Overnight Oats
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Last updated on Apr 05, 2025
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Overnight oats are the perfect healthy breakfast to meal prep for busy mornings. Here you’ll find my base overnight oats recipe and my favorite variations.
Overnight oats have held a special place in my heart since I discovered them in 2009 and you can tell I’m obsessed just by looking at how many different variations I have posted over the years.
They’re my favorite way to meal prep oatmeal for the week, especially during the warmer months when I crave cool, light, and effortless breakfast options. They’re easy to prep the night before (it literally only takes about 5 minutes to mix your oats together) and then you have a ready-to-eat breakfast that will keep you full for hours.
Ingredients Needed
This overnight oats recipe is the perfect base recipe to start with! I recommend 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). These proportions seem to give the oats the perfect consistency, not too thick, but not soupy. Here’s what you need:
- rolled oats – old-fashioned rolled oats are a must for overnight oats. They soak up the liquid, which gives you a lovely creamy texture. Instant, quick-cooking and steel cut oats don’t work because they don’t absorb the liquid in the same way that rolled oats do.
- milk – you can make this recipe with any type of milk you prefer. I personally like non-dairy options and usually use unsweetened almond milk. While you can use water instead of milk, I don’t recommend it. It will be virtually flavorless and lack creaminess, similar to eating cereal with water.
- yogurt – this gives the oats a extra creamy texture while adding a bit of protein. I personally like using plain Greek yogurt since it’s the highest in protein and lowest in sugar. To make vegan or dairy-free overnight oats you can use a non-dairy yogurt (I like Siggi’s plant-based or Culina) or skip the yogurt all together and use additional milk.
- chia seeds – while these are optional, I love adding chia seeds to my overnight oats because they add a bit of fiber and protein. Plus they help absorb some of the liquid which gives the oats a thicker consistency.
- Add-ins + toppings – Here’s where you can get creative. Just like with regular stove top oats, there are some classic add-ins like vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, maple syrup (or honey) and a pinch of sea salt that really elevate the flavor and make overnight oats super tasty.
How to Make Overnight Oats
Step 1: Add your oats, yogurt, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla and sea salt to a jar or bowl.
Step 2: Add in your milk of choice.
Step 3: Stir to combine. Cover and place in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a rush you can shorten the soak time to 2-4 hours.
Step 4: The next morning (or when ready to eat) give oats a big stir or shake. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy.
Step-By-Step Video
Overnight Oat Variations
Like I said, you can mix in different ingredients or add toppings to really take your overnight oats to the next level. Here I’m sharing three fun variations:
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats – I love peanut butter so this is probably my favorite flavor to make. Just mix a little peanut butter into the overnight oats as you make them and then top with another drizzle of peanut butter. I also like adding some chopped peanuts and blueberries.
Overnight Oats In a Peanut Butter Jar Hack
Got an almost empty jar of peanut butter? You can use it to make your peanut butter overnight oats. Just add all your ingredients right into the jar, combine, let soak and then enjoy straight from the jar. It’s the perfect way to use up every last bit of the peanut butter.
Berry Overnight Oats – For a berry version, I love adding fresh berries and a little jam. You can do whatever berries you enjoy most and whatever flavor of jam you have on hand. I love using my strawberry chia jam.
Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats – Having a little chocolate with breakfast always feels like a treat and this version is super easy. Just mix a few chocolate chips into the mixture and add a few on top when you’re ready to serve it up. I also like adding a drizzle of nut butter and some banana slices.
Add-Ins & Topping Ideas
I love the flavors I shared above, but the flavor options are practically endless. Here are some additional ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- Fruit – you can’t go wrong with bananas and berries, but almost any fruit will work. I even have a tropical overnight oats recipe with pineapple, mango and toasted coconut.
- Nut butter – I use peanut butter and almond butter most often, but any and all nut/seed butters will taste amazing drizzled on your oats.
- Nuts and seeds – this goes right along with the nut butter. You can use nuts too! Almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds… you’re options here are endless.
- Granola – I’m a granola girl and love adding crunchy granola on top for a little texture. I highly recommend my homemade granola recipe.
- Protein – feel free to add additional Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or protein powder to bump up the protein of your oats. Also see my protein overnight oats, cottage cheese overnight oats or overnight oats with yogurt if you want a specific recipe.
- Chocolate – I’m all about sneaking a little chocolate into my breakfast. Feel free to use chocolate chips or even a chopped chocolate bar. If you love chocolate, try my brownie batter overnight oats.
Brittany’s Tips!
- Be sure to use the correct type of oats. Old fashioned rolled oats will give you the best results. Instant, quick-cooking and steel cut oats don’t absorb liquid quite the same way so the texture will be different.
- Don’t forgot a pinch of sea salt. It really enhances the flavor of the oats and makes overnight oats taste really delicious.
- I love using milk and yogurt to make my oats extra creamy, but you can try other liquids like apple juice, orange juice, kefir or even cold brew coffee to switch up the flavor. See my kefir overnight oats and coffee overnight oats for the recipes.
How to Store
Store your oats in a covered container in the refrigerator 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 and you can make them on Sunday for the full work week.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
The Best Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup milk, I like unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, or ¼ cup more milk
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey, or your preferred sweetener
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds, optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- pinch of sea salt
- toppings of choice: fruit, nut butter, nuts, seeds, etc.
Chocolate Chip
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate chips
Peanut Butter
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
Berry
- ¼ cup fresh berries, I like sliced strawberries and blueberries best
- 1 Tablespoon strawberry jam or chia jam
Instructions
- The next morning (or when ready to eat), remove lid and give oats a big stir. If they seem too thick you can add a little more milk to loosen the mixture. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy. You can eat the oats straight from the jar or pour into a bowl for serving.
Chocolate Chip
- Stir 1 Tablespoon of chocolate chips into the overnight oat mixture when prepping and then sprinkle oats with remaining chocolate chips to serve.
Peanut Butter
- Stir ½ Tablespoon of peanut butter into the overnight oat mixture when prepping and then drizzle oats with remaining peanut butter to serve.
Berry
- Stir 2 Tablespoons of berries into the overnight oat mixture when prepping and then top layer of jam and remaining fresh berries.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Equipment
- Mason Jar (the wide-mouth jars are easy to use)
Questions I Get Asked About Overnight Oats
Yes, overnight oats are healthy breakfast option. They’re made with simple, nutritious ingredients, contain fiber from the oats and most of time they also include a protein source like yogurt or protein powder which will make them satisfying and filling.
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 soaked oats in your microwave, cooking in 30 second increments until the oats are warm throughout.
You likely didn’t follow the proper ratio or perhaps you added an additional ingredient (like protein powder) which soaks up a lot of the liquid. If this happens you can always add a splash of milk to loosen the oats.
What Jars to Use
In terms of what type of container to store your overnight oats in, there are a lot of options. I personally like wide mouth 16 oz Mason jars because they’re relatively inexpensive and they offer plenty of space for stirring everything together and for adding toppings.
I’ve also found that these Le Parfait Jam Pots (photographed here) and 9.8 oz Weck jars are perfect for a single batch. They’re durable glass and practical for other uses in the kitchen too.
Of course, regular meal prep containers work great or you can get jars made specifically for overnight oats like these cute jars with colored screw tops.
I love this recipe! Love the way you can change up the toppings/flavors! I am lactose intolerant so use unsweetened vanilla almondmilk & omit the yogurt. I love it this way! It reminds me of a bowl of cereal that I haven’t been able to have for years!
Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the overnight oats, Darby! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I love your overnight oats recipes. They have been a huge hit over here for myself and 3 y.o. Thank you!
Woo!! So glad you’re loving the overnight oats. That makes me so happy to hear, Lauren. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
I love your site! I just winged it and used 1 tbsp chia seed. Of course, I should always check Eating Bird Food first 🙂 Future note to self. Hoping for the best on this batch.
How’d they turn out for you?!
Thanks for asking! Just fine. I found out overnight oats are quite forgivable 🙂 I have been making daily now without the chia seeds, but with rolled oats, almond milk, and apple pie spice! Do you have a favorite rolled oats brand?
Yes, my go-to is Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats. 🙂
Overnight Oats are one of the best recipes and rescues for next day early morning breakfasts. They are super healthy and delicious and provides a lot of energy with different combinations of fruits. Rolled oats
I will just say thank you for these recepies!I love it! Me and my son (who is not a healthy eater!) are making them every evening.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Suzana! So glad you guys have been loving the recipes. 🙂
This recipe is so versatile! It’s a great base to start with and also one of my babies favourite breakfasts!
THE most important recipe of my life as a new mom. Ive made a few containers of this every week for the past year and it’s the only way I’m eating breakfast while taking chasing around my newly-mobile baby! It would be such a cute gift to a new mom to make a gift basket with mason jars and the ingredients to make this with a printed out recipe card.
Ahh yay, so glad this recipe has been helpful for you as a new mama. 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it.
What is the best size lidded container for overnight oatmeal?
Hey Mackie, I normally make these in pint mason jars.
I’ve made this twice now and quadruple the batch to last enough for a few mornings. I’m addicted!!! Such a nice change from regular hot oats. Perfect for summertime. I add in cinnamon, chia seeds and ground flax too! Then in the mornings I top with banana, blueberries, and nut butter.
Yay!! So glad you’re loving the overnight oats, Mallory. Thanks for taking the time to come back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
I made the basic recipe of the overnight oats and they turned out amazing!! I made them and ate them the same day after letting them sit in the fridge for about 4 hours, the oats turned so soft and can’t get over how creamy they tasted! I topped mine with sliced banana, peanut butter and a little jelly. I will be making again ASAP, thank you Brittany for this easy delicious recipe 😊
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed the overnight oats, Maggie! You’ll never get bored of them because there’s so many flavor combos. 🙂