These simple quinoa breakfast cookies taste just like carrot cake! A simple blend of ingredients, they're easy and delicious.
Are you noticing a theme around here?
In case you can’t tell, I’m pretty much breakfast obsessed.
Of course part of it has to do with the release of my next eCookbook, Quinoa for Breakfast, but really it’s just the fact that we all love breakfast. I mean, I think we could talk all day about how awesome breakfast is, right? It’s the best.
I feel like where most people get hung up, though, is the time. It’s such a common misconception that making breakfast has to be time-consuming. That couldn’t be farther from the truth!
And it’s actually one of the main reasons why I wrote Quinoa for Breakfast – to give you TONS of breakfast options that aren’t going to take a ton of time to make.
Time is also one of the reasons why I love having quick breakfasts on hand, like my Zucchini Bread Quinoa Breakfast Cookies. Breakfast cookies are a quick, on-the-go breakfast option that you can prep ahead of time! They’re also fairly forgiving so you can really play around with flavors and ingredients to make them your own (my Toasted Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Cookies and Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Cookies are both the same base, but a different flavor profile!).
Today’s breakfast cookie recipe might just be my favorite flavor yet: carrot cake!
These cookies not only make carrot cake easy, but they also make carrot cake breakfast-worthy. And when you can have dessert for breakfast, that’s a total win, right?
I mean these little bites of dessert-flavored heaven are filled with delicious ingredients. We’ve got oats, quinoa flakes, banana, cashew butter, flaxseed meal, maple syrup, AND carrots.
It’s basically like eating a bowl of oatmeal with a side of carrots. I’ll take the whole plate, please! And I hope you will too✌
More Amazing Quinoa Breakfast Cookie Recipes to try:
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Zucchini Bread Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Blueberry Muffin Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Chunky Monkey Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
- Peanut Butter + Jelly Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup cashew butter or nut/seed butter of choice
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 medium banana mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup quinoa flakes
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together the flaxseed meal and water, and set aside.
- Beat together cashew butter, syrup, banana and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flax egg and mix to combine.
- Pour in oats, quinoa flakes, baking powder, spices and salt to the bowl and stir together. Fold in shredded carrots and walnuts.
- Drop 2 tablespoons of dough onto the baking sheet and repeat until no dough remains.
- Bake cookies on center rack for 15 - 18 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- Enjoy at room temp or slightly reheated in a microwave.
Video
Nutrition
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Can I use one cup of quinoa flakes and not use the rolled oats?
Yes, that should work!
Love the taste of these cookies. I didn’t add glaze cuz they’re great without it. I found the batter very loose so had some trouble getting the centre cooked. Next time I will make sure to level the batter out before baking. And there WILL be a next time🙂
Hi, and thanks for the great recipe! I may just be missing it – I couldn’t see approximately how many cookies this makes?
12!
These breakfast cookies are excellent, and just what I was looking for! Nutritious, low grain, and gluten free. To make the cashew butter, I used a heaping 1/2 cup of cashews & walnuts and blended them in a magic bullet with the banana, cinnamon, salt and baking powder (omitted nutmeg). This made a nice batter to then mix with a beaten egg (used instead of flax), vanilla and the quinoa flakes, oatmeal and carrots. (I used a potato peeler for the carrots, chopping roughly to shorten the strands- this created wider carrot ribbons in the cake). Also added a simple maple syrup glaze (maple syrup/powdered sugar/cream) to the top after baking!
I am Vegetarian & Celiac, therefore cannot consume oats even GF Oats. Can I substitute the oats for more quinoa or can you recommend a better option.
You could omit the oats and double the quinoa flakes
I put more quinoa flakes in and it works great.
Should I use quick rolled oats or old fashioned rolled oats? Thanks
old fashion oats
Had a problem with cookies sticking to the paper after cooking. Maybe needs to be greased?
Yes, give your paper a spray with cooking oil and that shouldn’t happen again!
these were great! thanks for an awesome recipe. added raisins and used almond butter- new favourite!
Yum!! Sounds delish 🙂 So glad you liked them!
Looking forward to making this. Just getting started on my quinoa journey
Welcome! Can’t wait for you to try!!
Am wondering, can I freeze the Carrot Cake Quinoa Breakfast Cookies?
Thank you!
Yes, definitely! So great for meal prep!
Interesting recipes, but good Lord, your website is way too commercialized. Could you put any more ads here?
Thanks for the feedback!
I agree John. Your comment was a couple years ago so I don’t know if they removed any advertising since then but it is still loaded here in August 2020. Very cluttered and busy.
Sorry you feel that way! This is my income source and ads allow me to support myself and this business so I can continue to provide hundreds of free recipes 🙂 Hopefully you can overlook that and understand that I’m trying to support myself by doing this! xo
Just found you and your recipes. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes. I am excited to try them as I starting quinoa journey.
Even though the comment of complaint of ads was years ago, it was uncalled for and rude. You’re kind to share your recipes for FREE! It must take a lot of time to compose the site, recipes, etc. How dare they complain. Your response was gracious and kinder than I would have been. You’re a better person than me.
Can I make this recipe with a regular egg instead ? Thank you for all the amazing quinoa recipes in your site, specially using flakes not many recipes out there using this variation
Yep!
I have now baked these twice! The first time I followed the recipe exactly and my husband and mom-in-law (who eats GF) loved them! I baked them a second time last night and made a double batch, with half cashew butter, half almond butter, with half syrup & half honey (since I ran out of cashew butter and maple syrup). Again, they are wonderful and super yummy for breakfast or midday snack!!
I’m so glad!! Love the combo of the nut butters and sweeteners 🙂 YUM!
Hi Alyssa! I live in Argentina, and I can’t get quinoa flakes. I have regular quinoa and quinoa pop. How could I replace quinoa flakes in this recipe? I love carrot cake and I’d love to include these in our breakfast. Thank you in advance.
Totally! You can just use more oats 🙂
Probably a silly question but can I just use a regular egg?
You sure can! xox
Nut and oats allergy here, what would you use to substitute cashew butter and oats?
I think you could do more quinoa flakes and use sunflower seed butter instead!
Would you suggest a 1/2 cup extra of quinoa flakes to fully replace the oats? Or something different?
Yep that would totally work! xx
Loved this recipe, added 1/2 cup coconut flakes I’ve been trying many recipes for healthy treats for my grand babies . These are best so far, very good, I’ll have kid test tomorrow. Thanks!
Love the addition of coconut flakes – yum! If you liked this one, check out my ebook…I have 12 more flavors! https://simplyquinoa.samcart.com/products/simply-breakfast-cookie-edition
Can you use quinoa flour instead of flakes?
I haven’t tested it with flakes, but if you do, I would say try 1/4 cup!
Alyssa, at the moment I have lots of uncooked quinoa and oats flakes. Can I use this as well? Great recipes by the way!
I haven’t tested it this way, but I think it’s worth a shot!
Thanks Alyssa, which quantities would you advice for the uncooked quinoa and the oat flakes?
Does a chia egg work instead of the flax? I’m intolerant to flax seeds
I haven’t tried, but I think so, yes!
Carrot Cake for breakfast? PLEASE sign me up for this.
haha it’s the BEST!
Do you happen to know if there is a good substitute for the banana in this (and similar) recipes? I am allergic to both banana and almond… you’d be amazed how many vegan recipes this eliminates for me! 🙁
Hmmm you could try another fruit puree, but I think you’re going to have to adjust some of the other dry ingredients to help them bind. Maybe toss in a bunch more chia and let the batter sit. Another option might be to try chickpeas. I know it sounds strange, but it might work! Let me know if you end up trying something that works!
The banana largely substitutes for the fat, right? Could she use some coconut fat?
No but you could use a different fruit puree like pumpkin, applesauce or sweet potato. We have a guide on how to customize your own breakfast cookies HERE
I, too, would like to know if Quinoa would work instead of flakes. I bookmarked this page a while ago, and just went to add these to my menu plan for this week since I have quinoa on hand, when I realized it calls for the flakes (which I haven’t the slightest idea where to get)! Thanks for letting us know the answer!
Hi Justine,
I haven’t tested these with quinoa – but I have a bar recipe that uses whole quinoa instead of quinoa flakes. You could try that and add in some carrots 🙂 https://www.simplyquinoa.com/flourless-banana-quinoa-breakfast-bars/
xo
Can I use regular quinoa if I don’t have flakes?
Can you please tell me how many calories per cookie?
@ 100 calories as listed with all ingredients. i added a chocolate drizzle.