These healthy overnight oats are loaded with everything you love about carrot cake - carrots, cinnamon, pecans, pineapple, raisins, and coconut - and conveniently made with probiotic-rich kefir. They're a delicious and filling make ahead breakfast! (gluten-free, refined sugar-free)

overhead view of two bowls of carrot cake overnight oats topped with toasted pecans and coconut flakes with a gold spoon beside each.

What do you get when you combine all of the delicious flavors and textures of loaded carrot cake with a healthy, make ahead breakfast? You get these delightful carrot cake overnight oats, of course!

You had to know these were coming at some point. I already have carrot cake baked oatmeal and carrot cake pancake recipes. And with my love for overnight oats, it was only a matter of time before carrot cake made an appearance in overnight oat form. And I have to say, I'm smitten with this new form.

overhead view of ingredients needed to make carrot cake overnight oats on a white background.

Why You'll Love These Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

If carrot cake isn't fully loaded with all the delicious bits and pieces - nuts, raisins, pineapple, coconut - along with carrots, I'm not interested. So these overnight oats are LOADED. They have everything you love about a big piece of carrot cake with coconut, nuts, and cream cheese frosting, but without the baking. Or the massive sugar crash. They honestly don't have as much actual oatmeal as many of my overnight oat recipes because of how many toppings are in them, and it's amazing! It's the most delicious mashup of sweet pineapple, raisins and raisins, crunchy walnuts, coconut, and shredded carrots immersed in a cinnamony, kefir-based oatmeal filling, whose tang is reminiscent of cream cheese. All lightly sweetened with just a hint of maple syrup. That means a filling, healthy breakfast that tastes like cake but doesn't leave you feeling sluggish!

Why Use Kefir For Overnight Oats?

I LOVE using kefir for overnight oats. Kefir is a fermented milk drink, similar in texture to drinkable yogurt. It's got a little bit more tang and is rich in probiotics. The nutrition profile of kefir is great - it's got protein and calcium, and even more beneficial probiotics than yogurt. But the real reason I love kefir for overnight oats is because I'm pretty lazy. Kefir can be poured straight from the bottle into the jar when mixing the recipe. So I don't have to use a spoon to scoop out yogurt, mix it with milk, and make a mess. I just pour, shake, and refrigerate.

How To Make Carrot Cake Overnight Oats with Kefir

three image collage showing steps for making carrot cake kefir overnight oats in a glass jar.

Pour the kefir and maple syrup into a jar.
Add all of the other ingredients.
Shake or stir, and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, give it a stir and enjoy!

Ingredient Substitutions

Make these your own! Leave out any of the toppings (pecans, raisins, etc.) that you don't care for.
Use vanilla kefir in place of plain if you'd like.
If you don't have kefir, use ½ cup plain Greek yogurt + ⅓ cup milk of your choice.
For a vegan option, use your favorite non-dairy drinkable probiotic yogurt (such as siggi's).
Omit the maple syrup for a no added sugar option.
Use finely chopped fresh pineapple in place of canned.
Use walnuts in place of pecans.

bowl of carrot cake overnight oats topped with toasted pecans and coconut flakes with a gold spoon beside it.

Love overnight oats as much as I do? Then you'll love this roundup of healthy overnight oats recipes!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Healthy Carrot Cake Overnight Oats With Kefir

Print Recipe

Author: Kaleigh
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 serving 1x
Category: breakfast
Method: no cook
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

¾ cup plain kefir
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup grated carrot
3 tbsp canned crushed pineapple
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp chopped pecans
2 tbsp raisins
½ tsp maple syrup
½ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp nutmeg

Instructions

Pour kefir and maple syrup into a jar or other container with a lid.
Add remaining ingredients and stir.
Close lid and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, stir, top with any additional toppings and enjoy!

Notes

If your oats are too thick when you're ready to eat them, simply stir in a little more kefir.
For a really delicious bowl of oatmeal, top your overnight oats with toasted pecans and coconut!

Ingredient Substitutions

Leave out any of the toppings (pecans, raisins, etc.) that you don't care for.
Use vanilla kefir in place of plain if you'd like.
If you don't have kefir, use ½ cup plain Greek yogurt + ⅓ cup milk of your choice.
For a vegan option, use your favorite non-dairy drinkable probiotic yogurt (such as siggi's).
Omit the maple syrup for a no added sugar option.
Use finely chopped fresh pineapple in place of canned.
Use walnuts in place of pecans.