Overnight oats are the perfect, healthy make-ahead breakfast! Made with old fashioned rolled oats, chia seeds, and your favorite fruits, you won’t regret learning how to make overnight oats for a quick breakfast or work from home snack.
Easy Breakfast Idea – Healthy, Too!
There are so many amazing things about overnight oats. They’re easy to make, can be ready in under 10 minutes, and is perfect for meal prep! Honestly, whenever I decide to make my own in the evening, I’m always extremely happy to wake up and remember what is waiting for me in the fridge.
All you have to do is add a tiny bit of liquid and top with strawberries, blueberries, bananas — any fruit you love — and enjoy. Easy to make, easy to clean up, and easy to devour!
Overnight oats are also a great option if you’re looking to increase your vitamin and mineral intake — depending on what ingredients you choose, the health benefits of overnight oats can range from low calorie to gut health.
Ingredients Needed:
- Liquid – For the most part, the amount of liquid you use in your overnight oats recipe depends on your personal consistency preference. If you want it to be more liquid, add a bit more, and vice versa if you prefer a thicker yogurt-like consistency. The type of liquid you choose is also personal preference, such as dairy milk, almond, cashew or coconut milk.
- Oats – Keep it simple! You need about half a cup of old-fashioned, plain rolled oats. I recommend you stay away from any “instant” oats because they may get too soggy.
- Chia Seeds – The chia seeds are my favorite part of this quick breakfast recipe. They really do make a huge difference in the consistency by helping to thicken everything up. Plus, they’re high in fiber and will help keep you fuller longer!
How to make Overnight Oats
Step 1: Prep
First, add the desired amounts of milk, oats, yogurt, chia seeds, and banana to a mason jar and give them a good stir.
Step 2: Store
Next, refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours.
Step 3: Enjoy
In the morning, add additional liquid to achieve the desired consistency you’d like. Top with fruit, nuts, nut butter, seeds, protein powder, granola, coconut, or spices!
Customize Your Overnight Oats
There are so many amazing ways to enjoy these simple overnight oats. I like to make a lot of the base of the recipe at the beginning of the week and then add different toppings throughout the week. Easy, quick breakfast or snack without monotonous meals!
Here are some of my favorite overnight oats toppings:
- Fruit (fresh or dried)
- Nuts
- Nut butter
- Seeds
- Protein powder
- Granola
- Coconut
- Spices
- Citrus zest
- Vanilla extract
Tips For Success
- Add chia seeds first –I like to add the chia seeds first with just the oats and liquid, then let it sit for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. This allows the oats and seeds to fully absorb the liquid and results in super thick, delicious oats!
- Meal prep – Overnight oats lasts in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Simply store in an air-tight container and portion out a serving each morning to enjoy throughout the week.
More Easy Breakfast & Snack Recipes
- Peanut Butter & Banana Oatmeal Bars
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Fruit & Grain Smoothie Bowl
- Make Ahead Sunrise Breakfast Bites
- Energy Bites: A Healthy Little Snack
Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup Liquid of choice dairy milk, almond, cashew or coconut milk
- ½ cup Old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup Yogurt optional
- 1 tbsp Chia seeds
- 1 Banana or fruit of choice
Instructions
- Add the desired amounts of milk, oats, yogurt, chia seeds and banana to a mason jar and give them a good stir.
- Refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours.
- In the morning, add additional to achieve the desired consistency you'd like. top with fruit, nuts, nut butter, seeds, protein powder, granola, coconut, or spices.
Notes
- Add chia seeds first –I like to add the chia seeds first with just the oats and liquid, then let it sit for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. This allows the oats and seeds to fully absorb the liquid and results in super thick, delicious oats!
- Meal prep – Overnight oats lasts in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Simply store in an air-tight container and portion out a serving each morning to enjoy throughout the week.
What size is the mason jar in the overnight oats recipe. 8 oz? 16 oz?
We typically use 16 ounce jars!
It said to add the banana but there is no banana in the recipe
Thanks for catching that, Craig! We updated the recipe card. We hope you enjoy!