The cozy flavors of carrot cake turned into a guilt-free morning meal! With lots of cinnamon & sweet carrots, these crunchy clusters are irresistible!

Growing up, my favorite Easter tradition occurred as soon as I woke up. My brother and I would sprint downstairs in our PJs, almost like on Christmas morning, and skid to a stop at the kitchen table.

Nearly every year, a bright pink inflatable bunny sat watching over two pastel baskets full of that faux green grass and brightly colored plastic eggs. We knew the rules, so we waited until both Mom and Dad wandered into the kitchen before cracking open each egg at the same time.

Our favorite Starburst jelly beans always spilled out of a few, while milk chocolate eggs hid in some others, along with a couple of Peeps crammed inside and threatening to burst the eggs open at the seams. How the Easter bunny managed to hide full-sized Peeps inside of those plastic eggs, I’ll never know!

Mom usually granted us permission to eat the contents of half of one plastic egg, whether that meant two chocolate eggs or six jelly beans, before slipping into our Sunday best to head to the Easter service at church. I rarely minded leaving behind my loot since Mom bought me a fancy, pretty dress each year… And because the congregation hosted brunch after the service.

Normally brunch was reserved only for summers, but Easter counted as a special enough occasion that church members brought out the long folding tables and loaded them up with homemade and store-bought goodies: fruit, veggies, deviled eggs, donuts (my favorite!), mini muffins, cucumber sandwiches, sliced bagels with schmear, and of course, carrot cake covered with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

Since it was an iconic part of my childhood Easters, I’m declaring this Healthy Carrot Cake Week on the blog to get in the holiday spirit! To start off, I combined my favorite morning memories with the classic dessert to create this Healthy Carrot Cake Granola. It has the same warm, cozy flavors but none of the guilt from all of that sugar I used to eat at brunch!

I always use two cereals in my granola: old-fashioned oats and crisp rice cereal. The former adds that hearty texture you’re used to, while the latter provides a big crunch without a lot of extra oil. For this recipe, you’ll actually add in more crisp rice cereal than oats!

The cereals are held together with coconut oil and maple syrup and dusted with a generous amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. Those spices will make your kitchen smell irresistible, just like a bakery, while the granola bakes in the oven. I wish I could bottle up that scent and turn it into candles or perfume!

This granola bakes longer compared to typical recipes for two reasons. (a) The carrots contain moisture, which they release in the oven, and it needs to be baked out. (b) The extra crisp rice cereal and carrots add more “stuff” to the pan, resulting in a thicker layer of granola that takes longer to bake. You could probably bake this in a 13×9” pan instead for a shorter period of time, but… Mine was still in a box somewhere from when we moved, and I didn’t feel like looking for it. I wanted that granola ASAP!

Finished off with a generous handful of raisins, this granola ended up being even more tempting than the regular cake! I could eat it all day as breakfast, snacks, dessert… So it disappeared a little faster than I expected!

Healthy Carrot Cake Granola 5.0 from 1 reviews Print Yields: about 4 cups This crunchy granola contains all of the same warm, cozy flavors of carrot cake, but it’s healthy enough for breakfast! Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 1 ½ c (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)

2 c (60g) brown crisp rice cereal

1 c (105g) grated carrots (about 2 medium, peeled first)

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tbsp (7g) coconut oil, melted

6 tbsp (90mL) water

3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup

½ c (78g) raisins, lightly packed Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, rice cereal, carrots, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, water, and maple syrup. Pour the maple syrup mixture into the cereal mixture, and gently stir with a spatula until all of the cereal has been coated. Transfer the cereal to the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 75-85 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, or until the granola reaches the desired level of crunchiness. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before sprinkling the raisins on top. Transfer to an airtight container. Notes: If the granola is baked in a 13x9” pan, it will bake much faster, but I’m not entirely sure how long. Check after 35-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, and continue baking until it reaches the desired level of crunchiness.



The more gently the granola is stirred while baking, the larger the clusters will be.



Add in dried pineapple along with the raisins for a fun twist!



{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie} 3.2.2925

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