Here’s everything you need to know about overnight oats — the best basic recipe, the proper ratio, plus 20 different variations. Overnight oats are delicious, so easy to make and perfect for meal prep.
Do you love oatmeal, but swear it off during the hot summer months because the thought of eating a steamy bowl of oatmeal makes you sweat just thinking about it! I feel ya and I have a solution… overnight oats!
I am a HUGE fan of warm oatmeal (especially baked oatmeal), but overnight oats have held a special place in my heart since I discovered them in 2009. They’re so easy to prepare and the combinations of flavors are truly endless. I love that I can prep everything the night before and wake up to a delicious breakfast. I’ve experimented with so many different flavors, but in this post I want to answer all your overnight oats questions and share my basic recipe.
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 cup of oats, I use 1 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of yogurt (or an additional 1/2 cup of milk). For this recipe, I’m skipping the yogurt and using the extra milk. This 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.
Like I said, you can mix in different ingredients or add toppings to really take your overnight oats to the next level. Below I’m sharing my basic overnight oats recipe, plus variations for chocolate chip overnight oats, peanut butter overnight oats and berry overnight oats. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg… scroll down to the bottom of this post to find links to over 20 different recipes!
And just to get your creative juices flowing… here are some fun mix-ins and toppings to add to your base overnight oats recipe:
Once you have all your ingredients mixed together, simply cover and put in the fridge the oats in the fridge to soak overnight. I personally like to use wide mouth 16 oz mason jars for storing my overnight oats but any airtight container will work.
The next morning, grab your overnight oats from the fridge, give the mixture a big stir and top with your favorite toppings. At this point you can simply dig right in as overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold. See my note below if you’re not keen on eating cold oats.
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.
When stored in an airtight container in the fridge overnight oats should last for up to 5 days. They will soften more the longer they sit so I find they’re best on days 1-3, but they’re still safe to eat on days 4 and 5. With this said, overnight oats are great for meal prep. Feel free to make a whole batch for the week on Sunday. I like prepping them in wide mouth 16 oz mason jars.
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 overnight oats in your microwave, cooking in 30 second increments until the oats are warm throughout and enjoy.
Let me start by saying, oats are not the key to weight loss, but oatmeal is a great option when you’re trying to eat healthy and lose weight! It is packed with fiber, but I recommend pairing it with protein to prevent blood sugar spikes. I love mixing in protein powder or Greek yogurt right to my overnight oats.
If you’re looking to keep your sugar consumption down you can always omit the maple syrup/honey from the overnight oats recipes or use a sugar alternative like stevia or monk fruit to sweeten the oats. You’ll just have to play around with how much to add based on your preference.
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I am going to try this and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and hoping this will help with all the weight gain. The recipe looks so yummy!
Best of luck, Ann! You’ll have to let me know if you try the recipe and how it goes.
Thanks for the recipe! I did a lot of research to find the “perfect” overnight oats for my preferences, and I’m happy to say that this is it! I love the basic recipe with diced strawberries. Will definitely be a breakfast staple for me!
Yay! I’m so glad this recipe is such a hit for you, Kim. Thanks for leaving a review and star rating, I appreciate it SO much!
Haven’t tried this recipe yet but love overnight oats. Could you use freeze-dried or frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit? Thank you.
Hi, Jill. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why not. Let me know how it turns out for you if you do try it!
My go to overnight oatmeal recipe during the work week!
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Toni! I’m glad you’re enjoying this recipe.
Forgot to give the 5 star rating you deserve!
Aw, thank you!!