Easy Overnight Oats

Are a perfect, quick, and easy-to-prepare healthy breakfast option ideal for busy morning meal prep solutions. Discover your new morning ritual: a simple yet customizable base overnight oats recipe, paired with expertly crafted variations to elevate your breakfast game.
Contents
What are Overnight Oats?Ingredients Needed Base Recipe (The Perfect Ratio)How to Make Overnight Oats Overnight Oat Variations Why let overnight oats get stuck in a mug when you can easily whip up a delicious breakfast in a peanut butter jar?Add-Ins & Topping Ideas Brittany’s Tips!How to Store What Jars to Use Why do my overnight oats always turn out soggy?More Easy Breakfast Recipes

Since discovering overnight oats in 2009, they’ve maintained a treasured spot in my affections, evident from the numerous variations of this beloved recipe that I’ve shared over the years.

These individual servings are a convenient and delicious means of preparing oatmeal in advance for the entire week. With lightning-quick prep time, this recipe whizzes through a mere 5 minutes of mixing to combine your oats.

What are Overnight Oats?

At their simplest, overnight oats are a convenient and flexible breakfast option that pairs rolled oats with a liquid component – often milk, whether dairy-based or alternative such as almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. Typically, these products are sweetened, with various flavor enhancements also commonly incorporated.

Ingredients Needed

With just rolled oats and milk as the foundation, you can’t go wrong, but I enjoy taking it up a notch by incorporating yogurt, chia seeds, and a drizzle of maple syrup into my morning routine. The oats emerge delightfully smooth and precisely textured.

Old-fashioned rolled oats remain an essential component for preparing authentic overnight oats. As they absorb the liquid, this process yields a rich and velvety texture that is simply delightful to experience. While instant and steel cut oats may seem like viable options for cooking oatmeal, their unique textures actually hinder their ability to properly absorb liquids, unlike traditional rolled oats.
You can prepare this recipe using any preferred type of milk. As a personal preference, I opt for non-dairy alternatives and consistently choose unsweetened almond milk for my daily consumption.
This adds an extra layer of creaminess to the oats, boosting their nutritional value with a boost of protein. I prefer to use plain Greek yogurt, which boasts the highest protein content and is also the lowest in sugar among all types of yogurt. To create vegan or dairy-free overnight oats, consider substituting traditional yogurt with a non-dairy alternative, such as Siggi’s plant-based or Culina, or omitting yogurt altogether and increasing the amount of milk instead?
I recommend incorporating chia seeds into your overnight oats as a thoughtful addition that contributes both fiber and protein, elevating the dish’s nutritional profile. By doing so, these ingredients also aid in absorbing excess moisture, thereby producing a heartier oat texture.
Here’s where your creativity shines! Here’s how you can take your overnight oats to the next level: simply add in some tried-and-true classics like a dash of vanilla extract, a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey, and a pinch of sea salt to give them a boost of flavor that will make your taste buds sing.

Base Recipe (The Perfect Ratio)

This versatile overnight oats recipe provides an excellent foundation for a variety of flavor combinations and customization options. For a creamy oat consistency, I suggest combining 1/2 cup of oats with 3/4 cup of liquid, comprising 1/2 cup of milk and an optional 1/4 cup of yogurt or additional milk. The resulting texture appears to strike a harmonious balance between creaminess and lightness.

How to Make Overnight Oats

Combine oats, yogurt, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla extract, and sea salt in a jar or bowl.

Enhance your beverage experience by adding your preferred type of milk.

Stir to combine. Allow to cover and refrigerate for an extended period of time, ideally overnight. In a hurry? Shorten the soak time to just 2-4 hours then.

In the morning, or whenever you’re prepared to indulge, thoroughly mix and agitate the oats. Savor every bite with your preferred toppings in place.

Overnight Oat Variations

To elevate your overnight oats to new heights, feel free to experiment with unique ingredient combinations and creative toppings. Here are three fun variations:

Peanut butter is undoubtedly a beloved flavor of mine, making it my top choice for creating delectable treats. Add a spoonful of creamy peanut butter to the overnight oats mixture as you prepare it, allowing the nutty flavors to meld together seamlessly. Finally, finish with an additional drizzle of peanut butter on top, elevating this breakfast treat to new heights. I’ll indulge in a little crunch with some chopped peanuts and sweeten things up with a handful of fresh blueberries as well.

Why let overnight oats get stuck in a mug when you can easily whip up a delicious breakfast in a peanut butter jar?

Don’t waste that remaining peanut butter – scrape out every last morsel! Use this creamy spread to elevate your peanut butter overnight oats experience. Combine all ingredients directly into the jar, allowing them to meld together as they soak; serve straight from the jar for a convenient and effortless snacking experience. To eliminate waste and make the most of each jar of creamy goodness?

I relish combining plump, ripe berries with a drizzle of sweet jam to create a deliciously indulgent breakfast experience. Enjoy your preferred berries with any available jam flavour. With a jar of homemade strawberry chia jam always within reach, I find myself indulging in its sweet and tangy goodness whenever the mood strikes.

Savoring a small amount of chocolate with breakfast creates a delightful indulgence, made all the more effortless by this straightforward recipe. Add a handful of dark chocolate chips to the batter and garnish with additional chocolate shavings or chips just before serving. I also enjoy topping my oatmeal with a drizzle of creamy nut butter and sliced bananas for added texture and flavor.

Add-Ins & Topping Ideas

The possibilities for flavour combinations are virtually limitless? Here’s a spark of inspiration to ignite your artistic imagination:

Almost any fruit will suffice, but bananas and berries are tried-and-true options that never disappoint. Even I have a tropical-inspired overnight oats recipe that combines the sweetness of pineapple, the creaminess of mango, and the warmth of toasted coconut flakes for a truly exotic breakfast experience.
I frequently rely on peanut butter and almond butter, but the truth is that any nut or seed butter will elevate your oatmeal to new heights when drizzled on top.
This combination is a perfect pairing. You can use nuts too! Among the vast array of nuts and seeds at your disposal, almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, and hazelnuts provide a plethora of possibilities for snacking, baking, or simply adding crunch to any dish. Pumpkin seeds also join the mix, offering yet another layer of versatility in this cornucopia of options.
As a self-proclaimed granola aficionado, I delight in sprinkling a generous helping of crunchy granola on my favorite treats to add a satisfying textural element. Indulge in the crunchiest, most flavorful homemade granola experience by following my simple yet mouthwatering recipe.
Consider enhancing the protein content of your oatmeal by adding Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or protein powder as needed. If you’re looking for more inspiration, try exploring our recipes for protein-packed overnight oats made with cottage cheese or yogurt?
Savoring a hint of rich chocolate in my morning meal is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Enjoy the indulgent treat of using chocolate chips or a chunked-up chocolate bar. Indulge in a decadent treat and experience the rich, velvety goodness of our brownie batter-inspired overnight oats – a delightful twist on traditional breakfast fare?

Brittany’s Tips!

To ensure optimal results in your baking and cooking endeavors, it’s crucial to select the suitable type of oats for your specific recipe or application. Using old-fashioned rolled oats yields the most desirable outcomes. While instant and steel-cut oats may cook rapidly, their absorption rates diverge, yielding distinct textures as a result.
Add a pinch of flaky sea salt to bring out the dish’s natural flavors. The addition of this ingredient significantly amplifies the flavour profile of the oats, elevating the humble overnight oat dish to a truly scrumptious experience.
While adding milk and yogurt creates a rich texture, feel free to experiment with alternative liquids like apple or orange juice, kefir, or even cold-brewed coffee to add a twist of flavor. Check out my recipes for kefir overnight oats and coffee overnight oats here.

How to Store

Store your oats in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to five days. While they initially retain their firmness, these items will gradually lose their crisp texture over time; therefore, I recommend consuming them within the first three days for optimal freshness, although they remain perfectly edible until day five. Overnight oats are an excellent option for meal prep, allowing you to prepare a batch on Sundays that will fuel your weekdays with ease.

What Jars to Use

Whether you’re looking for a compact and convenient solution or a stylish addition to your kitchen decor, the choice of overnight oats container is largely dependent on personal preference. I’m fond of using 16-ounce wide-mouth Mason jars due to their affordability and generous capacity, which allows for effortless mixing and easy addition of toppings.

These Le Parfait Jam Pots, as pictured, and 9.8 oz Weck jars prove ideal for a single-batch yield. These durable glass containers are incredibly versatile and suitable for a multitude of tasks beyond just storing utensils, making them an extremely practical addition to any kitchen.

While traditional meal prep containers serve their purpose well, consider investing in specialized jars designed specifically for overnight oats, such as the attractive vessels featuring colorful screw tops that add a touch of whimsy to your morning routine.

Why do my overnight oats always turn out soggy?

Overnight oats have earned a reputation as a nutritious and convenient breakfast choice, offering a perfect blend of wholesome ingredients and ease of preparation. Made with wholesome, nutrient-rich ingredients, these bars combine the benefits of fiber-rich oats with a protein source such as yogurt or protein powder, yielding a satisfying and filling treat.

Short answer, yes! While you can indeed reheat overnight oats, the fundamental idea behind this popular breakfast option is to enjoy it chilled, similar to a traditional muesli. Despite initial reservations about cold oats, I suggest taking a chance and trying them out before dismissing the concept entirely. If you’re unable to enjoy cold oats as is, there’s no need to miss out – simply heating them up provides a delicious alternative. Simply place the rehydrated oats in the microwave and heat them for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the oats have reached a comfortable warmth.

Although you may consider substituting water for milk, I strongly advise against doing so. It would be virtually indistinguishable from eating a bowl of cereal with water, devoid of any discernible flavour or creamy texture.

It’s possible that you deviated from the traditional recipe ratio, potentially introducing an imbalance in the mixture. Alternatively, the addition of protein powder could be responsible for absorbing excess moisture, causing issues with texture and consistency. If an unexpected thickness occurs, consider adding a splash of milk to effortlessly revitalize the oats.