Make Overnight Oats (Healthy Breakfast Option)

• Food: Healthy Overnight Oats
• Writer: Nicolas Wilson
• Content-Type: Food Blog

I’ve started making batches of overnight oats and keeping track of my progress. Overnight oats are a nutritious, make-ahead breakfast alternative, but they don’t always tempt me out of bed.

Today, I’m going to share some of my finest recommendations as well as my favorite overnight oats dish. Ready? These overnight oats are truly delectable, and they’re so simple to make!

Overnight oats are usually served chilled, just out of the fridge. That makes them ideal for the summer, but you can have overnight oats all year round.

These oats keep for up to five days in the refrigerator. So make your oats on Sunday night and you’ll be good to go for the rest of the week.

The Best Oats Recipe

I make my overnight oats with ordinary or toasted old-fashioned rolled oats. Then, for a more pudding-like texture and more fiber, I add chia seeds and a teaspoon of nut butter to make them extra creamy. (Would you believe that one dish of overnight oats provides nearly half of your daily fiber needs?)

To create these oats, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Oats: Overnight oats are impossible to make without oats! Typically, overnight oats are made with ordinary old-fashioned oats.

Instead of overnight oats, I prefer to prepare homemade muesli, which is made with toasted old-fashioned oats, almonds, and dried fruit. The muesli adds texture and taste to the dish.

Simply use old-fashioned oats and a splash of cinnamon if you want to go the easier, more traditional route. Use regular oats instead of instant or quick-cooking oats, as they will turn to mush.

Chia Seeds: These are technically optional, but I adore how they absorb moisture and make the finished result more creamy and delectable. Chia seeds, like oats, are high in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.

Nut butter: Almond butter or peanut butter adds a savory, nutty taste to these oats, making them creamier.

Your favorite milk (almond milk, coconut milk from a carton, homemade cashew milk, homemade pecan milk, oat milk, or cow’s milk) can be used here. You could substitute water for milk, but the result would be less creamy and tasty.

The amount of liquid used determines the final consistency—I want thick and creamy with a concentrated taste. Add a little more milk if you prefer a looser consistency.

Fruit: Now that the oats have been created, I like to add fruit. You can put the fruit on top of the oat-and-milk mixture if you’re following my formula with only 1/2 cup milk and fruit that stores well for a few days (sliced strawberries, not sliced bananas or apples).

Frozen raspberries or blueberries can be added to the oat mixture and will defrost overnight.

(This method will not work with frozen strawberries or other large chunks of frozen fruit because they will release too much water.) Alternatively, you can wait until right before serving to add fruit to your oats.

Optional sweetener: I find that overnight oats are sweet enough on their own. If you want to make your oats more appealing, pour some sugar on top!

That’s it! Make enough overnight oats to last you the entire week. Please leave a comment below to let me know how your overnight oats turned out!

Overnight Oats

Here’s my fave overnight oats recipe! Feel free to personalize it. They are a quick and healthy breakfast that you can prepare ahead of time to save time in the morning.

Make as many servings (each in a separate jar) as you’d like with the following recipe. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup homemade muesli, or ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats plus ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon almond butter or peanut butter
• ½ cup milk of choice for a very thick consistency, or up to ⅔ cup milk for a lighter consistency
• ½ cup fruit (I like fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries, or sliced fresh strawberries)
• Drizzle maple syrup or honey, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS For Overnight Oats

1. Combine the muesli (or old-fashioned oats with cinnamon), chia seeds, and nut butter in a jar or bowl (a working jar or 1-pint mason jar is ideal). Mix the nut butter into the oats with a splash of milk. Then pour in the remaining milk and whisk to mix.
2. Add your favorite fruit on top. (If you used more milk than 1/2 cup and want your fruit to stay on top, wait until you’re ready to serve to top the oats.) If you’re using fruit that doesn’t keep well, such as sliced apple or banana, wait until you’re ready to serve to top the oats.)
3. Refrigerate the jar overnight or for up to 5 days with the lid on. When ready to serve, drizzle with maple syrup or honey if desired, and serve chilled.

NOTES

HOW TO MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Use gluten-free oats if possible.

TO MAKE IT VEGAN, FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS: Pick one of the dairy-free milk from the list above. Use maple syrup instead of honey if you want to add more sweetness.

TO MAKE IT NUT-FREE, OMIT THE NUT BUTTER OR SUBSTITUTE SUNBURN BUTTER. If you’re creating muesli, see the recipe notes for details on how to make nut-free muesli.

HELP IT WARM-UP: Overnight oats are usually served cold. Warm oats, on the other hand, can be heated in the microwave.

Simply heat them in a microwave-safe jar, stirring regularly while doing so. I’m not sure this will work well on the cooktop because the oats are so thick, but you could try it.