To die for and so easy Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Bars!
Made super healthy with applesauce, carrots, oats, chia, raisins, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and Greek yogurt frosting, you will be making them over and over again!
Perfect for a healthy breakfast or a snack!
My right thumb’s knuckle can’t heal properly because I keep grating carrots day after day, baking these oatmeal breakfast bars, carrot cake baked oatmeal and healthy carrot cake bars.
As I grow up, the more I follow my heart doing what makes me happy.
And right now happy means a lot of carrots baked with a million of superfoods, topped with creamy Greek yogurt frosting and eaten for breakfast.
Skies know, I do not like cooking breakfast. So it better be ready for me in the morning.
Ingredients You Will Need
The list of ingredients seems long like for healthy carrot cake, but I promise they are simple and this recipe is easy!
- Carrots
- Rolled or quick oats
- Eggs or flax egg
- Milk
- Applesauce
- Maple syrup or honey
- Avocado or olive oil
- Whole wheat spelt or gluten free flour
- Chia seeds
- Raisins
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Spices – Vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt.
- Baking powder and soda, cooking spray.
How to Make Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal Bars
All you have to do is first whisk the eggs, milk, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Then add carrots, oats, flour, chia, raisins, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and using spatula mix very well. Batter will be thick and chunky. Transfer it to 9 x 13 baking dish lined with parchment paper and level with spatula.
Once you press it into the baking dish, it will all bake together and you end up with healthy baked oatmeal basically. Super healthy one.
Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool off until room temperature, if planning on frosting. If not, then can slice and enjoy hot. But leaving it like this is not super exciting for me, but you can.
Creamy Greek Yogurt Frosting
Here is Greek yogurt frosting and it goes so well on these baked oatmeal breakfast bars. It makes them balanced and wonderfully moist.
Start with lining a colander with cheesecloth folded 4 times or linen towel. Place it over a smaller bowl, so it sits on it. Add Greek yogurt and let it drain in the fridge for 2-4 hours, up to 6 hours or overnight is OK.
Prepare frosting by whisking together in a bowl, strained Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Then spread on top of baked oatmeal and using serrated knife cut into 16 bars.
You might also like to make easy healthy cream cheese frosting with Greek yogurt instead!
Enjoy and please let me know how you like them!
More Healthy Oatmeal Recipes to Try
- Carrot oatmeal muffins
- Overnight oats
- Healthy oatmeal muffins
- Healthy oatmeal cookies
- Healthy banana oatmeal muffins
- Banana carrot muffins
- Healthy breakfast cake
More Healthy Bars Recipes to Try
Carrot Cake Baked OatmealĀ Bars
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs or flax eggs
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- 3/4 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey
- 2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups grated carrots packed
- 2 cups quick/rolled oats
- 1/2 cup whole wheat, spelt or gluten free flour
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Greek Yogurt Frosting:
- 2 cups plain Greek yogurt 2% and higher fat (do not use 0%)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Start with Greek yogurt frosting. LineĀ a colanderĀ withĀ cheeseclothĀ folded 4 times and place over a smaller bowl. Add yogurt and let drain in the fridge for 2-4 hours, up to 6 hours is OK.
- Bake bars. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, lineĀ 9 x 13 baking dishĀ withĀ unbleached parchment paperĀ and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add eggs, milk, applesauce, maple syrup, oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk well to combine. Add carrots, oats, flour, chia, raisins, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds; using spatula mix very well.
- Transfer mixture to previously prepared baking dish, level with spatula and then press into the dish. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool off until room temperature.
- Frost bars. Prepare frosting by whisking together in a bowl, strained Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Then spread on top of baked oatmeal and using serrated knife cut into 16 bars.
What can I use instead of applesauce? I really am not keen on apples as they upset my stomach but I do love carrots!
Mashed banana or yogurt.:)
I made it! Itās a perfect breakfast and coffee combination. I didnāt make the frosting. I donāt care much for sweets in the morning. I substituted apple sauce with dates, whole wheat flour with almond meal, maple syrup with agave and I didnāt have walnuts so I added extra pumpkin seeds. I like it.
My batter was so watery! Am I supposed to dry the carrot shavings?
Let’s troubleshoot.:) No, you are not supposed to dry carrots. Did you follow recipe exactly or subbed some ingredients? If you used flax eggs, did you let them stand become jelly? What flour did you use? What kind of oats? Did you forget some ingredient? Those things do matter.
Yes, I’m really new to cooking and I didn’t have some of the things on hand. I made a 3/4-batch because I don’t have a pan big enough for a full batch. I used an extra egg instead of applesauce. I left out raisins and pumpkin seeds. I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat…
I baked for an extra ten minutes to give it time to bake off some water. Now that it’s cool, it’s more like…a dense cake consistency than a bar. Oops, haha. It smelled amazing last night though!
Good everything worked out. But for future it’s best to follow baking recipes exact because baking is a science. There are certain proportions of wet to dry ingredients that need to be followed. It’s not like a salad where adding or less veggies works out. Next time.:)
These baked oatmeal bars are to die for!
I love your website and all that you stand for healthy food for your family! I feel like I FINALLY found a true website that can be my go to for making healthy foods for my family. However….my son was diagnosed last year with type 1 diabetes and I’m in such need of nutritional facts for your recipes. I know some of them have them, but others do. It would be way easier for me. I think this is the hardest part about having a Type 1 diabetic child. Thank you for all that you put into your recipes! I can tell you cook and bake out of love!
Hi Andrea. So happy to hear! I’m in a process of hiring an assistant and will get her/him to add nutritional info whenever needed.
I do enjoy cooking for sure. My sanity at many times.:) You are welcome and be healthy!
Hi does anyone know the nutritional facts? On this recipes?
Thanks for another great recipe! And thanks for trying the GF flour. Just FYI – Celiac is not the only consideration regarding Gluten allergy. Gluten affects the gut, which in turn affects your immune system. People with compromised immune systems often remove gluten from their diets to help support and improve their immune system and health. I’ve been gluten free for over a year and have seen incredible improvements in my health. It has helped me tremendously.
Glad you enjoyed, yay! You are correct – 6% of Americans have gluten sensitivity like you. Many others, around 30% (more?) are just following the fad in hopes of…a miracle pill?! Hope this passes soon just like non-fat fad. Enjoy the bars!
Looking forward to using your recipe! Can I make my own oat flour to replace the whole grain flour then also use the whole oats?
Thanks !
Kim
Yes!
How long do you think they will keep? For example, if I make them Saturday will they still be yummy for Easter Sunday Brunch?
Yes, for sure, however because you are serving them for guests I would recommend to make frosting the day of serving. I noticed it dried out just a very tiny bit after a few days. Nothing major but just fresh is always best.:)
Olena that looks really good! I’ve found some coconut yogurt that I like that is unflavoured and no added sugar. It’s already very thick like Greek yogurt. I’m going to try this maybe this long weekend because I’m off work. I’ll have to sub almonds for the walnuts too. I’m excited to give this a try!! I have 2 movie suggestions for you… What the Health and Eating you Alive.
OK, what is the brand and where you bought it? I have heard about What the Health last week but couldn’t find a stream. If I can find a stream will watch this long weekend. I’m sure I know some info but I love those documentaries as reminders.
The difference between batter and dough: if you can pick it up and hold it in your hand, it’s dough; if it’s creamy, gloppy or runny, it’s batter. š
Got it! Thank you! How do I bookmark your comment?! Haha.