Healthy Overnight Oats Recipe (+18 Flavors)
This is the only healthy overnight oats recipe you'll ever need! The THOUSANDS of 5-star ratings can't be wrong. Packed with 20g+ protein and 10g+ fiber, these oats are as nourishing as they are tasty. And with 18 flavor options, you're sure to find your perfect meal prep breakfast.
🔍 Recipe At-A-Glance: Healthy Overnight Oats Recipe
- ⏰ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🕰️ Chill Time: 4+ hours
- 🥣 Flavor Profile: The base recipe below is a amazing vanilla overnight oats flavor, but I also have nearly 20 other flavors to try like my strawberry cheesecake overnight oats, carrot cake overnight oats, or my super popular chocolate peanut butter overnight oats
- 💪 What Makes It Healthy: 20g+ protein and 10g+ of fiber per full-size serving, tons of gut-nourishing probiotics
- 🥄 Good For: Meal prep breakfasts, busy weekday mornings, kid breakfasts
- ↪️ Make Ahead: Designed for meal prep! Whip this up on the weekend to eat on all week.
- 🧡 Difficulty: If you can stir, you can make these overnight oats!
"I've been making overnight oats for a while now, using different recipes I've found online, and I gotta say, this is THE BEST recipe by far!
- FRAN -
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🧡 Why You'll Love This Recipe
"Hey! Aren't you the overnight oats lady?!" I've been stopped on the street more times that I can count to talk about my overnight oats (my job is so weird sometimes 😂). These oats are THAT good. I promise you'll love them, too!
Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- Make Ahead: Prep a batch of these overnight oats in literally 5 minutes
- So. Many. Flavors: I currently have 18 flavors (and counting) ranging from lemon poppyseed overnight oats to chai latte overnight oats to pina colada overnight oats-if you can dream it, I've probably already made it.
- Packed Full of Protein & Fiber: A full batch has 20g+ of protein and 10g+ of fiber without any added protein powder or fiber.
- So Easy To Make: If you can stir, you can make these.
- A recipe you can trust: The overnight oats recipes have been viral on the internet for well over a decade! With thousands of 5 star reviews, you can trust my oats recipes.
"LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! By far the best overnight oats I've made and tried"
- LYNN -
🥛 The Ingredients You Need
- Oats: I recommend rolled oats here. Quick cooking or steel cut oats won't have the same texture (but they are great in my slow cooker steel cut oats recipe).
- Greek Yogurt: any plain Greek yogurt will do, or you can use homemade yogurt, just make sure to strain it first (here's the yogurt strainer I use every week)
- Chia seeds: help them thicken up the oats as well as add protein and fiber, you can also swap in equal amounts of flax meal
- Honey or maple syrup: I prefer the flavor of maple syrup in these oats, but either option works-or leave out the sweetener all together if you want to cut back on sugar.
- Flavoring: the recipe listed here is for the base vanilla overnight oats recipe, but depending on what flavor you are making, you'll add all kinds of yummy goodies!
Make sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, along with quantities and my expert tips and tricks.
"I usually don't like oats, but this recipe...SOOO YUMMY, I want to eat it everyday, that's how good it is."
- IVANA -
🔁 Variations & Substitutions
- Make it vegan: Use maple syrup, plant-based milk (almond milk or oatmilk work great) and vegan Greek yogurt
- Make it gluten-free: These oats are naturally gluten-free as long as you choose certified gluten-free oats.
- No chia seeds? Swap in equal amounts of ground flax.
- Up the protein: Add a scoop of vanilla or unflavored protein powder!
- Make it sugar-free: Drop the sweetener and add a ½ mashed ripe banana. Or use stevia or monk fruit sweetener in place of the maple syrup or honey if you prefer.
🥣 How to Make Healthy Overnight Oats
Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix well to combine.
Step 3: Spoon into a jar or other food storage container. I like either Weck 742 Half Liter jars or Ball Wide Mouth Pint jars for the full batch. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Step 4: Serve cold topped with whatever toppings bring you joy: nut butter, nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, etc.
"I've almost tried all of the flavours now, and they're all amazing!! It's like having dessert for breakfast 🙂"
- TASH -
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🙋🏻♀️ Healthy Overnight Oats FAQs
Yes! Overnight oats are packed with protein, fiber, and a good mix of macronutrients to make for a balanced breakfast.
Yes, you can use steel cut oats to make overnight oats but the final texture will be more chewy than creamy. Because steel cut oats are inherently less processed, you should increase the amount of liquid by ¼ cup, and prepare for a chewier oatmeal in the morning.
The recipes with fruit mix-ins, eat within three days. The ones without fresh fruit, you could get by with letting them chill in the fridge for up to a week.
👩🏻🍳 My Expert Tips & Tricks
- Make lots: doubling or tripling this recipe takes no extra time but gives you lots of extra breakfasts-perfect for big families!
- Boost the nutrition: add in protein powder, collagen powder, fiber supplements, oh my!
- Wait at least 4 hours: yes these are called "overnight" oats, but you can get away with eating them after at least 4 hours in the fridge
- Sweeten to taste: some people like breakfast foods sweeter than others, so start with a small amount of maple syrup or honey, taste your oats, then add more if you like.
🥣 All of My Healthy Overnight Oats Flavors
- Lemon Poppyseed Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Chip Banana Overnight Oats
- Chai Latte Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- Key Lime Pie Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Coffee Overnight Oats
- Cherry and Toasted Almond Overnight Oats
- Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Peppermint Overnight Oats
- Piña Colada Overnight Oats
- Coconut Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Eggnog Overnight Oats Recipe
- Pumpkin Overnight Oats
If you tried these Healthy Overnight Oats or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Overnight Oats Recipe (+18 Flavors)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup heaping rolled oats
- ⅔ cup milk of any kind
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxmeal
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 0-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- Whisk together all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Spoon into a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Close and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before eating.
Notes
- This recipe is delicious on it's own, but it really shines topped with fresh fruit, nuts, or peanut butter!
- Doubling or tripling this recipe takes no extra time but gives you lots of extra breakfasts-perfect for big families!
- Feel free to add in protein powder, collagen powder, fiber supplements, or other nutrition boosters.
- This recipe is the base for all my other 18 overnight oats flavors! Find links to all of those in the post above.
Nutrition
This blog post is sponsored by Almond Breeze. The content and opinions expressed here are mine.
These are the best - thanks Cassie! They are a go to. I'm currently on four weeks with no fruit or sugar/sweetener. The pumpkin spice oats (double the vanilla, double the chia, used ginger instead of cloves, pumpkin/sweet potato purée blend I had in the freezer and coconut cream from a can instead of milk) and they are the best! Thanks for making your recipes so flexible ??????
Do you warm them or eat them cold?
These are meant to be eaten cold!
I'm used to eating oatmeal warm, can I warm these, or will that yuk them up?
These are really meant to be eaten cold, kind of like a pudding. If you want a make-ahead option for hot oatmeal, try these instant oatmeal cups! https://wholefully.com/8-healthy-instant-oatmeal-cups/
Hi! Thank you for sharing these. I can't have added sugar like maple syrup and don't like bananas so can you suggest an alternate natural sweetener? Dates?
Second, for the chocolate recipes, is there something I could substitute like vanilla? Not a huge chocolate fan (I know, I know.) 😉
Thanks!
Jill
Canned pineapple or unsweetened applesauce will work to sweeten! Date paste (if you can track it down, or make your own by food processing dates) would also work.
When it comes to the chocolate ones, just leave the cocoa powder out, and they'll still be delicious!
Can I use regular yogurt instead of greek yogurt?
Absolutely, but the texture may be a little thinner than with Greek!
Is ther any way I can substitute coconut milk for coconut cream? Thanks 🙂
Actually a question. How do these taste if you hear them up for a minute or two? I generally like hit oatmeal. Does it terribly change the taste or texture?
These are really meant to be eaten cold, kind of like a pudding. If you want a make-ahead option for hot oatmeal, try these instant oatmeal cups! https://wholefully.com/8-healthy-instant-oatmeal-cups/
I hate to sound silly but when you mention unsweetened milk. Do you mean milk alternatives or low fat milk? Thanks ?
Any kind of regular white cow's milk works, but if you use a milk alternative, use an unsweetened one!
@ Cassie
These recipes were great! Thanks for sharing!
I tried the classic and the tropical with pineapple, Just have a few Qs
1. Is the tropical one supposed to be bitter? I used fresh pineapple and canned coconut milk?
2. are the oats to remain a bit gritty? no entirely soft? I doubled the reciepe so not sure if i didnt include the right amount of liquid.
1) Nope, you might have gotten a bitter pineapple? Sometimes that happens!
2) I wouldn't say they are gritty, but they do have a little bit of tooth to them. 🙂
I'm excited to try these! Does it matter what kind of oats I use? Traditional, quick, other?
Traditional is best! You can use quick if that's all you have, but they will be a little more mushy.
Thank you for taking the time to post all of these tasty sounding recipes!! I can't wait to make them!!! I never would have dreamed of NOT cooking oats! ?
I've made lots of different variations of overnight oats, but these are by far the most delicious!!! Totally love these thank you!
Tell me, please, 1 cup is how many milliliters?
Just over 236.
Thank you very much!
Wow, great!
Thank you 🙂
I'm allergic to flax and chia seeds. Is there anything else I could add to absorb more of the liquid so these are creamier?
Hmmmm...honestly, the oats will go a long way! I recommend leaving out the chia/flax, reducing the milk to 1/2 cup, and adding a couple extra tablespoons of oats.
Tried it with these adjustments and they turned out great! Much more creamy than when I just left out the flax seeds.
Thanks.
wow, I put the strawberry cheesecake into a recipe analyzer and it came out to 565 calories, 39% fat, 29% sodium and only .5.2 grams fiber. The total carbs were 58g as well. I doubt I would make any of these recipes given these nutritional values.
Hello,
I was wondering if you could use frozen fruit if fresh fruit is not available at the time? Mostly curious about the strawberries in the strawberry cheesecake recipe.
Thanks!
I think it would work! The fruit probably won't hold its texture or shape as well, and the colors might bleed into the oatmeal as the fruit defrosts. But as long as you're okay with that, frozen should work!
Hi! Question - OK to use keifer ? And would you sub it for the milk or for the yogurt?
Thanks!
I think kefir should be okay. I'd sub it for the yogurt, and then leave out 1/3 cup of the milk.
I've made these and my family and I love them! I double the recipe and the split into thirds - still huge helpings. My teenager will eat the chocolate peanut butter one every single morning until they are all gone. My little one it's banana chocolate chip. So much cheaper and healthier than cereal and I can take it to work when I have to go in early. I'm looking forward to trying all the flavors and about to cruise your site for more recipes! Cheers!
Anyone else having trouble seeing the actual recipes? I can see the pictures and descriptions but the actual recipes are missing. I bought everything to make the peanut butter chocolate kind and now the recipes are gone. Thanks!
We added a new recipe plugin, and it didn't immediately transfer to mobile well. It should be fixed now! Sorry about that!