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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast & Brunch

    Carrot Cake Granola

    May 4, 2012 by keepinitkind 24 Comments

    Carrot Cake Granola

    Chris loves carrot cake.  He also loves a big bowl of clustery granola cereal in the morning.  It was only a matter of time before I put the two together.

    Fresh, organic, flavor-packed carrots from our CSA really put this carrot cake granola over the edge.  From the look of it, it looks like just any old granola.  When you put it in your mouth, it's like a mouthful of crunchy carrot cake.  When you pour almond milk (or your vegan milk of choice) on it, it softens slightly and the milk becomes reminiscent of cream cheese frosting, so with every bite, it actually tastes like you are eating carrot cake.  No joke.  I broke out into a giddy fit of giggles with my first bite- the similarity is uncanny!

    Carrot Cake Granola

    This cereal is perfect for those times when you wake up and you're like "Man, I want a big bowl of cake."  You never say that?  Ever?  Ok, it's just me then.  Maybe it's for those times when you're on a long hike, and you wish you had a little bag of cake in your pocket for that extra boost of energy.  Never happens?  Ok.   Maybe you're short on time and you need to combine breakfast and dessert because you just don't have time to eat both (I'm not even sure how this situation would occur, but I wish I had this sort of timing issue).  Yes?  Ok, then this granola is perfect for you!

    Carrot Cake Granola

    carrot cake granola

    Print
    Carrot Cake Granola

    Yield: serves 10-12

    Carrot Cake Granola

    Ingredients

      dry ingredients
    • 4 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup flaxmeal
    • 1 cup chopped pecans
    • ¾ cup raisins
    • 2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¾ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ½ teaspoon cloves
    • wet ingredients
    • ¾ cup finely grated carrots
    • ¾ cup apple juice
    • ½ cup canola oil
    • ¼ cup + 1/8 cup molasses
    • ¼ cup + 1/8 cup agave syrup
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla

    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 275°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with vegan non-stick spray.
    2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients, minus the grated carrots. Heat the wet ingredients in the microwave for about 1 minute and 45 seconds, until hot, but not boiling. Stir in the grated carrots.
    3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets, and spread out evenly. With your fingertips, go through and quickly “pinch” small clusters into the mixture. It won’t all be clustered, but will have a lot of small clusters.
    4. Put the baking sheets in the oven, one on the center rack, and one on the lower rack. After 25 minutes, switch the sheets, putting the one from the bottom rack on the center rack, and vice versa. Cook for another 20 minutes, and remove from oven. Let sit until cool. Once cool, gently remove from sheets and put into an airtight container.
    3.1

    Carrot Cake Granola

    I know this is my second post this week about turning cake into a healthy meal, and you're probably saying "Good Heavens, somebody get this girl a cupcake!"  I must have some sort of subconscious fixation with cake right now, but let me tell you, I am pretty dang pleased with the side-effects!

    Carrot Cake Granola

    What is your favorite cake?

    Photography by Chris Miller

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Annie

      May 04, 2012 at 7:24 am

      Okay...this is getting out of hand!! I'm throwing away my cookbooks, girl! This looks outstanding!

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 04, 2012 at 8:43 am

        Thank you! I'm happy to keep you supplied with recipes! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Caitlin

      May 04, 2012 at 7:52 am

      aw man, i love carrot cake! this granola looks so good 😉

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 04, 2012 at 8:44 am

        Thanks, Caitlin! It's even better with almond milk!

        Reply
    3. CJ at Food Stories

      May 04, 2012 at 8:27 am

      Never really woke up craving cake for breakfast but my hubby loves carrot cake and has some type of cereal for breakfast most days. I bet he'd love this!

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 04, 2012 at 8:44 am

        Oooh, I bet he would!

        Reply
    4. jennifer

      May 05, 2012 at 6:43 am

      I am new to your blog Kristy, and I can't tell you how much I love it and your enthusiasm; I have a firm tofu pressed and ready to become 'chevre' as we speak. I'll add pecans to my shopping list today and hopefully have my cake and eat it too for breakfast tomorrow!! YAY!!

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 05, 2012 at 7:42 am

        You just made my morning, Jennifer! Thank you so much for introducing yourself! I sincerely hope you enjoy trying the recipes, and let me know how they go. Thank you so much for stopping by! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Hannah

      May 06, 2012 at 2:55 pm

      Delicious! Plus, if you throw a handful of this on top of vegan yogurt, you could almost pretend you're eating it with "cream cheese" frosting. 😉 Love the idea.

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 06, 2012 at 4:34 pm

        Great idea- I am definitely trying that with the next batch! Thank you!

        Reply
    6. Sarah Stride

      May 07, 2012 at 6:37 am

      Hello! New here last week by way of Cadry's Kitchen. The tofu chevre is on the menu this week, but I immediately jumped on this granola this past weekend. It was my first time making granola, actually. It was delicious! Mine turned out chewy, rather than crunchy, but perhaps this is correct. If not, I think perhaps I didn't spread mine thin enough on the baking sheets, or I should have baked a bit longer. Was yours crunchy?

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 07, 2012 at 7:29 am

        Hi Sarah- Thank you so much for stopping by! I'm glad you liked the taste of the granola, but mine was crunchy rather than chewy. If you don't let the granola cool completely in the pan before eating, it will be slightly chewy. If you did do that, then I would try one of 2 things: a. Try adding about 1/4-1/2 cup more oats (make sure they are rolled oats, not instant) to the mix next time, or b. Increase the cooking time by 10-15 minutes. By cooking it at such a low heat, it's hard to burn it, but all ovens are different, so maybe yours just needs a little more time. If you try it again, let me know how it goes and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an email- I'll try to help you ASAP. Good luck with the tofu chevre! 🙂

        Reply
    7. torviewtoronto

      May 07, 2012 at 6:07 pm

      this looks wonderful

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 07, 2012 at 7:06 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    8. Cadry

      May 08, 2012 at 5:10 pm

      Chris is outdoing himself with these photos. Beautiful!

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 08, 2012 at 5:54 pm

        I just told Chris, and he says "Thank you! That's so sweet!" I am a pretty lucky girl- he makes such a great teammate!

        Reply
    9. Bex @ Vegan Sparkles

      May 08, 2012 at 7:57 pm

      WOAH!! I LOVE having dessert for breakfast, so I'm ALL OVER this! Nom! 🙂

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 09, 2012 at 10:34 am

        You and me both, sister! 😉

        Reply
    10. jennifer

      May 11, 2012 at 6:15 am

      update!! I made this granola and it was so good I packaged some into my mothers day gift basket for my mom!! I included a bag of hemp seed and pretty handtowels and she was thrilled. Thank you for your remarkably yummy recipes!

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        May 11, 2012 at 9:35 am

        Oh Jennifer! Thank you! I love your gift basket- Your mother is one lucky lady! I hope she has a wonderful Mother's Day! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Heather

      September 02, 2012 at 6:43 pm

      Do you think I could leave out most of the oil?

      Reply
      • keepinitkind

        September 03, 2012 at 8:50 am

        I think that would be totally fine. I would perhaps leave in a tablespoon or two, but it would probably be fine without it as well. Enjoy!

        Reply
    12. Lara

      April 29, 2013 at 1:17 pm

      Every single time I forget about your blog, then re-find it because I recall "that great white pizza"/"that Sunflower Cheddar" etc., I totally want to kick my butt for forgetting. There are still soo many great recipes and stories to discover - like this one! 🙂
      I just made Granola, but it won't last long. Then I'll try this one. I go crazy for all things carrot cake.

      Best wishes, Lara 🙂

      Reply
    13. Emily - it comes naturally

      June 18, 2013 at 7:15 am

      Ah wow...great minds and all that. Ok so I'm a bit late, but I'll have to try your recipe too!

      Reply

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