I know, I know, overnight oats have been a thing for quite a while now. And yet, I’m just now jumping aboard the overnight oats train because, well, I’m SO TIRED OF OATMEAL. There, I said it. When I do eat it, it’s because I know it’s good for me, not because I legitimately enjoy eating a bowl of warm mush. But I’ve found that I actually look forward to eating my overnight oats because they’re already prepared when I wake up, I try lots of fun flavors, and it’s like eating dessert for breakfast every morning! Over the past few weeks I’ve been trying several different flavors so I could share a few of my favorites with you. Feel free to try them all, or go rogue and experiment with your own combinations of ingredients!
I can’t believe how easy it is to make overnight oats. Just put your ingredients into a jar, stir or shake, and put the jar in the fridge for the next morning or later that week. Ball jars are great, and so are these fun Weck jars.
Basic Overnight Oats
1/2 cup rolled oats (or steel cut if you don’t mind chewing more)
1/2 cup + a splash nondairy milk
2+ teaspoons sweetener of choice (date sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, etc.)
Pinch salt
Simply stir or shake everything together in a jar and place it in the fridge to enjoy the next morning! You could just make a few jars of basic oatmeal and top them with nuts, fruit, etc. in the mornings. I prefer to have the oatmeal jars completely assembled when I wake up, but you do you.
Optional Oatmeal Add-ins
- Chia seeds or milled flax
- Cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin spice
- Nuts
- Fruit: bananas (mashed or sliced), berries, applesauce, dried fruit, etc.
- Chocolate chips, carob, cocoa nibs
- Cocoa or cacao
- Coconut shreds, coconut butter, coconut milk
- Nondairy yogurt (makes a mousse-like texture)
- Nut butter, PB2
- Extracts: vanilla, almond, etc.
- Instant coffee
- Shredded carrot (carrot cake oatmeal, anyone?)
- Protein powder, if that’s your thing
- Whatever you like!
Before you start throwing ingredients into jars all willy-nilly, I recommend following a few recipes just to get used to what you’re doing and to learn your own preferences (too thick? not sweet enough? etc.). Here are a few of my favorite flavors I’ve come up with in the past few weeks. It was hard to keep it at just five recipes!
- ½ cup rolled oats (or steel cut for a chewy texture)
- 1 Tbs. Chia seeds or milled flax
- 1 Tbs. date sugar or 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. no sugar added strawberry jam
- 2 Tbs. vanilla nondairy yogurt
- 3-4 strawberries, chopped
- ½ cup + a splash nondairy milk (unsweetened)
- Combine all ingredients in a jar by stirring or shaking, close lid, and place in fridge over night.
- Enjoy for breakfast the next morning, or keep in fridge up to 5 days.
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 Tbs. Chia seeds or milled flax
- 1 Tbs. date sugar or 2 tsp. maple syrup
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs. vanilla nondairy yogurt
- Optional: ¼ tsp. blueberry extract
- ¼ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1-2 tsp. runny almond or cashew butter
- ½ cup + a splash nondairy milk
- Combine all ingredients in a jar by stirring or shaking, replace lid, and place in fridge over night.
- Enjoy in the morning or within the next 4-5 days.
Most people don't keep blueberry extract on hand, but I highly recommend it. It's a great addition to blueberry baked goods and it never goes bad, so why not go online and order some?
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 Tbs. Chia seeds or milled flax
- 1 Tbs. date sugar or 2 tsp. maple syrup (optional)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 Tbs. PB2 powder
- 1 medium ripe banana, mashed with a fork
- ½ cup + a splash nondairy milk
- Combine all ingredients in a jar by stirring or shaking, replace lid, and place in fridge over night.
- Enjoy the next morning or within 5 days.
Want to make Chocolate Monkey oats? Stir in 1½ - 2 Tbs. cacao or cocoa!
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 Tbs. milled flax
- 2 Tbs. date sugar or 1½ Tbs. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. runny cashew butter or almond butter
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 Tbs. vanilla nondairy yogurt
- 1½ - 2 Tbs. dark chocolate chips*
- ½ cup + a splash unsweetened nondairy milk
- Combine all ingredients in a jar by stirring or shaking, replace lid, and place in fridge over night.
- Enjoy the next morning or within 5 days.
I use unsweetened Califia Farms almond milk and vanilla Forager Cashewgurt.
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 Tbs. milled flax
- 1 Tbs. date sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ tsp. almond extract
- 1 Tbs. sliced almonds
- 1 Tbs. coconut manna/butter, melted*
- Pinch sea salt
- ½ cup + a splash almond milk
- Combine all ingredients except milk by stirring vigorously to evenly distribute the coconut butter. Pour in the milk, stir or shake, replace jar lid, and place in fridge over night.
- Enjoy the next morning or within the next 5 days.
I use unsweetened Califia Farms almond milk.
Not only are these overnight oats recipes fun and easy, they’re delicious and keep you full all morning. They’re an excellent dose of fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Honestly, it’s hard to beat oatmeal for its health benefits.
I hope you enjoy these recipes and go nuts making your own concoctions! If you come up with an awesome recipe or think of an add-in that I didn’t post, please comment! I’m always up for trying new recipes 🙂
♥ ♥ ♥
Also try my Cardamom Stewed Banana Porridge!
Hey Mary Ross! We just got started on the overnight oatmeal last night – this morning. Linda had been wanting it and I thought it sounded yucky. I made it for her last night and it ended up being enough for two. I tasted it and was sold, instantly.
BTW how do you make your date sugar?
Awesome! I usually stretch mine into two servings too — it’s so filling! I buy my date sugar at Whole Foods, and it’s a bit pricey. I’m sure you could find it cheaper online. Another option is to blend dates with your liquid ingredients then add it all to the solids. It’s more work, but cheaper that way. I’m going to look online for a cheaper option now. Glad you like overnight oats!