Learn how to make the perfect batch of overnight oats! It’s one of the easiest, no-cook breakfast options that will leave you with healthy grab-and-go breakfasts to enjoy throughout the week. Bonus – it’s endlessly customizable!
Why You’ll Love These Overnight Oats
If you love healthy breakfast ideas but don’t want to do a whole lot of work in the morning, overnight oats were made for you. Honestly, it’s as easy as stirring together a couple of ingredients in a jar, placing it in the fridge, and enjoying the next morning. That’s it! There’s no cooking, no baking, and you don’t even get any extra dishes dirty. It’s a total winner all around. Here’s a few more reasons why you’ll love them:
- They’re endlessly customizable: The base recipe is delicious and filling all on its own, but if you’d you can also add a variety of toppings and mix-ins, including fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, and jams. See more ideas below!
- They’re great cold or warm: In the summer I enjoy overnight oats as a chilled breakfast straight from the fridge (perfect on a hot summer day). And in the winter I can warm the glass jar in the microwave for 30 seconds for a cozy breakfast.
- They’re a meal prep winner: Sure, you can prep one jar of overnight oats. But you can just as easily prep jars for the entire week—in less than 5 minutes! And who doesn’t love a ready-made breakfast?
Overnight Oats Ingredients
While you really only need rolled oats and milk to make overnight oats, I always add chia seeds, yogurt, and a smidge of maple syrup in my base recipe. That’s what makes my version ultra creamy and tasty!
- Rolled oats: Make sure to use old fashioned rolled oats for the best texture. And remember to look for certified gluten-free oats if you’re gluten-sensitive or celiac.
- Milk: You can use dairy or dairy-free milk (like almond milk, oat milk, or cashew milk), and yes, even water works. It just depends on how creamy you’d like it.
- Yogurt: A simple Greek yogurt or dairy-free yogurt provides extra creaminess, protein, and that perfect touch of tangy flavor.
- Chia Seeds: These magical little seeds gel up in the oats to make it creamy and thick. Plus, they’re loaded with health benefits and give a nutrient boost.
- Maple Syrup: Natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey blend in beautifully. You can always add as little or as much as you’d like.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
Oatmeal versus Overnight Oats
A warm bowl of oatmeal is pretty high up on the list when it comes to healthy breakfast options. But if you have a sensitive gut (as I do), you may prefer overnight oats.
Soaking your oats overnight helps to break down the starches and reduce phytic acid. That means it’s easier to digest the oats and absorb their nutrients more efficiently.
How To Make Overnight Oats
- Stir it all together. In a small jar, stir together the oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup.
- Let it soak. Place the jar in the fridge to let the oats soak for at least two hours, though overnight is best.
- Add toppings and serve. The next morning, add your favorite toppings and enjoy! Alternatively, you can scoop the oats out into a bowl and add toppings from there.
For A Large Batch of Overnight Oats
You can make a larger batch of overnight oats, just double, triple or quadruple the recipe listed below. It’s as easy as that!
- Stir everything together. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup.
- Cover and soak. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it soak overnight in the fridge.
- Serve individually. Scoop out a portion (about 1 cup) from the bowl into a serving glass or bowl. Then add your favorite toppings!
Flavor Variations
Now here comes the fun part—toppings and mix-ins. Creativity is the name of the game, so whatever your heart desires, go for it!
- Fresh fruit: Make the most of seasonal fruits, including blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, peaches, pears, and apples. You can also blend them into a puree or make a chia seed jam and stir it in.
- Dried fruit: Raisins, cranberries, goji berries, and chopped dates lend a chewy texture and fruity flavors.
- Nuts and Seeds: Sliced almonds, chopped pecans or walnuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and toasted sesame seeds add a subtle crunchy texture.
- Extra Flavor: Sprinkle on coconut flakes or cacao nibs. They’ll taste amazing with banana, strawberry, or tropical flavors.
- Spices: Stir in ground cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom, or ginger to spice things up a bit!
- Yogurt: Mix in any type of yogurt for extra creaminess. Plus, it adds extra protein and a probiotic boost.
- Nut Butter: Choose your favorite nut butter (I always love almond butter). Just stir it in or drizzle it on top. It also provides a protein boost.
- Protein Powder: Still want an even bigger protein boost? Feel free to add protein powder or collagen powder.
Jar Recommendations
While many photos show overnight oats filled to the brim with toppings overflowing, that’s just not realistic in terms of mixing. You want a jar that’s large enough to stir everything together without making a mess. So with that in mind, I recommend a 16-ounce jar if you plan to add toppings. And a 12-ounce jar works for the base recipe with a small amount of mix-ins.
- Mason Jars: Traditional mason jars are perfect for overnights oats. The pint-sized jars are 16-ounces, and the screw top lid is secure and super easy. You can also get 16-ounce wide mouth jars if you prefer.
- Weck Jars: While I normally love Weck Jars for so many things (like chia pudding), if you plan to “grab and go” with your overnight oats, you might lose the clips. But if you’re careful, the ¼ liter mold jar is the perfect size for the base recipe at 12.5-ounces.
How To Store and Meal Prep
- To Store: Overnight oats will stay good for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. If you have fruit toppings or fruit mix-ins, I recommend no more than three days, as the fruit is likely to go bad first.
- For Freezing: Yes, you can freeze overnight oats! Similar to my meal prep chia pudding, overnight oats will stay good for up to three months in the freezer.
More Easy Breakfast Ideas
- Breakfast Casserole: It’s loaded with nutrients and easy to reheat.
- Chia Seed Pudding: Did you know you can also freeze chia pudding?
- Breakfast Egg Muffins: These breakfast bites are customizable and can be stored in the fridge or freezer.
- Sweet Potato Toast: Prep slices for the week for a veggie-heavy breakfast!
- Paleo Pancakes: When you’re craving pancakes, these store well in the fridge and freezer.
If you make these overnight oats, I’d love to know how they turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.
Description
Video
Equipment
- 16oz Mason Jars The perfect sized jar for prepping a single serving with fruits.
Ingredients
Basic Recipe
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup milk (dairy or dairy-free)
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt (dairy or dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Banana Bread
- ½ banana, mashed
- 2 tablespoon chopped walnuts
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of ground flaxseed
Spiced Pear
- ½ pear, diced
- 1 tablespoon chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
PB&J
- 2 tablespoon raspberry jam or puree
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter (or almond butter)
- 1 teaspoon chopped pistachios
Pina Colada
- ¼ cup small diced pineapple
- 1 tablespoon shredded coconut
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- *note: use coconut milk in the base recipe
Carrot Cake
- ¼ cup shredded carrot
- 1 tablespoon shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Strawberry Protein
- ¼ cup small diced strawberry
- 1 scoop protein powder or collagen powder
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix together. Add the rolled oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and maple syrup to a bowl or sealable jar. Stir until well combined.
- Soak. Let it soak in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but it's best to soak overnight for 8 hours. This will yield a creamier consistency.
- Add the toppings. Top your overnight oats with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Lisa’s Tips
- If you make a large batch in a bowl, once it’s set and thickened overnight scoop out about 1 cup for a single serving.
- I prefer the texture of rolled oats, but you can use quick-cooking oats as well. Just know that the texture will be a bit more mushy, like porridge.
- And remember that overnight oats don’t have to be eaten cold. Just warm them up on the stovetop in a small pot or in the microwave for a minute or two the next morning.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted January 2021, but updated to include new information and photos for your benefit!
Can u put it in container?
Of course! You can make and store in a large container, or in these individual jars.
This was great!
I
Wonderful video explanation and recipes!
This was great and simple, very filling. I used flax seeds because that’s all I had instead of chia seeds. I will try with chia seeds too!
I used kefir in place of milk and yogurt. It came out great
Glad the kefir worked out perfectly with this recipe Kris!
I haven’t even eaten it yet for breakfast but when I took at taste just to make sure the yogurt didn’t make it too tangy, it was delicious! I made the banana bread one but realized my bananas went bad so I’ll probably toss some blueberries or strawberries in. Thank you for the recipe. I am really looking forward to it for breakfast tomorrow! @downshiftology #downshiftology
Am I correct in that for meal prepping you shouldn’t put fruit in them? I noticed in the video you show making the big batch of the base, but for the flavors you only show individual.
The individual jars are meal prepped ahead of time. Just note that the mixture will last longer without fruit in them, which I have specified in the storage instructions :)
Delicious all of them..👍
We make overnight oats regularly! This recipe is great and takes to adaptions very easily. Lately I have been adding trail mix. Thanks for posting.
Just a question. If we’re doing the alternatives is that in addition to the basic recipe.
Yes, it will be the base recipe + whichever flavor you decide to go with :)
Have you ever heated the overnight oats in the morning or do you eat it cold? Sounds terrific but I’m sorta addicted to a warm breakfast.
You can warm them up in the microwave if you’d like! But, it’s most often eaten cold. If you’d like, you can also meal prep regular oatmeal, which can be found in my easy oatmeal recipe!
I usually heat them up. I struggle with cold oatmeal
I heat mine up in the microwave and it’s delicious. I prefer it heated.
The only way I’ll eat oatmeal! I add granola, collagen and whatever fruit I want with dairy free yogurt and milk. Fills me up until lunch. Love these recipes.
I just made this with a few alterations… I left out the chia since my daughter has some food allergies. I used honey instead of maple syrup and added a dash of cinnamon. 🤞 can’t wait to try this in the morning.
Hi Lisa! My husband and I love this recipe, I make it almost every week for breakfast or even for a light dinner sometimes. Thanks for all your healthy and amazing recipes :)
I used local honey instead of maple syrup, flax chia and flax seeds, added vanilla extract in the base. Let’s see how this turns out in the morning!!
How did it turn out Jackie?
I have to say that the chia seeds definitely make this a win. I had some freeze dried strawberries and bananas I bought awhile back that I was trying to find a use for and it worked perfectly in this. I’m happy that although I’m a bit of a sugar freak I felt no need to add any other sweetener. Can’t wait to try all the different add in suggestions :)
The chia seeds in this are great for giving it a plumpy texture and added health benefits :)
New twist, I blended fruit into my milk before I poured it over the oats. Delicious infusion of flavour!
What a great idea Michelle! The infused fruity milk must taste delicious.
If you don’t use yogurt, will you need to add extra milk?
Yes, I’d recommend adding a little bit more milk then.
I love mixing cinnamon, apple sauce and skim milk, a awesome apple cinnamon cold oat!!!
That’s such a classic (and delicious) flavor combo!
Tastes really good and keeps me full from breakfast to lunch.
Can we use flaxseed meal instead of chia seeds?
Yes, you can!
OH SO YUMMY! I made the Banana Bread and Strawberry Protein, so easy to make and full of flavor. Can’t wait to make the other recipes.
Thank you for the recipe, so simple for the base and great ideas for flavours. I halved the recipe to make it just for myself and it was awesome! An easy to remember base too. Thanks :)
These overnight oats are by far the best I’ve tried. My favorite topping are walnuts and homemade pumpkin butter. Delicious!
Absolutely Amazing and well explained recipes.❤️❤️❤️
I tried looking but what size jars did you use?
You can find the specific jars I’m using linked in the post, or in my Shop Page :)
Does this recipe work with Steel Cut Oats?
This recipe is best made with old fashioned rolled oats. I will soon make a recipe specifically for steel cut oats :)
I made the OATovernight breakfast this morning with grapes, pomegranat seeds and walnuts .
It was super good !!!!!
thank you Lisa for your web site !
I have diabetes 2 and will cling to your recipe site from now on !
Your story is remarkable ,i am thankful for your sharing !
as well you bringing your wisdom to us !
Shalom
ANNE from Nova Scotia , Canada
Happy to hear you loved this overnight oats breakfast Anne! Hope you continue to enjoy Downshiftology content :)
I’m not a big oatmeal person but your overnight oats recipe and comments sparked my interest to try. Im so glad I did. The base recipe with some strawberry chia jam was Delicious. I enjoy it better cold to room temp. Thank you, I’m so happy to incorporate this one!!!!
Are these for gluten free people too,are these to lose weight
All recipes on my website are gluten-free. As for losing weight, it depends on what your calorie count is and how often you eat this.
Hi Lisa, This recipe is amazing! It is super easy and versatile with options. But what more important is that after eating it I feel so energized and healthy!! My husband loves it too! Thank you very much!
This definitely is a great way to start your mornings :)
Hi is this nutritional value for one base recipe?
Yes, it is for one base recipe.
Is the nutrition information just for the base recipe or also for the add-ons?
The nutritional information is just for the base recipe.
I wad scrolling thru to loom a recipe and a zucchini soup one popped up in the video. But when I went back it was gone and it looked so good. How yo I find it
You can view the video if you disable your ad blocker.
I so enjoy your overnight oats& Chia pudding. So tasty
Happy to hear you’re enjoying this overnight oats recipe Caroline!
Wonderful great presentation I will make all of her suggestions ❣👍
Hope you enjoy these overnight oats Heidi!
Never wanted to try overnight oats as the texture didn’t seem appealing. I made them for my husband and he loved them. I tried them and couldn’t believe how good they were.
Absolutely fantastic recipe! Thank you
Glad you and your husband enjoyed these easy overnight oats Erin!
This recipe is a winner. I love the carrot cake version. I can’t wait to try different flavors.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of the other flavors :)
So, for the flavored options (like the banana bread, PBJ, etc) do you mix it ALL together overnight? Or just the base recipe…. then do the flavors the next morning?
The recipe isnt very clear
You can do either way, depending if you have time in the morning to make the flavors. If not, then pre-mix everything.
Sorry. A bit confused. Do I add the base alone first for the overnight batch and then add the flavour portions the next day when I eat them or do I have them added in altogether?
You can do either or, depending if you have time in the morning. But if you’re meal prepping flavored overnight oats, I say make them on a Sunday for the week with the flavors incorporated into it.
Thanks my favorite summer in Az. breakfast!
Glad you’re loving these overnight oats Judi! This is great for a cooling breakfast.
Love this overnight oats recipe – this is my go to breakfast these days since diagnosed with Alpha Gal Syndrome. I adapted the Carrot Cake version by leaving off the coconut and carrots and adding 1 more TBS raisins. Love this recipe with Silk Oat Milk. Will try making homemade oat milk next.
I’m glad you’re enjoying this overnight oats recipe! Can’t wait to see what other flavors you try :)
Thick,really the best overnight oats
Hey! I have a question, can I make them, and not put them in a fridge? I am going on a camping trip and I do not have access to a fridge. I have planned making it one morning and eat it the next one. Will it still be good?
This is best to be stored in the fridge, especially since it has yogurt in it.
My fav is PB&J and banana bread ! So good … thanks for sharing Lisa
That flavor is definitely a Downshifter favorite :)
Tried over night oats for the first time this morning. Love it. Quick to make and taste is fab, added strawberries to mine. Full nutrition break down too. Thank you
Welcome to the overnight oats team! Now you can get creative with all sorts of flavors and toppings :)
NEW to over nite OATS…Absolutely loved it.. can’t wait to try the recipes. This video was very helpful.. thank you.
Glad you took a chance on overnight oats and loved this!
These recipes have made mornings in our house much easier. They are simple enough that my kids can put them together the night before and enjoy them the next morning before running out of the door for school. With several delicious options to choose from they can change up flavors so they don’t grow tired of eating them. Thanks for sharing!
Overnight oats are truly one of the best meal prep breakfasts to have on hand, especially for the kiddos :)
Love this recipe. Thank you very, very much from New Zealand. Just one question: would adding amaranth flakes work with the overnight oats?
That might not be a great addition since the amaranth flakes will become extremely soggy.
Can you tell me how to make the peanut butter and jelly one healthy? I know Jelly is usually just processed sugar.
The jelly part I’m using is actually my homemade chia seed jam, which is much healthier than store-bought versions :)
This base works great and so customizable, will not get boring at all. Love it, thank you Lisa!
Glad you enjoyed this overnight oats recipe!