Benefits of Overnight Oats + Basic Overnight Oat Recipe 

Use this super simple basic overnight oats recipe to make and prep a satisfying and healthy breakfast for the week and reap the amazing benefits of overnight oats! 

If you skip breakfast (and find yourself obsessing about food during the day or snacking uncontrollably at night), you NEED this overnight oats recipe in your life! I struggle to call this a recipe as it’s really just a blueprint to help you put together a simple but satisfying and nutrient-dense breakfast with foods you most likely already have in your fridge or pantry. 

Beyond all the incredible benefits of overnight oats, which we’ll get to, they have the most delicious doughy texture. I eat them for breakfast, and for an afternoon snack, and for a lil’ bedtime snack. They’re that good. 

If you’ve heard of overnight oats and wonder what the fuss is about, or maybe you’re just looking for a high-protein breakfast that doesn’t involve eggs or slaving over the stove every morning, keep reading.

You can make these oats the day before and even prep a whole week’s worth at a time for a high-protein, fiber-rich on-the-go breakfast! 

What are overnight oats? 

The name is almost self-explanatory, but we’ll dive in a little deeper. Instead of cooking your oatmeal and enjoying it hot, you’ll combine oatmeal with a number of other ingredients, like yogurt, chia seeds, milk, fruit, and other nutrient-rich foods, and let it sit (at least for a few hours) in the refrigerator. 

The oats and chia seeds soak up the liquid, leaving soft, doughy oatmeal that can be eaten cold. Yes. Cold oatmeal. If you haven’t tried it– don’t knock it. 

Making overnight oats is a great opportunity to enjoy oatmeal with more protein and make eating breakfast as simple as grabbing a mason jar out of the refrigerator. When I worked in an office, I stored them in individual jars to take to work, and now that I work at home, I just scoop a serving into a bowl in the morning. 

Aside from how easy overnight oats make it to get a quick and effortless balanced breakfast each morning, one of my favorite features is how easy it is to add a number of nutrient-dense ingredients you may not otherwise eat. 

The basic blueprint for making overnight oats

You can view this recipe as a blank canvas. Get the first 3 to 4 ingredients right, and you can make any flavor or combination of oatmeal you can imagine. Here are some of the basic ingredients in any overnight oats recipe. 

Oats

While any type of oats will work for overnight oats, the most common type you’ll see is old-fashioned or rolled oats. Quick oats Instant oats need less time to soak, and steel cut oats will need significantly more time and more liquid, but any of them will do the trick. 

Oats are high in fiber and contain a good amount of protein as they’re whole grains. What I love about the fiber in oats is that most of it is soluble fiber, the type of fiber that helps you feel full, lowers cholesterol levels, and supports lower blood sugar levels. 

Chia seeds

Chia seeds are not completely necessary in every overnight oats recipe, so if you can’t stand the texture of them, feel free to leave them out. However, if you’ve never tried chia seeds in overnight oats, I highly recommend giving them another shot. 

Chia seeds are also high in soluble fiber (while also providing omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and other potent plant compounds) and increase the overall nutritional value of the oatmeal.  

Just one ounce of chia seeds has 316% of the recommended daily value of omega-3 fatty acids!

With the high amount of soluble fiber, the chia seeds soak up the liquid, along with the oats, and make the oatmeal a bit more “vicious”. 

Milk

You can use water for liquid, but milk is the preferred choice for an extra creamy oatmeal. You can use regular cow’s milk (whole, skim, 2%, 1%, whatever you prefer), or you can use plant-based milk like oat, almond, or soy or coconut milk.  

If you choose cow’s milk or soy milk, your oatmeal will have added protein. Most plant-based milk, like almond milk or oat milk, is low in protein unless it’s been added separately, so be sure to read the label. 

Yogurt

Adding Greek yogurt (my preference) to your overnight oats gives it a rich, doughy texture and adds a ton of protein. To keep the sugar content low and reap the benefits of added protein, choose plain Greek yogurt or a flavor that’s made with little to no added sugar.

My absolute favorite Greek yogurt to use is Oikos Triple Zero in Vanilla, but your favorite brand and flavor (or plain) will work just as well! 

You can also use a plant-based yogurt, but keep in mind that many plant-based yogurts are low in protein and high in sugar, so read the label to make sure it aligns with your nutrition goals. 

Fruit

Now that you have the base recipe of oats, chia seeds, yogurt, and milk, you can start to create the flavor you want! While you don’t have to add fruit, it’s an easy way to get a serving in your day, add lots of natural sweetness to your oatmeal and an extra burst of fiber and antioxidants. 

I often use frozen fruit, which helps keep the cost down and makes it easy to include out-of-season fruits. Some of my favorites are frozen strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. Dry fruits like raisins, cherries, or craisins also work. 

Just before serving, you can also top your oatmeal with fresh fruit – bananas are best used this way as they can get a little brown and mushy if you add them to the oats ahead of time. 

Nuts, seeds, spices, and other extras

Here’s the fun part! The flavor combinations are absolutely endless when you consider all the nuts, seeds, and spices you can add to your overnight oats.

Whether you mix them in while you prepare a big batch or sprinkle them on top, you can really make each bowl or jar your own. Here are some popular options: 

• Nuts and nut butters: Cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts (also consider a big dollop of peanut butter or almond butter stirred in before serving– YUM!)
• Seeds: Hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds
• Spices: Pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, cardamom, vanilla, cocoa powder, apple pie spice
• Sweeteners: A drizzle of maple syrup or honey, a few drops of monk fruit sweetener, and a sprinkle of chocolate chips add flavor and sweetness without a lot of added sugars, if you need them!

6 Benefits of Overnight Oats

If you’re still unsure if you should try overnight oats and aren’t convinced by all the ingredients and flavors you can enjoy with them, here’s a peek at the potential benefits you'll get from eating them!

A quick, make-ahead breakfast

All you need is 5 minutes, and you can have a single breakfast or a week’s worth prepared and ready to go. If you’re making more than one serving, I suggest mixing everything into a big bowl and spooning the mixture into individual containers, such as 1-2 cup Pyrex containers or mason jars. 

This way, you can easily grab a single-serving meal on busy mornings, sprinkle with any desired toppings (or not), and enjoy a quick, easy, healthy, and delicious breakfast. 

They’re high in fiber

An estimated 5% of Americans are eating enough dietary fiber these days. Are you one of the select few, or could you use a little help? Overnight oats are an excellent source of fiber, thanks to the oats, seeds, fruit, and any fiber-rich toppings you choose to sprinkle on top.

Eating raw oats means that they are higher in resistant starch, a non-digestible carb that's similar to fiber. Resistant starch acts like insoluble fiber as it works undigested through your digestive tract. It is then fermented a lot like soluble fiber, giving you the benefits of both types. 

A one-cup serving of this basic overnight oats recipe has 7 grams of fiber, mostly from soluble fiber. That’s 25% of the recommended daily value! The benefits of including more soluble fiber in your diet include increased satiety (you’ll feel more full after eating), lower cholesterol, and lower blood sugar. 

Topping your oatmeal with fiber-rich ingredients like raspberries, strawberries, and flaxseeds can add even more fiber to this breakfast. 

A high-protein breakfast 

While oatmeal itself does have more protein than many other grain-based foods, it’s typically a low-protein meal when eaten by itself.

The addition of milk, yogurt, seeds, and nuts adds plenty of quality protein to your breakfast. This recipe has 18 grams of protein as it, but you can always add protein powder to the mix for an even bigger boost!

Eating more protein for your first meal of the day can help you to be satisfied with less food, decrease hunger in between meals, help you focus throughout the morning, and promote muscle growth and repair. 

Will keep you full all morning

A bowl of plain oatmeal won’t keep you full until your next meal, but a bowl of overnight oats? Now that’s a different story. The combination of fiber and protein in this breakfast helps to slow down digestion so you get a more even release of energy throughout the morning. 

Plus, the added protein suppresses your hunger hormones, so you’ll feel full from multiple angles. If you tend to eat a light or lower-protein breakfast and then reach for a snack an hour or so later, try overnight oats and see what they do to your mid-morning hunger levels. 

Improved focus

Eating a nutrient-rich breakfast can help you be more productive, focus better, and remember more. One study found that eating any breakfast at all resulted in improved recall, attention, and motor and executive function. It doesn’t matter if I’m working or at home, being able to focus and think more clearly is a huge benefit! 

Versatile with so many flavor combinations

The most exciting benefit of overnight oats is the sheer amount of choices you have. In the summer, use fresh berries to flavor your oats, and enjoy apple pie or pumpkin spice overnight oats as the seasons begin to change. There really is a recipe for any season and any craving! 

Favorite overnight oats recipes

• Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
• Banana Bread Overnight Oats
• Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats
• Blueberry Overnight Oats
• Apple Pie Overnight Oats

Follow one of these unique overnight oat recipes, or you can make your own by adjusting the ingredients in the basic overnight oat recipe. 

Bottom line: are overnight oats healthy? 

Overnight oats are a healthy and tasty way to start the day. They’re high in fiber and protein, and the opportunities to add nutrient-dense, high-fiber, antioxidant-rich ingredients are absolutely endless. Plus, they make it easy to eat a healthy balanced breakfast, which can reduce overeating and snacking later in the day. 

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