Basic Overnight Oats Recipe
Overnight Oats! What the heck is that? At least that’s what my family said when I told them we’d be having them for breakfast.
Ok overnigh
t oats is basically raw oatmeal that’s been soaked in a liquid and allowed to sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
Overnight oats for breakfast is a great way to start your day. You can make them a head of time, they last refrigerated for up to 5 days, they’re filling, nutritious, versatile, and heart healthy, you can have them on the go, and most importantly they’re yummy!
If you look around you’ll find like a million recipes for the best overnight oats in the world. Some are vegan, some have fruity flavors, others have nuts, and still others include yogurt, and more. Seriously the possibilities seem endless! But at the end of the day no matter what flavor or topping you prefer you still have to start out with basic oats.
Yes the French Toast or Banana Nutella overnight oats recipes look delish but really those are just ingredients you can add to make your breakfast to suite your taste or your mood. But in my case I make overnight oats for myself, my husband, and grandkids; of course everyone likes something different. The best solution is to make a batch, ok a big batch of overnight oats, portion them in containers (they can’t even agree on the containers they want to use), then just before eating each person can “customize” it to suite their taste.
So today I’ll share with you my basic recipe for overnight oats, even then you can switch out some of the ingredients to suite your needs. For example if you have mild allergies you can use non-dairy liquids such as soy or coconut milk. You can change up the liquids even if you have no allergies just to get a different taste.
Also I used rolled oats as I feel they have the best texture. Rolled oats are the ones you must cook, not the instant ones you just add water to and microwave. If you like your oats a bit on the crunchier side you can use steel cut oats.
The 2 most important things to remember when mixing overnight oats are the proportion of liquid to oats, I like to use 1 to 1 proportions; and that pinch of salt! Yes overnight oats must be seasoned to taste good and if you forget the salt there’s no amount of sweetener or toppings you can add that will make them taste right. So remember the salt!
Having said that here’s my recipe it makes 9 pint size mason jars (half filled) – you can portion them out in mason jars or small plastic containers with a lid. Be sure the lids lock onto the containers.
Ingredients for oats:
6 Cups Rolled Oats
6 Cups Liquid – milk, coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, or whatever type of milk you prefer – I use 2% milk or coconut milk
1/2 Cup Natural Sweetener – honey, molasses, maple syrup, coconut sugar, agave syrup, or whatever sweetener you like – I usually use coconut sugar or honey – try to stay away from white sugar
1/2 Cup Chia Seeds (optional)
2 Tbs. Salt
Toppings:
Fruit – fresh, dried, or frozen berries, bananas, mango, papaya
Granola
Nuts – sliced almonds, pecan pieces, etc.
Chocolate chips
Nut butters – peanut, almond, etc.
Shredded coconut
Or whatever topping you like
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients for the oats together in a large bowl.
Divide them into portions enough to fill your mason jars or plastic containers half full.
Cover tightly.
Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Overnight oats can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. The longer you refrigerate them the creamier they become.
Before serving/eating add the toppings of choice. Mix them in the oats and enjoy!
- 6 Cups Rolled Oats
- 6 Cups Liquid Milk, soy milk, almond milk, etc.
- 1/2 Cup Natural Sweetener Honey, Molasses, Coconut Sugar, etc.
- 1/2 Cup Chia Seeds Optional
- 2 Tbs. Salt
- Fruit Fresh, dried, or frozen
- Mix all the ingredients for the oats together in a large bowl. Divide them into portions enough to fill your mason jars or plastic containers half full. Cover tightly. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours. Overnight oats can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. The longer you refrigerate them the creamier they become. Before serving/eating add the toppings of choice. Mix them in the oats and enjoy!
