Carrot cake overnight oatmeal with cream cheese icing gives you all of the flavors of your favorite dessert with no added sugar. Dates provide this breakfast with natural sweetness; no white sugar was involved! With no refined grains, no added oil, and no refined sugars, this carrot cake is a step above the rest. It’s a great way to start your day.
I love carrot cake, but like other grain-based desserts, it is not an option that helps with my healthy weight management. As a result, carrot cake is a treat that I typically enjoy once per year. (Often as part of our Easter celebration, FYI.)
Yes, carrot cake does contain some carrots. But between the white flour, table sugar, and added oils, this treat is mostly empty calories. When you slather the cake in cream cheese icing, you’re putting even more added sugars on your plate.
It’s not the sort of thing that most of us should eat every day. (The exception may be if it were a minuscule piece that is barely worth the effort of cutting.) Sigh.
That is where my carrot cake overnight oatmeal with cream cheese icing comes in. I took out the major sources of empty calories in this popular dessert and added in yogurt, whole grain oats, and dates. Between the dates and raisins in this dish, your sweet tooth should be satisfied.
Using dates and raisins gives you fiber and phytonutrients that you miss out on if you use table sugar. Do you need another reason to try this? One serving of these oats contains ½ cup of carrots, so you are starting your day with some vegetables too.
Plus, it is delicious! I’m happy that I no longer have to wait until Easter to enjoy the great flavor of carrot cake.
Shovel, bulldozer, or both?
I was listening to a podcast a while back that discussed the multiple tools that someone can use for weight loss. I'm paraphrasing here, but they likened fitness to a shovel that helps you get the fat out. And they compared dietary changes to a bulldozer that rids your body of excessive fat.
You can choose to use a shovel, a bulldozer, or both if you have a weight loss goal. It makes the most sense to use both in many instances. Going at it with the shovel alone (fitness) may be difficult.
According to the National Weight Control Registry, only 2% of people who lose weight and keep it off do so without modifying their food intake. You are probably going to have to make some diet changes if you want to succeed at weight loss. I hope that the recipes here can help you on each stage of your journey.
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
- 40 grams pitted fresh dates (the packaging will give you an idea of the weight of your dates)
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 5.3 ounces Greek yogurt, non-fat (150 grams; plain, unsweetened)
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 tablespoons milk, 2%
- ⅓ cup oatmeal, dry
- 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons pecans, chopped and toasted
Instructions
- Let the dates soak in 2 tablespoons of warm water for a few minutes.
- Blend the water and dates into a paste in a food processor. You will have to turn off the processor and scrape down the sides a few times to accomplish this.
- Mix half of the date paste with the whipped cream cheese. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the carrots, the other half of the date paste, the raisins, the yogurt, the pumpkin pie spice, milk, and oats.
- Put the entire oat mixture into a wide-mouth pint jar.
- Top the oats with the cream cheese and date mixture. (This is the icing.)
- Finish with a layer of pecans.
- Cover the jar and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy a grab-and-go breakfast the next morning!
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). The calories here would make this dish a level 2. However, I’m bumping it up to level 3 because it contains dried fruit. If you want to increase the calories even more, add more nuts and substitute whole milk dairy. Calories are not the only thing to pay attention to if you have a weight loss goal. Remember to pay attention to how satiated you feel after eating the food. Dried fruit (such as raisins) contains a large number of calories in a small portion. The pecans here are also energy-dense, but they provide a balance of macronutrients that may feel more filling. Don't be afraid of making 3-4 jars at a time. These will last for a few days!
Nutrition
If overnight oats are your jam, make sure to check out my other recipes for this hearty breakfast option. For example, have you tried the blueberry lemon poppy seed overnight oats?
Let me know if you try the carrot cake overnight oatmeal with cream cheese icing. I hope that you love it as much as I do!
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