How to Make Overnight Oats
Confession: I can still remember the first time I made overnight oats and it was not a pleasant experience. I initially thought they were rather disgusting but I now realize it’s because the recipes I tried were a little odd and the texture was simply off. I now absolutely adore them because I gravitate toward recipes I find appealing — aka overnight oats recipes that are doughy, slightly sweet and have a little chewiness to the texture. No soupy oats allowed!
Many people make overnight oats with just oats and milk as a base recipe, but I’ve found that my favorite overnight oats recipes include four main ingredients:
- Old fashioned oats (NOT quick cooking oats or steel cut oats)
- Milk (Any kind — almond milk, coconut milk, soy milk, oat milk and regular milk all work really well)
- Chia seeds
- Greek yogurt (plain or flavored, though I prefer full-fat for a more creamy texture)
Step 1
It actually took quite a lot of experimenting in the kitchen with oats, milk, yogurt and chia seeds to finally get the combination I felt like yielded the perfect consistency and thickness but your preferred overnight oats consistency will vary person to person. I am now at the point where I eyeball measurements almost every time I make overnight oats, but if you’re looking for a go-to base recipe to use as a launching pad for your own overnight oats creations, I typically use around 6-ounces of Greek yogurt, two tablespoons chia seeds, 2/3 cup oats and 1/2 cup milk. To make the oats, you’ll simply combine everything in a large bowl. From here, you may add sweetener if you like (I almost always add a dash of maple syrup or honey) as well as any other mix-ins. (A splash of vanilla extract is delicious, too!)
Step 2
Then it’s time to stir everything together, cover up the oats and let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. (Note: Overnight oats are perfect to make in a mason jar if you’re someone who likes to make multiple jars of oats at one time for your weekly meal prep!)
As the overnight oats sit in the fridge, they will go from this…
To this…
Very thick and chewy!
Step 3
In the morning, it’s time to stir the super-thick oats and add in another 1/4 cup of milk to make everything slightly more liquidy, but still quite thick. (This is where you can play around with the recipe a bit. If you like thinner oats, simply add more of your preferred kind of milk to the oats at this point.)
Then it’s time to top the oats with your favorite toppings! The more the merrier!
Overnight Oats Toppings
A few of my favorite toppings for overnight oats include:
- Fresh berries
- A drizzle of natural peanut butter
- Banana slices
- Almond butter mixed with honey
- Dried fruit (especially raisins or dried cranberries)
- Toasted coconut
- Walnuts or pecans
- A sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- Hemp seeds
- Crunchy granola (my easy coconut granola is a personal favorite)
Overnight Oats Tips and Notes
To me, the key to making overnight oats is the inclusion of chia seeds. These cannot be substituted because they add thickness to the oats that simply cannot be duplicated. If you do not have or do not like chia seeds, you may wish to reduce the amount of milk in the overnight oats to maintain thickness.
If I am using plain Greek yogurt, I will add about one tablespoon of honey, maple syrup or fruit preserves to the oats before letting them sit overnight for a bit of sweetness.
Overnight Oats Recipes
If you’re looking to try overnight oats for the first time and prefer to follow a recipe, here are some of my favorite overnight oats recipes, with more descriptive notes about how to make them!
- Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Overnight Oats (My all-time favorite overnight oats recipe!)
- Maple Pecan Overnight Oats
- Vegan Protein Overnight Oats
- PB&J Overnight Oats
Question of the Morning
- Have you ever tried overnight oats?
- What is your favorite way to make overnight oats? Feel free to link to a favorite recipe!
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Hmm, I just tried them for the 1st time today and the verdict’s still out. I used non fat plain greek yogurt and I feel like I just couldn’t get them sweet enough. I added honey, almond butter and a banana but they were just too sour. I’m thinking it might be better to do a flavored yogurt?
oh, how I love overnight oats, I just have one question if you use flavore yogurt or just plain ? =)
Hey Julie! Do you think maple extract would add a great flavor to the oats? I love maple & brown sugar oatmeal so I’m curious.
I made overnight oats for the 1st time last night and had it for breakfast this morning…. It was so good! I’m always looking for quick and healthy breakfast ideas!
Quick question – how many servings does this recipe make? Is it all your or do you split it with your hubs? Since we can’t just whip more up if there’s not enough I want to make sure I start out on the right foot. Thanks!!!
This is such a good idea! I’m hopeless at thinking about what I want to eat in the morning so to have something tasty already prepared sounds perfect. I even have a pack of jumbo oats in the cupboard at the moment- will definitely have to give this a try 🙂
I just “stumbled” across your blog and I’m officially obsessed 🙂 I made these for the first time last night and they were wonderful! I’m a full-time working mom of a 2 year old and preparing breakfast the night before really saved me time (and a trip through the drive-thru) Thanks!