If you’ve never heard of overnight oats before, let me give you a quick little primer. Overnight oats are a no-cook method of making oatmeal. Instead of cooking your oats with liquid on the stove or in the microwave, you mix rolled (AKA: old-fashioned) oats with the liquid and other mix-ins, and let it rest in the fridge overnight.
In the morning, you have a pudding-like porridge that is perfect for easy grab-and-go breakfasts. It doesn’t have the same texture as hot/stove-top oats. It’s creamier, denser, and in my opinion, so much tastier. I’d take a jar of overnight oats over hot oats any day!
There are a million-and-one recipes and methods for making overnight oats out there, so I’m not planning on reinventing the wheel here. Instead, I’m going to show you how to make eight of my favorite overnight oats recipes. These are the recipes that I come back and use over and over and over again. You can’t go wrong with these!
Before I get started though, I want to talk a little bit about overnight oats equipment. You can easily whip up overnight oats in just a regular bowl or a food storage container with a lid. But you know me, I love a good canning jar!
These recipes are designed to fit in a pint/half-liter size canning jar. It’s a big serving for big appetites, perfect for refueling after a big workout or keeping you full for hours. If your appetite isn’t quite as big as mine, you can definitely get by with dividing these recipes into two. Here are the jars I recommend:
For the Full Batches:
- Weck 742—Half Liter* (pictured) /// I love these jars because there are no disposable parts, and they are just so darn cute, but they are priiiiicceeyyy. If you take care of them though, they’ll last a lifetime (or even more).
- Ball Wide Mouth—Pint* /// These are classic and for good reason. They are affordable, readily available, and great quality. The wide mouth makes it easy to scoop in (and get out!) the oats. They come with the metal two-piece lids, but I recommend getting using the Ball plastic caps* to go with them. You can’t preserve with those caps, but they are great for storage use.
For Half Batches:
- Weck 762 Jelly Jar—1/5 Liter* /// How cute are these guys? They are a touch less than half of the full batch, so you might have a scoop or two leftover, but if you really pack the oats in, you should be just fine!
- Kerr Wide Mouth—Half Pint* /// These can sometimes be hard to track down in stores, but they are a great jar to have around the house. We use these for everything from overnight oats to storing thumbtacks to actual jelly canning. I like them because they have clear sides. In the summer, you should be able to find them at most small-town hardware stores (they always have the BEST selection of canning jars). Again, I recommend the Ball plastic caps* to go with them.
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Okay, now that you have your jars, let’s move onto the actual recipes. Like I said above, each of these recipes makes one very large serving. Great for a big breakfast. If you’re looking for a lighter meal or a snack option, half ’em.
Classic Overnight Oats: Your Base Recipe
First, I’m going to talk you through my overnight oats “base” recipe. This recipe is simple, easy, and delicious on its own. If you’re a vanilla fan, you’ll love it! But this recipe is also good to know because it serves as a base to get imaginative. Mix in whatever fruit or seeds you like. Change up the milk. Leave out the sweetener. Make this recipe your own!
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and add 1/2 mashed ripe banana.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Chocolate peanut butter might be a more classic combination than the classic recipe! This is a great way to feel like you are getting a decadent dessert without actually eating a decadent dessert. And there is some sort of awesome chemical reaction that happens with the cocoa powder and the yogurt that makes chocolate overnight oats super fluffy and AMAZING.
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener, make sure to use unsweetened peanut butter, and add 1/2 mashed ripe banana.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Another example of a dessert you could totally eat for breakfast! These Carrot Cake Overnight oats have all the flavor of a dense, sweet piece of carrot cake, with the added bonus of a ton of nutritional value!
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, plant-based cream cheese, and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and double the carrots and raisins.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Banana Chocolate Chip
This is one of my favorite ones in this post, because the chocolate chips give you just a little taste of decadence, but overall, it still feels nice and healthy. Balance, people! I prefer using chopped banana in this, because I like running into the banana chunks, but if you want a smoother texture and a more consistent banana flavor, mash your banana before mixing in. And make sure to use a nice, ripe banana! If your banana is trending to the un-ripe side, you’ll probably want to add more sweetener.
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, dairy-free chocolate chips, and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and use a whole banana.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Tropical Fruit
These are the overnight oats I make when it is 15 degrees outside, and I am dreaming of lounging on a beach somewhere. In most of these overnight oats recipes, you can get by with using whatever milk makes your heart happy, but I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk from the can in this one—the flavor really helps with the whole tropical illusion. I always get Native Forest* brand.
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based yogurt and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and use a whole banana.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Are you sensing a trend with desserts and overnight oats? My sweet tooth loves recreating my favorite desserts in a healthy, eat-it-for-breakfast kind of way. I’m a big fan of the combo of strawberries and lemons, so this has a nice tart pucker thanks to the lemon zest and juice. If you aren’t as wild about lemon as I am, cut back on it or leave it out completely.
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, plant-based cream cheese, and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and double the strawberries.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats
I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: I eat pumpkin spice things all-year ’round. I make my own pumpkin puree when the pumpkins come off, stash it in the freezer, and happily enjoy my pumpkin-loving brains out 365 days a year. These oats are great for Fall—or whenever you’re feeling the pumpkin pull. If you have some pumpkin pie spice around, you can leave out all the spices, and instead just put in 1/2 teaspoon of that.
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based milk, plant-based yogurt, and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and add 1/2 mashed ripe banana.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats
A version of this overnight oats recipe is already on my blog, but I had to include it here, too, because it’s such a favorite in our house! Like with the Tropical Fruit Overnight Oats, I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk in the can for your milk base. It adds a ton of flavor and creaminess!
Suggested Dietary Swaps
- Make it vegan: Use plant-based yogurt and maple syrup for sweetener.
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and add 1/2 a mashed banana.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats.
Phew! That’s a whole lot of overnight oats recipes! I hope you were able to find something in there that’ll make your breakfasts a little bit more exciting. Since I get a lot of questions about overnight oats, I also wanted to include a Q&A section to see if I can help cover some of the issues that come up. As always, feel free to ask questions in the comments or shoot me an email.
FAOOQ: Frequently Asked Overnight Oats Questions
Do I have to use the chia seeds or flax meal?
Have to? Nope. Do I highly recommend you do? Yuppers. Adding in chia or flax seeds helps the overnight oats thicken and get nice and creamy. If you don’t have them around to add, cut back on the liquid by about 1/4 cup on each recipe, and be aware that your final oats won’t be as dreamy creamy. Oh, and make sure to use ground flax meal instead of whole flaxseeds. The whole ones don’t have the same thickening properties as the ground stuff.
Do I really have to chill the oats overnight?
Psssh. Nah. They start to thicken up nicely in about two hours. I’d recommend going at least four hours to get the optimal yumminess. I think most people just recommend overnight because it’s easy to put it together in the evening, and then wake up to an awesome, pre-made breakfast.
What’s the nutrition info for these?
I don’t track calories or calculate nutrition info for my recipes, but you are welcome to take the ingredients and input them into an online nutrition calculator. I really like this calculator from Calorie Count because it’s as easy as copy and paste.
To give you a ballpark estimate, the base/classic recipe with unsweetened almond milk, 2% yogurt, and one tablespoon maple syrup is 350 calories, 10g fat, 51g carbs, and 15.5g protein. Plus 40% of your calcium, 20% of your iron, and 33% of your fiber.
I don’t like/have Greek yogurt, what can I sub in?
Regular plain yogurt will work, too, although your end result will be a bit thinner. If you aren’t a fan of yogurt at all, you can leave it out all together, double the chia and flax, and add an extra 1/3 cup of milk. Your final result won’t be as creamy or pudding-like, but it’ll still be good!
Sugar is pretty evil, why do you include it in these recipes?
I know lots of folks are against added sugar in our diet, but I’m a big believer in moderation. I believe a tablespoon of maple syrup in my overnight oats isn’t going to be the death of me. If you disagree, that’s totally cool! Just leave out the added sweeteners when you go to make the recipes. I’ve also included suggestions for how to sweeten each recipe without added sugars.
Can I make these ahead of time?
You certainly can! Overnight oats are PERFECT for weekend food prep. Back when I was working in an office, I’d make up 8-10 jars of overnight oats on the weekend to grab for quick breakfasts and snacks during the week. The recipes with fruit mix-ins, I’d eat within 3-5 days, the ones without, you could get by with letting them chill in the fridge for 7-10.
