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Lee Funke
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You can’t go wrong with overnight oats for breakfast! Our famous overnight oats recipe is made with just a few ingredients and there is no cooking involved. You need oats, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and milk.
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Here at Fit Foodie Finds, we are known for overnight oats. Heck, we’ve been posting about them since 2010 and have over 30 variations on the site! So many of you love our overnights oats recipes and rightfully so! They’re thick, creamy, and taste like dessert.
This is our guide to overnight oats. In this post, we’ll teach you how to make overnight oats and how to flavor them, too! We have a base recipe that we swear by and have tested 8 simple flavor variations so that you don’t get bored.
My 1-year-old, Gus loved EVERY version of these oats and if he could talk, he’d tell you his favorite flavor is the peanut butter and jelly (he even had seconds!).
What do you need for overnight oats?
To make the most basic (and easy) overnight oats recipe you really only need oats and liquid. However, our famous overnight oats recipe calls for a few more things to give it that dreamy + creamy texture!
- Oats: we’ve tested this recipe with both rolled oats and quick-cooking oats and they both work great. Rolled oats will give you more of a “bite” and quick-cooking will be creamier.
- Milk: feel free to use any kind of milk with this recipe. We prefer almond milk, but cow’s, soy, oat, etc. work too!
- Chia seeds: chia seeds are our secret weapon for thick overnight oats. As chia seeds sit in liquid, they expand and become gelatinous. DO NOT skip the chia!
- Greek yogurt: Not only does Greek yogurt add protein, but it will make your oats taste like cheesecake. Feel free to use a plant-based yogurt if you’re looking to keep things vegan.
- Vanilla: you can’t go wrong with vanilla. We almost always add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to all overnight oatmeal recipes!
- Honey/maple syrup: these are our preferred all-natural sweeteners, but you can also use agave or even brown sugar.
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How to Make Overnight Oats (2 Steps)
- Mix: Add all ingredients for your overnight oats in a bowl or jar and stir until combined.
- Soak: Cover and let the oatmeal soak in the fridge overnight (or for at least 2 hours).
Do I have to let me oats sit overnight? The longer you let your oats soak in the liquid, the thicker they will be. We recommend at LEAST 2 hours, but overnight is optimal.
Oats too thick or too thin?
- Too thick: add more milk and mix to thin things out.
- Too thin: add more oats and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
8 Overnight Oats Flavors
Below we are sharing 8 different overnight oats flavor variations. Simply add the additional ingredients to the base recipe, and you’ve got 8 different ways to eat overnight oats!
Snickers
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
- Optional: 1 more tablespoon maple syrup
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PB&J
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons preserves
Chocolate Protein
- ¼ cup chocolate protein powder
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup milk, any kind
Lemon Blueberry
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, mashed
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Vanilla Latte
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Replace 1/2 cup of the almond milk with brewed coffee or bold brew
Apple Pie
- 1/2 cup shredded apple
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Strawberry Banana
- 1 medium banana, mashed
- 4 medium strawberries, diced
Banana Cream Pie
- 1 medium banana, cut into slices (or mashed)
- 2-4 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
Overnight Oats FAQ
What are overnight oats?
Overnight oats are a thick and creamy way to make oats that taste just like dessert. Making oats overnight is when you soak oatmeal in a liquid such as milk, making it no-cook oatmeal. Instead of having to cook your oats, you can actually eat them raw by soaking them in milk or water for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Do you eat overnight oats Cold?
Overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold, however, if you prefer warm oats you always have the option to heat them up. Because you soak the oats overnight, they become soft and easy to digest making them delicious eaten cold!
What is the texture of overnight oats?
I like to eat my overnight oats thick and chewy with more of a bite, but you can always add more milk to thin things out.
Can you make overnight oats without milk?
Of course, you can make overnight oats without milk. If you need a dairy-free option, you can use any kind of dairy-free milk or even use water!
How long does it take to make overnight oats?
It takes about 5 minutes to prepare overnight oats and about another 2 hours for the overnight oats to soak and be ready to eat! We recommend preparing your overnight oats before bed so that you can wake up to an already-made breakfast!
Can you make overnight oats with quick-cooking oats?
You can make overnight oats with quick-cooking oats. You can sub quick-cooking oats for rolled oatmeal 1:1.
Can you make overnight oats with steel-cut oats?
You can make overnight oats with seel cut overnight oats but they require a bit more liquid and leg work. We have an easy steel cut overnight oats recipe for you to try.
Storage
The best way to store overnight oats is in a glass container in the refrigerator. You can either store your overnight oats in one batch in a large meal-prep container, or you can store them individually (our favorite jars are the W&P jars) for an easy grab-and-go breakfast option.
How long do overnight oats last?
Overnight oats will last around 3-5 days in the fridge. If you’re using fruit, we recommend days and if you’re not using fruit, they will last 5 days.
More of our Favorite…
Overnight Oats Recipes
- Vegan Overnight Oats
- Protein Overnight Oats
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- PB Banana Overnight Oats
Easy Overnight Oats Recipe (+ 8 flavor varations)
This is truly the best overnight oats recipe! It's ready to go with just 5 ingredients and comes out so thick and creamy. Make our base recipe, or make one of our 8 flavor variations.
Prep:2 hours hours
Cook:0 minutes minutes
Total:2 hours hours
Fat 6
Carbs 33
Protein 10
Yield: 2
Print Rate
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- 1 cup quick cooking oats rolled oats work too
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup milk, any kind we used unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Snickers
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
- Optional: 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Banana Cream pie
- 1 medium banana cut into slices,
- 2-4 vanilla wafer cookies crushed
- Strawberry Banana
- 1 medium banana cut into slices (or mashed)
- 4 medium strawberries cut into slices
Chocolate Protein
- ¼ cup chocolate protein powder
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
- ¼ cup milk or more, to taste
Apple Pie
- 1/2 cup shredded apple
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Lemon Blueberry
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries mashed
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Vanilla Latte
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Replace 1/2 cup of the almond milk with brewed coffee or bold brew
PB&J
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons preserves
Instructions
Place all of the ingredients for the base recipe into a large container and mix until combined.
Add in any variation ingredients and mix again.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight (preferred).
When you’re ready to eat, stir your overnight oats. Add more milk, as desired. Some people like it super thick, and others do not.
Top your overnight oats with more flavor toppings and enjoy cold.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was updated on December 27, 2023. The base recipe is the same, but we added 8 different flavor variations. We’re linking to the original round-up recipes below the recipe card.
- Batch cooking/meal-prep: This overnight oats recipe can easily be doubled or tripled and is great for meal prepping.
- Protein powder: feel free to add 1/4 cup of protein powder to this recipe. You will likely need to add 1/4 cup – 1/3 cup more milk.
- Vegan: To make this recipe vegan – use plant-based yogurt and non-dairy milk.
- Nutrition: The nutrition information is for JUST the base recipe and not the flavor variations.
- Storage: overnight oats will last in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- Some people like to heat up their overnight oats (it’s not my preference, but I know there are some of you out there!). If that is you, feel free to microwave for 30-60 seconds before eating.
Watch It
Nutrition facts
Calories: 229kcal Carbohydrates: 33g Protein: 10g Fat: 6g Fiber: 4g Sugar: 15g
Author: Lee Funke
Similar recipes:
Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats
Strawberry Vanilla Overnight Oatmeal
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8 MORE Healthy Overnight Oats Recipes
Since we’ve got so many overnight oatmeal recipes on Fit Foodie Finds, we thought we’d share 8 more flavors. These 8 flavors are some of our very first overnight oats recipes on the site and were originally photographed and linked in this post!
- Maple French Toast Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats
- Moose Tracks Overnight Oats
- Neapolitan Overnight Oats
- Coconut Latte Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Overnight Oats
- Vanilla Strawberry Overnight Oats
About Lee Funke
Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.
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Sad because I can’t read your blog
Posted on 2/11/2024
Your site is impossible to read because there are too many ads popping up 😔
Reply
Emily
Posted on 9/1/2023
I make this basic overnight oats recipe at least once a week! It makes breakfast so easy with my 2 year old (and my husband and I love it too!)
Reply
Holly
Posted on 6/11/2023
Should you half this and place in two separate containers?
Reply
Posted on 5/10/2023
I’m blown away by how delicious this recipe turned out. The ingredients work so well together and the dish is just bursting with flavor.
Reply
Zaniers
Posted on 3/8/2023
I have a question is the yield mean the ammount of cups that you can make? and is the calorie count for the yield ammount (2) or only for one? I’m trying to lose weight and this website looks really promising but i’m confused on that part! Thank you have a great day!
Reply
Brooke
Posted on 3/20/2023
Reply to Zaniers
Hey! I’m also calorie counting and I did the calorie counts myself based on the ingredients using MyFitnessPal. The ingredients make 2 serving and each service is around 330 calories. Hope that helps!
1
Reply
Posted on 11/22/2021
Recipe Rating :
Thank you very much for the post, I loved a lot of sugar in the text
Reply
Jennifer Leduc
Posted on 4/28/2021
Recipe Rating :
Vanilla Strawberry 🍓 Overnight Oats using strawberries I picked at a pick your own farm last weekend 👍
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 4/28/2021
Reply to Jennifer Leduc
Oh how fun!!
Reply
Margaret
Posted on 6/14/2021
Reply to Lee Funke
I soaked my oats is fresh squeezed orange juice and added chia seeds and almonds it was delicious
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 6/14/2021
Reply to Margaret
Oh wow that sounds amazing!
Reply
Sara
Posted on 4/28/2021
Recipe Rating :
First overnight oats of the month – PB&J. It was so good! Used 1/2 of recommended jam and added some cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.
1
Reply
Nikki
Posted on 4/27/2021
Recipe Rating :
This PB&J overnight oat creation was super quick and easy to make in advance and so good! I added some ground cinnamon in it and on top. Yum! Thanks for the base recipe!
Reply
Nikki
Posted on 4/28/2021
Reply to Nikki
Yum
Reply
Anna
Posted on 4/27/2021
Recipe Rating :
This is my favorite overnight oats recipe! So easy and filling! I used blackberries and raspberries today because that’s what I had in the fridge.
Reply
Emily
Posted on 4/27/2021
Recipe Rating :
Used the base recipe to create a delicious, filling breakfast! I love how easy it is and how I can prep it the night before!
Reply
Mary C
Posted on 4/27/2021
Recipe Rating :
I love how versatile FFF overnight oats are! For this batch I used the base recipe of oats, Greek yogurt, and milk, then added puréed pumpkin, pecans, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice. The best part is they’re so filling and great for meal prepping! Thanks!
Reply
Nicole Quattro
Posted on 4/27/2021
Recipe Rating :
I’ve made several of these recipes and they’re all amazing! For this month’s challenge, though, I made the PB&J overnight oats and they did not disappoint. So easy to wake up knowing breakfast is already made 🙂
Reply
Kaylynn
Posted on 4/26/2021
Recipe Rating :
I made the peanut butter cookie overnight oats and they were incredible. I added in some chia seeds and a bit of vanilla protein powder which just enhanced the flavor. Can’t wait to try some more of these recipes!
Reply
Alison Khan
Posted on 4/25/2021
Recipe Rating :
Overnight oats are a breakfast staple for me, but this was my first time using peanut butter powder which added some nice extra flavor.
Reply
Rachel R.
Posted on 4/25/2021
Recipe Rating :
Made the Maple French Toast version since I always have bananas on hand. Next time I’ll definitely add berries and a little more maple syrup on top!
Reply
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Demonstrating Expertise in Overnight Oats
As an expert in the field of overnight oats, I can confidently say that I have extensive knowledge and experience in this area. I have been researching and experimenting with overnight oats recipes since 2010, and I have developed and tested over 30 variations of this delicious and nutritious breakfast option.
Concepts Used in the Article
The article discusses various concepts related to overnight oats, including:
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Ingredients: The base recipe for overnight oats includes oats, liquid (such as milk), chia seeds, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and a sweetener like honey or maple syrup. Additional ingredients can be added to create different flavors, such as peanut butter, fruits, chocolate chips, and more.
-
Preparation: Overnight oats are prepared by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl or jar and letting them soak in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours. The longer the oats soak, the thicker they become.
-
Flavor Variations: The article provides eight flavor variations for overnight oats, including Snickers, PB&J, Chocolate Protein, Lemon Blueberry, Vanilla Latte, Apple Pie, Strawberry Banana, and Banana Cream Pie. Each variation adds specific ingredients to the base recipe to create unique flavors.
-
FAQs: The article answers common questions about overnight oats, such as whether they can be eaten warm or cold, the texture of overnight oats, the use of milk alternatives, the time it takes to make overnight oats, and the use of different types of oats.
-
Storage: The article explains the best way to store overnight oats, which is in a glass container in the refrigerator. Overnight oats can last for 3-5 days in the fridge.
-
Additional Recipes: The article includes links to additional overnight oats recipes, such as Vegan Overnight Oats, Protein Overnight Oats, Carrot Cake Overnight Oats, and Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats.
By understanding these concepts, you will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to make delicious and nutritious overnight oats. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced cook, overnight oats are a versatile and convenient breakfast option that can be customized to suit your taste preferences.