Classic Overnight Oats Recipe
This Classic Overnight Oats recipe is quick to prepare and gives you a solid breakfast that you can customize with all your favorite flavors! Plant-based and free of dairy, added sugars, and gluten.
Overnight oats are old news, but I still meet plenty of people who have never made them before. So here’s a quick tutorial.
A few tips for making overnight oats
Make sure you use regular rolled oats
Do not use the instant kind. Use normal, whole grain rolled oats. Instant oats will not come out right and they’re missing tons of the fiber- that means they’ll shoot up your blood sugar and leave you hungry soon after.
You can also use steel cut oats, which have a higher fiber count and are even less likely to spike blood sugar. If you do, be sure to give them at least 10 hours to “cook” overnight, or make them two days in advance.
If you have celiac, a wheat allergy or a sensitivity to gluten, know that you can buy gluten-free oats- I’ve gotten them from Bob’s Red Mill. Oats are naturally gluten-free (though some people may still have a reaction to them). But many or most oats on the market are processed in facilities that also process wheat products. So the gluten-free label tells you that they’re not processed alongside wheat, avoiding cross-contamination.
Definitely get organic oats. Non-organic oats- and basically any non-organic oat products like cereals and granolas- contain glyphosate, a known carcinogen that’s used in industrial agriculture as a weedkiller. See more on this from the Environmental Working Group research on glyphosate in food products.
Choose your milk wisely
You can use whatever non-dairy milk you like, and with some experimentation you’ll find which ones you prefer. But a couple things I recommend is using non-dairy milks that have no added sugars and no added flavors. Buy unsweetened, unflavored milk- then add your own flavors and sweeteners. Personally, I prefer almond milk and coconut milk, or I might make my own nut milk at home. I advise against oat milk because your resulting oatmeal could come out a little too gummy.
Add Whatever Flavor and Nutrient Additions You Like
Fruit, nuts, dried fruit, chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, cacao powder, nut butters….. There are so many ways to dress up overnight oats! I keep a pretty well-stocked pantry, so there’s always something I can throw into my oats to boost their flavor and nutrient content. I strongly suggest adding chia seeds (included in the recipe below), nut butter, and maybe some more nuts on top, to beef up the protein content of this breakfast so that you’re not hungry again at 10am.
Save your glass jars!
I re-use old glass jars to make overnight oats. For example- peanut butter jars, smaller tomato sauce jars, coconut oil jars, etc. etc. I’ve got a whole collection of them, mostly in the 16oz size (give or take). Save the jars and the lids. If you’ve got 5 jars, that’s overnight oats for a family of five or for one person Monday-Friday!
And on that note, YES, you can plan ahead and batch this recipe on Sunday night. Just fill each of your jars with the dry ingredients, and each evening, you’ll add the liquid to one of the jars. SO EASY!
Classic Overnight Oats
Serves 1
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole rolled oats (or sub steel-cut oats)
1 T chia seeds
1 T raisins or other dried fruit (like chopped dates)
1/4 t cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup of non-dairy milk (unsweetened and unflavored)
1/2 t vanilla extract
Toppings of your choice
Directions
Start this the night before you want to have the oats for breakfast. They will “cook” overnight. *If using steel cut oats, you’ll need to add the liquid at least 10 hours in advance.
In a glass jar of your choice, add all the dry ingredients (oats through the sea salt), put on the lid and shake vigorously.
Next add the non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Replace the lid and shake vigorously.
Place the jar in your fridge overnight. If you start this an hour or two before bedtime, try shaking once more after the oats have been sitting in the fridge for an hour or so.
In the morning, the oats are done! Note that there may be a little liquid at the top of the jar. That’s ok. Just stir everything up.
Now, add your toppings straight to the jar! I stirred in some almond butter and topped off with fresh blueberries, coconut flakes and chopped pecans.
Enjoy!
