Overnight Oats: 5 Ways

Overnight oats are a simple and delicious way to make sure you get a healthy breakfast no matter how busy your morning is! Ready in less than 5 minutes, these 5 flavours of overnight oats are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast to get you out the door and off to work every day of the week.

Typically served chilled straight from the fridge, overnight oats are a great portable breakfast idea for mornings when you need to get out the door in a pinch. Not only are they quick and easy to make but they are made of real food, low in sugar, low in calories and a healthy way to start your day. Oats themselves are a source of complex carbohydrates that are high in fibre, which helps to keep you full, balance blood sugar and keep cravings at bay.

How to Make Overnight Oats

Making overnight oats is actually a lot easier than it may seem. By simply combining rolled oats, milk and flavourings of your choice you can easily create a healthy handheld breakfast without much effort. Here are the most important ingredients to consider when learning how to make overnight oats:

• Oats: Use rolled oats or quick-cooking oats for the best results. Steel-cut oatmeal is far too tough for overnight oats and won’t soften enough in the milk, while instant oats end up a little too mushy.
• Milk: You can really use any type of milk you like in your overnight oats. My personal favourite is cow’s milk because it provides a natural sweetness, but almond milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, rice milk or any other milk alternative would work just as well. I don’t recommend using water because it won’t provide much flavour and will leave the oats tasting quite bland.
• Salt:  Just like any other food, oats need to be salted to provide the right balance of flavour. A small pinch of salt goes a long way to help bring out the flavours and also helps to breakdown the oats for a softer texture.
• Thickeners: You can make overnight oats by simply combining oats and milk, however, adding a thickener is a nice way to tie everything together and create a more decadent texture. Ingredients such as chia seeds, peanut butter, almond butter and yogurt work very well.
• Flavours: This is where you can have a lot of fun! Essentially any type of sweet spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cocoa powder, etc) will work well; you can also add vanilla extract, peanut butter or other nut butters for an added punch of flavour.
• Fruit: Once you have the base formed, you can add fruit for extra flavour and added sweetness. Fresh or frozen fruit work equally well; frozen fruit is best added the night before, while fresh can be added at any point.
• Sweeteners: Sweetening overnight oats is completely optional and can be done during preparation or when you are ready to serve. Regardless of what you choose, natural sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup are the healthiest options and just a little drizzle goes a long way.

The Best Ratio for Overnight Oats

The key to good overnight oats is the right ratio of oatmeal to liquid; too much liquid and you end up with a runny mess, and too little liquid leaves you with dry, raw oatmeal. The best ratio is1/2 cup oats to 3/4 cup liquid; it doesn’t matter if you want to use milk, almond milk, coconut milk or rice milk, this ratio tends to provide the best flavour and texture for the oats. Although some recipes will call for a 2:1 ratio, this can leave the oats a little too liquidy, so I prefer to stick with the 1/2 cup oats to 3/4 cup liquid ratio and adjust the milk in the morning if needed.

Healthy Overnight Oat Flavours

Once you’ve got the basics down you can truly create any flavour of overnight oatmeal you like. Essentially, any oatmeal flavour you eat warm you can eat cold by simply making some changes to the preparation method. Here are 5 basic flavours to help get you started:

• Peanut Butter & Banana Overnight Oats
• Vanilla Blueberry Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats
• Strawberry Chia Overnight Oats
• Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

Once you’ve got your ingredients mix together, overnight oats can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. For the best results and texture, be sure to give them a big stir the in the morning, add more liquid if need, and don’t skimp of the extra toppings!

Want another delicious recipe? Check out my Carrot Cake Overnight Oats for a healthy breakfast idea that taste like dessert but is packed full of veggies, fibre, healthy fats and a great way to start the day!

Want quick and easy recipes? Grab a copy of my 5-Ingredient Recipes Cookbook!