These Carrot Cake Overnight Oats are one of the most delicious ways to start your day! They're vegan, gluten free and a much lighter alternative to actual carrot cake. Meal prep a big batch for on-the-go breakfast all week.
Jump to:
Why We Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: These oats come together in just a few simple steps. All you have to do is mix everything together, and then let them sit in the fridge to thicken up!
- Delicious: It's no secret that we LOVE carrot cake (check out this cake, these cupcakes, and these baked oats). There's just something so great about the earthy, warming flavors, and they certainly translate well in these overnight oats. You have to give this one a try!
- Meal prep friendly: Make a big batch of these carrot cake overnight oats and store in small containers in the fridge for easy, on-the-go breakfast all week.
- Vegan and gluten free friendly: This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten free (as long as you use certified gluten free oats!).
Ingredient Notes
- Carrot: Be sure to use finely shredded carrot. (You don't want any huge pieces!) We use a microplane or the small side of a cheese grater.
- Oats: We always use old fashioned whole rolled oats for overnight oats. Unlike quick cooking oats, they give the overnight oats a bit of texture so it's not just a big gloopy mess. They also soak up liquid really well without congealing.
- Chia seeds: These are technically optional, but they help the overnight oats thicken up and add a bit more nutritional density.
- Raisins: You can use regular or golden raisins in this recipe. We also love using finely chopped medjool dates!
- Milk: Any nondairy (or even regular) milk would work well here. We typically use oat, almond or cashew milk.
Step-by-step Instructions
- Shred the carrots using the small side of a grater, or use a shredding attachment if you have a food processor. The more finely shredded, the better.
- In a large bowl, stir together carrots, oats, milk, raisins, cinnamon, chia seeds, vanilla extract and maple syrup until well combined.
- Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight before serving. You can either divide the mixture into 2 jars, or store in one larger container and serve as desired.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Toppings: We love these overnight oats with chopped walnuts or pecans, fresh fruit, coconut, granola, or even a swirl of vanilla yogurt.
- Make it sugar free: leave out the maple syrup. It will still taste good, just a little less sweet! You can always add more raisins for natural sweetness.
- For best results, let the oats sit (covered) overnight. If you're in a rush, 2-4 hours in the refrigerator will also do the trick.
- For ultra creamy overnight oats, we'd recommend using oat or coconut milk. Soy, cashew or almond would all work well too.
If you're not adding any toppings to the recipe, I like to store in one big container and just portion out a bowl every morning. If you want to add in toppings, it's better to store these in a small jar or individual-sized storage container. This also makes it much easier to grab on the go!
Alternatively, you can divide the carrot cake overnight oat mixture between several smaller jars and store individually.
Related Recipes
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.
📖 Recipe
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Carrot Cake Overnight Oats are one of the most delicious ways to start your day! They're vegan, gluten free and a much lighter alternative to actual carrot cake. Meal prep a big batch for on-the-go breakfast all week.
Ingredients
- ½ cup finely shredded carrot (~2 large carrots)
- 1 cup old fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 cup nondairy milk (oat, almond, etc)
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Shred the carrots using the small side of a grater, or use a shredding attachment if you have a food processor.
- In a large bowl, stir together carrots, oats, milk, raisins, cinnamon, chia seeds, vanilla extract and maple syrup until well combined.
- Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight before serving.
Notes
Storage: If you're not adding any toppings to the recipe, I like to store in one big container and just portion out a bowl every morning. If you want to add in toppings, it's better to store these in a small jar or individual-sized storage container. This also makes it much easier to grab on the go! Alternatively, you can divide the carrot cake overnight oat mixture between several smaller jars and store individually.
Make it sugar free: leave out the maple syrup. It will still taste good, just a little less sweet! You can always add more raisins for natural sweetness.
For best results, let the oats sit (covered) overnight. If you're in a rush, 2-4 hours in the refrigerator will also do the trick.
For ultra creamy overnight oats, we'd recommend using oat or coconut milk. Soy, cashew or almond would all work well too.
Chia seeds: These are technically optional, but they help the overnight oats thicken up and add a bit more nutritional density.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: No cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 jar
- Calories: 367
- Sugar: 26.1 g
- Sodium: 122.1 mg
- Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 66.6 g
- Fiber: 10.3 g
- Protein: 8.9 g
Meagan says
I had never made overnight oats before and decided now was the time. Many recipes involved too many sweet toppings for me, so I turned to my tried-and-true spot for excellent recipes: The Crowded Kitchen. This carrot cake one sounded promising. And it was delicious! And easy to make. I highly recommend.
After we finish this, I will try the apple pie version.
Thanks, Crowded Kitchen!
Lexi says
So glad you enjoyed!! Thank you so much 🙂