Learn how to prep overnight oats for breakfast on busy morning – customize your own or try one of these 9 easy recipes.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Rolled oats – old-fashioned oats or thick rolled oats are best. Quick oats can be used but make sure not to soak them as long.
- Almond milk – use another dairy milk or dairy-free milk of your choice like coconut milk, soy milk or oat milk.
- Greek yogurt – you can leave this out, it just makes the oats creamier and adds more protein.
- Chia seeds – add in some flax seeds or hemp seeds. You could also skip the seeds altogether.
- Add-ins – get creative with your add-ins to create different flavour rolled oats like peanut butter, cocoa powder, chocolate chip shavings, fruits and berries, pumpkin puree, spices, vanilla extract and more.
How to make overnight oats
Step 1: Make the base.
Mix together the base ingredients of your choice in a large bowl.
Step 2: Stir in the add-ins.
Add the mix-ins to your base (like carrots, coconut, cinnamon, etc.).
Step 3: Add the oats to jars.
Divide the mixture amongst four mason jars.
Step 4: Let them sit then serve!
Stick the jars in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. Enjoy right away or throughout the week!
The best overnight oats ideas
You can mix up the toppings and sweeteners until you find a combination you love. Here are some of my favourite overnight oat flavours, which you can check out in the recipe card below:
- Peanut Butter: This one is super smooth and creamy. Who doesn't love some peanut butter in the morning?
- Chocolate: If you have a sweet tooth, you'll love these oats made with cocoa powder and chocolate shavings.
- Strawberry: Add some fresh berries to your overnight oats! They're sweet but light and delicious.
- Blueberry: Add some mashed blueberries to your overnight oats for a pop of flavour.
- Pumpkin: This one is perfect for fall. It's everything you love about a pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin pie, but in breakfast food form!
- Apple Cinnamon: If you like apple cinnamon oatmeal, you'll love apple cinnamon overnight oats.
- Carrot Cake: Enjoy the taste of one of your favourite desserts for breakfast with this healthy spin on carrot cake!
- Coconut: Add some tropical vibes to your morning with some shredded coconut. You can even use coconut milk.
- Banana Bread: Dig into the flavours of banana bread in a much lighter and healthier form. Feel free to add in some walnuts or pecans too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick-cooking oats are a fast and convenient option to use when making overnight oats, but keep in mind that the consistency and soaking time will change. Quick oats only need to soak for about 30 minutes. They will also be thinner when finished, regardless of the soaking time, so keep that in mind if you’re using one-minute oats.
If you want your rolled oats to have a nice creamy texture, add in a bit more Greek yogurt or use thicker non-dairy milks like coconut milk or cashew milk.
By definition, overnight oats are intended to be eaten cold. They do not need to be heated to absorb the liquid into the oats because they soak for at least two hours. If you prefer hot oatmeal, pop the whole jar into the microwave before eating. Keep in mind that heating does decrease the amount of healthy starch in the oats, and I would not recommend heating if you have added Greek yogurt.
You can add any toppings or add-ins to your overnight oats when you're preparing them – there's no need to wait until serving them. It won't change the texture, and will make your oats even more flavourful!
You can make your overnight oats all in one big serving if you'd prefer. I personally like making individual serving sizes because they're easier to grab and go, and you can try out different flavours for each jar.
How long are overnight oats good for?
I like to make overnight oats ahead of time on Sundays for the busy work week ahead. The great part is that these jars will last in the fridge for up to 5 days so all you need to do is make the base (milk, oats and Greek yogurt if desired), then add your flavourings of choice. You could in theory make all five of the jars with different flavours, so long as you have the right ingredients on hand!
Overnight oats recipes are intended to be eaten cold, so you don’t have to worry about reheating them. You can pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes if you want, but that will reduce some of the health benefits, and if you’ve added Greek yogurt, the texture will be off.
Can you freeze overnight oats?
Any kind of cooked oatmeal, including these overnight oats, can be frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight container. Add a little bit of water before freezing for best results.
Freezing the oats in a muffin tin and then transferring individual serving sizes to a freezer-friendly Ziploc bag will provide your family with portions appropriate for breakfast that will just need to be reheated. Reheat the oats in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes depending on serving size for a healthy and quick breakfast. You can also just let them defrost in the fridge overnight then eat them cold the next day.
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Meal Prep Tools
- These are the mason jars I used in this recipe.
- You can get larger 32oz mason jars too.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
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How to Meal Prep Overnight Oats {9 Easy Recipes}
Ingredients
Overnight oats base (makes 4 jars)
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 3 cups almond or coconut milk
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (optional)
- 1/4 cup chia, flax or hemp seeds (optional)
Peanut butter
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
Chocolate
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp chocolate shavings
Strawberry
- 2 cups finely chopped strawberries
Blueberry
- 2 cups mashed blueberries
Pumpkin
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
Apple cinnamon
- 2 cups finely chopped green apple
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Carrot cake
- 2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Coconut
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- NOTE: use coconut milk instead of almond milk for your base
Banana bread
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix together base ingredients of choice in a large bowl. Note that Greek yogurt and seeds are optional – you really only need to mix together milk of choice and oats, then add your flavored add-ins.
- Once you have mixed up your base, add your add-ins. Most flavors only require 1-3 ingredients. For instance, if wanting to make the carrot cake overnight oats, mix the carrots, coconut and cinnamon into your overnight oats base.
- Divide mixture among 4 mason jars then let sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Jars will last in the fridge up to 5 days so they are perfect for meal prep!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The post How to Meal Prep Overnight Oats {9 Easy Recipes} appeared first on The Girl on Bloor.