Eggnog Overnight Oats
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Published Dec 05, 2018, Updated Oct 11, 2022
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Need to use up leftover eggnog? Make eggnog overnight oats for an easy and healthy holiday inspired breakfast. Can easily be made gluten-free, dairy-free and/or vegan.
My dairy-free eggnog recipe inspired me to get creative in the kitchen and whip up a tasty little holiday breakfast — eggnog overnight oats.
Like most overnight oat recipes, these eggnog overnight oats are super simple. I basically just swapped my normal unsweetened almond milk for eggnog, topped it with fresh nutmeg and pomegranate arils and voila — eggnog overnight oats were born!
This was my first time working with whole nutmeg and surprisingly, it wasn’t hard at all. I just used my microplane zester/grater to grate the seed and I quickly had a fine dusting of fragrant nutmeg.
Ingredients in Egg Nog Overnight Oats
- 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 the same way rolled oats do.
- milk – I’ve made the oats with leftover homemade diary-free nog and with store-bought vegan coconut milk eggnog — and they’ve all been delicious! If you don’t have leftover eggnog to use, that’s totally fine too. You can make these eggnog overnight oats with milk (I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk).
- vanilla protein powder – I like adding vanilla protein powder for a little extra protein. If you don’t do protein powder you can leave this out or add in 1/4 cup yogurt for extra protein.
- 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 – for some spice.
- freshly grated nutmeg and pomegranate arils – the real key to making these eggnog overnight oats super festive is the pomegranate arils and fresh nutmeg.
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). 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.
More Oatmeal Recipes to Try:
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Berry Baked Oatmeal Bars
- Easy Protein Balls
- Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Protein Oatmeal
- 3 Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
More Holiday Recipes to Try:
Vegan Eggnog Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup eggnog OR 1/2 cup eggnog + 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- sprinkle of cinnamon
- freshly grated nutmeg, for topping
- 1-2 Tablespoons pomegranate arils
Instructions
- Mix ingredients: Combine oats, eggnog, protein powder (if using), chia seeds and cinnamon in small container and seal with a lid.
- Refrigerate: Place in the fridge overnight.
- Serve: Bring out of the fridge in the morning and stir. You’ll notice that the oats and protein powder soak up a lot of the liquid so you may want to add a little more eggnog or milk before serving. Top oats with pomegranate arils and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t think I’ve ever used fresh nutmeg but I really need to. I hear Rachel Ray praise this key ingredient all of the time. 🙂
I’ve never actually had eggnog but these oats sound delicious!!
Yummy, looks good! I’m with you; seems the more I eat at night the hungrier I am in the morning for some reason. It snowed quite a bit here in Ontario but too bad it was all after Christmas was over.
I agree on 2 things for sure with ya Brit!
First of all… the day after Christmas can be SO SAD- I want to cry because it is over. just. like. that.! Not fair! I am like a kid again for sure. 😉
Secondly- who are these people who are not just SO hungry for breaksfast?!?! I am with you- I am ALWAYS ready for breakfast and THIS recipe looks SO FANTASTIC! I can’t wait to try it as I eat oatmeal nearly everyday. 🙂
I’d never thought of combining Egg Nog and oats, but this looks delicious! So glad to hear you, Isaac and family had a nice Christmas celebration!
Fantastic oatmeal idea! You inspired me to make my (plain) daily steelcut oats into an eggnog delight, by adding your additions of vanilla, nutmeg, maple syrup, and protein powder. The oats were already pepared, so I used your idea but didn’t have to wait overnight. (I prepare my oatmeal in a large batch and refrigerate it, so it’s ready to go. I just warm it in the microwave.)
I’m always hungry for breakfast too…whether I ate a ton or not the night before. I guess that’s a full-proof way to ensure that I’ll always get the most important meal of the day in 🙂
Is there anything that you could replace the protein powder with? Or could you just leave it out?
Great idea! I used the almond milk, cinnamon and nutmeg combination as I don’t have any eggnog. The ‘nog I make is way too decadent to include in breakfast!! These overnight oats are an easy tasty breakfast.
And fresh grated nutmeg is AMAZING!! I only use nutmeg this way; it really is so much better! And the whole nutmegs freeze great!