This easy make-ahead Overnight Oats recipe is perfect for busy weeks when you need a healthy breakfast to get your day going. Prep the night before and wake up to thick, creamy, flavorful oatmeal that’s packed with protein and simple to customize with your favorite toppings.
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Easy Overnight Oats Recipe
Overnight Oats is a no-bake way of making the most thick, creamy, delicious oatmeal you have ever tasted. Just combine your oats, Greek yogurt, milk, and other flavorings in a mason jar, pop into the fridge overnight, and wake up to a ready-to-eat breakfast that is packed with protein.
You can feel free to use this as a base recipe, then customize however you’d like. I’ve given you a handful of ideas below, but you can mix and match all sorts of flavors and mix-ins. Best of all, Overnight Oats last for at least a few days, making it a perfect meal prepping recipe.
Ingredients in Overnight Oats
- Oats - it’s super important that you only use old-fashioned rolled oats for this Overnight Oats recipe. Instant oats will become very mushy and steel cut oats will remain too tough.
- Chia Seeds - chia seeds are packed with nutrition, but they also give the oats an amazing soft and creamy texture. They are optional, but I highly recommend using them in any Overnight Oats.
- Yogurt - adding plain Greek yogurt makes the oats tangy and creamy. Plus, yogurt is full of protein and healthy fats.
- Cinnamon - this is an optional flavor to use. You can skip it, or substitute with other baking spices like cardamom or nutmeg.
- Salt - just a little pinch of sea salt tastes great.
- Protein Powder - this is entirely optional, but as the name suggests adding just a little bit of protein powder adds a lot of protein to your oats. You can use your favorite kind - flavored or unflavored. If you do add protein powder, you can feel free to skip that additional sweetener in the recipe.
- Milk - you can use regular milk, almond milk, or any other kind of dairy-free milk that you like.
- Maple Syrup - either maple syrup or honey are natural sweeteners that taste great, but you can feel free to skip if you prefer.
Topping Ideas
Other than berries and coconut, here are a few more topping ideas for your Overnight Oats:
- Vanilla extract
- Fruit - any kind of fresh fruit or dried fruit can be added as a topping so use whatever you love and have on hand
- Nut butters - almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter add lots of flavor and protein
- Nuts - any type of chopped toasted nuts taste great sprinkled over the top
- Seeds - sunflower seeds, pepitas, or even sesame seeds are great toppings
- Granola - you can buy your favorite kind or make your very own Healthy Granola
How to Make Overnight Oats
- Mix ingredients in individual jars. Grab 4 mason jars or glass cups. Into each jar add ½ cup oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, ½ cup yogurt, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and ½ tablespoon of protein powder (if using). Mix, then add ½ cup milk and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (Note: if you add protein powder, you can omit the sweetener). Stir until all the ingredients are well-combined.
- Refrigerate overnight. Add lids or plastic wrap to cover the jars and place in the fridge overnight.
- Add toppings and serve. The next morning, serve with fresh berries, your favorite kind of fruit, shredded coconut, or your other favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Overnight Oats Variations
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Stir about ½-1 tablespoon of peanut butter into each jar of oat mixture. For serving, top with a drizzle of peanut butter and chopped peanuts.
Berry Overnight Oats
Stir 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite berries into each jar of oat mixture. For serving, top with more berries and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
Banana Nutella Overnight Oats
Stir about ½-1 tablespoon of Nutella into each jar of oat mixture. For serving, top with a drizzle of Nutella and sliced bananas.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is super important that you only use old-fashioned rolled oats for this Overnight Oats recipe. Steel cut oats will be too tough while instant oats will turn into a mushy mess.
Yes! You may be surprised to learn that you can absolutely freeze Overnight Oats. It’s best to freeze them in freezer-safe glass jars without any toppings added. They can be stored frozen for up to 2 months, then thawed in the fridge overnight.
While it’s ideal to let them soak overnight, the minimum time Overnight Oats need to soak in the fridge is 2 hours. If you allow them to soak overnight, the texture will be much more pudding-like but they will still be delicious with a shorter soaking time.
Storing
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: store frozen in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. Transfer to the fridge overnight to thaw.
Overnight Oats Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 4 Tablespoons Chia Seeds
- 2 cups Greek Yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Protein Powder optional
- 2 cups Milk
- 4 Tablespoons Maple Syrup or honey (if you added protein powder, no need to add additional sweetener)
Toppings for Overnight Oats
- ½ cup Berries or another fruit
- 1 Tablespoon Shredded Coconut optional
Instructions
- Grab 4 mason jars or glass cups. Into each jar add ½ cup oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, ½ cup yogurt, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and ½ tablespoon of protein powder (if using). Mix, then add ½ cup milk and 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey (Note: if you add protein powder, you can omit the sweetener). Stir until all the ingredients are well-combined.
- Add lids or plastic wrap to cover the jars and place in the fridge overnight.
- The next morning, serve with fresh berries, your favorite kind of fruit, shredded coconut, or your other favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
- Easy Homemade Granola
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole
- Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Energy Bites
- Mini Cheese Quiche
- Potato Crust Quiche
- Acai Bowl
- Blue Smoothie Bowl
- Baked Denver Omelet
- More Breakfast Recipes
- More Healthy Meal Prep Recipes
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These quick and easy Overnight Oats are a convenient and super healthy breakfast that is filled with protein. You can customize to create all sorts of different flavors, topping with berries, fruit, granola, nets, seeds, and more.
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