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These carrot cake overnight oats are perfect for busy mornings when you don't have much time to spare! This recipe is vegan and also super easy to customize to your preferences.
Looking for a healthy, delicious breakfast when you're on the go? These vegan carrot cake overnight oats are a nutritious and scrumptious way to start your day. Plus, they taste like carrot cake, and dessert for breakfast is always fun.
Ingredients
To make these overnight oats, you'll need the following ingredients:
- Non-dairy milk: Use your favorite unsweetened plant milk.
- Rolled oats: The main ingredient in the recipe, providing fiber and a hearty texture.
- Shredded carrots: Can't have carrot cake without the carrots!
- Pecans or walnuts: Adds a nutty flavor and crunch, as well as healthy fats and protein.
- Maple syrup: Provides a natural sweetener to the oats, adding flavor without refined sugars.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla adds the "cake" flavor!
- Cinnamon and ginger: Warm spices used in carrot cake.
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor of the oats.
Instructions
- In a jar or container, combine all of the ingredients and stir well.
- Cover the container with a lid and place it in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, give the oats a stir and enjoy! You can eat them cold as is, or pour the oats into a bowl and warm them up in the microwave.
For jars, I love using wide-mouth pint-sized mason jars.
Substitutions
One of the best things about oats is that they're easy to customize to your personal preferences. Here are some substitution ideas:
- If you don't have pecans or walnuts, you can substitute them with any other nut of your choice, or even leave them out altogether.
- Instead of maple syrup, you can use any other sweetener like agave nectar or brown sugar.
- If quick oats are your only option, I recommend consuming the oats in about 6 hours so they aren't mushy.
Tips
Here are some tips to help you make the perfect vegan carrot cake overnight oats:
- Make sure to use rolled oats (also called "old-fashioned oats"), not quick oats or steel-cut oats. Rolled oats work best for overnight oats because they absorb the liquid and soften up overnight. Quick oats will get too mushy and steel-cut are not very absorbent.
- Add the maple syrup to taste. This is easy to do in the morning, too. Give them a quick taste and see if you'd like a touch more sweetness.
- If you need a gluten-free recipe, make sure you're using oats specified as "gluten-free" to avoid cross-contamination.
Variations
For a protein boost, you can add some vegan protein powder. Simply add a scoop of your favorite vegan protein powder to the jar before mixing.
If you want to change up the flavors, try adding some raisins or dried cranberries to the mix. You can also experiment with different spices like nutmeg or allspice.
I also love to add crushed pineapple or applesauce to my oats.
Storage
These vegan carrot cake overnight oats can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Try these Maple Pecan Overnight Oats next!
Try Maple Pecan Overnight Oats next!
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Recipe
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 2 cups non-dairy milk
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ¼ cup pecans or walnuts chopped
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the ingredients and stir well.
- Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- In the morning, give the oats a stir and enjoy cold! Or, you can pour the oats into a bowl and heat up for a minute or two in the microwave.