These high protein carrot cake overnight oats are thick, creamy, and packed with cozy maple cinnamon flavor. Made with simple ingredients like yogurt and coconut milk, they taste like carrot cake but double as a nourishing breakfast or snack. Perfect for meal prep, they’re an easy way to start your day feeling fueled and satisfied.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: 10 Minutes Prep Time
- 👪Serves: 2
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 489 kcals and 22 grams of protein (can be increased)
- 📋Main Ingredients: Gluten-free rolled oats, carrots, chia seeds, dairy-free Greek yogurt, spices, and maple syrup.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan.
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: These overnight carrot cake oats taste like dessert for breakfast but pack in protein to keep you full.
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Having breakfast ready ahead of time is my go-to for busy mornings, so that I can get a dumbbell full body workout in and not be rushing like crazy. Recipes like these healthy carrot cake overnight oats make it easy to grab something quick and fueling, just like these dairy free egg bites or this high protein banana chia pudding.
The only downside? These carrot cake protein oats are so thick, sweet, and comforting that you won’t want to share. They’ve got all the cozy carrot cake flavor in a healthier, dairy-free form and are perfect for grab-and-go mornings or mid-day snacks, just like the make-ahead recipes in my Rise and Chill breakfast ebook.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to make: Made with gluten-free pantry staples and in just 3 steps, these overnight carrot cake oats are prepped in about 5 minutes.
Texture: They're ultra-thick and deliciously creamy from the combination of yogurt and chia seeds.
Meal prep: Overnight oats recipes stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, making this a great meal prep recipe for busy mornings.
High-protein: Thanks to the Greek yogurt mixed in as well as the chia seeds, the oats have 22 grams of protein in them.
Flavorful: As indulgent as you’d expect from carrot cake but sweetened naturally with maple syrup. The overnight oats are also easy to vary to create new tastes when you whip them up.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rolled oats: Make sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need to, and check that you’re using rolled oats, as quick oats will become mushy (learn about types of oats).
- Dairy-free milk: If you want the oats to be ultra-rich and creamy, use a cartoned coconut milk (not the can as they'll be too thick to mix). Otherwise, use homemade hemp milk as it will take some calories away.
- Seasoning: Pumpkin spice is used, but plain cinnamon works well, too. Adjust the amount based on your love of other pumpkin spice recipes.
- Greek yogurt: I use a dairy-free Greek yogurt (learn more about the benefits of a dairy-free diet) as it not only gives a punch of protein but makes the oats ultra-thick. Regular Greek yogurt will work as well as any other yogurt, but the texture won’t be as thick as that of a Greek one.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Toppings and Variations
It’s easy to make this carrot cake overnight oatmeal taste different each time you whip it up. Below are a few additions or variations.
Nut butter: Drizzle some almond or peanut butter on top of the overnight oats for a dose of healthy fats and indulgence.
Cream cheese frosting: Just like these pumpkin spice overnight oats, you can top the batch once portioned with a non-dairy cream cheese frosting to make them more like a dessert.
Crunch: Though walnuts are used, we also like chopped pecans or pistachios thrown in, especially to caramel apple overnight oats.
How To Make High-Protein Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Step 1: Add all ingredients to a large bowl.
Step 2: Mix well until combined.
Step 3: Portion into two jars.
Step 4: Add any toppings you want and pop in the fridge overnight.
Expert Tips To Make It
If you struggle with the chewy texture of the overnight oats recipe, try blending the oats, chia seeds, yogurt, cinnamon, and liquids. Then mix in the remaining ingredients after. I do this with my cinnamon roll blended overnight oats recipe, and it makes them utterly smooth.
When I make these for the kiddos, I make them as-written (but break the serving up into 3 servings as they're too big). When I make them for myself, I add 1-2 scoops of collagen powder (learn more about what collagen powder is) to bump up to 30+ grams of protein.
I chose collagen over protein powder as it’ll blend better without affecting the texture. I personally scale back a bit of the oats and add collagen for bulk. Great if you need lower calories.
How To Store Them
Overnight oats can be stored in the fridge in their jars for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing your overnight oats as they become a bit too mushy when thawed, and the liquid separates.
When storing them, do not add any toppings (nuts, Whole30 whipped cream etc) as it becomes too soft. Add those things right before serving.
If you have extra overnight oats and don’t want to eat them, try blending them into a balanced smoothie, as it makes for a creamy texture and extra nutrients. Great for post-workout.
Carrot Cake Protein Oats FAQs
Quick oats will work in overnight oats; however, they tend to dissolve more and create a mushy texture. Regular oats hold their texture the best, and steel-cut oats cannot be used.
Overnight oat recipes are typically eaten cold after sitting for a few hours. Though you can heat them up, they have already absorbed the liquid from sitting, so you may need to add some extra.
Chia seeds help thicken oats and absorb the liquid. In this recipe,e though, not much liquid is used (coconut cream is much thicker than almond milk), and so adding them would make the oats come out dense and clumpy.
Overnight oats become runny when too much liquid is added to the recipe and not enough chia seeds or oats are used. You can fix it by adding a splash more oats and ¼ teaspoon of chia seeds, but you will need to wait for it all to absorb.
More Indulgent High-Protein Recipes
If you tried this High-Protein Carrot Cake Overnight Oats Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Carrot Cake Protein Oats (Dairy-Free)
Video
Equipment
- 2 small mason jars
Ingredients
- 0.75 cups Dairy-free milk
- ⅛-1/4 cup Water
- ¾ cup Dairy-free Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoon Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Pumpkin spice
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1.5 cups Rolled oats gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon Chia seeds
- 1 cup Carrots shredded
- 3 tablespoons Walnuts chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients using a spoon or silicone spatula.
- Divide the mixture evenly into two mason jars.
- Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Shelby Stover says
I love how thick and creamy these come out, they're simple enough for breakfast but can even be dressed up as a total dessert.