Healthy Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are an easy, healthy make-ahead breakfast recipe that is packed with whole grains, fiber, and nutrients.

Overnight Oats are a staple healthy breakfast recipe for busy mornings. They take minutes to prep, can be flavored in endless ways, and can be customized to fit any dietary restrictions!

What are Overnight Oats?

Overnight Oats are a make-ahead breakfast that is simply made by soaking oats in water or milk overnight. After 8-10 hours, the oats are perfectly softened and slightly chewy, just like classically prepared oatmeal. 

And while I absolutely adore all oat recipes, like Crockpot Oatmeal, Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, and Baked Banana Oatmeal, my favorite weekday breakfast is this Overnight Oats Recipe for many reasons.  

The Perfect Weekday Breakfast Recipe

• Easy To Make: It takes mere minutes to prep enough overnight oats to last you (and your family) for the week. 
• Make-Ahead Breakfast: As the name implies, overnight oats are best prepared the night before you intend to enjoy them, making this a great recipe for meal prep. And if your mornings are like mine, any time you can get a jump start on breakfast, the smoother your entire day will go!
• Healthy: Oats are full of whole grains, fiber, and nutrients. This recipe for overnight oats adds in ground flaxseed and chia seeds, making this breakfast a powerhouse of nutrients, protein, and fiber and will keep you going strong for hours. 
• Low in Sugar: This recipe for overnight oats is made without added sugars. And while I give suggestions to sweeten the oats with both fruit or natural sweeteners, such as maple syrup, the overall sugar content is much lower than that of packets of oatmeal. 
• Perfectly Portable. Perfect when you need to grab and devour on busy on-the-go mornings.
• Can be Served Warm or Cold. While overnight oatmeal is designed to be served cold, straight from the refrigerator, you can certainly opt to warm it up before serving if desired. 
• Customizable. You can easily adapt the base recipe for Overnight Oatmeal to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan friendly. Plus the flavor options are endless.

Notes on Ingredients

Technically, you only need oats and liquid to make overnight oatmeal. That said, I find that adding chia seeds and ground flaxseed bumps up the nutritional value of overnight oats. I have also provided suggestions for sweetening and flavoring the oats if desired.

• Oats: Rolled Oats, not steel-cut oats are best for this recipe. While you can use old-fashioned or quick-cook oats, I recommend old-fashioned for a creamy, yet not mushy, consistency. 
• Milk: Use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk, such as almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or soy milk. Even non-dairy milk will add a rich, creamy flavor to the oats along with a serving of calcium. 
• Flaxseed: Flaxseed is technically optional, but adding ground flaxseed to overnight oats is a great way to add additional fiber and nutrients to your oatmeal. 
• Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are another optional ingredient, yet highly recommend adding them, as they add fiber, protein, healthy fats, and texture to the overnight oatmeal. 
• Sweetener: It is completely optional to sweeten the base of your overnight oats. I find that the flavor additions typically do more than enough to sweeten the oatmeal for me, but if you desire sweeter oatmeal, add in maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar. 
• Vanilla Extract: I do love adding in a bit of vanilla extract, as it adds a sweet, rich flavor to the oats and pairs well with just about any additional add-ins. 
• Kosher Salt: Adding a VERY small pinch of salt helps to bring out all the flavors in the oatmeal, but feel free to omit it. 

See the bottom of the post or recipe card for ideas for flavoring up your Overnight Oats. 

How to Make Overnight Oats

• In a bowl, pint-sized jar, or glass container, combine the milk, a pinch of salt, ground flaxseed, and chia seeds. If desired, add maple syrup (or the sweetener of your choice), and vanilla extract into the container as well.  
• Place the lid on the jars and shake well to combine. Alternatively, use a spoon to mix the ingredients until just combined.  
• Add the oats to the jar and then place the lid on the jar and shake well to incorporate, or use a spoon to mix well. Mixing the milk with the other ingredients before adding the oats, helps to ensure that everything is evenly combined and well distributed through the oatmeal.  

• Place the lid on the jar, or cover the container or bowl tightly with a fitted lid or plastic wrap. 
• Place the oats in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. 
• Before serving, remove the lid and stir in your favorite add-ins like fruit, yogurt, nut butter, or chopped nuts.

Flavorings for Overnight Oats

Start with this healthy recipe for Overnight Oats and then let your imagination, mood, or picky eaters dictate how you flavor your oatmeal. For best results, wait to add your toppings until immediately before serving. 

Below are a few of my favorite flavor combinations and variations for overnight oats. If you have a favorite, please share it in the comment section!

• Chocolate Cherry: For one serving, add ¼ cup of fresh, canned, or frozen chopped cherries along with ½ tablespoon of chocolate chips to the oatmeal. 
• Almond Joy: Instead of regular milk, use coconut milk to make the base of the overnight oats. Before serving, sprinkle each serving with about ½ tablespoon of chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon of toasted coconut, and ½ tablespoon of sliced almonds.
• Banana Pie: Mash half of a very ripe banana and stir into the oatmeal. Top with crushed graham crackers and a dollop of yogurt or whipped cream and enjoy immediately. 
• Peanut Butter Banana: Top each serving of overnight oats with sliced banana and a drizzle of peanut butter before serving.
• Apple Cinnamon: Before serving the overnight oatmeal, stir in ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a couple of tablespoons of freshly diced apples into the oats. Top with chopped walnuts if desired.
• Peanut Butter Cup: Drizzle the prepared oatmeal with peanut butter or nut butter of your choice and then sprinkle with chocolate chips.
• Peaches and Cream: Before enjoying the oatmeal, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt and 2-3 tablespoons of diced peaches.
• Blueberries and Cream: To serve, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt and 2-3 tablespoons of fresh or frozen blueberries.
• Strawberries and Cream: Before serving, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt and 2-3 tablespoons of diced strawberries.
• Cinnamon Roll: Stir in ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, and the tiniest pinch of ground cloves. Top with a dollop of vanilla yogurt if desired to mimic a cinnamon roll's frosting.
• Cinnamon Raisin: Stir in ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of raisins to each serving of oatmeal prior to serving. 
• Pumpkin Pie: Stir in 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon fresh nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, and 1-2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts to each serving of overnight oats before serving. 
• Maple Brown Sugar: Along with the optional maple syrup addition, add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar. You can opt to stir this into your oats before or after refrigerating.

Tips to Remember

• Mason jars are a great vessel to use to prepare overnight oatmeal. I recommend using 8-ounce glass jars for individual servings.
• Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need your oatmeal to be gluten-free.
• If you prefer your oatmeal warm, use a microwave-safe jar or bowl to prepare your overnight oats. When ready to eat, remove the lid or plastic wrap and microwave for 1-2 minutes before serving.
• For Vegan-Friendly or Dairy-Free Overnight Oats, use non-dairy milk.
• The base recipe for overnight oats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

More Oatmeal Recipes

• Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
• Instant Pot Oatmeal
• Slow Cooker Oatmeal

If you tried this recipe for overnight oats, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below. I would also love to hear what your favorite flavor is!

This recipe was originally posted in 2018 but was updated in 2023 with new photos and a video.