Overnight oatmeal was made for you.
All you need to do is mix a few ingredients in a jar, pop it in the fridge, and enjoy it the next morning.
This is honestly the easiest of the no-cook breakfast options, making it easy to enjoy a healthy breakfast all week long.
And the fun part is that it’s endlessly customizable.
So let’s get started!
To make overnight oatmeal, you’ll need oatmeal, of course, but make sure to choose good old-fashioned rolled oatmeal instead of quick-cooking oatmeal.
Rolled oatmeal retains its texture even after soaking, while quick-cooking oatmeal tends to get a little softer.
Best Containers for Overnight Oatmeal
As for the best containers for overnight oatmeal,
Personally, I recommend using a 16-ounce mason jar with a screw cap.
This jar is big enough to stir everything without overflowing, and the lid makes it easy to carry around.
You can also use smaller Weck jars or other glass jars, but keep in mind that you may accidentally lose the metal clip if you store it in your purse or backpack. That’s why I prefer screw-top lids on mason jars.
To make overnight oats, you only need five ingredients: rolled oats, your milk of choice, chia seeds, yogurt, and maple syrup.
Basic Overnight Oats Recipe
To make one batch of overnight oats, mix 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup milk (I use homemade cashew milk), 1/4 cup yogurt (for extra creaminess), dairy or non-dairy yogurt, 1 tablespoon chia seeds for a pudding-like texture, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey in a jar.
Then stir to combine everything together.
You can see why I recommend 16-ounce jars.
Because you have plenty of room to stir without spilling, which is always a good thing.
The overnight oats will expand a bit as they cool, but as you can see, there’s still plenty of room for toppings if you want to add more later.
And then put this in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Overnight is best though.
You can easily make overnight oats in a jar, but you can also make a batch for the week.
For 4 servings, put 2 cups rolled oats, 2 cups milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup chia seeds, and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a large bowl.
Stir until well combined.
♪ Woah, woah, woah ♪
Put a lid on the bowl or cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight as before.
Here’s what it looks like after 2 hours to see how it thickens.
The longer you leave it, the thicker it gets.
I personally like to let it thicken and creamy overnight, but if you prefer a more liquidy texture, you can always add a little more milk.
It’s really up to you.
And with basic overnight oatmeal, you can change up your toppings every morning.
So here are some easy examples:
Put some overnight oatmeal in a bowl or cup,
top it with fresh strawberries and kiwi fruit, and sprinkle on hemp seeds.
Or top it with fresh blackberries and diced mango,
and sprinkle on pistachios.
Or top it with sliced bananas, fresh blueberries,
and sprinkle on pecans.
As you can see, it’s very easy to top your basic overnight oatmeal with fresh fruit you have on hand,
but if you like mixed flavors,
here are some delicious flavor combinations.
Pina Colada Overnight Oats
This first recipe is a simple pina colada flavor,
and you already know the basic ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
To this, add 1/4 cup of small cubed pineapple.
I like to cube it really small so you can taste the pineapple in every bite.
Next, add 1 tablespoon of unsweetened shredded coconut and 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Stir while removing all the oatmeal and maple syrup that has accumulated at the bottom, cover and put in the fridge. After a few hours in the fridge, you will see how thick your overnight oats have become.
You can turn the jar upside down and nothing will fall out.
Now, these mixed flavors are made so that you don’t need any toppings, but of course you can always add more toppings.
I just add a little bit of what I put in so you can remember the flavor.
And in the case of this Piña Colada version, I’ve added more cubed pineapple and shredded coconut for a delicious tropical breakfast.
PB&J Overnight Oatmeal
This next batch of overnight oatmeal is one of my favorites, a twist on PB&J.
For the jam part, you can use store-bought jam, chia seed jam, or make a simple fruit puree, like I did today. To make this raspberry puree,
just heat the raspberries in a saucepan over medium heat,
and add a little maple syrup and vanilla extract.
