Carrot Cake Slow Cooker Oatmeal

At a glance

What stands out: Carrot cake slow cooker oatmeal tastes like an indulgent dessert but it is a nutritious, fun, and filling way to start your day. Using your slow cooker overnight to make steel cut oats is a no-fuss way to have a hearty breakfast in the morning.

How long it takes: just a few minutes to prep, 7 to 8 hours in the crockpot
Equipment you’ll need: slow cooker, box grater or food processor
Servings: makes 6 cups

Slow cooker oatmeal is one of our favorite things. It just doesn’t get much better than stirring a few things together in the slow cooker before you go to bed (takes only a few minutes!) and waking up to a hot breakfast, ready and waiting for you.

All the goodies of carrot cake! We love our plain (but versatile!) version of slow cooker steel-cut oats. In the fall, pumpkin pie oatmeal is a must. However, this version just may be our favorite with all the luscious flavors of carrot cake: carrots, coconut, nuts, raisins, pineapple, and warm spices.

A nutritious “special” breakfast. Loaded with nutritious ingredients like steel cut oats and carrots, a bowl of carrot cake oatmeal is a satisfying and lighter breakfast option. Oatmeal is naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. However, when you add all the toppings, carrot cake oatmeal is fancy enough for a special occasion breakfast. You’ll love it!

A no-fuss way to cook oats. Steel cut oats work evenly in the slow cooker because they take a long time to soften enough to be creamy and rich. A long time = overnight! If you make them in a saucepan, you can plan on cooking them twenty-five to thirty minutes, and you have to stir them fairly often so they don’t stick. Honestly, we usually don’t have time for that on weekday mornings. (Making Instant Pot steel cut oats is another great solution to this problem!)

What goes in

• Steel Cut Oats: This recipe is written for steel cut oats. You’ll find steel cut oats by the hot cereals. Quaker Oats is a familiar brand.
• Water: Just to reiterate, these oats are cooked with water. Some cooks like to cook them in milk but we found that milk tends to burn in the slow cooker overnight.
• Shredded Carrots: Carrots add nice color, natural sweetness, and extra nutrition. Finely shredded (grated) carrots work better than julienned or diced carrots. Use a box grater or a food processor to make speedy work of it.
• Salt: If your oatmeal seems to taste blah or flavorless, chances are you’re forgetting the salt. Salt enhances the flavor of most foods, including oatmeal.
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg: You’ll find these warm spices in carrot cake. If you’re feeling motivated, add a teaspoon of ground ginger and a dash of cloves, too.
• Optional Toppings: golden raisins, unsweetened coconut (shredded or flake), crushed pineapple, toasted walnuts or pecans, brown sugar, milk or half & half. Make sure you choose at least a couple of the toppings!

How it comes together

Before you go to bed, take five minutes to get this straightforward breakfast started.

Grease the crockpot. Begin by lightly spraying your crockpot with nonstick spray or greasing it with coconut oil or butter. Oats are a naturally sticky food and this important step keeps the oats from sticking to the sides of the crockpot.

Stir together oatmeal ingredients. Measure out the oats and water and add them to the slow cooker; then throw in the grated carrots, along with a bit of salt. Give everything a good stir.

Cook. Put the lid on the crockpot, plug it in, and set it on LOW.

Prep toppings. If you have a minute yet before bedtime, get the toppings ready. Chop a few pecans or walnuts and toast them in the microwave. Just spread them on a microwave safe plate and microwave them on high power for one minute intervals, giving them a little stir each time. Don’t overcook them because they can burn pretty quickly. You can do the same to make toasted coconut (in 30 second intervals).

Serve. Let the oatmeal cook all night. When you wake up, stir in the spices and breakfast will be ready.

It’s a feel good breakfast that will stick with you. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate that fuels your body all morning and it contains 7 grams of protein per serving. Add nuts and milk for more protein.

Before you start

Ways to change it

• Have fun with the toppings! Use any of the topping ideas we've given you or have fun coming up with your own ideas.
• Make more! The recipe can be increased as long as you keep the ratio the same (4 cups water to 1 cup oats) and you have a large enough slow cooker. For example, if you want to make a double batch, use 8 cups water and 2 cups oats.
• Substitute old fashioned rolled oats for the steel cut oats. Remember that you’ll need less water (3:1). If you use 1½ cups of rolled oats, you’ll need 4½ cups water. Note: we haven’t tested this recipe with rolled oats but it should still work well.
• More carrots for breakfast. If you love the idea of carrot cake for breakfast, try our carrot cake muffins or their healthier cousins, carrot raisin muffins. For a fancier occasion, try a carrot soufflé.

Make-Ahead Ideas

This makes a fairly large batch of slow cooker carrot cake oatmeal, about six cups. It’s great for breakfast all week. Simply store it in the refrigerator (or freezer!) and heat it up in the microwave for a speedy and straightforward breakfast.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/Freeze: Leftover cooked oatmeal will keep in the refrigerator for up to six days, or in the freezer for up to six months. For best results, store it in individual serving size containers. Put the frozen oatmeal in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.

Reheat: To reheat single servings, put the oatmeal in a microwave safe bowl with a little extra milk or water. Microwave on high in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until heated through. For larger amounts, heat slowly in a saucepan on the stove with additional liquid until hot.

Did you know?

Why does oatmeal need more milk or water when you reheat it? Oatmeal tends to absorb liquid even after it’s cooked, much like pasta or rice, making it seem drier and more solid.

• Yield: 6 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 8 hours
• Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups steel cut oats (do not substitute old-fashioned rolled oats, quick, or instant oats)
• 1 cup shredded carrots (see note)
• 6 cups water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (use freshly grated for best flavor)
• Optional toppings Golden raisins, unsweetened coconut (shredded or flake), crushed pineapple, toasted walnuts or pecans, brown sugar, milk

Method

1. Spray the inside of a 4 to 6-quart crockpot with nonstick cooking spray or rub with coconut oil or butter.
2. Combine oats, carrots, water, and salt.
3. Cook on low, covered, for 7 to 8 hours (overnight is perfect!) or on high for 4 hours, until the oats are tender and the water is absorbed.
4. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve hot with desired toppings.

Notes

Carrots: It’s best if you shred/grate your own carrots with a box grater (use the medium sized holes) or food processor. A finer shred works better than julienned or coarsely shredded carrots.

Storage/Reheating: Leftover oatmeal can be refrigerated for 4 to 6 days or frozen for 6 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding milk or water as needed for the right consistency.

Nutrition information does not include optional toppings.

Recipe retested and revised 7/2022.