How to Make Overnight Oats - 5 Easy & Delicious Recipes! (2024)

Wondering how to make overnight oats? These are the easiest and tastiest overnight oats recipes! Just a few minutes of prep the night before and you’ll have delicious, grab-and-go breakfasts ready for busy mornings.

My Favorite Overnight Oats Recipes

Truly, anyone can make this recipe — it doesn’t matter if you love the kitchen or prefer to be the food sampler over the food maker — because it’s so straightforward that it’s foolproof! And it makes a decadent breakfast, even when you’re short on time.

I’m partnering with Bob’s Red Mill again this year, and I’m so excited that THIS is the first recipe we’re creating together. I’ve been planning on sharing my favorite easy overnight oatmeal recipes with you for a while anyway, and this was the perfect chance to get it done. I love working with Bob’s Red Mill because I use and love their products in my home all of the time. They’ve been on my “dream client” list for ages and now look at us! And as always, thank YOU for supporting the brands that I choose to work with.

Overnight oats. Do you make them yet? I’m here to convince you that you need to start and give you all of the tools do to just that. I love them because I can prep them ahead of time, they are filling, delicious, and nutritious, and because they take 5 minutes of hands-on prep time. That’s it!

Plus the recipe is SO flexible — you can use any kind of milk you like or have on hand; add in fun additions like berries, nuts, jams, or more; and omit or change the kind of yogurt you use depending on your preferences. They’re a winner all around in my book. Plus, my kids will even eat them.

Ingredients for Overnight Oats

• Oats:I use old fashioned or rolled oats. They have a great texture after sitting in the fridge. I love Bob’s Red Mill rolled oats (in fact, I buy them by the 25 pound bag and store them in a bucket in my pantry I use them so much). The oats are a whole grain, easy to find organic, and you can find them certified gluten free as well. They provide great fiber because they are whole grains, too.
• Pinch of salt: oh the magic of a bit of salt. Just a pinch in this recipe helps the oats to not taste “flat.” In fact, I’d highly recommend adding a dash or two of salt to your hot oatmeal too; it’s a game changer.
• Chia Seeds or Ground Flax Seeds: this might not be in your pantry yet, but you’ll make this recipe enough it’ll be worth stocking up on. The chia or ground flax add great nutrition but they also help make the overnight oats thick and creamy. They are both natural thickeners. Bob’s Red Mill also sells both of these if you are placing an order.
• Plain Greek Yogurt:a simple way to probiotics to your meal and they make things thick and creamy. Plus, I love that added fat (I used whole milk yogurt) as it goes great with the fiber and complex carbs to help keep me full through the morning.
• Milk: use what you have and what you like. I tested these recipes with both organic whole cow’s milk and almond milk. I’m sure it would work with just about any nut milk you like or have on hand.
• Vanilla extract: a simple, natural ingredient that adds a lot of flavor! It’ll take your oats from breakfast to (healthy) dessert for breakfast.
• Maple Syrup: my favorite nature-made sweetener for sure. The flavor blends in well and it’s easy to find. If you don’t have any syrup, honey or even a bit of brown sugar work great in it’s place. I normally add the full 2 tablespoons of maple syrup but if I’m using honey I only add 1 tablespoon since it has a stronger flavor.

How to Make Overnight Oats

Overnight oats couldn’t be easier. You simply add the ingredients to a container of your choosing, mix, toss them in the fridge, and eat them when it’s convenient for you (they last up to 5 days!). I like to eat them cold out of the fridge, or you could certainly warm them up if you wanted to. But you might just love a cold oatmeal option as much as we do — add a few berries on top and you’re good to go!

Additional Optional Add-ins for Overnight Oats:

Start with the base vanilla recipe and add the following to make new combinations.

For Peanut Butter and Jelly Oats:

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon jam (I normally use a bit less maple syrup when I make this one since my jam is sweet)

For Peanut Butter Chocolate Oats:

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

For Apple Cinnamon Oats:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped or grated apple
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For Coconut Almond Oats:

• 1 tablespoon shredded coconut (I use unsweetened)
• 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
• 1 pinch cinnamon

More recipes brought to you by Bob’s Red Mill:

• Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
• Gingerbread Cake

More oat and oatmeal recipes:

• Amazing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Easy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
• 8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
• No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Energy Balls
• Crunchy Oat and Honey Granola Bars

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill (my second year in a row working with one of my favorite brands) and I’m so honored to be working with them.