This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my Privacy Policy for more details. Advertisements displayed do not reflect endorsements or recommendations made by Veggie Inspired.
These Carrot Cake Baked Oats are sweet, moist, and perfect spiced. They taste just like carrot cake, especially with the optional sweet cashew cream cheese topping!
Save this Post!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
These baked oatmeal muffins are packed with veggies, oats, and warm spices. They taste like dessert, but are great for breakfast or snacks.
My kids love these, too, and will even throw one into their lunchboxes.
If you’re looking for a more indulgent type of dessert, try my Vegan Carrot Cake!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Oats – Look for old-fashioned rolled oats for best texture. Quick oats will work, but won’t provide as much texture. Steel cut oats will not work.
Flax ~ Use flax meal, not whole flax seeds. Flax meal absorbs moisture and will help bind the oats together.
Banana ~ The riper the banana, the sweeter is will be. I like to use bananas that are starting to get spotty and brown.
Maple syrup ~ Use pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup
Spices ~ Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger are warming spices typically found in carrot cake so, of course, we’re using them here, too.
Carrots ~ Shred the carrots using the small holes on the box grater. I don’t recommend store-bought shredded carrots here as they tend to be larger cuts and very dry which may make the baked oats crumble. They make work in a pinch, however. Use at your own risk.
Love carrots? You’ll also want to try my Carrot Pineapple Salad, Vegan Carrot Soup, and Roasted Carrot Hummus.
Coconut ~ I like the sweet coconut as a complement to the other carrot cake flavors. If you don’t like or can’t have coconut, you can leave it out.
Walnuts ~ Chopped walnuts offer a nice crunch in an otherwise soft oatmeal muffin. Chopped pecans would work well, also.
Extras ~ I originally made the sweet cashew cream cheese to top my Carrot Cake Pancakes and it works just as perfectly here! The topping is optional and still completely delicious without it.
How to make the recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
- Step 1: Mash the banana really well.
- Step 2: Add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk well.
- Step 3: In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients an whisk well to combine.
- Step 4: Add the dry to the wet and stir until everything is moistened thoroughly.
- Step 5: Add the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts.
- Step 6: Stir well to evenly distribute.
- Step 7: Fill each cavity of the muffin pan completely and pack it down.
- Step 8: Bake until set then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving suggestions
Breakfast: These portable muffins are perfect for eating on-the-go. Or eat them alongside a heartier breakfast with smoky tempeh bacon, chickpea scramble, or vegan shakshuka.
Lunch: Pop them in a lunchbox for a fun mid-day treat.
Snack: They make great after-school snacks. I also love them to get me through that afternoon slump at the office.
Dessert: They taste like carrot cake, so why not eat them for dessert?! Add the optional cashew cream cheese frosting or a drizzle of pure maple syrup for a bit of indulgence.
Storage and freezing
Fridge: Store carrot cake baked oats in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Cool the muffins completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container or plastic zipo-top ba. They should keep well for up to 3 months.
Pro tips and tricks
~ Use rolled oats, not quick oats or steel cut oats for best texture and flavor.
~ Use fresh carrots and shred them yourself using the small holes on a box grater.
~ Fill the cavities of the muffin pan all the way to the top and pack the batter down firmly. This will ensure the baked oats hold together well.
~ Allow the muffins to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before removing them to a wire rack to continue cooling completely.
~ For a gluten-free option, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
~ For a nut-free option, leave out the walnuts and use soy milk, rice milk, or oat milk. .
~ This recipe can be made in an 8×8 baking dish instead of a muffin tin if you prefer. It will take about 10 minutes longer to bake through. You can also double the recipe for 24 muffins or a 9×13 pan.
More vegan baked oatmeal recipes
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Carrot Cake Baked Oats
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats gluten-free, if needed
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons flaxmeal
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk I used almond milk
- 1 ripe banana
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrots about 2-3 carrots depending on size
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
Toppings (optional):
- sweet cashew cream cheese
- shredded carrots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana really well until it's almost in a liquid state. Whisk in the non-dairy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, flaxmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder and salt.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl, to ensure all the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Stir in the shredded carrots and chopped walnuts and stir well.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Fill each cavity all the way to the top and pack it down with the back of the spoon.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops are set and the muffins pull away from the sides of the pan easily.
- Let them cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then, gently with knife or a spoon, lift them out of the tin and continue to let them cool on the wire rack.
- Serve them as is or with a dollop of sweet cashew cream cheese.
Notes
Nutrition facts calculated per muffin and without the Sweet Cashew Cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Annette
These are SO good! I recently discovered your website, when I was in search of a pumpkin apple oatmeal cookie that I had at a café. I have since made your version (with some added dried cranberries and raw pumpkin seeds), the gingerbread chocolate baked oatmeal bites, and these carrot cake baked oatmeal muffins. So far it’s a toss up between these and the pumpkin apple ones for #1, but I think these may just “take the cake.” I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Jenn Sebestyen
Thank you, Annette! I’m so glad you love them as much as we do. They’re so easy to make for quick and easy breakfasts and my kids love them for after school snacks, too! Thanks for your comment. Let me know if there are any other recipes you are looking for!
Jamie
I’m allergic to bananas and I’m newly vegan what is a suitable swap?
Jenn S.
Hi, Jamie! Thanks for stoping by. The banana adds more sweetness, but you can leave it out if you can’t have them. I think they will still be plenty sweet enough. You can use unsweetened applesauce as a replacement though if you’d like. Applesauce is a little runnier than smashed banana, so you may need less plant milk if you go this route. Start with 3/4 cup, you can always add more if the mixture seems dry. I hope you enjoy them. Please come back and let me know how the turn out. And good luck on your vegan journey!! Feel free to stop by any time to ask questions!