For me, oatmeal is one of those foods that I just plain forget about. I’ve pretty much always loved oatmeal. It’s warm, easy to customize cereal. Who doesn’t love cereal? And once I learned that oatmeal can actually be quite good for you, I was even more sold on it as a breakfast option. The one draw back is prep time. You can easily make oatmeal on the stove top or in the oven (yay for baked oatmeal!). Neither option takes much time. But when you’re the kind of person who waits until the last possible moment before leaving your house to think about breakfast, well, your options get pretty limited fast. That’s why I was so excited to try out overnight oats.
I am happy to report overnight oats are awesome! You can quickly put this together the night before and you have a ready to go breakfast in the morning. You could easily pop this in the microwave too, if the weather is super cold where you live right now (we just got more snow yesterday!). So, how do you make overnight oats? Here are a few of my favorite combinations so far. 
Very Berry Oats, serves one.
2/3 cup oats
2/3 cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
1 tablespoon blueberry jam or 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
fresh or frozen berries for the top
The night before combine the first three ingredients in a small jar. Give it a good shake with the lid on. Place in the refrigerator. This variation isn’t very sweet, the only sugar being whatever is in your particular blueberry jam (you could use any fruit jam you prefer).
Banana Nut Oats, serves one.
2/3 cup oats
2/3 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy milks both work great in these)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
banana slices and chopped pecans
The night before combine the first four ingredients in a small jar. Give it a good shake with the lid on. Place in the refrigerator. Top with bananas and pecans the next morning just before eating.
Pumpkin Spice Oats, serves one.
2/3 cup oats
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
a big pinch of cinnamon
a small pinch of nutmeg
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
granola or chopped nuts for the top
The night before combine the first seven ingredients in a small jar. Give it a good shake with the lid on. Place in the refrigerator. In the morning top with crunchy granola. Oats on oats. Then, go ahead, it’s good I tell you. 🙂
Tropical Oats, serves one. (Exotic sounding, no?)
2/3 cups oats
2/3 cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
sliced mango
chopped almonds
The night before combine the first three ingredients in a small jar. Give it a good shake with the lid on. Place in the refrigerator. In the morning top with sliced mango and chopped almonds. I also think a little toasted coconut would be wonderful in this one. The morning I made this I found I did not have any coconut left though. Oops. 
Before adding the toppings in the morning be sure to give the oats a taste and add a little more sweetener or even a pinch of sea salt to boost the flavor. Try it! You’re gonna love it. xo. Emma
Note: If you are enjoying these as part of the WeekDay Weekend Challenge be sure to use non-dairy milks and natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey. Yum!
Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman.
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Ingredients
Very Berry Oats
- ⅔ cup oats
- ⅔ cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon blueberry jam (or 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries)
- fresh or frozen berries (for the top)
Banana Nut Oats
- ⅔ cup oats
- ⅔ cup milk (dairy or non-dairy milks both work great in these)
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- banana slices
- pecans (chopped)
Pumpkin Spice Oats
- ⅔ cup oats
- ⅔ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- a big pinch of cinnamon
- a small pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- granola or chopped nuts for the top
Tropical Oats
- ⅔ cups oats
- ⅔ cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
- mango (sliced)
- almonds (chopped)
Instructions
- The night before combine the oats, milk, jams, syrups, and any extract or spices in a small jar. Give it a good shake with the lid on. Place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning add additional toppings. Or warm in the microwave (or oven) before serving.
Are these oats raw and not cooked?????????????????????????
Yes, they are raw. That’s the idea, that they soak overnight to ‘cook’ them
I love making overnight oatmeal! I made it a lot while I was pregnant because it was healthy & filling, and then I made it a lot while breastfeeding to help with milk production. And now I just make it because it’s easy & yummy! Never made it with bananas & syrup though, so I’ll definitely try it out that way as well! yum!
I’ve always liked oatmeal. I’ve gotta try the overnight recipe.
Yes bien saludable
Also great to grab for a fast lunch at the desk when you have refridgeration at work. I like using Saigon Cinnamon and raisens — no need for sweetener.
Do you use steel cut oats?
Delicious!
Thank you!! This looks so yummy. Have to try them all :-).
i haven’t tried overnight oats yet, though it sounds so good! giving it a try soon 🙂
xo, cheyenne
Hi Emma and Elsie, these look great. Mentioned them on my blog today: http://littlebearsinoxford.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/breakfast-bears/
Could they possibly be made a few nights in advance?
This is a silly question but do you cook the oats the night before when u put them in the jar or do u cook it them the next morning?
These sound great. What type of oats are you using… just plain rolled oats – steel cut – ???
it all looks great and very healthy, cool inspiration
http://dieta-surowa.blogspot.com/
I LOVE overnight oatmeal! have you tried making it with Greek yogurt instead of milk? now that is some rib sticking yummy goodness! I personally love using Yogurt of the Gods honey vanilla, with some blueberries or raspberries.
Just whipped up four jars for the morning! LOVE overnight oats, thanks for the new combos!!!!
I am so thrilled to have caught this recipe when I did! I was actually just thinking about making oats for my kids in the morning, but as I am also a very last-minute kind of person, I’m not very good at making hot breakfast on weekday mornings. I was looking at some of the photography tips and saw the link for this on the side. A serendipitous find, I tell you! Thank you!
How long do you heat it in the microwave?
I tried the Banana Nut Oats and it was de-li-cious !
I’m gonna taste the Pumpkin Spice Oats tomorrow morning !
Thanks for these receipe !
This would be really delicious using Chia Seeds instead of oats too!!