Cherry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

4.11

Published Jun 17, 2020, Updated Aug 17, 2023

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These cherry cheesecake overnight oats taste like you’re having the real deal. They’re super rich and creamy from the cream cheese and have a delicious texture thanks to the graham cracker crumbs.

As you know, I’m a full-on oatmeal lover. I love baked oatmeal, but in the summer, I depend on overnight oats! I’ve made so many different versions, but this cherry cheesecake version is extra decadent and legit tastes like cheesecake. Who doesn’t love cheesecake for breakfast?

I highly recommend making these oats in the summer when cherries are in season because nothing is better than a fresh cherry! Having said that, I’ve made this countless times with frozen cherries and the oats still turn out delicious!

Overhead shot of cherry cheesecake overnight oats in a mason jar.

Like all of my overnight oat recipes, this variation is super simple! Add your milk and cream cheese to a mason jar and stir or mash together until the cream cheese is broken up into small chunks. Add the oats, sweetener, chia seeds, vanilla and cherries. Stir everything together and then put the mixture in the fridge overnight and let the oats do their thing!

After letting your overnight oats soak overnight (or at least a few hours), take the oats out of the fridge and top crushed graham cracker and cherries.

In the morning when you’re ready for the most delicious breakfast, top the oats with crushed graham crackers and extra cherries. My mouth is watering just thinking about this combo!

Ingredients for cherry cheesecake overnight oats in a white bowl before mixing.

Ingredients Needed for Cherry Cheesecake overnight oats

old fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats are the best for overnight oats. Instant/quick oats and steel cut oats don’t work
milk – I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any type of milk will work
softened cream cheese – regular cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese will work, just be sure to let it soften so that it mixes with the milk and oats
maple syrup or honey
chia seeds – these little seeds add a bit of fiber, protein and omega-3 fatty acids and they help absorb some of the liquid which gives the oats a thicker consistency
vanilla extract
cherries – fresh or frozen work!
graham cracker – we’re breaking these into crumbs to make a cheesecake “crust”

Overhead shot with four mason jars with different overnight oat flavors: cherry cheesecake, peach pie, strawberry and blueberry crumble

No Cherries? No Problem!

I love this recipe with cherries, but if you don’t love cherries or simply don’t have them on hand you can make this recipe with another fruit like strawberries or blueberries. Or if you really want to get creative you can skip the fruit and add in something more decadent like chocolate chips or peanut butter (or both)! Oh my gosh, I bet peanut butter chocolate cheesecake overnight oats would be amazing!!

Overnight Oats Ratio

The base “recipe” for overnight oats is so simple! The hardest part is getting the right ratio of oats to liquid, but if you follow my recipes you’ll be set!

I aim for a 1:1 ratio of rolled oats to milk, plus half as much yogurt. So for 1/2 cup of oats, I use 1/2 cup of milk + 1/4 cup of yogurt (or an additional 1/4 cup of milk). For this recipe, I’m skipping the yogurt and using the extra milk and cream cheese. This ratio seems to give the oats the perfect consistency, not too thick, but not soupy. For the liquid, I usually go for non-dairy milk like almond milk, but you can use whatever milk you have on hand and if you really want to experiment you can try using different liquids like fruit juice.

How Long Do Overnight Oats Need to Soak?

Given the name, you’d assume overnight oats need to soak overnight, but you can actually make them in 2-4 hours if you’re in a rush. While it does take some time for the oats to absorb the liquid, they don’t necessarily have to be soaked overnight.

I recommend at least 8 hours for true overnight oats, but there have been mornings where I decide I want overnight oats for breakfast even though I didn’t prep them the night before. When this happens I’ll make them the morning of and let the oats soak for just 2-4 hours. With this quick soak, they’re not as soft as overnight oats that have soaked longer and they’re a bit more liquidy, but they’re still delicious.

Can You Eat Overnight Oats Hot?

Short answer, yes! You can definitely warm up overnight oats, but the whole point of overnight oats is to eat them cold like muesli. Even if you think cold oats sound strange, I recommend giving it shot before you write them off. Of course, if you simply can’t do the cold oats you can always heat them up. Just pop the overnights oats in your microwave, cooking in 30 second increments until the oats are warm throughout and enjoy.

How Long Do These Overnight Oats Keep?

I recommend eating these cheesecake oats right after the oats absorb the liquid because of the cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs! If you don’t eat them right away, they should last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

More Summer Overnight Oats

Straight on shot of cherry cheesecake overnight oats in a mason jar.

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4.11 from 39 votes