The BEST Overnight Oats…How to Make + Flavor Ideas

What’s the best overnight oats you can make? The answer depends on what kind of breakfast you want. Find out how to make your own flavors and create a balanced diet that is perfect for you.

The “overnight oats recipe” is a simple, healthy breakfast that can be made in the morning and left to cook overnight. The best part about this dish is that it’s customizable with your favorite flavors and ingredients.

Oats Overnight are as easy as mixing oats, milk, yogurt, and your favorite add-ins in a bowl and refrigerating overnight for a quick, nutritious, and tasty breakfast!

If you like oatmeal, you’ll also want to try these Make-Ahead Freezer Steel Cut Oats, snackable, packable Oats & Honey Granola Bars, or easy Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal!

Have you ever tried Oats Overnight? At our home, we’ve been obsessed with them over the last several years!

Why Make Oats Overnight in the First Place?

One of the nicest things about Oats Overnight is how fast and easy they are to make. Combining a few items in a dish or jar takes just a few minutes.

They’re also filling and healthful, which will help you get through the morning.

They’re also tasty! Of course, you get to choose the taste. In terms of texture, the closest thing I can think of to describe Oats Overnight is a rich, delicious pudding. The oats soften and expand, and the mixture thickens and turns creamy. It’s almost as if you’re having dessert for breakfast.

As if that weren’t enough, you can customize them with almost any toppings or mix-ins you choose. Make them sweet or savory, dress them up or down…the choices are unlimited.

Finally, putting them in a jar makes them portable! They’re fantastic for youngsters who need to have breakfast or a substantial snack in the vehicle, and they’re perfect for carrying to work.

Ingredients

Oats Overnight are essentially a healthier version of no-cook oats. They’re made up of only THREE simple elements in their most basic form:

Oats that have been rolled. It’s critical to use rolled oats rather than quick oats. The oats soften and break down overnight because they soak. Quick oats become mushy, but rolled oats retain some firmness.
Milk. Use your favorite kind of milk to make this recipe your own. Any sort of milk will do: whole milk, skim milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc.
Yogurt. You may use whatever sort of yogurt you choose. Yogurt created with cow’s milk, coconut yogurt, or almond yogurt…plain yogurt, vanilla yogurt, or fruity yogurt…yogurt made with cow’s milk, coconut yogurt, or almond yogurt

You can dress up your Oats Overnight with a number of mix-ins and toppings in addition to the fundamentals. It goes without saying that the final taste of your meal will be determined by the additional components you choose.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Options

Simply start with gluten-free rolled oats (and don’t add any gluten-containing flavorings or add-ins) if you require a gluten-free breakfast.

Oats Overnight may also be made dairy-free by using dairy-free milk and yogurt, such as almond milk and coconut yogurt.

The Best Way to Make Them

One of my favorite aspects about Oats Overnight is that they may be prepared ahead of time.

Simply mix standard rolled oats, yogurt, and milk of your choice.
Stir some add-ins into your basic recipe if you want to go fancier.
Refrigerate your mixture after tightly covering it.

Your delicious, full, nutritious breakfast will be ready and waiting for you in the morning!

Before refrigerating your oats and milk, stir in your flavorings (flavored yogurts, sweeteners like maple syrup or jam, particular fruits, spices like cinnamon, etc.).

Save your toppings (nuts, fresh fruit, coconut, and other garnishes) until right before you’re ready to eat in the morning.

You may have a breakfast with a variety of textures this way. Furthermore, specific toppings that are meant to remain crunchy will not go mushy!

Making Changes to the Recipe

After a few attempts with Oats Overnight, you’ll be able to tell whether you like your oats creamier or drier (requiring more or less milk and/or yogurt).

Of course, you may adjust the sweetness of the dish by using plain yogurt instead of vanilla yogurt. You may also use a natural sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave.

With a little trial and error, you’ll discover which ingredient combinations are really delicious! Everyone in your family may have a different favorite taste, so include them all in the festivities. These meals will be fun for the kids to “cook” as well!

Is it hot or cold?

Because you’ll be putting your Oats Overnight in the fridge the night before, you can eat them cold for a speedy breakfast.

And don’t worry, they’re perfectly fine to consume cold. Don’t be scared off by the fact that this recipe calls for “raw” oats. Soaking your oats overnight helps to break down the starches and make them more digestible. They’re also filling, so you won’t be rummaging in the cupboard for a snack an hour after eating Oats Overnight for breakfast!

If you like warm oatmeal, you can definitely heat them up in the microwave. Just make sure you’re using a microwave-safe dish or jar to cook them up.

Are Oats Overnight Good for You?

Oats Overnight are high in minerals, as well as protein and fiber, which will keep you satiated for longer. Bloating may also be reduced by eating oats.

Oats, when coupled with other nutritious ingredients like fruit, low-fat milk, almonds, and yogurt, form a balanced meal that will keep you full all morning. Add a spoonful or two of chia seeds or flaxseeds to your mixture to improve the nutrients even further.

Having said that, there are always ways to make any dish harmful. For example, if you top your oats with refined sugar, spoonfuls of chocolate, caramel, or generally treat them like a sundae, they will lose part of their nutritional value.

Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment

Every shot of Oats Overnight you see has them in a glass jar, as you’ve undoubtedly observed. There’s a good explanation for it (besides looking pretty). Jars are large enough and tall enough to enable the oats to soak properly while still allowing you to dig a spoon in and consume them directly out of the container in the morning. They also have lids, so they stack and fit beautifully in your refrigerator. They’re also microwave-safe without the lids! All of this means fewer dishes to clean and more grab-and-go options.
You don’t have to keep them in the fridge for a long time to enjoy them. Three to four hours should enough. You’ll be able to enjoy them at any time of day or night.
Measure out your ingredients…at least until you’ve become used to the proportions. Sure, you may estimate how many raspberries to place on top, but the oats, milk, and yogurt should all be measured. Otherwise, you can wind up with runny or dry oatmeal.
Don’t forget to add salt. It’s strange, I know. However, most baked items need salt (even desserts). It definitely brings out the best in any taste, and you only need a smidgeon of it. It won’t have a salty flavor, I guarantee.
In this recipe, the kind of oats you use makes a difference. Instead of quick oats, use old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats absorb moisture rapidly as well. The traditional rolled oats just hold up better. Instead of a bowl of mush, you’ll want some texture in your oats.

Ideas for Flavors

I’ll confess that the first time I made Oats Overnight, I used a very simple recipe (like I do with most new dishes I’m testing out). They were fantastic!

But, eventually, I decided to try my hand at a little experimenting. Banana Peanut Butter, Nutella with raspberries, and Almond Coconut were the three combinations I tested. Then, in the morning, my family and I had a small taste-test to see which flavor was our favorite. But, because we couldn’t decide which one we liked best, I decided, why not provide you with all three alternatives and let you choose?

Banana Peanut Butter

Option A is Banana Peanut Butter, and it’s as easy as it sounds.

Simply mash a banana and combine it with a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter in your oat mixture. You’re ready to go with a sprinkling of cinnamon, a bit of salt, and a squeeze of honey.

As you can see, I topped my jar of oats with an extra dollop of PB, some sliced bananas, and a few chopped peanuts, but you don’t have to…it was just for the picture op. A few small chocolate chips, according to rumor, would be decadently great on this variety as well.

Nutella with raspberries

Next up, we have a Nutella with raspberries flavor.

It’s a simple recipe with the addition of (wait for it!) raspberries and Nutella.

I topped it with more raspberries and toasted, sliced almonds for crunch in the morning, but any nut would be delicious.

Almond Coconut

My final Oats Overnight inspiration to get you started is Almond Coconut.

Because the coconut makes this variety thicker than the others, feel free to thin it up with a splash of additional milk if desired.

To make it even more coconutty, I used coconut milk instead of plain yogurt and vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt.

Then I sprinkled additional coconut on top, along with a handful of crisp almonds.

By the way, if you opt to add chocolate chips to this, name it Almond Joy Oats Overnight instead. Mmm-mmm-MMMM!

So, have I persuaded you to try Oats Overnight?

They’re my favorite grab-and-go breakfast, and the kids enjoy that there are so many different varieties to select from.

They’re quick and simple to cook, healthful and satisfying, and even fussy kids like them.

What more could you want from a way to start your day?

Oatmeal Recipes for a Healthier Breakfast

Oats Overnight

Creamy, wholesome Oats Overnight are as simple as refrigerating oats, milk, yogurt, and your favorite flavors overnight for an instant, no-cook breakfast. Try them in three yummy flavor options: Banana Peanut Butter, Nutella with raspberries, and Almond Coconut!

Pin Rate for Printing

Breakfast is the first course.

American cuisine

Time to prepare: 5 minutes

Minimum Chilling Time: 4 Hours

4 hours and 5 minutes total

Approximately 1 serving

Calories: 201 kilocalories

Mode of Preparation Stop your screen from turning black.

Instructions

Combine oats, milk, and yogurt in a dish or container. Add in any other ingredients or flavorings if desired (but not the toppings). Refrigerate for at least four hours and up to overnight if covered. Garnish with chosen toppings before serving.

Notes

The Nutrition Facts below have been calculated for one serving of plain Oats Overnight without add-ins or toppings.
You may use your favorite type of milk in Oats Overnight. You may use regular or Greek yogurt, but if using Greek, it might be necessary to add a bit more milk to thin it out. You may use plain or vanilla yogurt. Honey or maple syrup may be used to sweeten the oats to taste, if you wish.
For the Almond Coconut variation, I use the type of coconut milk that is sold in a carton in the refrigerated section (near the soy milk, etc.). Canned coconut milk would also work but will make for richer/more decadent oatmeal.
For the Nutella with raspberries version, I don’t stir in the raspberries at the same time as the oats and other Ingredients, so as not to break them up. Rather, I just pile them on top of the oats and then gently stir them in before serving.
Add a spoonful or two of chia seeds or flaxseeds to your oat mixture to improve the nutrients even further.
Quick oats should not be used since they will become too mushy. Steel cut oats are also not suggested since they do not soften well.

The original version of this article was published on April 9, 2015, and it was modified on March 19, 2019 and February 23, 2020.

Overnight oats are a great way to start the day and make sure you’re getting enough nutrients. They can be made with any type of fruit or nut, and they are easy to prepare. Plus, overnight oats taste delicious! Reference: chocolate overnight oats.

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