Carrot Cake Granola
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This soft and chewy carrot cake granola is spiced with cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg and packed with toasted pecans, coconut, and raisins– everything you love about a fully-loaded carrot cake in a bowl.
THE PERFECT SNACK FOR CARROT CAKE FANS
If you’re a carrot cake lover, this one’s for you. This carrot cake granola has been a reader favorite on the site since 2015, and honestly, it’s one of those recipes I keep coming back to myself, especially in the spring. The best part is that it comes together in just about 15 minutes of hands-on time, and your oven does the rest.
This recipe was inspired by a deconstructed carrot cake snack mix we tried years ago. It was made with walnuts, cinnamon, raisins, the work. After one bite, I immediately knew I needed a homemade version in granola form. One slightly-too-ambitious first attempt later (RIP, burned carrots), and this fabulous and reliable recipe was born.
One thing worth knowing before you dive in: this is a soft-baked granola, and that’s intentional! The low, slow bake keeps it tender and chewy so it actually mimics the texture of a slice of carrot cake rather than your standard crunchy granola. If that’s your thing– and trust me, it will be– you’re going to want to get started on this recipe ASAP.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
There’s some wiggle room in the ingredient list, namely with the spices and the add-ins. You can omit or add any spices/add-ins you prefer, just be sure you’re adding any additional add-ins after baking (unless otherwise noted in the recipe).
OLD FASHIONED OATS: do not use quick oats, otherwise you’ll have carrot cake mush in a hurry. If you want to keep this recipe completely gluten free, be sure you’re using certified gluten free oats.
CHOPPED NUTS: totally optional, but nuts are a must in my carrot cake! I like to use pecans, but walnuts and almonds also work really well.
SPICES: we’re working with ground cinnamon, ground allspice, and ground nutmeg. And salt, of course! We must have flavor.
GRATED CARROTS: see my notes in the recipe card for how to prepare your carrots. You’ll want to stay away from sticks, and I prefer to shred my own carrots either by hand or with a food processor for best results.
HONEY: this is where we get 100% of the sweetness. You can use agave if you prefer.
COCONUT OIL: this is what gives the granola all of its texture. You’ll need to melt it before adding it into the granola mixture.
VANILLA EXTRACT: just a touch of it to add some depth of flavor.
SWEETENED SHREDDED COCONUT: this is another optional ingredient, but it doesn’t go in right at the beginning, so be sure you’re paying careful attention to the steps of the recipe so you don’t burn it.
RAISINS: while I am vehemently against raisins in carrot cake, I am a giant raisin fan and welcome them in my snacks. You can also use golden raisins or dried cranberries.
HOW TO MAKE SOFT-BAKED CARROT CAKE GRANOLA
The first thing you’ll want to do is get your oven down low– I’m talking 250°F (121ºC). This granola is all about a slow, gentle bake, and that low temperature is what keeps the carrots from burning and produces that soft, chewy texture we’re going for.
Combine the dry ingredients: bring together the oats, chopped pecans, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Give everything a good stir, then add in your grated carrots. Stir everything together until the carrots are well distributed throughout the whole mixture.
Combine the wet ingredients: whisk together the honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth. If your honey is stiff or your coconut oil has solidified, a quick 15-20 seconds in the microwave will sort that out.
Coat the granola mixture: pour the honey/coconut oil mixture over your oat mixture and stir until everything is well coated. It’ll be wet and sticky, and that’s exactly right.
Bake the granola: spread the granola out in an even layer on a lined baking sheet and pop it in the oven. You’ll bake it in three rounds of 15 minutes each, stirring between every round.
Add the shredded coconut: after the first 45 minutes of baking, you’ll add the shredded coconut. That last 30-minute stretch with the coconut is where all the magic happens. Adding the coconut too early is actually the mistake I made on my first attempt, and let me tell you, burned coconut is not the vibe.
SUCCESS TIP
When the granola comes out of the oven, it will still feel soft and a little moist. Don’t panic and don’t put it back in (!!). That texture is exactly what you want! This granola (and granola of any kind, really) will crisp up as it cools at room temperature, I promise. Once it’s completely cool, toss in the raisins and you’re done.
Whether you’re eating it by the handful, over yogurt, or with a splash of milk, this granola delivers all of those warm, spiced carrot cake flavors in snackable form. It’s cozy, it’s easy, and it’s the kind of thing you’ll find yourself making on repeat once you try it. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Love carrot cake as much as I do? Try any of these carrot cake or carrot cake-inspired recipes next: carrot cake baked oatmeal, carrot cake coconut macaroons, carrot cake cupcakes, and my famous carrot walnut cake.
Soft-Baked Carrot Cake Granola
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ cups (200g) old-fashioned oats do not use quick oats1
- ½ cup (57g) coarsely chopped nuts I prefer pecans
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 and ½ cups (148g) grated carrots2 approximately 2-3 large carrots
- ½ cup (168g) honey
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (42.5g) sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup (85g) raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250ºF (121ºC). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, then set it aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, chopped nuts, spices, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add the shredded carrots and mix until the carrots are evenly dispersed. Set this mixture aside.2 and ½ cups (200g) old-fashioned oats, ½ cup (57g) coarsely chopped nuts, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 and ½ cups (148g) grated carrots2
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. You may need to heat mixture briefly in microwave if honey and/or coconut oil are not soft. Once the mixture is smooth, pour it evenly over the oat mixture and mix together to coat everything.½ cup (168g) honey, ⅓ cup melted coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out evenly over entire surface. The mixture will be quite wet and sticky, but this is ok.
- Bake the granola for 15 minutes, stir, bake another 15 minutes, stir again, bake for a third round of 15 minutes, stir once again and then add the shredded coconut.½ cup (42.5g) sweetened shredded coconut
- Stir the mixture to disperse the coconut, then bake for an additional 30 minutes. Allow granola to cool completely– the air will help the granola crisp up. Toss in the raisins once the mixture is cool. Granola will remain fresh in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks. Granola freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.½ cup (85g) raisins
Video
Notes
- Oats: do not use quick oats– they will turn to mush. Use certified gluten-free oats if you’d like to keep this recipe gluten free.
- Shredded carrots: I recommend shredding the carrots yourself, using a box grater or the grater attachment on a food processor. Pre-shredded carrots are usually too much of a “stick” for this recipe, and the blade in the food processor will make the carrot pieces too small.
- Optional ingredients: not feeling the coconut or raisins? You can omit them. You can also toss in any add-ins you like at the end such as golden raisins, dried cranberries, or even white chocolate chips to mimic cream cheese frosting.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Yum! Carrot cake is one of my favorite desserts too, so I’m sure I won’t be able to say no to carrot cake granola. Ingenious 🙂
It’s to die for!
I knew we were meant to be friends! Carrot cake is in my top five desserts too! And now I can eat carrot cake for breakfast, which should make any work day brighter! I have all the ingredients for this sitting in my cupboard so I know what my weeknight project is this week! Thanks Lynn 🙂
It’s.so.easy! I hope you’ll try it, Amy!
when do you add the raisins? with the coconut?
Hi, Lajuana! Thanks for stopping by. It was my error in omitting it from the recipe: add the raisins after it has cooled. I updated the recipe. Thank you for catching that! Several people have made this and never mentioned it 🙂 I appreciate you bringing it to my attention!
Perfect timing! it’s in the oven now on the 3rd 15 min. bake cycle… I’ll be adding the coconut in a few minutes and had planned to add the raisins too! Thanks!
You’re so welcome! Sorry for the delay in response– we were away on a cruise! How did you like the granola?
I LOVED the granola so much I am making it again today. I ate it by the handful, on top of yogurt, and sprinkled on my oatmeal. Question for you: Do you think it will freeze well? I have some in the oven right now (smells HEAVENLY) and I was just wondering if freezing half would effect the texture… Have you freezed it before? 🙂
Hi, Lajuana! So glad you’re loving it! I would say that typically, yes, you can freeze granola, I’m just not sure how the carrots would fare coming back to room temp. It’s worth a shot! Sorry for the delayed response… Maybe you’ve eaten it all by now anyway… 😉
Hi Lynn, I’m pinning your recipe now to try later, looks amazing. Something went wonky on the measurement of the coconut oil. Is it 1 cup?
Hi Jane! I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! The correct measurement is 1/3 cup of coconut oil. Enjoy!
I would like to try this but is there a substitute for coconut oil? Would olive or canola oil be okay?
Hey, Joanne! Unfortunately, you will have to use coconut oil. Other oils don’t work the same way coconut oil does in cooking granola.
Really good except kind of salty. I’ll try 1/4 teaspoon next time. I did add 2 tbsp maple syrup because I thought it should have a touch of sweetness. Definitely will make again
Thanks so much for the feedback, Renee!