These carrot cake overnight oats are easy to make, extra creamy, and the perfect make ahead breakfast treat. It tastes just like dessert thanks to creamy oats, rich shredded carrot, sweet raisin, and chopped nuts. It takes 5 minutes to prep these overnight oats and they’re gluten-free.
Love overnight oats? Try strawberry cheesecake overnight oats, pumpkin pie overnight oats, or blueberry overnight oats next.
Imagine enjoying the delicious flavors of carrot cake first thing in the morning. Just like peanut butter overnight oats, they hearty and keep you full for hours.
Add chia seeds for fiber and prep them in a mason jar for a quick and balanced breakfast. I love that they’re gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan!
The best part is these overnight oats actually taste like carrot cate! The warm spices, sweet maple syrup, shredded carrots, and crunchy nuts will remind you of your favorite carrot cake recipe. The flavor profile is similar to gluten-free morning glory muffins.
Love oats for breakfast? Try banana baked oatmeal, oat flour pancakes, or oatmeal chocolate chip muffins next.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for these carrot cake oats. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Rolled Oats: I like Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats. I don’t recommend steel-cut oats or quick oats because they don’t absorb liquid the same way.
- Chia seeds: create a thick, pudding-like texture and adds fiber and healthy fats. It’s a similar consistency to yogurt chia pudding!
- Maple syrup: for a touch of sweetness.
- Carrots: freshly grated carrots just like real carrot cake! You can roughly chop matchstick carrots if that’s easier.
- Nut butter: almond butter, cashew butter, or peanut butter for rich and creamy texture.
- Warm spices: salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg give you classic carrot cake flavors.
- Plant milk: I like unsweetened plant-based milk, like almond milk, but any milk works.
- Mix-ins: chopped pecans and raisins for sweetness and texture.
Recipe Variations
- Carrot cake protein oats: Add 2 scoops of plain vanilla protein powder and an extra 1/4 cup of milk. You can omit the sweetener if your protein is sweetened.
- Greek yogurt: Add 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt to add some extra protein. This will result in a thicker texture so add a couple tablespoons more of milk.
- Instead of chia seeds: swap for equal parts hemp seeds or flax seeds.
- Try chopped dates instead of raisins, or leave them out.
How to Make Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Here are the easy steps, with photos, to make carrot cake overnight oats. Jump down to the recipe card for the printable recipe.
Step 1. Add ingredients. Measure everything out into individual jars or mix everything together in one large bowl
Step 2. Mix Well. Combine the ingredients with a rubber spatula or spoon.
Step 3. Refrigerate. Close the lid and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, but overnights is best.
Step 4. Top and Serve. Serve with toppings like Greek yogurt, chopped nuts, or nut butter. The greek yogurt reminds me of cream cheese frosting!
Expert Tips for Success
- Make them in a large bowl and store it in the fridge or separate them out into cute overnight oats jars.
- Use rolled oats for the best thick and creamy texture.
- Adjust the amount of milk in your overnight oats to reach your desired consistency. Just remember the oats will absorb the milk as they chill!
- Create creative with other mix-ins and toppings like shredded coconut or Greek yogurt.
Overnight oats are served cold, but can be warmed if desired. I personally love quick chilled overnight oats straight from the fridge. It makes for a really easy breakfast.
Producers flatten quick oats to help them cook faster and if left soaking overnight they can break down too much. You can still use them if you have them on hand, but I don’t recommend leaving them in the fridge for more than a few days.
Overnight oats are essentially the same thing as traditional stovetop oats, but they’re soaked in cold liquid overnight rather than hot liquid quickly. Overnight oats allow you more flavor flexibility because you can mix anything into them and the oats absorb the combination of flavors. They’re also served cold rather than hot.
Chia seeds boast many health benefits including added fiber and protein and give the oats a thicker texture.
Any type of milk will work with overnight oats because they’ll all absorb into the rolled oats slowly. However, we prefer low-glycemic milk without added sugars like unsweetened cashew milk or almond milk. Although we love making homemade oat milk, we wouldn’t want double the oats in the recipe.
How to Store
Creamy oats stay fresh in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing overnight oats as the texture can change while they thaw.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
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Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
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Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats certified gluten-free if needed (Note 1)
- 4 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup peeled and grated carrot about 1 large carrot
- 4 Tabslepoons nut butter almond, cashew or peanut
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 2-3 scoops vanilla protein powder optional (Note 2)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix well to combine. Distribute the mixture evenly into 4 separate mason jars or glass jars with tight-fitting lids.
- Seal the jars and store overnight in the fridge for at least 6 hours or up to 5 days. Remove a serving of oats as needed, stir, and top with greek yogurt, cinnamon, chopped pecans, or nut butter.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- 4 individual jars with lids like a mason jar
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Loved it! Definite keeper.
Thank you!