I love a bowl of warm, creamy steel cut oats for breakfast, but having an already made grab-n-go oatmeal breakfast is such a time-saver on busy mornings. These baked oats taste like a healthified carrot cake and sneak in lots of seeds for a protein and nutrient-packed breakfast. One bar has about 10g of protein – add some Greek yogurt on top and we’re looking at nearly 20g of protein. They’re also high in iron, zinc, calcium, selenium, potassium, vitamin A, and fiber.
Servings 15 squares
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 50 minutes Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 3 tbsp butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger or sup 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup raw seeds pumpkin, sunflower, sesame
- ½ cup hulled hemp seeds
- ½ cup coconut flakes or shredded coconut
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- ½ cup raisins, dried cranberries, or tart cherries (optional)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups grated carrot
- 1 cup grated apple
- Whole milk Greek yogurt, for topping
- Maple syrup or honey, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, ginger, vanilla, and eggs until smooth.
- In a high-speed blender, add the seeds, hemp seeds, and coconut and blend until a fine meal forms. Transfer to the same large bowl along with the oats, nuts (if using), dried fruit (if using), sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the carrot and apple.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish, spread into and even layer, and bake for 50 minutes, or until golden on top and firm in the center. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing (it will firm up as it cools and sits in the fridge as well).
- Serve topped with Greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, and a sprinkle of toasted nuts or seeds.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Blend up the seeds/coconut mixture.
- Grate 2 cups carrot
- Grate 1 cup apple
- Grate 2 tbsp fresh ginger
- Make the batter
- Bake them!
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, substitute the eggs for flax eggs and use coconut oil.
- Use certified GF oats to make gluten-free.
- I like this recipe best with pumpkin seeds as the seed of choice.
- If you don’t have hemp seeds, sub with more “seeds of choice” OR try subbing with chia seeds (though they might make the oats a big drier since they soak up so much liquid).
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftovers in the microwave in short 10 second intervals. Top with Greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple, sprinkle of salt and chopped nuts.
- You can also eat these straight out of the fridge or pack them to-go for a quick grab-n-go breakfast.
- Recommended: mix about 1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt with 2 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp maple syrup, and a pinch of salt for a “frosting-like” topper.
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