These Carrot Cake Overnight Oats are a healthy way to enjoy the flavours of your favourite cake without any of the guilt!
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How to make this recipe
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Measure out the milk and oats. Peel and grate the carrot.
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Add all ingredients to a large bowl, mixing well to combine.
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Divide mixture between four 16-oz mason jars. Let chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before enjoying, preferably overnight.
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Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Rolled oats – rolled oats, large flake oats or steel cut oats will all work well for this recipe. Quick oats aren’t ideal as they can make the dish pretty mushy.
- Coconut milk – coconut milk is perfect for adding the necessary coconut taste to the dish but any other nondairy milk can be used to substitute coconut milk. If you decide to use 2% milk, be aware that the nutritional facts will vary.
- Greek yogurt – plain greek yogurt should be used in order to reduce any added sugars. If you want to keep the recipe dairy free remove the greek yogurt altogether.
- Vanilla extract – use maple syrup or honey as a substitute for vanilla extract. This will differentiate the taste slightly.
- Carrot – carrot is the star of this recipe. In other carrot cake recipes, carrot has been substituted with grated squash and mashed bananas so this is an option if necessary.
- Pineapple – frozen or canned pineapple will work well in this recipe. If you decide to use canned, feel free to rinse the pineapples to get rid of any added sugar.
- Shredded coconut – sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut can be used in this recipe. As mentioned above, use the unsweetened coconut to limit any added sugar in this recipe.
- Chopped walnuts (optional) – added nuts like walnuts, pecans are usually found in carrot cake and will add extra texture to the mix. If you’re looking for other fixings that are nut-free but protein packed and filling, add in flax seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Cinnamon – if you’re in a pinch, leave this ingredient out.
- Nutmeg – if you’re in a pinch, leave this ingredient out.
Are overnight oats actually healthy?
In short, yes! Overnight oats are a healthy, easy breakfast idea that offer a variety of benefits to your health. Since you're able to add in a variety of toppings and ingredients into the base of the oats, you are able to boost the nutritional ingredients to your liking. For example, you're able to add in ingredients like protein powder, greek yogurt, chia seeds or hemp seeds into the base to add protein to your diet.
Besides the add ins that add to the nutritional value, overnight oats on their own are high in fibre and filled with rich nutrients like magnesium and potassium.
Making this recipe vegan
To make this recipe vegan you will want to replace or omit the greek yogurt. The purpose of the greek yogurt in this recipe is to add extra protein to the oats. Feel free to leave out the greek yogurt entirely or use nondairy protein options like hemp hearts, chia seeds, or vegan protein powder to still get that added protein.
Adding cream cheese
When people think of carrot cake, they usually talk about the cream cheese frosting that accompanies it. If you're missing the taste of the cream cheese frosting, you can substitute 2 tbsp cream cheese for the Greek yogurt in this recipe. It's a great way of having dessert for breakfast, in a much healthier way.
Storing and serving
Since you will be separating your overnight oats into individual servings, storing your oats is easy! Place your mason jars in the fridge overnight, or for two hours minimum if you're ready to eat them immediately. Once you've made the oats, they store in the fridge for up to five days making it an excellent meal prep breakfast.
When you're ready to enjoy your oats, take your mason jar out of the fridge and enjoy cold. If you prefer your oats warm, place the mason jar in the microwave for 1 minute, until warmed, then enjoy straight from the mason jar.
More oatmeal recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- If you're looking for vegan protein sources you can get some hemp hearts here
- Here is the protein powder I typically use!
- These are the mason jars I use
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Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 3 cups coconut milk
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup pineapple, diced
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl, mixing well to combine.
- Divide mixture between four 16-oz mason jars. Let chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before enjoying, preferably overnight.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition
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