Learn how to make overnight oats! This easy, make-ahead breakfast is perfect for busy mornings. Find my base recipe plus 4 fun variations below.
When someone asks me for an easy, healthy breakfast idea, this overnight oats recipe is the first thing I suggest. It’s perfect for busy mornings, as you can make individual servings ahead of time and take them on the go. It’s also satisfying enough to keep you full till lunch, made with simple ingredients like oats, chia seeds, and (optional) yogurt. But best of all, it’s fun.
What could be fun about oatmeal, you ask? Well, this yummy breakfast is endlessly customizable. Once you learn how to make overnight oats, you can experiment with mix-ins like cocoa powder or vanilla extract or pile on toppings like nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit. To get you started, I’m sharing four tasty variations (+ my go-to base recipe!) below. Try them out, and then get creative making your overnight oats your own!
Overnight Oats Recipe Ingredients
When I first started making overnight oats, I kept them really simple, using just oats, almond milk or coconut milk, and maple syrup. But after a little experimentation, I realized that adding chia seeds to overnight oats takes them to a whole new level. They give the oats a delicious thick and creamy texture, sort of like that of chia pudding. They also add protein, fiber, and healthy fats. What’s not to love?
Now, I use these ingredients in my go-to overnight oats recipe:
- Whole rolled oats – Also known as old fashioned oats. Quick oats and steel-cut oats will NOT work here. Quick oats will be too mushy, while steel-cut oats will be chewy and tough.
- Chia seeds – For extra protein and the perfect thick and creamy texture.
- Almond milk – Or any milk you like! Dairy milk and oat milk both work well. Coconut milk adds rich flavor and yields an especially creamy texture.
- Maple syrup – For sweetness. Honey works too.
- And a pinch of salt – To make the oats extra-flavorful.
If you like, you can stir in Greek yogurt as well. It adds more protein and makes the oats extra-creamy. Skip it to make this recipe dairy-free.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Overnight Oats
My method for how to make overnight oats is super simple! Here’s how it goes:
- Place the oats, chia seeds, maple syrup or honey, salt, and yogurt, if using, in a lidded container or jar.
- Pour in the almond milk, and stir thoroughly to combine. Make sure that there are no chia seeds clumped around the bottom or sides of the jar!
- Cover and store overnight, or for up to 5 days, in the fridge.
When you’re ready to eat, give the oats another stir, add your desired toppings, and enjoy!
If you’re meal prepping overnight oats, set out a Mason jar for each serving you want to prep. Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the milk to each jar. Then, add the milk to one jar and stir that jar together before adding the milk to the next. I find that adding the milk to one jar at a time helps prevent the chia seeds from getting too clumpy. Once you mix up all the overnight oats, cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to eat!
I recommend waiting to add any toppings until the morning you plan to eat your oats. That way, nuts, seeds, and granola will stay crunchy, and fruit will stay bright and fresh.
Overnight Oats Recipe Variations
Now for the fun part: overnight oats variations! Here are four that I really love:
1. Apple Pie Overnight Oats
This variation is perfect for fall! I stir applesauce and warm spices into the creamy oat base and top it off with diced apples and toasted pecans for crunch. If I have them on hand, I also like to add a scoop of my stovetop cinnamon apples to this variation. They taste just like the inside of an apple pie!
2. Peach Crisp Overnight Oats
Topped with sweet, juicy peach slices and nutty granola, this overnight oatmeal is an ode to my favorite peach crisp.
3. PB&J Overnight Oats
It’s a classic combo for a reason! I load up this variation with creamy peanut butter and a strawberry chia jam that packs a HUGE punch of berry flavor. Fresh strawberries and raspberries amp up that flavor even more, and toasted peanuts add the perfect crunch. For a twist on this variation, swap almond butter and toasted almonds for the peanut butter and peanuts.
4. Chocolate Banana Bread Overnight Oats
I stir cocoa powder, mashed banana, cinnamon, and nutmeg into this variation’s base to give it a rich, chocolatey banana bread flavor. Sliced bananas, walnuts, and chocolate chips top it off.
I hope you love these variations! But remember – you can also feel free to make your oats your own. Try stirring spices or protein powder into the oat base, or experiment with toppings like seasonal fresh fruit, dried fruit, coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, or nut butters. If you find a combination you love, let me know in the comments below!
More Favorite Healthy Breakfasts
If you love this overnight oats recipe, try one of these healthy breakfasts next:
- Chia Seed Pudding
- Instant Pot Steel-Cut Oats
- Baked Oatmeal
- Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
- Energy Balls
- Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- Or any of these 60 Healthy Breakfast Ideas!
Overnight Oats
Equipment
Ingredients
Base Recipe
- ½ cup whole rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup, plus more for serving
- Pinch of sea salt
- ¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt, optional
- ⅔ cup unsweetened almond milk
Variations:
Apple Pie
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
- Diced apple
- Chopped pecans
- Cinnamon Apples, optional
Peach Crisp
- Peach slices
- Granola
PB&J
- Chia Jam, recipe below*
- Peanut butter
- Chopped strawberries
- Raspberries
- Chopped peanuts
Chocolate Banana Bread
- ½ banana, mashed
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch nutmeg
- Banana slices
- Chopped walnuts
- Chocolate chips
Instructions
- Make the base recipe: In a Mason jar or other lidded jar, place the oats, chia seeds, maple syrup, salt, and Greek yogurt, if using. Add the almond milk and stir until the mixture is well combined and there are no clumps of chia seeds at the bottom of the jar. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 5 days.
- In the morning, top with your desired toppings and serve with drizzles of maple syrup.
- For apple pie overnight oats, stir the applesauce and cinnamon into the overnight oat base. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with diced apple, chopped pecans, and cinnamon apples and drizzles of maple syrup, if desired.
- For peach crisp overnight oats, make the plain overnight oat base. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with peach slices, granola, and drizzles of maple syrup, if desired.
- For PB&J overnight oats, make the plain overnight oat base. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with chia jam, peanut butter, chopped strawberries, raspberries, and chopped peanuts.
- For chocolate banana bread overnight oats, stir the mashed banana, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the overnight oat base. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with banana slices, chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, and drizzles of maple syrup, if desired.
Notes
- 1 pound strawberries
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- Pinch of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
Amazing! I had never actually looked at an overnight oats recipe before, and found out that I’ve been making it wrong with too much liquid. I trust all of Jeanine’s recipes and this was another hit. I mixed in pumpkin, nutmeg and pepitas too!
Hi Deanna, I’m so glad you loved it!
So good! I did this for the March Challenge and I made the oats with chocolate milk, then topped with banana, peanut butter, cocoa nibs, and coconut 🙂
I love these overnight oats! Today I went for the chocolate chip cookie one and now look forward to eating it every morning(: The texture is so creamy and wow I’m craving it!
I made these as a grab-and-go breakfast with added passionfruit and chia seeds for a bit of crunch!
Love this recipe! Super easy for a quick breakfast! And I love how many variations there are and can even make my own! 100% making again
I made these with honey, blueberries, walnuts and Greek plain yogurt!
I love overnight oats! So easy to make and then zero effort when you need a quick breakfast or snack. I usually use oat milk since that’s what I prefer to drink. I like to add chia and flax to the oats for the overnight soak. I always top with chocolate, PB or almond butter and whatever nuts or seeds I have on hand (usually walnuts and almonds). I definitely need to branch out though and your other varieties sound so good, thanks for the ideas!
I make overnight oats a lot, but I love your simple base! I topped mine with homemade apple compote and chocolate chips, and gave it a quick heat to get the chips melty – yum!
I love overnight oats and these variations were just what I needed to change it up!
Yum, I love the suggested toppings. I have also enjoyed using matcha powder or peanut flour as a mix in! Oats are such a great base for creativity!
I love this. I just started trying to do something better for breakfast.
So excited I love how simple yet delicious overnight oats are! Definitely trying the cookie dough one!
Love your overnight oats. Simple and easy!! In the morning I can quickly through together some toppings and I have a healthy delicious breakfast. Thank you!
I’ve tried overnight oats a few times and never been a fan. It’s been a while so I decided to try your recipe. I made it Friday afternoon so I’d have a yummy breakfast for my Saturday morning work shift. I FORGOT ABOUT THEM UNTIL THIS MORNING! (I know, hot mess momma here) guess what…. I really really enjoyed them. I used coconut milk from the carton and cinnamon to start and then today I microwaved them for a minute and added half a sliced banana, drizzle of honey, sliced almonds, and a sprinkle of hemp seeds and just a tiny bit of mini semisweet chocolate chips. Maybe it was because I let them sit so long but thank you for changing my mind on overnight oats.
I love making overnight oats! I got into a routine of prepping them on Sundays in mini mason jars and then adding topping the morning of so they don’t get soggy. I love to add cacao nibs for a little crunch. I’m also a fan of adding nut butters to make them extra creamy. It’s a decadent, easy breakfast on a workday morning.
This is such a great overnight oats recipe and very easy to adapt to whatever toppings you want to add. Overnight oats are my go-to and I’ll definitely be coming back to this version!
Delicious! My toppings were: raisins, coconut, chocolate and raspberries. I didn’t add any sugar or syrup and it was really good also <3
My first time making overnight oats! Very good and wholesome. I added cacao nibs, coconut, blueberries, cinnamon
We have been on a kick with overnight oats recently, so the timing of these great new flavor combinations was perfect. We prepped the turmeric and the tahini options. Can’t wait to try them!
Yum! Made some this morning with blueberries, coconut, chia, cinnamon & honey 🙂