4.73 11 Published Jul 06, 2022, Updated Jun 29, 2024 This slightly sweet, slightly tart breakfast combines oats with vanilla protein powder, Greek yogurt, fresh raspberries and a hint of lemon for the perfect summer breakfast!
What Are Overnight Oats?
If you’ve never made overnight oats, you might be wondering what the heck these are! Essentially, it’s a no-cook way to enjoy oatmeal. Instead of cooking oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave, you soak the oats in milk. Overnight, the oats absorb whatever liquid you’re using and soften them up. The next morning you will wake up to a ready-to-eat, delicious breakfast!
Ingredients Needed
old-fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats work best for overnight oats recipes! Quick oats/instant oats get too soggy and steel-cut oats don’t soften enough. Oats are naturally gluten-free but are often cross-contaminated, so make sure you grab certified gluten-free, old-fashioned oats! almond or oat milk – I prefer to use unsweetened almond milk or oat milk, but really any dairy-free milk or regular milk will work. yogurt – yogurt gives overnight oats an extra creamy texture and thicker consistency while adding a bit of protein. I personally like using plain full fat Greek yogurt since it’s the highest in protein and lowest in sugar, but feel free to use your favorite type of yogurt! To make this recipe vegan or dairy-free you can use a non-dairy yogurt or skip the yogurt altogether and use additional milk. vanilla protein powder – my favorite brand of protein powder is Nuzest! Use code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order. If you don’t have protein powder on hand or aren’t a fan you can use collagen or skip it altogether! chia seeds – adds fiber, protein and healthy fats to the recipe. It also absorbs some of the liquid and helps thicken the oats. lemon zest – for a hint of brightness! If you’re looking for more lemon flavor feel free to add a squirt of fresh lemon juice to the overnight oats! maple syrup – to add a hint of sweetness to the recipe. Feel free to use honey, agave or your favorite sweetener of choice. fresh raspberries – can’t have raspberry lemon overnight oats without the raspberries! If you don’t have fresh berries on hand, frozen berries will work just fine.
Mix, Soak Overnight and Enjoy!
Once you have all your ingredients mixed together, simply cover and put the oat mixture in the fridge to soak overnight. I personally like to use wide mouth 16 oz mason jars for storing my overnight oats but any airtight container will work. The next morning, grab your overnight oats from the fridge, give the mixture a big stir and top with your favorite toppings. My go-to toppings are fresh berries, lemon zest, chia seeds and coconut flakes. At this point you can simply dig right in as overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold. See my note below if you’re not keen on eating cold oats.
How Long do Overnight Oats Need to Soak?
While “overnight oats” is surely a catchy name, you actually don’t need to soak them overnight! The longer you soak them, the more liquid they will absorb and the softer the oats will be. If I’m on top of my meal prep, I do try to make these at night to allow them to soak overnight. Having said that, I have definitely forgotten to prep these in advance and just let them soak for a few hours in the morning.
How Long do Overnight Oats Stay Fresh?
When stored in a sealed container in the fridge overnight oats should last for up to 5 days. They will soften more the longer they sit so I find they’re best on days 1-3, but they’re still safe to eat on days 4 and 5. With this said, overnight oats are great for meal prep. Feel free to make a whole batch for the week on Sunday so you have an easy and healthy breakfast ready to go throughout the week!
Can You Eat Them Hot?
Short answer, yes! You can definitely warm up overnight oats, but the whole point of overnight oats is to eat them cold like muesli. Even if you think cold oats sound strange, I recommend giving it shot before you write them off. Of course, if you simply can’t do the cold oats you can always heat them up. Just pop the overnight oats in your microwave, cooking in 30 second increments until the oats are warm throughout and enjoy.
More Overnight Oat Recipes to Try
Easy Basic Overnight Oats Strawberry Overnight Oats Low Calorie Overnight Oats Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats Chocolate Overnight Oats Blueberry Overnight Oats Kefir Overnight Oats
Check out all of the overnight oats recipes as well as the full collection of oatmeal recipes on EBF!
