How many times do you grab a quick something as you head out the door in the morning? Sometimes it may not be the healthiest of options, or you skip breakfast all together. I’m totally guilty of grabbing a quick protein bar and a cup of coffee. But with a little planning and prepping the night before you can have a small grab and go cup of overnight oats. Oats are loaded with lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. They are healthy, easy to make, and the flavor combinations are endless! I have tried both whole rolled oats and steel cut oats. Quick Oats work great, and they even hold up well the next day. I like to eat my overnight oats cold; I have never tried them warmed in the microwave, but I would think just 1-2 minutes tops. Don’t rush the process: let them stay in the fridge overnight! They will turn out creamier, and all your liquid will be absorbed. This base recipe will make 4 8 oz jars with leaving some room on top for you topping add ins.
Ingredients:
Base Recipe
1 C oats of choice (rolled, quick, steel cut, gluten free oats)
1 C liquid of choice (Dairy, Soy, Almond, Cashew or even H20)
½ C Plain Greek Yogurt (You can view my Instant Pot Yogurt recipe here!)
1 Tblsp of sweetener (maple syrup, honey, agave or leave it out) Pinch of salt
I always add chia seeds and cinnamon for added health benefits, but it is not necessary. Using 2 tsp of chia seeds will help thicken up your oats if you are omitting greek yogurt or you are dairy free and us a milk substitute.
Directions:
This is the easy part:
1. Add all ingredients of the base recipe into your bowl, stir and distribute equally into each jar, then cover. (Using a spouted mixing bowl makes it easy to pour your oats in each jar. You can use a spoon and scoop into each.)
2. Pop in the refrigerator overnight. Thats it!
3. The next morning grab a jar stir and you can add what ever toppings you like.
A few suggestions of topping add ins: Fruit: berries of all kinds, bananas, apples.
Nut butter : peanut, almond, cashew, hazenut.
Added crunch: grape nut cereal, granola, walnuts, pepitas, pecans Extra sweetness: dried cranberries or cherries, shredded coconut
Notes:
Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: N/A
Total Time: 10 minutes +Overnight
Storage time: 1 week in the refrigerator
Other: I prefer to store my overnight oats in glass canning jars. They already have lids to make it easy for storage, but you can use other storage containers of your choice as long as you can close and seal them.
I enjoy overnight oats and always enjoy trying new ways to prepare that for breakfast. One thing I really like about overnight oats is that I prepare them in advance, making the morning a bit less rushed.