This oatmeal is seriously going to spice up your breakfast life! If you started the new year with boring breakfasts, in attempt to be healthy again, here’s a way to add some excitement! I promise it will be love at first bite, when the flavors of carrot cake hit you. I swear I’m not crazy, but yes, I’m asking you to add vegetables to your oatmeal! Carrots for breakfast?? Give it a chance and you will not regret it. This morning, I woke up excited to indulge in a bowl of carrot cake oatmeal that tastes sinfully delicious, but still a healthy choice!
Have you tried steel cut oats before? If you are not an oatmeal fan because of the mushy texture of regular rolled oats, these might change your mind. I love steel cut oats because they have a chewy texture and a slightly nutty flavor that makes them very satisfying to eat. Plus, steel cut oats can be reheated and still taste just as great without losing their texture. This recipe is perfect for making a big batch, splitting across individual containers, and taking to work to heat-up each morning. Here’s the quick cooking steel-cut oats that I use from Trader Joe’s and my absolute favorite coconut milk.
This is clearly not your standard bowl of oatmeal – the oats are taken over by all kinds of other good stuff! If you choose the quick-cooking variety, you will want to measure everything out in a bowl ahead of time because you will add it all at the same time. Topping your bowl off with walnuts at the end provides a healthy fat, which will help keep you full all morning.
Now, I have to set expectations. This is STILL a bowl of oatmeal and not a piece of cake, thickly iced with cream cheese frosting. However, the flavors of this oatmeal are spot on with carrot cake and your breakfast will taste decadent, while remaining healthy. I promise that first bite will warm your heart!
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Adapted from: Annie’s Eats
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- Water
- Milk (I use Trader Joe’s Coconut Milk)
- 1 cup steel cut oats (I use Trader Joe’s quick cooking steel cut oats)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 Tablespoons brown sugar, depending on how sweet you want to make it
- 3 carrots, peeled and grated
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Walnuts for topping
Directions:
Combine equal parts water and milk in a medium pot and bring to a simmer (little bubbles just starting to form around the outside of the pot). If you’re using quick cooking oats, you most likely will use 1.5 cups water and 1.5 cups milk, because the recipe on the label will state 3 cups liquid to 1 cup oats. For regular steel cut oats, you will most likely use 2 cups water and 2 cups milk because the recipe will call for 4 cups liquid to 1 cup oats. Adjust accordingly.
For quick-cooking oats: Measure out all of the ingredients (except walnuts) and place in a bowl so that they are ready to go. When your liquid reaches a simmer, dump in all the ingredients from the bowl at one time. Put a lid on your pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir occasionally and continue to simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Take the oatmeal off the heat and it will thicken a little bit more as it starts to cool.
For regular steel-cut oats: When the liquid starts to simmer, stir in the oats and reduce the heat to medium-low to continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, measure out the rest of the ingredients and shred your carrots. At the 20 minute mark, stir in the remaining ingredients (except walnuts) and continue to simmer for about another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed.
Sprinkle with chopped walnuts on top and breakfast is served!
*If you save some to reheat later, you may want to add a little milk to restore the creaminess to the oats.
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