Carrot cake overnight oats
It’s easter, so everything must be carrot cake flavoured. I was genuinely shocked at how good these were, considering I’m only just recently an advocate of carrot cake.
Carrot cake overnight oats
- Vegetarian
- Can be made vegan
- Can be made GF
Ingredients
Method
- Mix your oats and protein powder in a bowl with your spices, then add your grated carrot, nuts and raisins.
- Add a sprinkle of salt to the mixture, then stir through your milk.
- Place in the fridge for 30 mins, or overnight, then serve on it’s own, or with yogurt, more roasted walnuts, and some nut butter.
Why grated carrot works here
Carrot is sweet and very wet, and both of those help. Overnight it softens completely and loses any raw crunch, while the moisture it releases means these need slightly less milk than plain overnight oats. Grate it finely rather than coarsely so it disappears into the oats instead of sitting in strands through them.
Getting the spice right
Cinnamon leads and the mixed spice fills in behind it. Go carefully with the mixed spice - it usually contains cloves, which take over everything if you are heavy handed. If you are building it yourself, cinnamon with a little nutmeg and the smallest pinch of ginger is a safer route.
The walnuts and the salt
Toasting the walnuts is a thirty second job that changes the whole bowl, because raw walnuts can taste slightly bitter and toasting takes that off. The pinch of salt is not optional either - with this much cinnamon and sweetness, salt is what stops it tasting flat.
Timing
Thirty minutes is enough if you are impatient, but overnight is genuinely better here - the carrot needs longer than the oats do to soften fully. They thicken overnight, so loosen with a splash of milk before serving if you like them looser.
Storage
Three days in the fridge in a sealed container. The walnuts soften as they sit, so if you are making a few days at once, keep them back and add them as you serve.
Making it vegan or gluten free
Any plant milk and a vegan protein powder make it fully plant based. For gluten free, use certified gluten free oats - ordinary oats are frequently contaminated during processing even though oats themselves contain no gluten.
