Carrot Cake Overnight Oats Recipe

Mornings can be a notoriously tough time to fit in a satisfying homemade meal. How can you whip up a French omelette when you woke up 15 minutes late and still have to do your hair before running out of the door? We don't expect an omelette from you, but we are known to extol the pleasures of a delicious breakfast whenever possible. Our new recipe for carrot cake overnight oats is here for you, and it's perfect for those busy weeks when you need a quick breakfast that's a lot more exciting than scrambled eggs. 

While carrot cake may not be the first thing on your mind for breakfast, this recipe by Alexander Roberts is not nearly as sweet as the frosting-smothered treat from which it takes inspiration. Instead, Greek yogurt makes the dish creamy and adds extra protein, and maple syrup imparts a subtle sweetness. The carrot flavor is present, but not overpowering, since it blends perfectly into the cup full of warm spices and wholesome oats.

This 2-serving recipe for carrot cake overnight oats start with a base of oat milk (or any milk of your choice), rolled oats, and Greek yogurt. To add the carrot cake flavor, you'll need about 1 whole carrot to finely grate, or ¼ cup already shredded, as well as ground cinnamon and ginger, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and chopped pecans. Once the oats have chilled overnight, you'll finish them off with a scoop of almond butter.

Combine oats, Greek yogurt, and oat milk in a medium mixing bowl.

Stir in the carrot, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger.

Evenly divide the pecans between 2 medium-sized glasses or jars.

Top the pecans with the oat mixture.

Cover the glasses and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, top the oats with a scoop of almond butter.

Garnish with extra shredded carrot and pecans, if desired, and serve cold.

Don't let the simplicity of overnight oats fool you: There is a way you could mess this up, if you use the wrong type of oats. So, between steel-cut, old fashioned, and quick oats, which should you use? For overnight oats, always use old fashioned rolled oats. When oats are harvested, they are bulky and unevenly shaped. To process them and get them ready for cooking, oats are put through a roller that flattens them. At the end of this process, you're left with a rolled old fashioned oat. If they were processed and flattened even further, they would become quick oats. If they weren't rolled at all and instead got cut into smaller pieces, they would be steel cut oats. 

Quick oats and steel cut oats are both an ill fit for overnight oats. Quick oats become much too soggy and don't absorb as much liquid as needed. Steel cut oats absorb more liquid, but they become way too firm even after soaking overnight. Old fashioned oats are the perfect thickness and hold up well even after soaking overnight, becoming nice and tender.

Overnight oats are perfect for preparing in a large batch and then using as meal prep to enjoy throughout the week. After you've had a few rounds of our carrot cake flavor, you might want to switch things up. Chopped fruits work really well in overnight oats, as do nuts and dried spices. 

Using the base for this recipe — rolled oats, oat milk, and Greek yogurt, plus your sweetener of choice — you could make a strawberry banana variation by adding half a banana, diced, and 3-4 diced strawberries. A chocolate peanut butter spin could easily satisfy sweet cravings: Simply stir 2 tablespoons peanut butter into the base recipe and add ¼ cup finely chopped chocolate. For a key lime spin, use coconut milk instead of oat milk, add 2 teaspoons lime zest, and top the oats with shredded coconut the next day. The sky is the limit!