Spiced Carrot Cake Overnight Oats: The healthy breakfast that tastes just like cake

This recipe is courtesy of Orchids + Sweet Tea. It's been edited for brevity.

It’s taboo to have a slice of carrot cake for breakfast, but now you can with this healthy Spiced Carrot Cake Overnight Oats recipe. My overnight oats take on the flavors of carrot cake without all the sugar and frosting. Rest assured, this is still a sweet, delectable breakfast.

Personally, I don’t love an overly sweet breakfast because I like to save my sugar servings for dessert later in the day. But to fuel your body first thing in the morning, these nutritious overnight oats are the way to go.

What other breakfast is make-ahead, vegan-friendly, gluten-free-friendly, low sugar, high protein, and completely customizable?

Only overnight oats, folks! Carrot cake overnight oats are fantastic, but if you like another type of cake, that can also be made into an overnight oats recipe. Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re eating cake for breakfast while gaining nutritional benefits? It’s the best of both worlds.

This recipe begins with gluten-free certified rolled oats. Rolled oats are a less-processed oat that contains tons of natural fiber and protein among many other nutrients.

Since oats are healthy on their own, I like to add additional healthy ingredients for a nutritional powerhouse at breakfast time. Spiced Carrot Cake Overnight Oats have other healthful ingredients such as real shredded carrots, dried raisins, flaxseed meal, maple syrup, almond milk and almond butter.

Overnight oats take less than 5 minutes to prep before bedtime, and you wake up with breakfast already made.

If you have kids, it’s great to make overnight oats in lidded mason jars so the kiddos can grab breakfast and a spoon on their way to school. Overnight oats can be eaten cold, so there is no need for a microwave. 

Feel free to change up the flavors and ingredients day-to-day based on what you have in the house. Label the tops of the jars so you know which flavor you are eating on a given day. I find that by doing this, I never get sick of eating oatmeal in the morning since the flavors are varied and customized.

Also, you can add or omit ingredients in this Spiced Carrot Cake Overnight Oats as you see fit. If you are not a fan of raisins, you can add candied pineapple or dried cranberries. You can also omit the dried fruit completely. The beauty of these oats is that they are made for personalized taste buds.

Hands on time: 15 minutes

Total time: 8 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup thick-cut rolled oats, gluten-free certified

1/2 cup grated carrots

1 cup almond milk

4 tablespoons almond butter

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

A pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup dried raisins

Toppings:

Grated carrots

Shelled walnuts, toasted

Halved pecans, toasted

Dried raisins

Pure maple syrup, for drizzle

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a medium bowl or mason jar, stirring until well combined. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap or the lid and refrigerate overnight (or at least 8 hours).

To serve (hot or cold), add oats to a bowl or mason jar and top it with your favorite nuts, grated carrots, raisins, and drizzle maple syrup atop, if desired.