• Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Work with Me
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Snixy Kitchen

A Bay Area gluten-free food blog with original seasonal recipes

  • RECIPE INDEX
  • Season
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • Gluten-Free
    • Gluten-Free Desserts
    • Gluten-Free Savory
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Dinner
  • Desserts

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

April 15, 2019 by Sarah Menanix

Jump to Recipe
  • Share
  • Tweet

Last updated on June 14th, 2019

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Make-ahead healthy carrot cake baked oatmeal with walnuts, dried cranberries, and dried tart cherries. Serve drizzled with maple cream cheese glaze for a crowd-pleasing hearty breakfast that tastes like cake. This recipe is made in partnership with Diamond Nuts.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Zoella (3) asked to call her daycare teacher last night to tell her she was eating homemade sushi with tofu and tempura asparagus for dinner. For as adventurous an eater this kid is, she eats one thing – and one thing only – for breakfast.

Every morning.

Baby oatmeal with a splash of applesauce. We’ve tried mixing it up – maybe a little yogurt – but still, she requests baby oatmeal. Her pediatrician assured me it’s fortified and rather healthy, so if that’s what she wants, why not! 

Last week though, Zoella woke me up at my bedside by getting really close to my sleeping face and enthusiastically whispering, “Mama, we ate all your cake for breakfast!” Then she made exactly the hands-on-cheeks shocked emoji face in real life.

She hadn’t eaten cake.

She’d eaten this carrot cake baked oatmeal. The night before I’d convinced her (with very little persuasion) that it was an oatmeal cake. Order of words matters here. Cake-inspired oatmeal v. oatmeal cake! It’s definitely cake-inspired oatmeal, but if calling it oatmeal cake makes her feel like she’s broken all the rules before 9am, then so be it. She’s eating veggies for breakfast now, so joke’s on her.

She’s abandoned her routine and requested I make oatmeal cake every week for breakfast instead of her beloved baby oatmeal.

Baked Oatmeal Recipe with Carrots, Walnuts, and Dried Cherries and Cranberries

Spiced Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Recipe with Walnuts

Carrot Cake Healthy Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal Recipe: Carrot Cake Oatmeal

This comforting carrot cake baked oatmeal breakfast recipe is the fifth in a year-long partnership with Diamond Nuts. Here’s what I’ve made so far:

  • Poppy seed almond flour muffins with peaches (sub frozen cranberries when peaches are out of season or leave the fruit out altogether!).
  • Maple roasted carrots with walnuts and feta 
  • Gluten-free chocolate-dipped pecan shortbread cookies
  • Salted caramel cheesecake mini pavlova cakes

Now I’ve made this carrot walnut cake oatmeal using their heirloom nut and fruit walnut blend. This baked oatmeal recipe is the perfect dish for Spring brunch entertaining. Just toss it all together in a bowl then bake until set. 

Healthy Baked Oatmeal that tastes like carrot cake

Carrot Walnut Cake Baked Oatmeal

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Recipe

Healthy Baked Oatmeal

To make a healthy carrot cake oatmeal, I’ve used maple syrup as the sweetener in both the oatmeal and the glaze. With dried cranberries and cherries adding additional sweetness, I’ve added just enough maple syrup to round out the flavors. 

Fiber-filled rolled oats make a baked oatmeal hearty breakfast with walnuts adding protein to keep you feeling full longer.

What’s more, this healthy baked oatmeal is filled with carrots and shredded coconut. You’ll want to use unsweetened shredded coconut and finely grate to carrots so they bake smooth into the cake without a stringy texture. 

Nuts & Fruit in Baked Oatmeal

To add pops of flavor and texture to this baked oatmeal, I’ve used Diamond Nuts’ heirloom nut and fruit walnut blend. The blend has walnuts mixed with dried cranberries and cherries and added here, they transform the oatmeal.

There are people who have strong feelings about whether dried fruit belongs in carrot cake, but in this baked oatmeal breakfast version, the dried fruit absolutely belongs. While the warm melty cranberries and cherries add pops of sweetness, toasty walnuts balance it out with savory crunch. Together they enhance both the texture and flavor of the oatmeal.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Easter Baked Oatmeal with Carrots

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Healthy Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

There’s something I feel very passionate about and it’s that carrot cake must have cream cheese frosting. Just like red velvet, carrot cake should have no other frosting than cream cheese frosting. 

In this baked oatmeal rendition, frosting would take this out of the realm of healthy. This is breakfast, after all (not that that’s ever stopped me).

So I’ve transformed the topping into a maple cream cheese glaze. The cream cheese glaze is essential. Equal parts tangy and and sweet, it’s what makes this baked oatmeal actually taste quintessentially like carrot cake.

Now you, too, can have oatmeal cake for breakfast. Go ahead and start your day feeling like a rebel breaking all the rules, when really you’re eating a filling nutritious serving of lightly sweetened oatmeal with veggies.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Disclosure: Special thanks to Diamond Nuts for providing the ingredients for this recipe and sponsoring this post! And thanks to you for supporting the companies that keep Snixy Kitchen cooking!

Continue to Content
Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

Yield: 1 8-9-inch square or 7x11 pan, 6 servings
Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 48 minutes

Make-ahead healthy carrot cake baked oatmeal with walnuts, dried cranberries, and dried tart cherries. Serve drizzled with maple cream cheese glaze for a crowd-pleasing hearty breakfast that tastes like cake.

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

  • 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
  • ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (from 1 orange)
  • 1 cup finely grated carrot (from 1-2 large carrots)
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2½ cups whole milk
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup Diamond Nuts Heirloom Fruit & Nut Blends, Walnut Blend (or 1/2 cup roughly chopped Diamond walnuts and 1/4 cup each dried cranberries and tart cherries).
  • Coconut oil for greasing the baking pan

Maple Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1½ tablespoons whole milk
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Grease a 8 or 9-inch square (or 7x11) baking pan with a thin layer of coconut oil and preheat the oven to 375°F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, shredded carrot, orange zest, baking powder cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Use your hands to rub the mixture together to evenly disperse the zest and shredded carrots.
  3. In a measuring cup or separate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour this over the oats and toss to combine.
  4. Spread half of the oats mixture into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with half of the nut and fruit blend, breaking up the large walnut pieces with your fingers as you go. Spread with the remaining oats mixture on top of the fruit and nut blend. Then top with remaining fruit and nut blend. Bake for 40 minutes until set and beginning to brown.
  5. Meanwhile prepare the maple cream cheese glaze. Combine the cream cheese, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla in a small food processor and pulse until smooth. Alternatively you can do this by slowly working the liquid into the cream cheese with a rubber spatula against a small bowl until smooth.
  6. Serve warm drizzled with maple cream cheese glaze. Store any leftovers covered in foil or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat to serve.
© Sarah Menanix
  • Share
  • Tweet
instagramIf you make this recipe, tag your photo #SnixyKitchen on Instagram!

Breakfast, Gluten Free Desserts, Gluten-Free, Gluten-Free Savory, Meal Type, Season, Special Diet, Spring, Vegetarian

Snixy Kitchen

SUBSCRIBE NOW

get free recipes straight to your inbox:

Previous Post: « Matcha Panna Cotta with Candied Kumquats
Next Post: Soft Lofthouse Style Gluten-Free Sugar Cookies »

Reader Interactions

You may also enjoy:

Gluten-Free Bagels
Gluten-Free Bagels
Gluten-Free Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Glaze
Gooey Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
The Best Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Dark Chocolate Honey Walnut Fig Truffles
Dark Chocolate Honey Fig Walnut Truffles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Sarah Menanix

I’m Sarah (aka Snix)! Welcome to Snixy Kitchen - where I create gluten-free recipes with fresh, local ingredients to tell stories about my life.

More about me ➤

STAY IN TOUCH

get new recipes to your inbox:

The Ultimate Guide to Matcha

Popular Posts

Best Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Triple Berry Crumble with Cinnamon Breadcrumbs

Quick Stovetop Gluten-Free Berry Crisps

Gluten-Free Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Chocolate Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cake with Caramel

Gluten-Free Cream Puffs

Gluten-Free Cream Puffs

Gluten-Free Breakfast Oatmeal Jam Bars

Gluten-Free Breakfast Oatmeal Jam Bars

Gluten-Free Snack Tahini Coconut Flour Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

Gluten-Free Tahini Snack Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Footer

Chewy gluten-free lemon cookies with crisp edges. Chewy gluten-free lemon cookies with crisp edges. This cookie marks the shifting of micro-seasons from Holiday Winter to New Year Winter (TM). It's a subtle change, one mostly perceivable in the baked goods coming out of each, but one that I believe should be celebrated with plenty cookies (both before and after the seasonal shift). 
•
So here are are, firmly in the land of backyard citrus, so I’m making all the lemon desserts. These cookies have sturdy crisp edges with a soft and fluffy, but intensely chewy center and a punch of lemon. Get the recipe link in my profile @snixykitchen. 
•
#lemoncookies 
https://www.snixykitchen.com/chewy-gluten-free-lemon-cookies/
Time to dig into citrus season! Get the recipe for Time to dig into citrus season! Get the recipe for this gluten-free earl grey bundt cake with blood orange drizzle on the blog - link in profile @snixykitchen. 
•
Last year, Zoella (4) peeled and ate a blood orange she’d found in a bush in our side yard when we weren’t looking. We found the sticky peels on the steps and panicked - where did this blood orange come from? Did an animal bring it? Is she going to get sick?! 
•
And that’s how we discovered our neighbors have a blood orange tree. By that point, it had dropped most of its fruit except for a few very high up branches that leaned over our fence. The tree is fruiting and nearly ripe again so I’m hopeful I can barter for a bag of oranges in exchange for some slices of this bundt cake. 
•
#glutenfreecake #bundtcake #bloodorangecake

https://www.snixykitchen.com/earl-grey-gluten-free-bundt-cake-blood-orange-icing/
We’re mixing up our meal planning routine with t We’re mixing up our meal planning routine with this savory gluten-free dutch baby topped with gruyere, a pile of buttery thyme mushrooms, and garlic wilted Baby Kale. Getting out of our dinner rut feels refreshing! Made in partnership with @plenty, this breakfast, lunch, or dinner anytime dish shows off their pesticide-free greens that are vertically farmed right here in the Bay Area. I’ve told you this before and it’s not an exaggeration when I say these are my favorite greens – they somehow taste fresher and more vibrant. 
•
I dropped some of this dutch baby off with my neighbor and, without prompting, she immediately texted, “YOM. I would make this. Greens are hella good.” It’s true. The greens are the star. If you’re in the Bay Area, use the link in my profile to find out where to get them near you!
•
Related big news: Ira (2) voluntarily ate cooked Baby Kale without throwing it on the floor or sneakily moving it to his sister’s plate. Even Ira knows a good thing when he sees it. 
•
For the gluten-free dutch baby recipe, search “almond dutch baby” on snixykitchen.com. Omit the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, and top it with grated gruyere 5 minutes before it’s done. For topping, saute some mixed mushrooms in butter with fresh thyme, and sliced garlic. Then add a few handfuls of Baby Kale and toss just to wilt. Salt & pepper to your heart’s content. If you want the extra flare, add a runny fried egg (eggs on eggs – why not?).
•
Sponsored by Plenty #plentyforall, #greensdontsuck https://bit.ly/3kZqAql
The toughest choice of the season: which cookies t The toughest choice of the season: which cookies to make for Christmas?! How many kinds is too many for a family of four? These buttery melt-in-your-mouth gluten-free white chocolate matcha shortbread 🎄 are a high contender! A snappy crumb and a nutty matcha flavor thanks to my fav @myencha! 😽 Get the recipe link in my profile @snixykitchen 
•
What are your must-make holiday cookies this year??
•
https://www.snixykitchen.com/gluten-free-white-chocolate-matcha-shortbread-cookies/ #christmascookies #matcha #myencha #glutenfreecookies #shortbreadcookies
Ultra chewy gluten-free blondies. A cross between Ultra chewy gluten-free blondies. A cross between a cookie bar and a brownie, they’ve got a vanilla cookie-dough with rich toffee notes from browned butter and dark brown sugar. A crackly top with classic brownie crispy edges and chewy center. Made in partnership with @bobsredmill (ad), they’re infinitely customizable with your favorite add-ins! Head to my stories to learn about why I chose chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate chunks. 
•
This final recipe uses almond flour, with an options for nut-free and grain-free versions. I tested multiple leading flours and, in a blind taste-test with 10 of my neighbors, every single one chose this almond flour version, describing it as “classic.” So there you go - get the recipe link for these classic chocolate chip blondies in my profile @snixykitchen.
•
https://www.snixykitchen.com/gluten-free-blondies/ #blondies #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecookies #glutenfreeblondies #betterwithbobs #bakedwithbobs
It’s about time for our annual sugar cookie sess It’s about time for our annual sugar cookie session. This is what my sugar cookies look like when I decorate them by myself without kids. The ones we make for Santa will surely be rainbow swirled and very messy with a pile of sprinkles as thick as the cookie (I’ve heard that’s how Santa likes them anyhow). Get my cut-out sugar cookie recipe link in my profile. 
•
Fun fact: I had to buy these holiday cookie cutters specifically for this post. There was a good couple of years where I only had a hippo cookie cutter and made holiday hippos every year. I still prefer my more eclectic cutters to the traditional ones. What’s your favorite cookie cutter in your collection?
•
https://www.snixykitchen.com/gluten-free-sugar-cookies-with-easy-icing/. #sugarcookies #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecookies #glutenfreesugarcookies
{New} This classic gluten-free coffee cake is fluf {New} This classic gluten-free coffee cake is fluffy and moist and everything I’ve been craving about a bakery-style coffee cake.
•
I don’t know about you, but I could use a warm hug right about now. A slice of coffee cake with a ribbon of cinnamon sugar, a pile of streusel, and a vanilla icing drizzle feels like the food equivalent to that. You’ll find me snuggled up under my favorite blanket with a cup of tea and a slice of coffee cake every evening this week. Find the recipe link in my bio @snixykitchen. 
•
#coffeecake #glutenfreecake https://www.snixykitchen.com/gluten-free-coffee-cake/
Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies. Zoella begged Chewy Gluten-Free Chocolate Cookies. Zoella begged for a rainy day hot cocoa and cookies date, so we made hot cocoa and a batch of these deep dark gluten-free chocolate cookies. And the cookie-a-day holiday menu continues. To get the recipe, go to @snixykitchen and tap the link in my profile!
•
https://www.snixykitchen.com/chewy-gluten-free-chocolate-cookies/
Follow @snixykitchen on Instagram

SEARCH

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Meet Sarah
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Recipes

ALL CONTENT & IMAGES Copyright © 2021 Snixy Kitchen
privacy policy | disclosure