Overnight oats have taken the food community by storm the past few years, and I finally decided to hop on the bandwagon. This is a breakfast or lunch that is not only healthy, but will help you stay fuller for longer.
I am not a breakfast person, I never have been. Especially growing up with coeliac disease in the 2000’s – 2010’s… let’s just say the options for a gluten free breakfast were not great. Now I know, oats are often not considered gluten free, personally I have not had an issue with them. I am also just not a morning person in general, at least not when I have to get up and go to work. I will wake up with as little time to get ready as I possibly can, which means that I definitely do not want to bother with making breakfast in the morning.
With overnight oats it is super simple to just chuck everything into a jar the night before, give it a stir, and pop it in the fridge! So when I’m going through my everyday frantic ‘oh sh*t I’m going to miss the bus’ rush in the morning, I can just reach into the fridge as I pass the kitchen. Perfect!
I have seen so many variations of overnight oats across social media, some of them are almost works of art. But, I like to stick to simplicity. You do not need to add all this fancy stuff to achieve a yummy breakfast, there is beauty in simplicity.
Key Ingredients
- Oats because duh… I use rolled oats. Quick oats are thinner and more absorbent, meaning they’re more likely to turn to mush overnight. Rolled oats will be able hold their structure more and slowly absorb the liquids.
- Oat milk is my milk of choice. Of course it compliments the flavour of the actual oats, but it is also my preferred dairy free milk. You could easily substitute it for something else. I find almond milk too bitter, coconut milk can be a bit overpowering, soy and rice milk are ones that I have yet to try.
- Yoghurt is used to add a nice creaminess to the overnight oats. I used a plain natural yoghurt, as I do not want it to overpower the other flavours. Adding yoghurt to your overnight oats gives them a smoother, velvety texture.
- Chia seeds give the overnight oats an extra fibre kick. These help aid gut health and digestion. As well as participating in the filling factor of the overnight oats, helping you stay full for longer.
- Maple syrup brings balance to the flavour of the overnight oats. The natural yoghurt and oat milk are both unsweetened, so adding maple syrup brings in a subtle hint of sweet to help balance everything out. Frozen raspberries are also often on the more tart side.
- Vanilla paste adds a level of depth to the taste. It compliments the other flavours in the oats, and adds a delicious aromatic note, elevating the overall taste of the muffins.
- Raspberries give these oats a bit of pzazz! I personally chose to use frozen raspberries, as fresh ones will cost you a fortune in New Zealand – for a small packet where half of them are squished and mouldy. I also prefer frozen for these oats as they will defrost in the fridge overnight, and can easily be stirred through before eating.
How to make these easy overnight oats
Start with the base.
To a mason jar or container, pour in the oats and oat milk.
Now bring in the thickeners.
Then add the chia seeds and natural yoghurt. Give everything a stir.
Time for the sweet stuff.
To the oats add the maple syrup and vanilla paste. Stir again.
Make the overnight oats berrylicious.
Add the frozen raspberries, or fruit of choice. Push these down into the oat mix.
Then it’s overnight time for overnight oats.
Place the jar in the fridge overnight.
Serves up!
Before eating, stir the overnight oats one last time to mix in the now defrosted raspberries. Enjoy!
Storage
Now, I’m sure you may have seen some people make overnight oats for days in advance. I am not going to recommend that. I find that if you make these overnight oats in advance, you’re giving them too much time to become soggy and mushy. Also, because this recipe uses frozen raspberries, you are going to want to eat the berries with a day of them defrosting. This recipe is so easy and takes less than 5 minutes, I highly recommend just making a jar the night before.
Variations
I think part of the beauty and reason why overnight oats have gained their popularity, is how customisable they are. For example, with my recipe, if you wanted to switch out the raspberries for blueberries or strawberries – not a problem! You can mix and match with whatever toppings you would like. I just love raspberries, and think they are amazing in these overnight oats, but take this recipe as a base and personalise it with what you like.
More breakfast recipes:
Alrighty, I think you have everything you need to get started on these delicious overnight oats. So grab your ingredients and your jar, let’s prepare a yummy breakfast.
Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup oats
- ½ cup oat milk
- ¼ cup natural yoghurt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- 2 tbsp frozen raspberries
Instructions
- To a mason jar or container, pour in the oats and oat milk.
- Then add the chia seeds and natural yoghurt. Give everything a stir.
- To the oats add the maple syrup and vanilla paste. Stir again.
- Add the frozen raspberries, or fruit of choice. Push these down into the oat mix.
- Place the jar in the fridge overnight.
- Before eating, stir the overnight oats one last time to mix in the now defrosted raspberries. Enjoy!
