Vanilla Orange Overnight Oats

3.69

Published Nov 15, 2017, Updated Mar 20, 2023

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These vanilla orange overnight oats combine the bright citrus flavor of orange juice with hints of vanilla for a delicious, make-ahead breakfast. This post is sponsored by Trop50 juice beverage.

If you’ve been reading EBF for any amount of time you’ll likely know that I’m a huge fan of quick, meal-prep friendly breakfast recipes, especially overnight oats. I think there was a year where I ate overnight oats almost every single day. Hence the reason I have a growing collection of different overnight oats recipes.

What can I say, I’m a creature of habit and when I find something I like I stick with it.

That said, almost every overnight oats recipe I have here on EBF uses milk or yogurt as the liquid and I thought it’d be fun to switch things up a bit with a citrus version using orange juice. I don’t know why I didn’t think to do this sooner because the orange vanilla flavor combo is so delicious and perfect for winter when we can all use an extra boost of vitamin C.

Ingredients in Vanilla Orange Overnight Oats

orange juice – the orange juice I’m using for this recipe is Trop50, which has 50% less sugar and calories. It’s made with fresh oranges (not from concentrate) and adds such a lovely citrus flavor to this recipe.
vanilla protein powder – for an extra added protein boost.
old fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats are the best for overnight oats. Instant/quick oats and steel cut oats don’t work the same because they don’t absorb liquid like rolled oats do.
almond milk – I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any type of milk will work.
vanilla extract – this isn’t a must-have, but it boosts the vanilla flavor so I highly recommend using it.
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.
cinnamon – adds a touch of spice!
chopped pecans – I love the added crunch the pecans give to the oats.
orange zest – this is optional, but it helps enhance the orange flavor.

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 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 orange juice. 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.

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.

How Long Do Overnight Oats Last?

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.

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.

More Oatmeal Recipes to Try:

If you try these vanilla orange overnight oats, be sure to leave a comment and star rating letting me know how they turned out. Your feedback is super helpful for me and other EBF readers who are planning to try the recipe.

Top down of two jars of orange vanilla overnight oats, topped with orange zest and pecans, with two gold spoons.

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3.69 from 19 votes