Your favorite Springtime dessert, transformed into healthy baked oatmeal. Carrot cake baked oatmeal features shredded carrots and raisins like a traditional carrot cake, mixed together with old fashioned oats and the flavors of maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. It is topped with a cream cheese frosting swirl, leaving you to ask: breakfast or dessert?
What you’ll need to make this recipe
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- bananas
- unsweetened applesauce
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- nutmeg
- kosher salt
- unsweetened almond milk
- shredded carrots
- old fashioned oats
- raisins
- reduced fat cream cheese
- sugar
How to make the baked oats
Preheat the oven to 375F. Grab a baking dish; I use an oval Corningware one. I find this is the perfect size for this dish! The heat it gives the baked oatmeal is perfect for a moist texture. Any baking dish will do, however. If you want your bake to be flatter, you can definitely use a larger dish. Spray the baking dish with cooking spray. Next, mash the bananas up. Add in the applesauce and maple syrup. Grate the carrots. To do this, use a large handheld grater or box grater. Don’t use the store-bought shredded carrots, they won’t work here! Then, stir in the spices, baking powder, and milk. Next, fold in the oats, carrots and raisins.
Pour this mixture into the sprayed baking dish, and bake for 35 minutes.
How to make the healthy cream cheese frosting
While the oats bake, it’s the perfect time to make the cream cheese frosting. To make the frosting, just whisk the frosting ingredients together. Place the frosting into a small plastic baggie, and snip the end off, to create a piping bag. Once the oats are done cooking and have cooled a bit, you can pipe the frosting right on top.
Putting it all together and serving
When the carrot cake baked oatmeal is all ready and frosted, it will look like this. I sprinkled it with a few extra shredded carrots! I won’t lie, this dish is sweet enough to make a delicious dessert. My original idea was to have it for breakfast, but it can really work either way. It makes four GENEROUS servings. You can totally divide it into smaller servings as well.
This baked oatmeal can be stored in the fridge for up to a week (make sure it’s covered). You can also freeze individual portions, they reheat really easily in the microwave. If you want to keep the frosting off, you can store it in the plastic bag and add the frosting right before serving each portion.

Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Equipment
- baking dish
- grater
Ingredients
Baked Oats
- 2 bananas
- 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup almond milk, unsweetened, or cashew milk
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 1.25 cup old fashioned oats
- 2 tbsp raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp almond milk, unsweetened, or cashew milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Grate fresh carrots using a box grater to yield 1 cup of shredded carrots.
- Mash the bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add in the milk, followed by the carrots.
- Add in the oats and raisins.
- Spray a baking dish (I use an 8.5" x 11" casserole dish) with cooking spray.
- Pour the oat mixture into the casserole dish and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and milk in a small bowl.
- Add the mixture to a small plastic baggie and snip the end, to create a piping bag.
- Once the oats have cooled, pipe the frosting onto the top of the baked oatmeal.
Weight Watchers
Nutrition
Click here for more baked oatmeal recipes: Dark Chocolate Baked Oatmeal Maple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
So excited for these for snacks/dessert this week!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I really want to try this and all of your oatmeal bakes, but I really can’t stand bananas. I know you probably can’t taste them much, but I’ve tried baked goods with bananas and just cannot. Could I sub pumpkin? Or just more applesauce? 1/2 cup? Thanks again!
I too would like to sub for the bananas. I’m thinking about a half cup would work. Thought about pumpkin but know the natural sweetness of bananas or applesauce would not be there. Hopefully Stephanie will off her expertise!
More applesauce is the best sub for this. About 1 cup should do!
I have been substituting the bananas with great results. I make it 1/2 cup applesauce and a 1/2 cup fat free greek yogurt to add some protein. It is just as good. I like it with bananas but I didn’t have any on hand and changed the recipe. I have been making like that since!!
amazing! I didn’t have carrots so I subbed in zucchini and it was great. Tastes like dessert for sure and super satisfying. Thank you!!
We really wanted to love this, but it tasted rubbery and bitter.
We love all of Steph’s recipes. This one was meh.
Maybe try baking it for less time – I made it three times and so far each time was perfect
It is absolutely delicious like all your recipes!
This is a great dessert recipe. Love that it’s a sweet healthy option. Wasn’t crazy about the cream cheese frosting. Perfect without it.
Love her oatmeal bakes but this one is probably my favorite! It will be my something sweet for the week. If you’re ok with sweetener subs, I added 1/4 cup of Swerve granulated sweetener versus 2 tbsp of Maple Syrup. I love that it’s a dump, mix, dump, and bake recipe!
Made this for breakfasts this week. It’s definitely sweet but not overly so- delicious!!!
Absolutely delish!!!!
It’s like eating carrot cake! Don’t skip the frosting. It takes it to the next level!
Absolutely delicious! I used an egg instead of applesauce for a little more protein and it came out perfect.
Love all of these baked oatmeal recipes. Easy to make, good flavor and filling.
I was waiting for this to post. This is AMAZING. Like I could eat this every day. Hands down favorite recipe!
Like every single one of her recipes… this does not disappoint
I made two for my family yesterday and it was breakfast again this morning. We enjoyed it. There was something off about it but I have been cooking for a long time and I think when you are making certain recipes, the basics are one thing (oats, carrots, applesauce, milk, bananas) but the spices are another. I will make again and modify the spices to my taste. My daughter wants hers with coconut!
One of ours was made to the recipe exactly, one with modifications. Both tasted the same, so it was definitely the balance of cinnamon and ginger for us (no nutmeg due to allergies). For the modifications, I used Vermont Sugar Free syrup, fat free cream cheese, and I added one teaspoon of mascarpone cheese to my frosting and I loved how it kicked it up a notch. 4 points per slice for 4 servings.
Amazing! We loved this!
Definitely enjoyed this! Even without the frosting it was delish!
Yum!!!
Aaaamazing! Great idea for a yummy breakfast or dessert!! So enjoy this one!
This oatmeal bake is so delicious!!! I didn’t make the cream cheese topping but it doesn’t even need it. It’s so good as is. So filling and makes a great breakfast!
So good!!
Swapping this between breakfast and dessert for the week!! I topped it with a little bit of vanilla ice cream for dessert last night and my 5 year old ate half of it 😊
This is SO delicious!!
Thank you!
So delicious!! I love all the varieties.
Unbelievably good!
OMG! This Tastes amazing I had it for breakfast today with some yogurt..WOW
Delicious! I used cinnamon sugar with the cream cheese topping instead of plain white sugar – it was very good! Thanks for the recipe!
This is delicious! I was afraid I would be hungry after having it for breakfast, but I wasn’t! Baked up nice, and was very moist! ❤️❤️❤️
This is an amazing recipe. I feel like I’m indulging. For me it’s the perfect late night dessert.
Amazing! Best breakfast I’ve had in a while. Not too sweet or overwhelmingly carrot-y. Bonus points – easy to make!
So freaking good! And the good news is, I have enough ingredients to make this for next weeks breakfasts (or desserts) too. Thank you Steph! 😊
All of these oatmeal bakes are amazing. I have been eating them for three weeks. Never get tired of it.
Omgosh! This is incredible!! I omitted the raisins but soo good. Next time I might add some walnuts!
Luv luv carrot cake and now guilt free!!
I was super hesitant to try any of the oatmeal bakes because I was afraid they would not be filling enough. But this one looked so amazing on the IG story that I had to give it a shot. It’s honestly like eating dessert for breakfast just the right amount of sweet and savory. I did add a bit of swerve powdered sugar to the frosting to sweeten it up a bit but other than not having the correct pan on hand it was perfect. This will remain in the breakfast rotation at my house for sure. Thank you for an amazing treat!
Made this today and it was amazing!! Just the right amount of sweetness.
Another winner! Have loved all of Steph’s recipes but this may be my version of the oatmeal bakes! I would even eat as dessert!
This was soooo delicious! I love carrot cake and this offered a nice, healthier substitute to satisfy that craving. To be honest, I could do without the frosting but for those who need the sweet creaminess it works.
Another fan favorite! The sweetness from the raisins definitely makes it a dessert option. My cream cheese drizzle needs work. I prefer all three versions of the oatmeal bake next day not hot out of the oven.
Wow!! So quick and easy to make, but most importantly, absolutely delicious!!!
I have to be honest, I love Steph’s recipes but I was not sure about the baked oat situation. I am here to say that these are DELISH. I’m a nurse and my entire break room was drooling over these today & all wanted the recipe! I didn’t have plain applesauce so I added one additional banana as a sub & they still turned out great. Will be making again for sure!
This is awesome. Thank you for the work that you do.
I am in love with baked oats. I just twisted a little. Added chia, cardamom because I love the taste and chocolate chips because I don’t like raisins.
Amazing amazing amazing. This recipe hit the spot. It was so easy, delicious, and the right about of sweet!
Can the be made the night before and put in the oven in the morning?
Yep!
OMG! You hit it out of the park with this one! Tastes just like carrot cake, but so much better! Once again, thank you for amazing recipes! Yummmmmm
All the oatmeal bakes are delicious . Would like to see to see how blueberries would work for one
Best oatmeal bake and I can’t believe 1/4 of the recipe is a serving! Soooo good!
Beyond words!! So good❤️
Holy cow this is good! I don’t have issue with stevia so with a few substitutions my version was only 131 cals per 1/4 serving. This is my fav or the oatmeal bakes so far. Trying the lemon next! Thanks so much for these fantastic recipes.
How much Stevia? Was that to replace the maple syrup or in the frosting?
Made this today. So good. Not overly sweet perfect taste and is so moist!
So yummy! Perfect breakfast!
This is AMAZING!!! I love carrot cake and this is delicious. It’s so filling and easy to make!
This was incredible! Made it for Easter and had a bunch of family say “I don’t like oatmeal but I NEED this recipe!” 😍
So yummy! I ate as a snack/sweet craving. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this in muffin pans and it made 9 snack size muffins. I didn’t have raisins- so I substituted two dates I chopped. I didn’t have the icing ingredients, but it was awesome without it. Such a great snack!
This did not disappoint! All the flavors of a childhood favorite indulgent dessert that completely fits in my healthy lifestyle. Spices were spot on, icing was not too sweet and carrot was perfect texture. Thanks, Steph.
So delicious and yummy!
I’ve tried this cold & warm. I prefer it warmed. So yummy! I love the versatility of it for breakfast, a snack or dessert with a little whip cream, yum!
Amazing!!
Closed my eyes and thought I was legit eating carrot cake! So so good!!
Made this for breakfast this week. I followed the recipe exactly, and turned out perfect. Thank you.
This recipe is soo good!! If you haven’t made it yet, you need to! I followed the ingredients and am trying it this morning cold, not reheated, and it tastes like dessert for breakfast!
Made this for an afternoon snack since my lunch at work is really early and we tend to be late dinner eaters. It was so so so so good and very filling as well. I didnt add raisins bc I’m not a fan but it was great without them. I love the dark choc one and now this will be added to my rotation. Thank you for another excellent healthy recipe.
This is very YUMMY!
Amazing! What a huge serving!
This is delicious! Such a nice change! I paired it with a boiled egg and felt full for a few hours!
I have tried so many recipes and I have circled back to do reviews. I have done the cinnamon oatmeal and I’m a huge fan because it’s so easy for meal preps. It’s good hot or cold…but this….this one right here….literally takes the cake (see that humor!)! This oatmeal bake is just enough sweet and hits all the perfect notes that make a carrot cake delicious! Great job Steph!
I meal prepped this tonight for my breakfasts for the remaining week. I couldn’t resist – I had 1/2 piece for dessert. So so good! My hubs hates oatmeal but said it smelled so good he had to have a bite. I have a feeling I may have just meal prepped his breakfasts as well. 😉
Make this as my dessert Easter and had didn’t miss the key lime pie everyone else enjoyed because I was in heaven. It was even better the second day!
OH. MY. GOSH
Thank you for this recipe! It is amazing I knew just by the list of ingredients it would be good, I just didn’t imagine how good. And my kitchen smelled heavenly while baking. I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 glass pan to bake- it was perfect at 35 minutes.
So good!! I didn’t even include the icing and it was still so sweet and delicious!! Thank you Steph 🙂
I’m SO sorry if you already answered this, but if you omit the frosting, does that take the points down any? Can’t wait to try this one!
Per serving it’s 1/2 tablespoon of reduced-fat cream cheese, which is 30 calories, and 4 calories from the 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, so maybe like half a point, if the point system is still roughly 50-60 calories per point?
YUMMY!!! This is amazing
Why won’t pre-shredded carrots work in this recipe?
I used pre shredded but cut them down a but.
Loved the flavor! Great breakfast and snack.
Thanks!
By far my favorite of all the oatmeal bakes! I double up the cream cheese frosting.
Thank you for this recipe.
Was thinking of trying with a little less banana and replace with some crushed pineapple. Do you think that would make the batter too loose?
I whipped this together last night and just had it for breakfast. The recipe is so easy and the oatmeal came out delicious! A large serving that is hearty and filling! Thanks, Steph!
Delicious, and so simple! The batter came together in about 5 minutes. The spice mixture makes this taste just like a delicious carrot cake. My only note is that I used pre-shredded carrots and I wish I would have shredded my own. Still amazing!
Love this out of the box baked oatmeal! It was so good. I loved the cream cheese frosting.
Love this! All the oatmeal bakes are delish.
Another delicious, delicious win!! The carrots make it perfectly baked AND not try and it’s totally naturally sweetened. I actually only used 1 TBSP of maple syrup because my bananas were super ripe and used the 1/2 cup of applesauce. Oats are 0 pp for me, so I always add a little more than the recipe calls. Also always add ground flaxseed for extra fiber (I don’t think it changes the texture at all). Skipped the icing to make it vegan and it was SO SO SO GOOD! Adding this one to my regular rotation!!!
Delicious!!! We all enjoyed it.
It was definitely sweet enough (thanks to the banana and applesauce I’m sure!), so next time I think I’ll omit the maple syrup (especially to limit sugar for the little ones) and maybe just have a few more raisins instead. Also, I might want to try making it in a 8×8 pan and have it thicker, rather than the thin rectangle pan. Either way, though!
Thank you!
This was phenomenal!!!! It really tasted like carrot cake. I didn’t bake it the full time to ensure not overcooking, because my oven cooks quickly. I’m so excited to try your other recipes. Thank you!!
What an amazing breakfast option. swapped raisins for walnuts since it was all I had and I loved it. These oatmeal breaks get me through my work week! Best part of waking up!
I’m really glad I found this recipe! I’ve made it twice now.
I give 4/5 stars:
1) the taste is good, but much better if you swap banana for more applesauce.
2) I think the batter is much better if it rests for half an hour before baking.
3) the pan size is too large for one batch. I made a double recipe and used the same size pan and the thickness helped the oatmeal bake stay soft and moist.
A single recipe does indeed feed my family of four breakfast.
Next time I’ll add walnuts.
I baked this in my 3” silicone muffin tins for 29 minutes. It made six moist, delicious muffins. I loved the texture of crunchy carrots. Although it wasn’t cake-like, it did have flavors reminiscent of my favorite carrot cake. Delicious ! I enjoyed the sweetness for breakfast! (6 servings =4 WWpts)
This is my new favorite breakfast!!!!!
I have 3 picky kids and a picky husband. Getting them to eat vegetables is a miracle (and with breakfast, never). All 4 of them ate this oatmeal bake!!! And went back for seconds! I could cry I’m so happy haha.