Overnight Oats

This simple Overnight Oats recipe is the perfect way to meal prep your breakfasts for an easy and delicious start to the day. This wonderfully creamy and healthy make-ahead breakfast can be made plain using my base recipe, or in a variety of delicious flavors.

Meal prepping breakfast is one of the best ways to get a nourishing meal without any hassle for those busy weekday mornings. Since oatmeal is a go-to breakfast in our home, this Overnight Oats recipe is one we love to make.

The best part about this recipe? No cooking is required! Just mix all of the ingredients in a jar and pop it in the fridge. In the morning, you have a delicious breakfast ready to go.

This delicious make-ahead breakfast is loaded with healthy ingredients like oats, chia seeds, yogurt, milk, and honey (or maple syrup). While this base recipe is perfect on its own, I especially love making variations with other tasty mix-ins. I have included my favorite variations in the recipe card at the end of this post so that you can give them a try too.

Ingredients for Overnight Oats

To make the base recipe, you will need:

• Rolled oats: The base of this recipe works best with rolled oats, sometimes referred to as old-fashioned oats. This type of oat soaks up the liquid in this recipe, making them soft and creamy, while still maintaining some chewiness. I do not recommend substituting quick cooking oats (they will wind up too mushy) or steel-cut oats (which will not soften and become creamy like rolled oats).
  
  
• Chia seeds: Chia seeds add nutritional value to the overnight oats (fiber, Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, etc) but also help it in creating a thick, porridge like texture. While you can omit them, I love adding them for these reasons.
  
  
• Sweetener: Honey or maple syrup is added for a touch of sweetness. I only included a small amount of sweetener in the base recipe. If you prefer a sweeter oatmeal, you can easily stir in a bit more in the morning.
  
  
• Vanilla extract: Added for extra flavor.
  
  
• Greek yogurt: Added for nutritional value as well as to help create a creamy texture. If you wish to make this recipe dairy-free, you can use a non-dairy milk for this recipe.
  
  
• Milk: You can use any type of milk for this recipe including plant-based options.

**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post. **

How to make the base recipe for overnight oats

1. Mix the ingredients together. In a mason jar or similar jar, add all of the ingredients. Give everything a good mix to ensure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
   
   
2. Refrigerate overnight. Cover the jar and store in the fridge overnight.
   
   
3. Stir, top, enjoy. In the morning, give the overnight oats a good stir. If you are making any of the variations (see below), stir in the additional ingredients at this point. Top with any desired toppings. Enjoy.

Overnight Oatmeal Varations

There are so many options for mix-ins to make a wide variety of overnight oatmeal flavors. You can have fun adding your own favorite ingredient combinations or use the options I included below (and in the recipe card at the end of this post) for inspiration. All of my flavor variations can be stirred in just before enjoying them in the morning.

Peanut Butter & Jam Oats

Stir in a tablespoon each of peanut butter and jam. Strawberry or raspberry jam are my go-tos but you can use any jam flavor you like. Top the overnight oats with diced strawberries or raspberries.

Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Stir in diced apple, apple sauce, chopped pecans, and cinnamon for oats that have all the delicious flavors of an apple pie.

Chocolate Overnight Oats

As a chocolate lover, this is easily my favorite flavor. Just stir in a little cocoa powder and some mini (or regular sized) chocolate chips. I like to add a little extra honey to this recipe since cocoa powder can be a bit bitter.

Nutella Banana Oats

This classic flavor combo is a decadent way to upgrade your basic oats. Stir in the nutella and top with the bananas (or stir them in too).

How long with overnight oats last?

Overnight oats can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days when they are stored in an airtight container, though I would recommend consuming them within the first 3 days. The longer they sit in the fridge, the more the oats will break down and lose their chewiness (so you will get a mushier texture).

Can you make this recipe vegan or dairy-free?

With a few substitutions, you can make this recipe dairy-free and vegan-friendly. To make the recipe dairy-free, you will need to use a non-dairy yogurt and milk for the base recipe. If you are making this recipe vegan, this means you will need to opt for maple syrup instead of honey as well.

The PB&J and Apple Pie mix-ins are dairy-free and vegan friendly. The chocolate variations can also be made vegan friendly by opting for dairy-free chocolate chips or just omitting the chocolate chips altogether.

Since Nutella is not vegan and dairy-free, this option will require a substitute that is vegan friendly as well.

Looking for more oat breakfast recipes? Check out:

Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
Chocolate Banana Baked Oatmeal
Healthy Apple Oat Muffins
Strawberry Oat Breakfast Bars
Healthy Oat Waffles (Gluten-Free)
Healthy Carrot Cake Waffles