How to make overnight oats, the perfect healthy breakfast to prep at the start of the week and enjoy all week long. It's a breakfast that will suit everyone with options for alternative ingredients or substitutions and our 6 favourite flavour combinations that will make getting out of bed so much more appealing!
If you are a breakfast person (like me) but mornings are just a blur of trying to get kids ready and get out the door, then you are going to love overnight oats! They are the perfect breakfast to make ahead of time and store in the fridge, ready to eat when you are.
I always have a big batch of homemade granola in the pantry that I eat most mornings topped with fresh or preserved fruit like peaches, but often we like to meal prep a big batch of overnight oats to eat during the week.
Overnight oats are almost a cross between porridge or oatmeal and muesli. They are made from mostly oats but are mixed up with milk, yoghurt (try your hand at homemade yoghurt) and a few other goodies and left in the fridge overnight. The oats soak up the milk and you are left with a creamy, delicious breakfast.
They are intended to be eaten cold, although if you prefer, you can definitely heat them in the microwave or on the stove for more of a porridge type breakfast.
I make them in individual jars that they can be eaten straight out of - less dishes, they can be put in your bag to take in the car and eating breakfast out of a jar seems to be a real novelty for our kids! We also love them as an afternoon snack when the kids come home from school. It's easy for them to grab a jar and a spoon and dig right in!
I usually make a few in 250ml/half pint sized jars and a few larger servings in 500ml/pint sized jars.
But if you don't have lots of jars or can't be bothered mucking around with individual portions, you can easily make one big batch in a container and just portion it out each morning and add any extra toppings you like.
How do you make overnight oats?
Overnight oats are the most simple thing to make! My base recipe for overnight oats includes the following ingredients:
- Rolled oats - I use regular rolled oats which are also sometimes known as quick oats. You can also make them with wholegrain oats but they won't be as creamy and I find that my kids prefer the texture of rolled oats more.
- Chia seeds - optional but they are a great nutritional boost.
- Salt - just a pinch and it makes all the difference to the flavour of the oats!
- Milk - I use regular cows milk but if you need to you can use coconut, almond or any other plant based milk that you drink.
- Greek yoghurt - I use unsweetened Greek yoghurt as it's most often what we have. It also adds extra protein and no sugar so it's a healthier alternative and makes the oats super thick and creamy.
- Maple syrup - just a couple of teaspoons of maple syrup makes these oats so delicious! You don't have to add maple syrup but I find that the oats are not that exciting without it. Use more or less depending on your taste preference and what other mix ins you are adding.
- Vanilla extract - this is the best way to add a flavour boost and it's what makes the base recipe delicious without even adding any mix ins!
Flavour ideas:
For all overnight oat recipes, start with the base vanilla recipe and then add the following mix ins
- Tropical Overnight Oats: ¼ cup pineapple and mango pieces (fresh or frozen) + 2 tablespoon dessicated coconut
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats: 2 tablespoon cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- Mixed Berry Overnight Oats: ½ cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
- Banana Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats: ½ banana, chopped into pieces or mashed + 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
- Coffee Overnight Oats: 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder + 1 tablespoon chocolate chips (optional but delicious!)
Can I use plant based milk instead of regular?
Absolutely! I use regular milk and yoghurt as that's what we eat but if you have allergies or intolerances, use whatever milk you drink - coconut, almond, soy or whatever! Same with the yoghurt. Coconut milk would be the perfect milk to use in the tropical flavoured oats!
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Yes but make sure the honey is quite runny so that it mixes in well with the other ingredients.
Can I use frozen fruit?
Yes! I often use frozen mango, pineapple and berries in my overnight oats. That way, it's even less prep time as you just take the fruit straight out of the freezer bag and put it into the jar!
How long do they last in the fridge for?
I work on keeping them for 5 days. I make several jars on a Sunday night and they are good until Thursday or Friday. Then I switch to overnight waffles for my weekend breakfast!
Comment below and let me know which flavour you will try first - I am loving the coffee flavour the most but Sadie's favourite is the vanilla!
How to make overnight oats + 6 flavour ideas
Ingredients
Base vanilla recipe (makes 1 extra big serving)
- ½ cup rolled oats
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
- ½ cup milk (regular, almond, coconut - anything will work)
- ½ cup unsweetened yoghurt
- 1-2 Tablespoons maple syrup (optional for sweetness)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional mix ins (see recipe notes)
Instructions
- Place the ingredients (including any extras) into a 500ml jar or container (I like using wide mouth pint sized Ball Mason jars) and mix together well.
- Screw on jar lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove from the fridge when ready to serve, stir it up and enjoy. If needed, add a splash of milk to thin it down and extra toppings if desired.
- Servings will keep in the fridge for 5 days.
Notes
Alison says
This is such a good recipe! I feel full for so much longer after eating these.
Maria says
Hiya! I’ve subscribed and would love the printable recipes for these. I’ve never tried overnight oats but I’m trying to gain my health back and this seems a great place to start. Thanks!
Laura says
Hi Maria, I've changed over email providers and the printable has been lost in transit! I will work on getting that found and sent out again but in the mean time, if you hit "print recipe" in the recipe card, you can easily print it from there. Not quite as pretty as the one I had but it will still work! Laura