Overnight Oats – Quick, Easy & Healthy Breakfast

Overnight Oats – Quick, Easy & Healthy Breakfast

You might have heard of overnight oats before. They are easy to prepare, have a great nutritional value and also taste amazing. You can use oats in different ways. You can cook them, bake with them or you make overnight oats. Overnight oats is a no-cook method of preparing oats. The consistency is similar to pudding or porridge. With the ingredients of this recipe, it also happens to be gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan.

I love oats, especially when they wait for me in the morning. If you are as busy as I am, you will appreciate this recipe. You won’t have to think about what you are going to make for breakfast, if you prepare it the night before. And it only takes a minute or two to prepare and in the morning you just take it out the fridge and don’t have to cook it. Speaking of saving time, you can also prepare overnights oats ahead for multiple days. My fridge always have 3 jars of overnight oats. In this post I will show you the best way to make them.

How to make overnight oats

For every overnight oats recipe we use the same base. There are a few basic key ingredients. It is all about the ratio of those key ingredients to get the consistency you like. If you like it thicker you can add less milk or add more flax seeds. Once you figure out what ratio you like best, you can freestyle with all the toppings and flavor combinations. That is why you can eat overnight oats everyday without getting tired of it, since the combinations are endless.

For the base, start with the dry ingredients. These are half a cup of oatmeal, cinnamon, a tablespoon of flax seeds, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a tablespoon of maple syrup. I mean, between you and me, I’m using vanilla aroma instead of vanilla extract. The aroma version happens to be 20 times as cheap, with a similar taste. You can put them in a mason jar or a glass cup. Next add half a cup of almond milk and a quarter cup of coconut yoghurt and mix well. This combination is a great meal itself, but it gets better with the toppings. Lastly seal or close the jar with a lid and let it chill and thicken in the fridge of at least 2 hours or leave them overnight. The next morning you can add your fresh toppings and dig in.

Tips on how to make overnight oats

1. If you are not a fan of cold oatmeal, you can also heat it up in the morning. However, In my opinion, it is best enjoyed cold, which will save you time as well.

2. If you don’t have almond milk, you can use any other source of (plant)milk. Same goes for the coconut yoghurt.

3. Flax seed are optional. However, they add thickness and give it a porridge like consistency. Besides that, flax seeds contain all sorts of healthy components.

Overnight oats ideas

Apple pie
For the apple taste add grated apple and cinnamon to the base and add apple slices in the morning as a topping. I also like to add coconut flakes, but this is optional.

Chocolate banana
This one is going to taste like having dessert for breakfast. Add a tablespoon of cacao to the base and add banana, cacao nibs and/or dark chocolate as a topping.

Berries
This is the one I eat most often. Add frozen mix berries to the base and fresh berries in the morning as a topping.

These are 3 examples, but the opportunities are endless.

Instructional video

If you’ve tried this quick, easy overnight oats recipe or any other recipe on this blog, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! Also share it with me on Instagram if you have made some pictures of it, so I can repost it on my story!

Easy Overnight Oats

Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 1 person
Calories 361 kcal

Equipment

  • Jar

Ingredients
  

Base

  • 1/2 cup oatmeal
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or aroma
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/4 cup coconut yoghurt

Apple Pie

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 apple grated
  • 1/2 apple as topping
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut flakes as topping

Chocolate Banana

  • 1 banana mashed
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder
  • 1 tbsp cacao nibs as topping
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut flakes as topping

Berries

  • 1/4 cup mixed berries
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut flakes as topping

Instructions
 

  • Put all the ingredients in a jar and mix well.
  • Place the lid on the jar and put the jar in the fridge for at least 2 hours or leave it overnight.
  • Take your overnight oats out the fridge and put on the toppings. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Below is the nutritional value of the base of the overnight oats, so without the apple or banana for example.
 
Serving: 1 | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g  | Calcium: 295 mg | Iron: 3.1mg
Keyword dairy-free, gluten-free, oatmeal, vegan