Who doesn’t want cake for breakfast?! This Carrot Cake Oatmeal has all the flavors of carrot cake, but in breakfast form! It’s undeniably creamy, hearty, and spice-infused perfection!
Enjoy as a quick, comforting breakfast, or make ahead to enjoy throughout the week (it reheats beautifully!). These oats can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop and require just 30 minutes and 9 ingredients! We can’t wait for you to give these a try. Let us show you how it’s done!
Origins of Carrot Cake
It’s believed that carrot cake evolved from carrot pudding, which was made with similar ingredients and eaten in Europe during the Middle Ages. Because sugar was expensive, carrots were used as the sweetener.
Then by the 1800s and 1900s, recipes for carrot cake emerged in France, England, and Switzerland. And because of rationing during the Second World War, it became a popular dessert in the United Kingdom. The following recipe captures all the flavor of carrot cake in whole grain form!
How to Make Carrot Cake Oatmeal
This carrot cake oatmeal relies on our trusty friend the Instant Pot to make it super quick and easy to cook steel cut oats (one of the less processed but more time-consuming forms of oats)! But if you don’t have an Instant Pot, this recipe will work just fine on the stovetop with a little stir every now and then.
Add steel cut oats, water, your choice of dairy-free milk, grated carrots, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and sea salt to the Instant Pot.
Then seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 4-6 minutes (depending on how firm vs. porridgy you prefer your oats).
Once the pressure naturally releases (about 10 minutes after it’s done pressure cooking), your oats are ready to enjoy topped with pecans, raisins, nut butter (optional), and additional dairy-free milk.
If you prefer things on the sweeter side, drizzle with additional maple syrup (or brown or coconut sugar) to taste. And enjoy!
We hope you LOVE this carrot cake oatmeal! It’s:
Creamy
Nutty
Hearty
Warming
Comforting
Cinnamon-infused
& SO delicious!
It’s perfect for busy mornings, meal prep, or any time you’re craving carrot cake for breakfast!
Love Carrot Cake? Try These Next:
- Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- 1-Bowl Carrot Apple Snack Cake
- No-Bake Carrot Cake Bites
- Raw Carrot Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Carrot Cake Oatmeal (Instant Pot Friendly!)
Ingredients
OATS
- 1 cup steel cut oats (certified gluten-free as needed)
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ cup dairy-free milk (we prefer almond, cashew, oat, or light coconut milk)
- 2/3 cup loosely packed grated carrot
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch sea salt
TOPPINGS
- 2 Tbsp dairy-free milk
- 2 Tbsp toasted or raw pecans
- 2 Tbsp raisins
- 1-2 Tbsp almond or cashew butter (optional)
- Maple syrup, organic brown sugar, or coconut sugar (optional for more sweetness)
Instructions
INSTANT POT:
- Add steel cut oats, water, dairy-free milk, carrots, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to the Instant Pot and stir to combine (see below for stovetop method). Pressure cook on high for 4-6 minutes (it will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins). Select 4 minutes for tender oats or 6 minutes for even more porridgy oats with less bite.
- If serving with toasted pecans (optional), prepare at this time by placing pecans in a skillet over medium-low heat and toasting for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally and paying close attention to ensure they don’t burn.
- Once the Instant Pot timer goes off, allow to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid once steam has fully escaped.
- Enjoy with toppings of choice — dairy-free milk, toasted or raw pecans, raisins, nut butter (optional), and maple syrup or other sweetener of choice (also optional).
- Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop, stirring frequently and adding more liquid, if needed, to thin.
STOVETOP:
- In a medium saucepan, combine steel cut oats, water, dairy-free milk, carrots, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and stir.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, stir and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Once oats are tender, remove the pot from the heat. Serve immediately and enjoy with toppings of choice — dairy-free milk, toasted or raw pecans, raisins, nut butter (optional), and maple syrup or other sweetener of choice (also optional).
- Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop, stirring frequently and adding more liquid, if needed, to thin.
ashley says
Can this be made with rolled oats? Or as an overnight oatmeal? (asking because I don’t have steel cut oats) :) thanks
Hi Ashley, yes, rolled oats should work! Rolled oats typically only take 2 minutes on high pressure. You can refer to this recipe for further guidance. We aren’t sure if overnight oats would taste good with this one because the carrot would be raw, but it could work!
Alexandria says
Made this multiple times for myself and the family. So easy and delicious with minimal dishes to wash – my favorite kind of recipes!
Amazing! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Alexandria. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jamie says
Another wonderful recipe! I didn’t have enough plant milk in the house, so did four cups of water and one cup of cashew milk. I’ll stir in some homemade vegan yogurt to up the creaminess, but it honestly didn’t need it. Added walnuts and raisins. Thanks so much for this easy, nutritious recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jamie! Thanks so much for sharing.
Miriam says
Can you serve this cold, straight from the fridge, or does it have to be reheated? Trying to work out if this is a recipe my kids can grab from the fridge and eat on the way to school or not… Thanks!
Either way would be fine! We prefer it warm.
STU says
Sometimes in life you just don’t know what your are missing!
These are amazing, after eating oats with a little of this and a little of that, prepared this way was so terrific. Thank You!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them this way, Stu! Thank you for sharing!
Laura says
Delicious! Even my non oatmeal eating kids loved it.
Exciting!! Thank you for the lovely review, Laura! xo
Sara says
So yummy and easy in the Instant Pot! Added a bit of nutmeg and a little extra grated carrot. Toppings are a must for the full experience :)
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Sara!
Cheyanne says
What a great recipe to vamp your bowl of oats. It is a perfect fall recipe and a great way to get a vegetable in the morning as well. Will be repeating again all along this fall and likely winter too.
Love it! We’re so glad you enjoyed Cheyanne! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Odette says
Perfect! Delicious and heartwarming.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Odette. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
lois says
This was good, I just would have added more carrots. The carrots just sort of blended in with everything so it’s just felt like carrot cake flavored oatmeal… other than that, this was great! :)
Thank you for sharing, Lois! Glad you enjoyed it overall! xo
Dana says
Can this be made in a crockpot?
We haven’t tested it in a crockpot, but we think it would work. You may need a little more liquid. Let us know if you try it!
Laurie Wimmer says
This was just delicious. I made it in the Instant Pot, adding both pecans and raisins at the end as suggested. I used almond milk for my milk. I give it 5 stars. It was delicious, creamy, and so satisfying that it fueled me adequately for a hike later that morning. I had enough for a second bowl the next morning. I’m going to double the recipe next time I make it, so that I can share with my housemate. :-D Thank you!
Aw, yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Laurie. Thank you for sharing! xo
Michelle says
This was a delicious bowl of oatmeal that was so reminiscent of carrot cake. It tasted indulgent without feeling heavy and too rich like actual carrot cake makes me feel. I wanted more spice variation so instead of 2 tsp of cinnamon I did 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 3/8 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp ginger so it still added up to 2 tsp of spice. I made it with lite coconut milk and did everything else according to the recipe. Thanks for this lovely recipe I can use when a carrot cake craving hits!
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Michelle! So glad you enjoyed!
Steph says
Love seeing this – I don’t typically like oatmeal dishes very much but your baked version of this recipe is my favorite ever, and I make it all the time. Can’t wait to try this!
Yay! Thanks, Steph! so glad you enjoy our oatmeal recipes!
Tiffany says
I don’t have steel cut oats-just the Old Fashioned ones. Would I just reduce the Instapot time?
Hi Tiffany, yes, that should work! Rolled oats typically only take 2 minutes on high pressure. You can refer to this recipe for further guidance. Hope that helps!
Anon says
Can’t wait to try this, the baked version is legendary in our house x
We’re so glad that recipe is a winner in your household! Hope you love this one just as much =)
Maneesha says
So yum! I used rolled.oats and.pressure. cooked for 3 mins. Turned out beautifully!
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, Maneesha! xo
Brianna says
This recipe looks so good, however my morning don’t al ays allow me to spend a lot of time preparing my breakfast. Would these be okay re-heated in the microwave?
Hi Brianna, yes, they do reheat well. Enjoy! xo
Terre says
Hi Brianna,
I make a double batch of a similar steelcut oat recipe (from the InstantPot recipe book). Once it cools down, I put it into 12oz containers and freeze some. It fills about 10 containers.
I can’t wait to make this! Minimalist Baker is one of the best.
So smart! Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your method, Terre!
Sara says
Could this be made with (gf) rolled oats? Would I have to make any adjustments to the recipe? I haven’t used steel cut oats before, since that didn’t use to be an option when gluten free.
Hi Sara, yes, that should work! Rolled oats typically only take 2 minutes on high pressure. You can refer to this recipe for further guidance. Hope that helps!
Lori says
Wondering if recipe will work with skim (dairy) milk?
Hi Lori, that should work well. Let us know if you try it!
Payal says
Can I use regular oats for this recipe?
Hi Payal, yes, that should work! Rolled oats typically only take 2 minutes on high pressure. You can refer to this recipe for further guidance. Hope that helps!