Overnight Oats

This quick and easy overnight oats recipe is a must-try if you love breakfast but never have enough time to make it in the morning. Plus, there are endless ways to dress up the oats with fresh fruit, jams, nut butters, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts, so you’ll never get bored!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Chill Time 8

Total Time 8 10

Servings serving

Calories 488kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Pint-sized jar or container

Ingredients

Base Oats:

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (56g)
½ cup milk of choice (120ml)
¼ cup plain yogurt (optional, or more milk) (60g)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon chia seeds optional
Pinch of salt

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter:

2 tablespoons chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Berry:

¼ cup blueberries or sliced strawberries mashed
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

PB & Jelly:

1 tablespoon fruit jam
1 tablespoon peanut butter
¼ cup diced strawberries (optional)

Banana Nut:

½ banana mashed
2 tablespoons chopped nuts
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

For the Base Oats:

In a large glass jar or container with a lid, combine the oats, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, chia seeds, and salt. Stir to combine.
To make flavored oats, add any of the suggested flavor combination ingredients or add your own mix-ins as desired and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 5 days.
When ready to eat, stir the oats again and thin with more milk, if needed. Add any additional toppings or flavorings as desired.

Notes

For best results, use old-fashioned oats. Steel-cut, instant, and quick-cooking oats don’t absorb liquid as well as rolled oats.
To up the protein ante, add a scoop of protein powder to the jar along with the oats. You may need to add a little more liquid to compensate for the extra dry ingredient, but it's a great way to add a protein boost to your breakfast.
Go nuts with toppings! No, really. Chopped nuts are a delightful topping for overnight oats because they add crunch and texture. Another crunchy option is granola. Or you can add sliced fresh fruit, chocolate chips, and drizzles of nut butter.
Refrigerate the oats overnight. The oats need a lot of time to absorb all the liquid and become thick and creamy.
If your oats have thickened up more than you expected, add a little milk to thin it out. Start with a tablespoon at a time until you have the desired consistency. Be careful of adding too much milk or you will end up with runny oats.

Nutrition