These 7 overnight oats flavors are creamy and easy to make in minutes. The perfect make ahead breakfast in 7 flavors using 4 main ingredients including rolled oats or quick oats.
These 7 overnight oat flavors make the best grab-and-go breakfasts. If you love super simple healthy breakfast ideas, my overnight oats recipes are for you!
Of the seven flavors I provide you, my first is plain, a basic overnight oats recipe. It is a low cost, high-protein breakfast made in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients. Then there are 6 other flavors, giving you a different choice each day of the week.
Make a jar the night before and in the morning, you have a nutritious breakfast ready to energize your day. Like my healthy baked oatmeal cups, protein breakfast cookies, chocolate baked oats, my chocolate smoothie and my strawberry smoothie, overnight oats are an easy and nutritious way to launch the day.
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Why You'll Love These
High in Protein. Each of these overnight oats flavors is super high in protein using a combination of rolled oats, yogurt and chia seeds with an average range per serving of 11-15 grams.
Easy and inexpensive breakfast. Any one of these recipes cost under a dollar if you keep to minimal additions.
Basic Ingredients
1. Oats: The best oats for protein overnight oats are old fashioned rolled oats or quick oats, not steel cut oats or instant oats. Rinse rolled oats before making overnight oats to remove bitter dusty coating.
2. Milk: Use dairy free milk or even water.
3. Yogurt: A high source of protein and adds a creamy texture. use unsweetened almond yogurt but any yogurt works.
4. Chia seeds: Another high source of protein. Also, chia seeds boost hydration and add micronutrients and fiber.
5. Lemon juice: Necessary to brighten the flavor and to deactivate phytates in oats that sometimes interfere with digestion.
6. Maple syrup: To sweeten, although date paste or date syrup works as well.
7. Optional protein-rich additions. Nut butter or protein powder.
Best Oats for Overnight Oats
Overnight oats with Rolled oats. Rolled oats, also called old fashioned rolled oats, are perfect for overnight oats. Being steamed, pressed flat, and cut into flakes, these oats easily absorb liquids and are the best option for most overnight oats recipes because they retain enough substance to be chewy yet soften easily.
Overnight oats with Quick oats. Quick oats, also called quick-cooking oats or thin rolled oats, are also perfect for overnight oats. Quick oats absorb moisture more thoroughly than do old fashioned rolled oats so overnight oats with quick oats become more creamy and less chewy.
Steel Cuts and Instant Oats. These two types of oats are not recommended for overnight oats.
7 Different Flavors
In the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post, I provide you with the basic protein overnight oats recipe which is plain flavored. I also share 6 additional flavors:
Zucchini bread: raw zucchini, pears, cinnamon and ginger.
Chocolate quinoa: cooked quinoa, cocoa powder, maple syrup and cinnamon
Rosewater raspberry: raspberries and rose water. This lovely pink overnight oats would fit in perfectly with my 18 healthy pink foods for a party post.
Chocolate mint : riced cauliflower, cocoa and a homemade mint chocolate sauce.
Tropical mango : fresh mango, coconut and orange juice.
Carrot cake: carrots, date paste and pumpkin spice.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete and printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
To make one serving of basic overnight breakfast oats, following this steps:
1: Add oats, chia seeds, yogurt, maple syrup and lemon juice to a jar. Also here add nut butter and/or protein powder if using. (Image 1)
2: Add milk of your choice to taste and for a soft texture. (Image 2)
3: Stir and taste and adjust sweetener and milk for flavor. (Image 3)
4: Cover and chill in the refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. (Image 4)
Enjoy your healthy whole grained breakfast! Or proceed to add your mix-ins, either your own custom blend, or try one of my 6 flavors I provide in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Store
You can make three overnight oat jars at once and keep them in the refrigerator covered and eat one a day. Don't keep them longer than three days or they begin to taste slimy.
Recipe Tips
1. Rinsing oats briefly will remove the exterior dusty coating which can be bitter and sets the oats up to soak in fluid faster so you can soak for less time if needed.
2. Make overnight oats in a covered jar and then they are transportable. Here are my overnight breakfast oats jars. These cups hold 12 ounces so to fill them further, you might have to double my recipe.
3. My recipe makes 6 ounces. I chose to make a 6-ounce overnight oats recipe because the daily requirement for full benefits of rolled oats is ¼ cup a day, and my recipe already holds ½ cup.
4. You can warm your oats in the morning if you prefer a warm breakfast. Just microwave for about 30 seconds and stir.
FAQS
Overnight oats are a quick meal made by mixing rolled oats or quick oats, milk and yogurt together in a jar, then refrigerating them overnight so they develop a pudding-like texture. The best ratio is 1 part oats, 1 part milk, ¼ part yogurt.
Yes oats are great at supporting weight loss because oats have a high fiber content that makes you feel full longer.
You can eat protein overnight oats chilled and straight out of the fridge, or warm them in the microwave for 1 minute. Try drizzling with date paste or nut butter or chocolate sauce, yum!
Other Overnight Oat Recipes
If you tried these 7 overnight oats recipes or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
7 Overnight Oats Flavors
Equipment
- measuring cup, spoons
Ingredients
Basic Overnight Oats
- ½ cup rolled oats or quick oats
- ½ cup dairy free milk
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- ½ tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Optional protein additions
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 tablespoon nut butter
Zucchini Bread
- ¼ cup zucchini, chopped or spiralized, raw
- 2 tablespoon pears, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
Chocolate Quinoa
- ¼ cup cooked quinoa*
- 2 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Rosewater Raspberry
- ¼ cup raspberries
- ½ teaspoon rose water
Chocolate Mint
- ¼ cup cauliflower rice, steamed and cooled
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon mint chocolate sauce**
Tropical Mango
- 2 tablespoon chopped mango
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
Carrot Cake
- ¼ cup grated carrots
- 1 tablespoon date paste Use my date paste recipe.
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
👉Want to Save This Recipe?
Instructions
Prep
- Put rolled oats or quick oats in a strainer and pour water over them, pushing them about with a spoon to be sure all flakes are coated.
Make Basic Overnight Oats
- Add all ingredients to a jar, including rinsed oats.½ cup rolled oats or quick oats, ½ cup dairy free milk, ½ tablespoon chia seeds, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 tablespoon yogurt
- If adding more protein additions such as nut butter or protein powder, add them here.1 scoop protein powder, 1 tablespoon nut butter
- Stir until all are combined.
- Cover and chill for two hours at least, or overnight.
Zucchini Bread Flavor
- Mix up the basic overnight oat recipe, and add ingredients for zucchini bread oats. Eat right away or chill further in the refrigerator. The next morning, stir and eat.¼ cup zucchini, chopped or spiralized, raw, 2 tablespoon pears, chopped, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
Chocolate Quinoa Flavor
- Mix up the basic overnight oat recipe, and add ingredients for chocolate quinoa oats. Eat right away or chill further in the refrigerator. The next morning, stir and eat.¼ cup cooked quinoa*, 2 teaspoon cocoa powder, 2 teaspoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Chocolate Mint Flavor
- Mix up the basic overnight oat recipe, and add ingredients for mint fudge cauliflower oats. Eat right away or chill further in the refrigerator. The next morning, stir and eat.¼ cup cauliflower rice, steamed and cooled, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 tablespoon mint chocolate sauce**
Rosewater Raspberry Flavor
- Mix up the basic overnight oat recipe, and add ingredients for chocolate quinoa oats. Eat right away or chill further in the refrigerator. The next morning, stir and eat.¼ cup raspberries, ½ teaspoon rose water
Tropical Mango Flavor
- Mix up the basic overnight oat recipe, and add ingredients for tropical mango oats. Eat right away or chill further in the refrigerator. The next morning, stir and eat.2 tablespoon chopped mango, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
Carrot Cake Flavor
- Mix up the basic overnight oat recipe, and add ingredients for carrot cake oats. Eat right away or chill further in the refrigerator. The next morning, stir and eat.¼ cup grated carrots, 1 tablespoon date paste, 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Storage
- Overnight oats of any flavor can last three days covered in the refrigerator. You might want to stir and add a few teaspoons of milk if the oats are dry.
Video
Notes
Nutritional Information. The nutritional values are for the basic overnight breakfast oats recipe only. Use an online calculator to calculate values for any specific flavor.
Ela
Wow Dee! I love all of these amazing overnight oat creations.
Dee
Ela! Thank you!
Verena
Oh wow these all sound so good and special! Love your twists on them! And I also like your new design- sorry I haven't stopped by since a longer time. 😘
Dee
That is so nice Verena, so happy like the flavors
Klara
Hi lovely Dee, what for delicious overnight oats ✨💜 These look fantastic. Hugs Klara xx
Dee
Klara! Well thank you so much!