These thick and creamy carrot cake overnight oats are the perfect make ahead breakfast for busy mornings. Made dairy free and vegan, these oats pack in all the flavour you’d expect from your favourite carrot cake, making them a fantastic spring or autumn breakfast. Topped with dairy free yoghurt and crunchy walnuts, they will be a delicious and healthy start to your day!
For more overnight oats flavours, try classic vanilla overnight oats, or these pumpkin pie overnight oats for even more autumnal flavours!
Whether you’re welcoming spring in the northern hemisphere or pulling out the oversized jumpers because autumn is on its way here in the southern hemisphere, one thing we have in common is that it is carrot cake season.
I’m carrot cake obsessed, whether it’s my vegan carrot cake cookies, a classic carrot cake, or delicious carrot cake pancakes, it’s definitely my favourite flavour. So of course, I knew I had to create a healthy carrot cake version of overnight oats.
If you like sweet breakfasts, then this one is for you. It’s not overly sweet, as it’s balanced well with the tangy dairy free yoghurt and the warming spices, but just a little maple syrup really gives this a dessert for breakfast feel.
And if you’re like me and you’re more of a savoury in the morning person, do what I do and enjoy this as a light lunch or afternoon snack instead! Who says oats are only for breakfast anyway?
Key Ingredients
These carrot cake overnight oats use a few key ingredients for the base recipe, with the addition of carrot and spices to create that carrot cake flavour. You can customise this recipe based on your tastes with add-ins and toppings as well depending on what you like and have on hand.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Rolled oats – you want to use old fashioned rolled oats for this recipe to ensure the correct consistency. Don’t use quick oats or steel cut oats as the texture will not be right.
- Dairy free milk – I usually use oat milk as that’s what I have on hand but you can use almond milk or soy milk instead depending on what you prefer.
- Dairy free yoghurt – I like a soy yoghurt or a coconut one for this recipe. You can use a vanilla flavoured one or a plain Greek-style for the creamiest texture.
- Carrot – wouldn’t be carrot cake flavour without the carrot! A little grated carrot gives these oats that carrot cake taste that we want.
- Maple syrup – for sweetness. You can adjust the amount used based on your tastes, or even use honey if you’re not needing these oats to be vegan.
- Vanilla extract – just a little bit of vanilla extract really enhances the flavour and I think helps with the ‘cake’ taste, but it’s not essential.
- Chia seeds – help to thicken the mixture giving it that pudding like consistency and also add nutritional value.
- Spices – to give these oats that classic carrot cake taste, we’re using a combination of ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg, with just a pinch of ground cloves. Cloves can be quite strong, so feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
- Addins / toppings – you can either mix these into the oats, or serve them as a topping depending on what you prefer, but I love to add some chopped walnuts, and/or shredded coconut. You can even add some sultanas or raisins to give the oats some extra texture and sweetness.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Overnight oats are one of the easiest recipes to make, and most of the time will be consumed with you gathering the ingredients from your fridge and pantry.
Start by peeling and grating your carrot. Then you’ll just need the container or containers you’re going to use.
This recipe as written is for one serve, but if you’re prepping these you may as well make a few at once. You can use any vessel you like with a lid. I like to use a jar as then I can just eat it out of the jar in the morning without needing to transfer it to a bowl, but any container with a lid works.
All you need to do is add all of the ingredients into your container or jar and mix well to combine. Sometimes chia seeds need a minute or two to settle in the liquid before they’ll mix so you can just let it sit for a moment and then mix again.
Place the lid on and then let them rest and soak in the fridge. The oats will need a minimum of 4 hours chilling time, but overnight is better not only for the texture but also I find the flavour melds together a bit better.
When you’re ready to eat, you can have fun with the toppings. I like to do an extra dollop of dairy free Greek yoghurt, some chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of shredded coconut and more cinnamon.
Recipe FAQs
These are perfect for meal prep as they last 3-4 days in the fridge in a sealed container.
You can! Swap the yoghurt for a scoop of your favourite vegan protein powder and add an extra ¼ cup of milk. Vanilla or a cinnamon spice flavour would work best in this recipe.
Technically yes! While I usually eat my overnight oats cold, straight from the fridge I also understand the texture and coldness combined can give a bit of the ick to some people. In that case, you can pop the oats in the microwave for a minute or two, making sure to stir well, before eating.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More make ahead breakfast recipes:
Matcha Chia Pudding
Homemade Granola Bars
The BEST Vegan Banana Bread
Dairy Free Blueberry Muffins
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- ¼ cup dairy free Greek yoghurt
- ¼ cup grated carrot
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves optional
- Optional addins: 1 tablespoon each sultanas/raisins chopped walnuts, and/or shredded coconut
Toppings, to serve:
- Dairy free Greek yoghurt
- Chopped walnuts
- Shredded coconut
- Cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix everything together well in a clean jar. Secure the lid and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- When ready to eat, top with extra yoghurt, chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of shredded coconut and cinnamon. Enjoy straight from the jar.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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