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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Thanks for the recipe, will be trying this tonight!
Does this make 1 serving or 2? also I have just bought chia seeds for the first time, so have been itching to make something with them.
I’m an idiot! I honestly thought you had overnight oats hot – it never occurred to me that you’d eat them cold! I’ve never tried them as I figured my regular porridge is pretty much the same thin and much less effort. Ha!! Definitely going to give these a try now. And If I love them and end up cursing for not trying them sooner, then hopefully it’ll be a good lesson in reading things properly before 🙂
x
Ok, so after looking at this blog religously everyday I have started to use some of your circut workouts because I was getting bored with my current workouts. I tend to eat the same breakfast items throughout the week so, much like my workouts I have been getting bored so I decided to try over night oats. OBSESSED! So delicious and I haven’t stopped thinking about them since (I am currently eating lunch…). I was nervous I wouldnt like the tecture so I added a tiny bit of dried fruit, fresh fruit, and almond slices and I am totally hooked and make more for tomorrow (espeically in this heat wave in Massachusetts!) Thank you so much for all your tips, recipes, and positive attitude!
I followed this recipe but didn’t add chia seeds and added a little less milk. They were SO delicious and I’ll definitely be eating these every morning for a cool summer breakfast 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Just made my first batch of overnight oats! I used skim milk, oats, and plain greek yogurt and at first it was terrible…I vowed to eat a quarter of this batch and thought of a pretty good way to add some flavor and now I’m enjoying them warm 🙂 Made the recipe as called but without the chia seeds, as I haven’t found them at my store. Then added a small amount of hot chocolate powder (because I didn’t have cocoa or any other powder to add flavor) and then popped them in the micro and added strawberries on top 🙂 Next time I’ll be sure to use flavored yogurt! Thanks for sharing!
Is strawberry banana your go-to yogurt for Overnight Oats?
not necessarily. i like plain greek yogurt, but then i add honey too it. i also love vanilla greek yogurt in my overnight oats.
I’ve heard of these SO many times and finally decided to give them a go when I came across them on your blog (which I adore, by the way). I think this is my new breakfast addiction for this warm summer weather. And the different ingredient combinations seem endless! Thanks:-)
so glad to hear it!!
How many servings does this make?
one, but if it’s too much for you, i recommend keeping the oats in tupperware so you can eat the remaining oats for a snack later on.
So I just tried this…and so far, definitely not my thing. I didn’t like the taste so much. Texture was fine, temperature was fine, but I couldn’t get past the yogurt-y tangy taste. Any suggestions??? I want to like it lol!!!
I tried this last night and this morning I was greeted with a delicious, filling & healthy breakfast! I didn’t have flavored greek yogurt, so I used plain along with a squirt of honey and a tablespoon of sugar free jam in to add sweetness & flavor. I am a newbie to chia seeds and I just LOVE them! Thanks for the recipe!
Hey! Just an update- I am LOVING my overnight oats! I have been using the Quick Oats because I had them and didn’t want to waste and follow your directions- I use coconut almond milk instead of regular milk and in the morning I chop up some apples and a spoonful of almond butter YUMMERS!!!
The serving works for two mornings for me which is AWESOME given that AM time is also super rushed
BTW your blog has been SUPER keeping the workout bordem at bay- I am OBSESSED with your treadmill work outs!! Keep doin what your doin!!! 🙂
I just tried your overnight oats recipe and really enjoyed them. Almost couldn’t finish the bowl, they were still pretty thick (and very filling) even after the additional milk. After you’ve eaten something like overnight oats, how long do you wait before exercising? I hate that sick feeling at the gym after I’ve eaten too close to my workout. Do you have any tip or a good rule of thumb?
Tried an overnight recipe from another site a couple of months ago that was just tolerable… but I very much enjoyed yours this morning. But just wanted to check, is this intended to be one serving or two? I ate about half of it and had to stick the rest in the fridge. So filling! Yum!!! I do appreciate all your serving sizes though… like with your pancakes and such. The banana bread protein pancakes were an awesome lunch for me the other day. Thanks!
I have just made a batch to try in the morning! I have been wanting to make them for ages and finally have given them a go! Can’t wait to try them. Oats are my fave breakky, I am addicted to a microwave packet – baked blueberry and apple bake (from here in australia)! But I don’t like the fact that I am eating porridge with preservatives etc in it when oats are such a simple thing to make. Thank you for all your recipes too, I have found my fitness and health mojo again after weeks of being off the wagon! I think its all thanks to you and your wonderful PBF blog, your VERY inspiring and I look forward to reading your blog every day! I have even been reading it while I have been on holiday! Now Im back its time to get back into healthy eating and a healthier lifestyle!
x
I FINALLY tried overnight oats and loove! I used my vanilla Greek yogurt, vanilla almond milk and lots of cinnamon (my true obsession) but they were delish! Thanks so much for the recipe! I also tried the coffee green smoothie the other day and loved that also, I’m a huge spinach fan and live off of coffee so it was right up my alley 🙂
Big fan of your blog!
I tried overnight oats for the first time today! I liked it a lot, but don’t love greek yogurt. I used the greek yogurt with honey…ok to use other flavored greek yogurt or just “regular” yogurt instead? Also, noticed that Chia seeds are high in calories…would cutting to 1 tablespoon instead still make it thick? Thanks, love your blog!
Made these for the first time and had them this morning! I have a dairy allergy so I used almond milk and almond milk yogurt (how amazing is it that nondairy yogurt is available??). It tasted a little odd at first (due to the almond milk/yogurt combo, I’m sure), but once my palette adjusted I LOVED it. This will become a regular breakfast option for me. I’m a runner and it’s also perfect running fuel! Thank you for the recipe!
I’m making my first batch of overnight oats tonight and trying them in the AM ! Excited 😀 !