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Home Ā» Recipes Ā» Breakfast Ā» Oatmeal Ā» 10-Minute Apple Carrot Oatmeal

10-Minute Apple Carrot Oatmeal

By Taesha Butler January 23, 2023 5 Comments

Servings4 servings
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Jump to Recipe
5 from 11 votes

This Apple Carrot Oatmeal is a delicious and easy way to add veggies to breakfast! The grated carrot and diced apples cook to tender perfection with the rolled oats and give this dish a lovely, natural sweetness. Done in just 10 minutes, adaptable and easy to make, this healthy breakfast is one of our family’s go-to recipes.

A bowl of carrot apple oatmeal with a spoon. The oats are topped with dried cranberries and cinnamon. There are dried cranberries on the table next to the bowl and a small pitcher of milk also next to it.

I’ve been making oatmeal with veggies for years. It is one of my favorite ways to easily work in vegetables at breakfast and is always a hit with my family. Since carrots are one of my staple vegetables that I always have on hand, I tend to make this tasty Apple Carrot Oatmeal more often than pretty much any other version.

I love that this Apple Carrot Oatmeal has veggies (of course), but I also adore that it is made all in one pot. So easy! Plus, it is naturally sweetened with apples and a little maple syrup or honey and is done in 10 minutes. It’s truly the perfect healthy + filling breakfast to make on busy weekday mornings. This recipe makes 4 servings, so share with the family or make it for yourself and reheat the leftovers for days to come. These cozy carrot oats are gluten free (when you use certified gluten free oats), vegetarian, nut-free, and can easily be made vegan, and dairy-free when you use your favorite plant-based milk.

If you are more of a planner than an early bird, check out my Slow Cooker Steel Cut Apple Carrot Oats. You can sleep in AND still have a hearty veggie-loaded breakfast.

The Ingredients for carrot apple oatmeal on a table in bowls and measuring cups: cinnamon, vanilla extract, carrots, apples, rolled oats, maple syrup or honey, milk of choice, water.
Ingredients: cinnamon, vanilla extract, carrots, apples, rolled oats, maple syrup or honey, milk of choice, water.

How to grate the carrots for these oats

I simply peel the carrots and then use the large holes of a box grater and it works perfectly. Or the grating attachment on a food processor works beautifully, too. No need to squeeze out any of the excess moisture before adding them to the oats. It all cooks together perfectly.

You can absolutely grate the carrots beforehand and store them in an air-tight container in your fridge for 3-4 days or even grate a nice big batch of carrots and freeze them! Or, if you really want to skip on grating, you can buy the pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store. Just FYI, those tend to be cut thicker and don’t get as tender as quickly as in these oats.

A hand peeling a carrot over a cutting board. There are two other carrots on the cutting board and also a box grater.
Peel carrots
A hand grating a peeled carrot with a box grater over a cutting board. There are two carrots next to the cutting board.
Use a box grater of grating attachment on a food processor to grate the carrot into small pieces.

Suggested Adaptations

  • Reduce the amount of carrot If you are nervous about how grated carrots will taste in your oatmeal, reduce the amount! Start by adding 1/3 or 1/2 of a cup to the oatmeal and work your way up to the 1 cup recommend in the recipe. Veggie-loading is all about baby steps and exposure. A small amount of veggies is better than no veggies at all.
  • Increase the amount of carrot.  Loving this and totally game to add more veggie? Then go with it. I would start with a full cup of grated carrots and increase from there with each batch until you find your perfect balance.
  • Use a different fruit other than apple. Pears would be delicious in this carrot oatmeal. As would frozen berries.
  • Grate the apple instead of dicing. If you don’t want the chunks of apple in your carrot oatmeal, you can grate it just like you did the carrots.
  • Use grated zucchini instead of carrots. Just add them at the same time as you would the carrots.
  • Omit the maple syrup/honey. The apples and carrots offer a lot of natural sweetness to these oats already. If you are looking to reduce the added sugar and don’t mind a milder oatmeal, you can leave the sweetener out all together.
  • Make it vegan/dairy-free by using your favorite plant based milk. I like unsweetened almond milk.
Ingredients for carrot apple oatmeal in a pot.
Combine ingredients in a medium pot.
Carrot apple oatmeal after cooking.
Cook until oats, apples, and carrots are tender.

Tips

  • Cut your apples close to the same size. This will ensure they cook evenly!
  • Grate your carrots ahead of time to make this oatmeal extra easy. Just store them in an air-tight container in your fridge for about 3 days or in your freezer for a month. That way, you always have some carrots on hand to add to these oats or other recipes.
  • Adjust sweetness to your taste preference. Add more or less maple syrup or honey as you please!

Other veggie-loaded oatmeal recipes

  • Carrot Zucchini Instant Pot Oatmeal
  • Blueberry Cauliflower Oatmeal
  • Chocolate Zucchini Oatmeal
  • Zucchini Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
  • Carrot Apple Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
  • Carrot Banana Protein Oatmeal
  • Baked Apple Sweet Potato Oatmeal
  • Baked Carrot Chocolate Oatmeal

Did you try this Apple Carrot Oatmeal and now you’re hungry for more? 

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A bowl of apple carrot oatmeal on a table with a spoon. There is a blurred pitcher and bowl of dried cranberries in the background.
Enjoy warm with your favorite toppings.

The Veggie Loaded Roadmap

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10-Minute Apple Carrot Oatmeal in a big white bowl
Print Recipe
5 from 11 votes

10-Minute Apple Carrot Oatmeal

This Apple Carrot Oatmeal is a delicious and easy way to add veggies to breakfast! The grated carrot and diced apples cook to tender perfection with the rolled oats and give this dish a lovely, natural sweetness. Done in just 10 minutes, adaptable and easy to make, this healthy breakfast is one of our family's go-to recipes.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: apple, carrot oatmeal, carrots, easy breakfast recipe, healthy oatmeal, oatmeal
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 176kcal
Author: Taesha Butler

Ingredients 

  • 1½ cups rolled oats use certified gluten free if needed
  • 1 cup grated carrot add more or less based on your preference
  • 1 medium apple diced (peeling is optional)
  • 1 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey or to taste. Omit if you feel that the apples will sweet this enough for you.
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Combine oats, grated carrots, diced apple, milk, water, maple syrup/honey, cinnamon, and vanilla in a medium sauce pot. Stir and heat on medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer.
    Ingredients for carrot apple oatmeal in a pot
  • Cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  • Serve warm topped with more syrup/honey, a drizzle of peanut butter, berries, some sliced bananas, raisins, dried cranberries, or some chopped nuts.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25of recipe | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 274mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 5371IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!

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Filed Under: Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Oatmeal, Vegetarian Tagged With: carrot

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Reader Interactions

    Leave a comment & rate this recipe Cancel reply

    Did you make this recipe? So good, right? It would mean the world to me if you left a comment and star rating so that more people can see how delicious veggie-loading can be. Plus, it helps me to see what recipes you are all loving so I can make more like them.

    Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback.

    Recipe Rating




    Comments

  1. Kelly

    January 27, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    5 stars
    So yummy!! Thank you for sharing and reminding me about this easy and yummy recipe.

    Reply
  2. Kelly Cram

    January 29, 2023 at 10:27 am

    5 stars
    This smells amazing! I’m sure for most this would be easy enough to whip up and enjoy, but I’m taking advantage of my baby napping to prep this for tomorrow’s breakfast. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      January 30, 2023 at 7:03 am

      I love to make this as prep, too! Easy enough for first thing in the morning (for my schedule), but just as tasty as a reheated leftover!

      Reply
  3. Randy

    February 16, 2023 at 8:17 pm

    5 stars
    Yes that is a good recipe I’ve tried this before, just wondering have you tried it with a sweet potato before that’s a good one to especially with green stevia.

    Reply
    • Taesha Butler

      February 17, 2023 at 7:22 am

      I’ve added cooked and mashed sweet potato! It is really good!

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Taesha! I help busy people fall in love with healthy eating with my simple, family-friendly, veggie-loaded recipes. I believe vegetables can and SHOULD be delicious. Here, let me show you how!

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