How to Make Overnight Oats + 30 Amazing Overnight Oats Recipes

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Eating breakfast everyday is the ultimate #adulting move. 

There’s no way that I’m ever going to have time to cook a full breakfast every morning. Life’s too busy and I hit the snooze button way too often. If you’ve got kids, this only gets more tricky.

That’s why we recommend overnight oats. 

Unlike regular oatmeal, overnight oats don’t need any cooking. Simply soak them in milk or water overnight, and they’re ready to go in the morning. This is why they’re the perfect breakfast food for a busy schedule. 

Not interested in oatmeal? Here are another 30 Breakfast meal prep ideas that might work for you!

What are overnight oats?

Overnight oats are quite simply rolled oats that have been soaked in milk or water overnight.

Overnight oats are perfect for people who want to eat a healthy breakfast but have a busy schedule. They are so convenient because they can be prepped up to four days in advance. Just prep and store them in mason jars – perfect if you have a busy week ahead of you.

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Want to pick up our favorite mason jars to store overnight oats?

These wide mouth mason jars are perfect for meal preps, especially overnight oats. The wide mouths make it easy to combine ingredients and, most importantly, to enjoy the fruits of your labor! 

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How to make overnight oats?

Overnight oats are a super easy to make, healthy breakfast.

Simply fill a jar with oats and a liquid, like milk or water. The ratio is typically two parts liquid to one part oats.

Now the fun part – adding mix-ins. There are basically an endless amount of mix-ins, which allows you to choose how healthy you want your oats to be.

Whether you’re adding mix-ins such as Greek yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, chocolate or fruits, the possibilities are practically infinite.

Mix up the oats and liquid until smooth and place in the refrigerator to soak for at least four hours. Because we’re not cooking the oats, they need time to absorb the liquid.

If you’re making ahead for breakfast, simply whip them together before you go to bed, and your oats will be the perfect consistency by the time you wake up. If you are in a rush overnight oats are edible after just 4 hours. The flavors fuse together while you sleep.

In the morning all you have to do is eat and jet out the door. If you prefer warm oats you can warm them in the microwave for 2 minutes, but there is no cooking required when preparing overnight oats.

Overnight Oats FAQ

Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions and answers about overnight oats. 

Are overnight oats healthy?

Overnight oats are definitely one of the best breakfast choices you can make in terms of health and nutrition. They are high in protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber, making them the ultimate breakfast food 

To increase the health content of your overnight oats, you’ll want to use a recipe with healthy fats (like from nuts), protein (protein powder, yogurt or milk), and fiber (seeds and dried fruit).

How to store overnight oats

Overnight oats should always be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, such as a jar. 

You need to store them in an airtight container because oats are only nonperishable until you mix them with water or milk. After that, they need to be refrigerated in order to avoid becoming contaminated with bacteria. 

How long do overnight oats last?

When you mix and store overnight oats in the refrigerator, they are edible for a maximum of four days. However, they’ll have the best flavor and texture if you eat them within two days.

Over time, when exposed to liquid, oats progressively soften. While they will still be edible, by day four they may be a little soggy.

Are overnight oats safe?

Overnight oats are totally safe to eat as long as you’re not putting in raw ingredients such as meat or uncooked eggs. Store the overnight oats in an airtight jar in the refrigerator after mixing with liquid. 

Can You Make Vegan Overnight Oats?

It is definitely possible to make overnight oats for vegans! The best way to enjoy overnight oats as a vegan is to switch the kind of liquid used to prepare them. Instead of dairy milk, you could use coconut milk or another plant based milk, such as almond milk.

Can You Make Overnight Steel Cut Oats?

Yes, you can make overnight oats using steel cut oats, but it involves a little extra work. Steel cut oats are different from rolled oats in that they are more fiber and nutrient dense. 

They need to be cooked before using them for overnight oats. Simply simmer the steel cut oats for ten to fifteen minutes before storing them overnight in the refrigerator. 

Do you eat overnight oats hot or cold? 

While we love eating our oats cold from the fridge, you can eat them hot too! Just pop in the microwave for a minute or two at medium temperature until warm.

6 Easy Overnight Oats Recipes

1. Banana Overnight Oats

These banana overnight oats are super easy to make–just mash the bananas and mix them in with the oats and other ingredients before allowing them to soak in the refrigerator overnight. If you want a great breakfast to start the day, this is the recipe for you. 

2. Peanut butter overnight oats

This recipe is for peanut butter lovers, and is one of the easiest recipes you can make for overnight oats. Reach for it when you’re craving something healthy and peanut buttery.

3. Peanut butter banana overnight oats

A combination of the two previous recipes, peanut butter banana overnight oats are packed with flavor. 

4. Apple Pecan Overnight Oats

You’ll definitely enjoy this apple pecan infused overnight oatmeal. This recipe is excellent for people with busy schedules. 

5. Strawberry fruit bottom Overnight Oats recipe

Try this easy to make recipe that’s low in sugar and high in fiber. Regardless of low sugar this recipe is still tasty and nutrient rich. When making these oats, you need to place the sliced strawberries at the bottom before pouring the oats on top.

6. Simple Overnight Oats

This is the ultimate recipe for minimalists. If you want to keep your breakfasts as basic as possible, then you can just make simple overnight oats, which is just a combination of oats and milk. Sometimes the simplest is the best. 

6 Healthy Overnight Oats Ideas

7. Raspberry Overnight Oats

Start your day off right, with a healthy breakfast. This Raspberry Overnight Oats recipe is a simple make-ahead slimming world breakfast idea.

8. Carrot Cake Protein Overnight Oats

This low calorie recipe is perfect for maintaining good health. It is protein packed and tastes more like a desert than a breakfast. 

9. Banana Strawberry Overnight Oats

If you are a fruit lover, you’ll love this overnight oats recipe for breakfast. Combining both the flavors of banana and strawberry are a delicious treat. When preparing the fruit, you’ll want to mash or dice the bananas, but slice the strawberries. 

10. Pumpkin Persimmon Overnight Oats

It’s quite a rare thing to find pumpkin, persimmon, cloves and nutmeg in one breakfast. I guarantee you’ll love the nutty taste that is created from using these ingredients.

11. Spiced Berry Overnight Oats

The aromatic spices combined with seasonal berries make these overnight oats perfect to serve for an Easter morning breakfast.

12. Tropical delight Overnight Oats

This recipe tastes and smells like a Hawaiian vacation! Use pineapples when making this amazing breakfast oatmeal. The nutrients found in pineapples are great for your digestive tract.

6 Vegan Overnight Oats Recipes

13. Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

If you love apple pie, then apple cinnamon overnight oats are the perfect recipe for you. Filled with apples and cinnamon, this will remind you of a big slice of apple pie, but with a lot less fat and sugar. This one comes with real health benefits!

14. Mocha Chia Overnight Oats

This is a good grab and go breakfast meal, especially if you’re trying to get some caffeine If you are a coffee fan you’ll definitely love this recipe. The caffeine will help jumpstart your morning.

15. Orange, Coconut and Vanilla Overnight Oats

While most overnight oat recipes use fruits like bananas and berries, this recipe includes oranges, providing a slight citrus taste. Try out this unique breakfast dish and your mornings will never be the same again.

16. Coconut Mango Overnight Oats

Start your busy mornings like you’re in a tropical paradise. This overnight oat recipe tastes like you’re on vacation, with fresh cut mango and coconut. If you are vegan then you will definitely enjoy this recipe.

17. Tropical Overnight Oats

Tropical overnight oats are oats infused with tropical fruits, whether that’s coconut, mango, kiwi, and more! These are perfect for when you’re wanting to add a little punch to your breakfast. To make it even more tropical, use coconut milk or coconut yogurt as the base!

18. Banana and Raspberry Overnight Oats

These vegan overnight oats are super simple and quick to make, so if you live your life on the go these are perfect for you. With the creamy consistency from the banana and almond butter you could even eat these for a dessert!

5 Chocolate Overnight Oat Ideas

19. Chocolate Hazelnut Overnight Oats

When you love chocolate and nuts like I do, then this is the best overnight oat recipe to try. It’s a seven ingredient recipe that fully embraces the decadent chocolate-hazelnut flavor. It’s delicious with an added drizzle of maple syrup.

20. Chocolate Peanut butter Overnight oats

This recipe mixes the classic chocolate and peanut butter flavors together. Even better, it’s extremely easy to make. Simply add cocoa powder and peanut butter to the basic overnight oats recipe. Peanut butter contains fats that are beneficial to your health, and cocoa powder is packed with fiber and nutrients

21. Banana and Chocolate overnight oats

Bananas and chocolate are another popular ingredient combination, and we know why – because they’re delicious together! This nutrient-rich breakfast is perfect for a busy day. It’s super easy to make, as it requires just a few ingredients. Chocolate and banana were made for each other, just like cheese and wine.

22. Almond Joy Overnight Oats

You can make this overnight oats recipe with chocolate, coconut and almonds. It tastes just like an Almond joy! You can prepare it at night in anticipation of the busy work week ahead. 

23. Chocolate Coconut overnight oats

This is an easy to prepare overnight oats recipe ,and it’s an absolute delight to every chocolate and coconut lover. You will definitely enjoy your morning breakfasts if you choose this recipe.

4 Protein Rich Overnight Oats

24. Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Overnight oats

This nutrition rich overnight oats recipe will provide you with a healthy start for the day while giving you the sweetness you crave. No donut needed for you!

25. Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

Strawberry cheesecake overnight oats are a perfect breakfast for when you want to indulge. Besides being easy to make, it also requires just a few ingredients. If you are looking for a more decadent breakfast, I suggest you try them out.

26. Cherry Chia Overnight Oats

This low-sugar, high-protein breakfast is simply delicious. Forget about added sugar – this overnight oat recipe gets plenty of natural sweetness from the cherries.. This recipe includes creamy almond butter which is a source of healthy fats.

27. Blueberry pie protein Overnight Oats

The only thing better than blueberry pie is having blueberry pie for breakfast! This overnight oats recipe is an easy to prepare recipe that needs just five ingredients. Use frozen blueberries to make it cheaper and easier

3 Steel Cut Overnight Oats

28. Overnight Steel cut oats with coconut

This easy to make healthy breakfast is made using almond milk, peanut butter and shredded coconut. This recipe is perfect for vegan coconut lovers. What differentiates this recipe from other overnight oats recipes is the fact that it is made using steel cut oats. This means you’ll need to allow the oats to simmer in low to medium heat for ten to fifteen minutes.

29. Overnight Steel cut oats with Chia

This overnight oats recipe is the perfect meal prep if you are busy and want to save money. This low cost recipe involves steel cut oats and chia. You can further configure it to your desired taste and health content by adding yogurt, blueberries, or any fruit of your choice. 

30. Banana Cinnamon steel cut overnight oats

This oatmeal will keep your stomach full and make your taste buds happy. It comes with an amazing naturally sweet flavor that will make morning breakfasts a delight. Dig in to this amazing oatmeal you will test both the rich banana and cinnamon flavors.