This overnight oats recipe is the epitome of a healthy, easy breakfast! On weekdays, we make it almost daily for our kids. Here’s how to make it, including all our tips and topping ideas.
Why we love this recipe
Looking for the epitome of an easy breakfast idea? Try this overnight oats recipe! There’s no cooking involved here: in fact, you can mix up a jar in just 2 minutes. Leave rolled oats in the fridge overnight with milk, and it magically makes them into a sort of porridge. Eat them cold topped with berries or nut butter and they’re absolutely fantastic!
This easy breakfast has been trendy for years now. But it wasn’t until recently that Alex and I found a recipe that we actually like. We make this one almost every day for our son, who gobbles them up! Here are lots of tips and topping ideas for how to make the best overnight oats ever.
How to make overnight oats
This overnight oats recipe has just 4 ingredients, plus salt. That’s less than most recipes you’ll find! Here’s the breakdown of what you’ll need (or jump to the recipe below):
- Rolled Old Fashioned oats*
- Milk of choice (2%, oat milk, or almond milk or other)
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla
That’s it! Throw them into a jar and leave the in the refrigerator overnight. Instant breakfast! Here’s the thing though: there are a few tips to keep in mind about this process.
Use Old Fashioned rolled oats, not steel cut
This overnight oats recipe is for Old Fashioned rolled oats, the kind that you use to make your standard oatmeal that look like flat discs. Do not use steel cut oats here! Steel cut oats are whole grains that are cut into nubs instead of rolled out, which looks like brown rice or barley. For fun, we tested the overnight process with steel cut oats, but it turned out terribly. The texture of the oats tasted soaked grains of rice, even after several days in the refrigerator.
Some people think that steel cut oats are healthier than rolled oats. That’s actually not true! Both varieties have very similar nutritional profiles: lots of protein and fiber to start your day. So opt for rolled oats here and you’re losing nothing. (Read more at Steel Cut vs Rolled Oats.)
Chia seeds aren’t required!
Most overnight oats recipes have chia seeds in them. Confession: we tried an overnight oats with chia seeds recipe a few years ago, and it turned us off on the concept for years. Chia seeds form a gel when they’re wet, so they give overnight oats a jelly-like quality. To us, this wasn’t appetizing!
If this has happened to you before: never fear! Chia seeds aren’t essential for overnight oats. Overnight oats are simply oats soaked with milk and seasonings. So the texture here is just softened oats—not jelly-like at all!
Serving overnight oats
Overnight oats are typically eaten cold right from the refrigerator. This makes it a little different from normal oats, so you have to get used to it. Think of it more like a combination between breakfast cereal and oatmeal.
Want to heat it up instead? You can do that too! Microwave it for about 40 to 60 seconds, stopping about halfway through to stir. Make sure you have enough room in your jar for overflow. You also can heat it on the stovetop, though that’s kind of defeating the purpose of these oats! In that case, you might as well just make oatmeal (it takes only a few minutes).
Storing leftovers
The texture of overnight oats is not like normal oatmeal. It’s softer and a little more gooey—but it’s very delicious, once you get used to it!
So, this overnight oats recipe is best eaten the day after you make it. We found that the texture of oats can get very soggy and gooey after a few days in the refrigerator. If you don’t mind that, you can store it 2 to 3 days. We like it best eaten the next day.
Healthy overnight oats topping ideas!
Once you’ve got your tasty overnight oats, you can decide on your toppings! Here’s the thing: many overnight oats recipes have loads of sugar in the toppings. For us, we prefer not to overload on sugar for the first meal of the day! So here are some ideas for healthy overnight oats topping ideas:
- Fresh fruit like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sliced bananas, or cubed apples
- Nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or pecan butter
- Sweeteners like honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup
- Dried fruit like dried cranberries, dried cherries, or raisins
- Nuts and seeds like almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pepitas, or chia seeds (as a garnish)
More oatmeal recipes
We love this overnight oats recipe, but Alex and I are partial to regular oatmeal and our baked oatmeal. This overnight oats is a close second—but our son Larson loves it the most! Here are a few more of our favorite oatmeal recipes:
- Try our best oatmeal recipe!
- Make baked oatmeal or banana baked oatmeal.
- Go for savory oatmeal with savory toppings.
- Go for apple cinnamon oatmeal, strawberry oatmeal, peach oatmeal, blueberry oatmeal, peanut butter oatmeal or banana oatmeal.
- Make steel cut oats instead: a creamy, chewy porridge.
Dietary notes
This overnight oats recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Overnight Oats (The Best Easy Recipe!)
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Prep Time: 5 minutes -
Cook Time: 2 minutes
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Total Time: 7 minutes
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Yield: 1 serving
Print RecipeDescription
This overnight oats recipe is the epitome of a healthy, easy breakfast! Here’s how to make it, with lots of tips and topping ideas.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup rolled Old Fashioned oats*
- ¾ cup milk of choice (2%, oat milk, or almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Topping ideas: berries, banana slices, diced apple, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, toasted nuts, dried fruit, maple syrup, etc.
Instructions
- Place the oats, milk, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a small jar with a cover and stir or shake to combine.
- Leave in the refrigerator or overnight. The oats are best the next day, but you can store 2 to 3 days (the texture becomes more sticky). This oatmeal is meant to be enjoyed cold straight from the refrigerator. Add toppings and enjoy! If you’d like, you also can microwave the jar for about 40 to 60 seconds.
Notes
*Do not use steel cut oats.
Category: Breakfast
Method: Stirred
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
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