Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

I’d been craving a slice of carrot cake for a few weeks, and made a mental note to do up an overnight oats recipe with classic carrot cake flavors ... but then I’d keep forgetting to order the ingredients I needed.

The evening I finally got around to finalizing the recipe and making a batch ended up being a surprise aurora hunting night.
Usually we’ll nap, pack our equipment, etc in preparation.

This time around, it was late afternoon when we saw what looked to be happening. So, we stayed up late (with nothing to show for it - damn clouds!), and woke up WRECKED the next day.

We’re too old for this.

Anyway, I’d already made the carrot cake overnight oatmeal, so just had to whisk together the topping and spoon it all out into jars. Totally doable, even in the state I was in!

It was really nice to have such a fantastic, healthy breakfast, as we scrolled through everyone ELSE’S photos. Those with clear skies and more ability to stay up later got a fantastic show, but our breakfast really helped soften the blow!

It will never cease to be ABSOLUTELY wild to me, what all you can do with “innocent” ingredients.

Also, how you can manipulate even the most basic of “breakfast appropriate” and healthy ingredients into something that absolutely does not feel breakfast appropriate or healthy.

Looking at the ingredients, this is all breakfast appropriate. Oats, protein powder, spices, chia seeds, carrots, nuts, raisins, a little maple syrup, and Greek yogurt.

In practice... this was dessert. I’m not complaining at all, but there was definitely a bit of a mental disconnect when eating it. It absolutely felt like we were just straight up having a dessert for breakfast.

And hey, that worked perfectly to soothe our disappointment in getting skunked for the Northern Lights!

Anyway, here’s what Porter had to say about it:

“I love the texture, with the nuts and raisins especially. It works really well, especially when it comes to invoking carrot cake. Going that extra step of layering it was a fun way of doing it up - it REALLY felt like a dessert!”

Anyway, let’s look at the ingredients...

Ingredients

This recipe uses fairly simple ingredients, you shouldn’t have a problem finding what you need in pretty much any larger grocery store.

As always, I have some ingredient notes for you:

Rolled Oats

This carrot cake overnight oats recipe uses Rolled Oats, which can also be labeled as old fashioned rolled oats, or even just old-fashioned oats.

For best results, stick to rolled oats. It really is the best type of oats for this making this carrot cake overnight oatmeal!

1. Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you are avoiding gluten for any reason.

Oats themselves are gluten free, but they’re also HIGHLY likely to be cross-contaminated with wheat, if it’s not certified that they’re NOT.

2. Steel-cut oats, and any form of quick oats - AKA instant oats - aren’t going to work the same way in this recipe, as they all behave differently.

Because they’re processed and cut differently, they’ll take up liquid differently, for the same measure of oats. Steel cut oats will have a more tough texture, and quick cooking oats will make a mushy overnight oats.

Unsweetened Almond Milk

Unsweetened Almond Milk has been my milk of choice for years now. It was a great dairy-free option when I could no longer handle cow’s milk, and it’s a great option when trying to keep low carb.

When it comes down to it, though... depending on your macros, you can use pretty much any kind of milk in this recipe.

As far as dairy-free milk goes, Oat milk, Cashew Milk, Flax Milk, Macadamia Milk and Coconut Milk are all good options.

Sometimes you can even find a soy milk with added protein!

Almond is the most neutral tasting option, though - so just know that the other plant milk varieties may change the overall flavour of your overnight oats a bit - it’ll really depend on the flavour of protein powder you’re using.

Anyway, beyond the non-dairy milk options, regular milk works, too - just a bit higher carb.

You can use whatever you like, but I’d recommend at least 2% fat, for texture reasons. Whole milk is great... I find 1% / skim milk to be too watery, IMHO.

Vanilla Flavored Protein Powder

This recipe uses Vanilla Flavored Whey Protein Powder - it adds sweetness AND negates the need for vanilla extract!

Personally, I keep a big canister of Revolution Nutrition's High Whey in Vanilla Cake on hand at all times, and use it in a TON of my recipe - baked goods, beverages, etc.

Use whatever vanilla protein powder that you like to drink, and fits your macros.

If you use a plant-based protein powder / vegan protein powder, this can be a vegetarian or vegan overnight oats recipe - you’ll just want to be sure you’re using a plant-based collagen powder. (Or you can skip it entirely.)

Fresh Carrots

Carrot cake obviously needs carrots, which add flavour, moisture, and a subtle sweetness to the overnight oatmeal.

For best results, skip the pre-shredded carrots and grab a box grater. Shredding up whole carrots will give you a better flavour and texture - I like to do a fine shred.

Nuts and Raisins

I like to use both chopped nuts and raisins in this carrot cake overnight oatmeal recipe.

If you’re not a fan of raisins, feel free to double the nuts, or just leave it out entirely. I’ll usually use dark raisins, but golden raisins are fine too.

In terms of the type of nut to use, I like either chopped raisins or chopped pecans. I like to use a few extra walnuts or pecans as a garnish, as well.

Chia Seeds

Each serving of this high protein overnight oats uses a tablespoon of chia seeds, which serves a few purposes.

First of all, it absorbs some of the milk and gives the overnight oats the best texture, IMHO. Kind of a creamy consistency that you don’t really get when you don’t use them.

They also add a little more protein, some heart-healthy fatty acids, and fiber, well as some minerals and antioxidants. A great ingredient, overall!

Collagen Peptides

This one is optional, but I like to add a scoop of Unflavored Collagen Peptides Powder , as an easy way to give my overnight oats a boost of extra protein.

If you’re not particularly concerned about adding additional protein and don’t have any collagen on hand, you can feel free to skip it.

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Plain Greek Yogurt
Ground Cinnamon
Pure Maple Syrup
Vanilla Extract
Ground Cloves
Cream Cheese
Nutmeg
Salt

... I just don’t have anything else to add, as far as these last few ingredients go.

How to Make High Protein Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

The full recipe - and complete ingredient list - are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are the step-by-step instructions, with photos.

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

Measure oats, protein powder, chia seeds, collagen (if using), spices, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Stir well to combine.

Add the almond milk, carrot, chopped walnuts, maple syrup, raisins, and vanilla extract, stir once again to combine. Cover and chill overnight.

Assembly

Whisk together all of the cream cheese layer ingredients until smooth.

Divide have the cream cheese topping overtop of the carrot cake oatmeal, then top with the remaining carrot cake overnight oats.

Finally, top with remaining cream cheese mixture. Garnish if desired, and serve immediately!

Leftovers

If you’re not eating the second carrot cake oatmeal parfait right away, cover the mason jar and chill for up to 3 days.

More Protein Powder Breakfast Recipes!

Looking for more protein packed breakfast recipes? I’ve got you covered! (And hey, many are low carb, also!)

Apple Cinnamon High Protein Overnight Oats
Apple Cinnamon Protein Pancakes
Camping Pancake Mix
Cranberry Orange High Protein Overnight Oats
Blueberry Protein Pancakes
High Protein Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter and Banana High Protein Overnight Oats
Protein Banana Nut Bread
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
Raspberry Protein Pancakes
Strawberry Protein Pancakes