrot cake.
Now, carrot cake just isn't carrot cake without cream cheese frosting, so I knew I wanted to incorporate that into the oatmeal version. I did that with a cream cheese topping, which is super simple to make.
Just beat some light cream cheese with plain Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla, and you're good to go. It makes the carrot cake for breakfast experience that much more authentic.
Want more Baked Oatmeal Recipes?
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Nutrition Notes:
Use dairy-free milk and skip the cream cheese topping to make this recipe dairy-free. Make sure the oats are labeled gluten-free if you need this recipe to be gluten-free.
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for a recipe using 2% milk. Using milk (either cow's milk or non-dairy milk) that is lower in fat will result in a recipe that is slightly lower in fat and calories.
Conversely, using whole milk will increase fat and calories. One serving is one-eighth of the oatmeal recipe with approximately 1 Tablespoon of the cream cheese topping.
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Cream Cheese Topping
Ingredients
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- ½ cup pecans pieces or halves
- 3 cups rolled oats (Use Gluten Free oats to make this recipe Gluten Free)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 3 medium carrots grated
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 cups milk (use dairy-free milk to make this recipe dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream Cheese Topping
- ¼ cup Neufchatel or light cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x9" baking dish or similar size casserole dish.
- Heat pecans in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, tossing or stirring frequently until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to cool. Chop coarse.
- Stir together oats, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Fold in pecans and grated carrots. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla.
- Pour egg mixture into oat mixture and stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and spread evenly into the dish.
- Bake for about 35 minutes until set. Cool slightly before serving. Can be refrigerated for several days and reheated in microwave. Serve with the cream cheese topping.
Cream Cheese Topping
- Add Greek yogurt and Neufchatel to a medium bowl. Mix with and electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix on low until incorporated.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
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