Trust me, if this overnight oats recipe can win over my picky family, it can win over anyone! It’s become our go-to breakfast for busy mornings!
My family and I are big fans of oatmeal for breakfast, but even though our everyday oatmeal recipe only takes 10 minutes, it adds dishes and time to our morning, so for my busiest mornings, I’m grateful to have overnight oats sitting in my fridge! Dialing in our family’s recipe took me a while, but we are finally here!
My go-to ratio for overnight oats is 1:1 rolled oats to liquid, plus chia seeds. One serving includes 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 cup liquid, and 1 tablespoon chia seeds. I always add some extras to guarantee they taste incredible, but that’s my basic ratio! I’ve included my favorite add-ins below.
Key Ingredients
- Oats: I prefer old-fashioned rolled oats since they give you the best texture. Instant oats become too mushy. You can use steel-cut oats, but they usually require a longer soaking time and have a much chewier texture (I prefer leaving them for this super creamy steel cut oats recipe).
- Liquid: Water, milk, or your favorite plant-based milk is great (I like unsweetened almond milk or homemade oat milk). You can even use some yogurt, which makes the oats more creamy and bumps up the protein.
- Chia Seeds: These are optional, but honestly, I love them in this recipe. They help thicken the oats and add extra fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Nut Butter, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Vanilla: Plain overnight oats are pretty bland, but I get around that with my favorite mix-ins. I love nut butter (especially homemade peanut butter), and I always add a tiny bit of sweetener (like coconut sugar or maple syrup), ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. It’s these ingredients that make our family’s recipe something we all enjoy and get excited to eat again.
Perfect Overnight Oats
- PREP
- TOTAL
I’m always happy knowing I have these overnight oats in the fridge. They make hectic mornings so much easier! It took me a little while to perfect my overnight oats recipe because I can be quite picky with oatmeal. But I’m happy to share my go-to recipe below, and then you can top it with your favorites. Don’t miss the tiny bit of sweetener, cinnamon, and vanilla, as they make these taste so much better than plain oats.
The recipe below makes one serving, but you can make as many servings as you like! These keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, although I do prefer the texture on days 1 through 3, but they are still tasty on days 4 and 5).
You Will Need
1/2 cup (56g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tablespoon (9g) chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (118ml) milk or plant-based milk
1 tablespoon nut butter like peanut butter or almond butter
1 teaspoon coconut sugar, honey, or maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup berries or fruit
Optional for serving: extra nut butter, fruit, nuts, seeds, dried coconut, honey, maple syrup, or yogurt
Directions
1Prepare oats: In a jar or small bowl, stir 1/2 cup of oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon together. Add a splash of the milk along with the nut butter and stir to help mix the nut butter into the oats (it’s okay if it isn’t completely mixed in). Then, stir in the rest of the milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.
2Refrigerate overnight: Cover with a lid and refrigerate overnight or for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, add the fruit and any additional toppings you love. Enjoy!
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- My favorite overnight oats: Top the basic recipe above with an extra tablespoon of peanut butter and a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes. I also love sprinkling over some hemp seeds and flaxseed meal!
- Overnight oats with yogurt: Stir 1/4 cup of yogurt into the base mixture or add a spoonful to the top before eating. For added protein, use thicker Greek or Icelandic yogurt (1/4 cup adds 10-15 grams of protein).
- Optional toppings: Feel free to customize with peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, fruit (fresh, dried, or thawed frozen fruit), honey, maple syrup, chopped nuts, hemp seeds, flaxseed meal, pumpkin seeds, dried coconut, cacao nibs, or chocolate chips.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates for the basic recipe.
I need a recommendation for oats. I tried overnight oats and I’m not satisfied with them. They are soo bland. Not enough flavor and not enough sweetness definitely just my opinion
Hi April, Have you tried our recipe yet? I find that the optional ingredients listed are what makes them really taste great. Plain oat with milk or water won’t have much flavor, but when you add nut butter or a sweetener like maple syrup, they become much more interesting.
This isn’t cooked, don’t the oats become mushy?
Hi Rita, Some people do find overnight oats softer than when cooked traditionally on the stove. It really depends on your preference, some love the texture and ease of overnight oats, while others prefer cooked oats.