Have you tried overnight oats?

We hope so!  If this is already part of your breakfast routine, we hope we can spark some new ideas.   And if you haven’t tried it, we want to inspire you to give it a try!

Just imagine waking up to a breakfast that’s creamy, delicious, and ready to fuel your day.  The best part?!  No cooking required! 

Whether you’re racing out the door or looking for something that is portable and you can enjoy later in the day, this grab-and-go meal provides a perfect blend of nutrition and convenience.

Now, I have to admit, when we first discovered this idea, I was VERY skeptical.  Cold oatmeal?  It’s not cooked?  What?!  My oatmeal comfort zone was the maple and brown sugar instant oatmeal packet – just dump it in a bowl, add water, and heat it up in the microwave.

Being open-minded to try new things, we decided to give overnight oats a try.  And the result?  We were blown away!  We loved the flavors and textures and got so excited about all of the flavor combinations we could experiment with.

With the holiday season fast approaching, this is a delicious, quick & easy way to prepare breakfast for your family and guests.  And it’s also great other times of the day, as a pre- or post-workout snack, afternoon pick-me-up and even for dessert!

A better way to start your day…

Overnight oats are very similar to muesli, which was developed by a Swiss physician and pioneer in the nutrition world.  His original recipe included oats, apples, milk, nuts and lemon juice and he credited it as contributing to significant health improvements in his patients.

Mornings are typically so chaotic, it can be tempting to grab a bowl of cereal, a frozen waffle or a donut or muffin on the way out the door.  Unfortunately, many of these options quickly turn to sugar and leave you hungry by mid-morning.  In our breakfast coaching tips, we have a variety of ideas and inspiration for delicious, healthy and convenient breakfasts.  And overnight oats are right up there among our favorites!

Why oats?

The beauty of oats is they keep you full and help keep your blood sugars stable.  Our coaching tip on oats describes why they are so good for you:

• Oats are cholesterol sponges!  Oats will bind to LDL cholesterol and help remove them from your system.  The result?  Lower LDL, along with reduced risk of clogged arteries and heart disease.
• This easy-to-use whole grain is packed full of fiber and slow-digesting carbs, which help you feel full longer and help stabilize blood sugars.
• Oats are loaded with beneficial antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease, prevent Type 2 diabetes and even reduce the risk of certain cancers!

Tips to help make your overnight oats easy and delicious:

There is a basic formula for 2 servings you can use if you are new to overnight oats.  Plus, this makes it easy to whip up a batch without feeling like you have to “follow a recipe.”  Feel free to adjust this formula based on your preferences as you find the consistency you like best.

• Magical ingredient — chia seeds!  Because chia seeds absorb so much liquid, they help give overnight oats a great texture.  Chia seeds don’t add much flavor but, in addition to helping provide an excellent texture, they are a nutritional powerhouse.  Each gram contains more Omega 3s than an equal gram of salmon, more potassium than bananas, and more calcium than milk!  If you don’t have chia seeds, ground flaxseeds are another fantastic addition, providing a good boost of fiber, protein and Omega 3s.
• What kind of oats?  Most people will prefer regular, old-fashioned rolled oats the best.  Instant oats tend to get too mushy.  If you prefer a chewier texture, you can use steel cut oats.  Our “go-to” is half (1/4 cup) old-fashioned and half (1/4 cup) steel cut oats.  If possible, we recommend buying organic to minimize ingestion of pesticides and glyphosate.

• Mason jars!  A pint size (16 oz) mason jar is perfect for a single serving.  For a grab-and-go breakfast, these are ideal!  You could probably fit one serving in a half pint size jar (8 oz), but we prefer the pint size because it provides plenty of room to stir everything together when you are ready to dig in.  We usually prepare the oats in a small or medium-sized bowl, and then transfer to the mason jars for individual servings.

• Add sweetness to taste!  Depending on the ingredients you’re using, you may not even need an added sweetener.  If you are using fruits that are super-sweet, you probably won’t need to add any additional sweetener.  In other varieties (including ones that use cocoa powder), a small amount of pure maple syrup or honey sweetens it up perfectly.  Try starting with a couple of teaspoons, and then adjust to your preference.  Adding chopped dates or raisins can be a delicious natural sweetener.

Get Creative!

With overnight oats, think about it like a blank canvas – the ingredient combinations can be anything you can dream up!  Plus, you can incorporate some seasonal flavors (peaches and pecans during the summer, pumpkin spice during autumn – you get the idea!).

Two of our favorite overnight oatmeals are the Neapolitan Overnight Oats and the Black Forest Overnight Oats.  Can you tell how much I like chocolate?!  Both are spectacular!  The ingredients work perfect together to provide amazing taste and texture – plus they are good for you!  We have served these at cooking demos and other events and they consistently get rave reviews!

One of my favorite overnight oats stories is when we came up with the idea for the Black Forest Overnight Oats.  It was during our 47-day series of “What Do We Eat?” during Lent 2023.  In our March 21st video, we shared how we prepared them, and then promised to share the verdict in the next day’s video.  If you are interested, you can watch it here – we start talking about the overnight oats 2 minutes into this video:

Before we tried this new recipe the next morning, one of our extra-special Eat REAL America members, Brenda, had already made the oats, tried them, and commented how much she enjoyed them!  She even suggested adding coconut as another topping – a perfect addition that we incorporated into the recipe!

Other flavor combinations to help get you inspired include:

• Blueberries and pecans in the Blueberry Overnight Oats
• Pumpkin puree, pecans, coffee and cacao nibs in the Pumpkin Tiramisu Overnight Oats
• Carrots, coconut, walnuts and dates in the Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
• Peanut butter, cacao, banana, almonds and dark chocolate chips in the Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
• Mixed berries, pecans and coconut in the Mixed Berry Nut Overnight Oats
• Apple, pecans and pumpkin pie spice in the Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Do you have a favorite recipe for overnight oats?

Please share with us!

We would love your help to come up with more flavor combinations for the website!