Overnight Oats

4.90 from 58 votes
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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.

A variety of bowls of overnight oats with different toppings.
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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.
A bowl of oatmeal, oats and a dollop of whipped cream.

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.

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.

Make them Blended Overnight Oats!

If you love a smooth and creamy overnight oats recipe, then blended overnight oats are for you.

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a high-speed blender.
  2. Blend on high for about a minute. This will pulverize the oats and make them super creamy.
  3. Transfer the overnight oats into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
  4. In the morning, you can eat as-is, or add a splash of milk to thin things out a bit.
A group of jars filled with oatmeal, fruit, and nuts.

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
Oatmeal in jars with different toppings.

PB&J

  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons preserves
A bowl of oatmeal with peanut butter, jelly and strawberries.

Chocolate Protein

  • ¼ cup chocolate protein powder
  • 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup milk, any kind
Oatmeal in jars with bananas, strawberries and chocolate chips.

Lemon Blueberry

  • 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, mashed
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Three jars of oatmeal with black olives and almonds.

Vanilla Latte

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Replace 1/2 cup of the almond milk with brewed coffee or bold brew
Three jars of oatmeal on a white background.

Apple Pie

  • 1/2 cup shredded apple
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
Three bowls of oatmeal with fruit and granola.

Strawberry Banana

  • 1 medium banana, mashed
  • 4 medium strawberries, diced
Three jars of oatmeal with chocolate chips, bananas and strawberries.

Banana Cream Pie

  • 1 medium banana, cut into slices (or mashed)
  • 2-4 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
Two jars of oatmeal with bananas, nuts and whipped cream.

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!

A bowl of oatmeal with a spoon in it.

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.

White jars stacked.

W&P

Jars

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

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.
Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 0 minutes
Total: 2 hours
Servings: 2
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Ingredients 

Base Recipe

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.
    A bowl of oatmeal, oats and a dollop of whipped cream.
  • Add in any variation ingredients and mix again.
    Oats in a bowl with a spoon.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight (preferred).
    A bowl of oatmeal with a spoon in it.
  • 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.
    A bowl of oatmeal with berries, bananas, and granola.

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 flavors of overnight oats.

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

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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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Molly
Molly
April 8, 2021 9:20 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
I have to admit there are very few overnight oat recipes that I’ve actually enjoyed until now. This was going to be my last attempt before swearing them off forever but these coconut latte overnight converted me! It tastes just like an indulgent latte you would get at a coffee shop.  Absolutely delicious! So good that I’m going to make myself a coconut latte with the same ingredients, minus the oats of course. Can’t wait to try some of the other overnight oat flavors on your site!

overnightoats.jpg
Rosa Dunn
Rosa Dunn
April 7, 2021 9:59 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
I loved the strawberry vanilla overnight oats! I’m a senior in college, so quick breakfasts are key right now. I like that it has yogurt and seeds in it to keep me full. Thanks!

Optimized-FFF Strawb Overnight Oats.JPG
Courtney
Courtney
April 5, 2021 4:46 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
I loved the coconut latte! Instead of using brewed coffee, I used instant cold brew from TJ’s. I like to top mine with banana and lots of granola! Love the combo of creamy Greek Yogurt with the oats and chia.

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Jessi
Jessi
August 3, 2020 10:37 pm

I have a question, for the basic overnight oats recipe. The calories is the calories for the whole recipe or is it per serving?

cathvaught
cathvaught
July 13, 2020 8:19 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
The best base overnight oat recipe. And my fave summer breakfast!

Natalie
Natalie
July 13, 2020 8:03 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Haven’t met an overnight oat recipe on FFF that I don’t like!

Escorts Madrid
Escorts Madrid
July 12, 2020 8:41 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Delicious!

Emily
Emily
June 15, 2020 12:28 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
This basic overnight oats recipe is so good! Quick to throw together and absolutely delicious the next day. I added blueberries, strawberries, and almond butter to mine and I couldn’t get enough!

Chilla vihani reddy
Chilla vihani reddy
April 29, 2020 1:37 pm

Can we make overnight oats at dinner it’s good for weight loss

Mary
Mary
March 31, 2020 9:40 pm

Where did you get those glass cups from that say Quaker Oats, dairy, and toppings

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