Overnight Oats

dfDairy-FreeefEgg-FreegfGluten-FreevVegetarian

By Lee Funke

4.90 from 58 votes

Published 12/27/2023

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You can’t go wrong with overnight oats for breakfast! Our famous overnight oats base recipe is made with just a few ingredients and there is no cooking involved. Plus, you get at least 10g of protein/serving! 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 overnight 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.

How to Make Healthy Overnight Oats (2 Steps)

1. Mix: Add all ingredients for your overnight oats in a bowl or jar and stir until combined.
2. 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.

8 Flavors for Healthy Overnight Oats

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

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

Do you serve overnight oats hot or cold?

Overnight oats are traditionally served cold and how I like to serve them, but there is nothing wrong with heating them up!

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.

W&P

Jars

The W&P Porter Seal Tight Jar holds 16 oz. and is perfect for oats, soups, salad, etc.

Buy now!

4.90 from 58 votes

Healthy Overnight Oats Recipe (+ 8 flavor vacations)

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.

By: Lee Funke

Prep: 2 hours hrs

Cook: 0 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs

Servings: 2

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Ingredients 

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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

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”Z6OMXhi5″ upload-date=”2020-07-09T21:10:18.000Z” name=”Best Overnight Oats Recipe” description=”Looking for a delicious basic overnight oats recipe that you can take and make your own? Look no further! Here’s our classic overnight oatmeal recipe that can be flavored and altered as desired.”]

Nutrition

Calories: 229 kcal, Carbohydrates: 33 g, Protein: 10 g, Fat: 6 g, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 15 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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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!

1. Maple French Toast Overnight Oats
2. Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats
3. Moose Tracks Overnight Oats
4. Neapolitan Overnight Oats
5. Coconut Latte Overnight Oats
6. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats
7. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Overnight Oats
8. Vanilla Strawberry Overnight Oats