A base of oats and yogurt is layered with your favorite fruits. Prep it ahead of time and enjoy for days throughout the week.
Overnight oats can be eaten cold (or warmed if you’d like). They’re the perfect breakfast on the go for busy mornings!
What are Overnight Oats?
This is a healthy breakfast recipe that is easy to prepare ahead of time.
- Overnight oats are a mixture of oats, yogurt, chia seeds, and milk with a little bit of sweetener. The oat mixture is layered with fruits and nuts and left to sit in the fridge overnight.
- As the oats sit, they will soak up some of the liquid, thicken a bit, and slightly soften for an easy breakfast all week long.
- Make a batch and layer with a variety of fruits and nuts for a different breakfast every day.
- I most often enjoy overnight oatmeal cold from the refrigerator but it can be heated in the microwave until warm if you’d prefer.
Ingredients and Variations
OATS: Rolled oats (sometimes called large flake or old-fashioned oats) are best for this recipe as they retain their shape and texture. Regular or quick oats will work, but the result will be softer oatmeal.
You CAN use steel cut oats in this recipe, the texture will be different and they will need to sit 2 days in the fridge before eating (instead of just one).
CHIA SEEDS: Chia seeds not only pack a lot of nutrition but also soak up liquid to add great texture to this recipe. A little goes a long way. You can get chia seeds online and most grocery stores sell them as well.
If you don’t have chia seeds, substitute ground flax seeds, finely chopped nuts, or even oat bran. Overnight oats won’t have the same texture if you skip the chia seeds.
YOGURT & MILK: Yogurt is the creamy base for this breakfast, use plain or flavored (or even Greek yogurt). Milk or a (non-dairy milk like almond milk, cashew milk) provides the right consistency.
EXTRAS: Swirl in some peanut butter or another nut butter, swap the sweetener, stir in some vanilla extract, or even pumpkin pie spice.
What to Add to Overnight Oats
NUTS & SEEDS: Seeds like pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts (try almonds, walnuts, or pecans). Swirl in almond butter for extra flavor.
FRUIT: Customize the overnight oats with layers of fresh or frozen fruits, blueberries, sliced strawberries, or bananas. We love frozen fruit because as it thaws, it releases juices.
SWEETS: Chocolate chips, dried fruit, or coconut will all taste great and give an extra crunch!
PRO TIP: If you’re using fruit that tends to brown such as apples or bananas, toss them with a touch of lemon juice and/or place them at the bottom of the jar which will help keep them from oxidizing (turning brown).
How to Make Overnight Oats
It’s easy to make on Sunday night to enjoy throughout the week.
- Combine the oats, chia seeds, milk, yogurt, and a little sweetener.
- Layer fruit or nuts on the bottom of a jar, top with oatmeal base.
- Refrigerate overnight and enjoy throughout the week.
How Long do Overnight Oats Last?
Overnight oats can be kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days (as long as your dairy is fresh).
You can freeze overnight oats, they’ll need to be stirred after thawing. Leftover overnight oats can also be blended, frozen into cubes, and added to your favorite smoothie recipes.
More Make-Ahead Breakfasts
- Banana Bread Baked Oats – healthy & hearty
- Make Ahead Egg Muffins
- Banana Breakfast Cookies
- Breakfast Burritos – freezer friendly
- Classic Breakfast Sandwich
- Easy Overnight French Toast – the best brunch recipe
Did you make these Overnight Oats? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Overnight Oats
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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