Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal (Vegan)

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Vegan Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal with a cream cheese yogurt glaze is the perfect spring brunch recipe! It's easy to make, perfect for prepping ahead of time and packed with warming spices, nuts and golden raisins.

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overhead view of vegan carrot cake baked in a blue baking dish with cream cheese glaze.

Why we love this recipe

Easy to make: perfect for any skill level.
Perfect for meal prep/make ahead: this carrot cake baked oatmeal can easily be prepped and baked a day or two ahead of time. Leave off the glaze and warm it back up in the oven before serving!
Great for Mother's Day, Easter or any other holiday: (hint, hint...add to your Mother's Day brunch menu!)
Stores well: this carrot cake baked oatmeal honestly tastes even better a day or two later and heats up perfectly in the microwave!
Vegan & gluten free: most baked oatmeal recipes contain egg as a binder. To keep this recipe fully vegan, we use mashed banana and flax eggs instead! You can also adjust this recipe to be nut free with one simple swap.

slice of vegan carrot cake baked oatmeal with fresh berries on top on a pink plate.

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan carrot cake baked oatmeal:

Ingredient Notes

Oats: be sure to use old fashioned whole rolled oats in this baked oatmeal, not quick cooking or steel cut oats.
Golden raisins: I personally prefer golden raisins over regular raisins. They tend to be a bit sweeter, softer and more flavorful. However, regular raisins (or even chopped dates) are perfectly fine in this recipe, as golden raisins can be tricky to find!
Walnuts: feel free to sub with pecans. Or, to keep this nut free, try subbing with pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
Banana: banana is the perfect sub for eggs in this recipe, acting as a binder to help this bake perfectly. If preferred, you can also sub with ¼ cup applesauce.
Flax eggs: in addition to banana, we also use flax eggs as a binder. If you're not familiar, flax eggs are essentially ground flax meal and water, which form a gelatinous substance that works like egg. Read more about them here.
Oat milk: we prefer oat milk in this carrot cake baked oatmeal but you can sub with any nondairy milk of choice. (Coconut would be great!)
Sugar: we tried this recipe with both regular granulated sugar and coconut sugar. We preferred the overall texture and taste with granulated sugar, so we went with that, but coconut sugar is a fine substitute if preferred.

Equipment

To make this carrot cake baked oatmeal, you'll need an 11x7" (or 27x20 cm) rectangular baking pan.

We LOVE using this stunning ceramic gratin baking dish from Staub. It's the perfect size for this recipe and it comes in a set of 3 different sizes for convenient use in a wide range of recipes!

overhead view of Staub turquoise ceramic baking dishes and cocottes on marble surface.

I absolutely love the color - Rustic Turquoise – which is somehow even more beautiful in person. (Also, aren't these mini cocottes the cutest thing you've ever seen? Perfect for single-serving desserts!)

This 3-piece ovenware set would make a fantastic Mother's Day gift, especially if you follow it up by making mom homemade brunch in her new pans. (Head there now while the set is on sale for $99 - such a steal!)

I'm not sure about you, but my mom and I love cooking together! She's taught me so much over the years and I love watching her create new recipes from scratch – it's so impressive! We both have a bit of an obsession with beautiful cookware & fun cooking gadgets, so it's always my go-to gift for her on Mother's Day.

We absolutely love Staub products and cannot recommend them highly enough! In addition to their ceramics, we also use their enameled cast iron cookware pretty much on a daily basis. It's high quality, heavy duty, easy to clean and a gorgeous addition to any kitchen. Check out this soup recipe to learn more!

What are your favorite recipes to cook with mom? Anything brunch-related is definitely a favorite for us!

Step-by-step instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly grease your baking pan. Make flax eggs by stirring together 2 tablespoon ground flax meal and 5 tablespoon water. Let sit for 15 minutes to thicken.

(1 & 2) In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups oats, ½ cup walnuts, ¼ cup shredded coconut, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

before and after stirring together oats, coconut, sugar and spices in mixing bowl.

(3) In a separate bowl, mash one large banana using a masher or the back of a fork. It should be pretty smooth – you don't want any large pieces. Whisk in 1 ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup melted butter, 2 flax eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

(4) Add wet mixture to dry and stir well to combine.

on the left: wet ingredients for baked oatmeal in mixing bowl. On the right: wet and dry ingredients mixed together in bowl.

(5) Fold in shredded carrots and golden raisins. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

(6) Transfer to baking pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350˚F.

before and after mixing shredded carrots and raisins into carrot cake baked oatmeal batter.

(7 & 8) Meanwhile, to make the crumble topping, stir together the walnuts, golden raisins, coconut, melted butter and maple syrup until well coated.

before and after stirring together walnut raisin coconut crumble topping ingredients.

(9) After 25 minutes of baking, remove the oatmeal bake from the oven and top with the crumble topping in an even layer.

(10) Return to oven for 15 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

before and after baking carrot cake baked oatmeal.

(11 & 12) Whisk together all ingredients for glaze.

before and after whisking together ingredients for vegan cream cheese glaze.

Wait until the baked oatmeal is cool, then drizzle the glaze over the top. Alternatively, you can slice and top each piece with glaze individually.

close up view of vegan carrot cake baked in a blue baking dish with cream cheese glaze.

Expert Tips & FAQs

Be sure to let the batter sit for 15 minutes before baking. This allows the dry ingredients to absorb some of the wet ingredients, so the final baked oatmeal is moist and perfectly baked. This also allows the flax eggs & mashed banana to work as a binder in place of eggs.
Oats are naturally gluten free but can have cross contamination with wheat products. If you have celiac disease or a gluten allergy, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.

Can I use quick cooking oats in baked oatmeal?

No, we don't suggest it. Quick cooking oats are flattened and cut into small flakes, so (as the name suggests), they cook very quickly. This recipe is adjusted for whole rolled oats, which need a different ratio of liquid and a longer cook time.

How do you store baked oatmeal?

Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer freezer storage, slice the baked oatmeal into squares, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag/container and store for up to 6 months.

What's the best way to reheat baked oatmeal?

If you're just reheating an individual square, microwave for 45-60 seconds until warmed through. If you're reheating the entire pan, cover with aluminum foil and heat in a 350˚F oven for a 10-15 minutes until warmed through.

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