Chocolate, coconut, oats and almonds in a quick, healthy and easy to make breakfast.
I tend to alternate between two weekday breakfasts – smoothies and overnight oats. Regardless of what time I get up I always seem to be in a rush by the time I get around to breakfast so whatever I eat needs to be quick and easy.
The huge advantage of overnight oats is that you do all the work the night before (what very little there is), so it’s there in the fridge ready to eat. If you prefer to eat them warm simply pop them in the microwave on full power for a minute before eating (make sure you give them a good stir when you take them out to ensure there’s no hot spots).
I’m perfectly happy eating plain and simple overnight oats, but recently I’ve been playing around with different flavours, throwing in random foods from the cupboard to see what works and what doesn’t. I honestly thought white chocolate and raspberry (one of my favourite muffin flavours) would be a stroke of genius, but sadly not. However, my coconut and chocolate experiment turned out much better.
In addition to desiccated coconut, coconut milk and cocoa powder, I also add a sprinkle of flaked almonds just before eating. They add a nice extra flavour and a little crunch. If you’re feeling a little more indulgent you can also add some melted dark chocolate or chocolate chips. It’s best to add the almonds just before eating as otherwise they’ll go soft overnight and you’ll lose the crunch.
If you don’t have coconut milk then this also tastes great with skimmed cows milk. I’ve also tried it with almond milk but I didn’t enjoy it as much.
Trying to be a bit more “Free From”
I’ve seen a trend amongst quite a few bloggers (and friends) recently to start cutting various food groups from their diets. They mostly seem to rave about the results so I should probably try it too, but I have to admit that I’m pretty stubborn when it comes to things like that and I’m resolutely sticking to eating anything I feel like. However, I realised recently that it means that I’m not all that comfortable catering for my friends and family who are following special diets.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to make myself cook more and grow my repertoire. In the past when I had people over for dinner I fussed around in a bit of a panic all day about what to cook before resorting to my staple of sausages and mash (which I still love by the way). I’m happy to say that my blind panic has now gone and I’m comfortable cooking for friends. However, as soon as someone says they have a special dietary need the panic returns. I’m just not used to having to eliminate certain food groups from any of my cooking.
I’ve decided that I need to start cooking more “free from” foods, quite simply to know that I can.
I’d originally made these oats for a while with cows milk but decided that it would be a good step in the “free from” direction to use a dairy free alternative. I know it’s only switching milk, but I’ve never bought coconut/almond/soya (and on and on…) milk before so it seemed like a good place to start. It turns out it actually made this breakfast taste better… more coconutty, so it’s definitely something I’m planning to use again. However, it’s also a first step in making myself try new foods.
I’m hoping to share more purposely “free from” recipes (they are sometimes free of certain allergens by chance rather than any special intention) as I learn more about how to cook for anybody that turns up on my doorstep.
Do you eliminate any food groups from your diet? Do you feel comfortable cooking for people that do?
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Coconut Chocolate Overnight Oats
INGREDIENTS
- 50 g oats - roughly ½ cup
- 15 g desiccated coconut - 1 heaped tbsp
- 1 flat tsp cocoa powder
- 120 ml coconut milk - or skimmed cows milk
- 1 heaped tsp flaked almonds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put the oats, desiccated coconut, cocoa powder and coconut milk into a bowl and give it a good stir.
- Cover and put into the fridge over night.
- In the morning, remove from the fridge and stir in the flaked almonds.
- Enjoy!
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
Free From/Suitable For…
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians & Vegans (not vegan if using cow’s milk instead of coconut)
- Gluten-Free (please ensure you buy gluten-free oats as whilst oats are naturally gluten-free, gluten can often be added during the manufacturing process)
- Dairy-Free (unless using cow’s milk instead of coconut milk)
- Sulphite-Free
- Egg-Free
- Soya-Free
- Lupin-Free
Ann Pierce says
Wow! These look awesome! I love coconut and chocolate. It’s a perfect mixture
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Ann, it’s a combination I love too!
Midgie says
We are big fans of porridge in this house its great for getting a dose of calcium into dairy/soya free kids but noone really wants it in the summer! These look really good and may just succeed in getting the Peachicks to finally eat overnight oats! Also nice to have a breakfast recipe with no bananas in – they are hard to find (I cant touch or eat bananas due to latex allergy!)
x
Charlotte Oates says
I love bananas in smoothies but I haven’t found an overnight oats recipe with banana that I love yet. I’m working on a few more flavours at the moment that aren’t banana-y too so you should keep a look out for them.
Suzy says
Oooh – that might even persuade me to eat porridge. Sounds great!
Charlotte Oates says
Personally I prefer it to porridge as the oats are softer. I hope you enjoy it if you do try x
Kelsey says
This was my first time trying overnight oats, I’ve been such a warm oatmeal kinda gal for so long, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit (lol). I think drizzling some melted peanut or nut butter overtop would just be divine! Also, I might try heating them up, which I know, defeats the purpose but I love a warm breakfast!
I’m gluten free (not celiac, but my body thanks me when I avoid gluten!), and so I am comfortable coming up with meals that don’t include bread or gluten grains. My sister is a vegetarian, so if she’s visiting I always have meals full of vegetables, and my mom is vegan, which definitely limits my use of butter 🙁 but I would do anything for my family and friends so I’m constantly on the lookout for new interesting recipes!! It’s great that you’re thinking about others’ dietary needs, as so many people and restaurants don’t!
Charlotte Oates says
My husband isn’t keen on cold oats so if I make overnight oats for him I’ll pop it into the microwave for a minute to heat it up first. It has all the lovely texture and flavour of the cold version but it’s warming too.
As my family don’t have any special dietary requirements I generally cook with whatever I feel like, but I hate having people over and having no idea what to cook for them. Hopefully a bit more free-from cooking will help me be better prepared.
Midgie says
I think the secret to starting out with free-from cooking is start with a recipe you could make with your eyes closed because free-from substitutes can often work slightly differently but you know what textures etc the recipe needs to have/look like so you can judge quantities to substitute better. (no idea if that made sense!!) Gluten free flour is definitely something I haven’t got to grips with yet as it really needs eggs but we cant use them!
Charlotte Oates says
I’m hoping to do more experimenting with alternative ingredients this year and that’s exactly the approach I’m going to take. Make a tried and tested recipe with one switch, see how it goes and work from there.
Charlotte Oates says
I saw this recipe today and thought of this comment. It’s a GF, egg-free chocolate cake and it looks absolutely delicious 🙂 http://www.glutenfreealchemist.com/2016/01/mini-vegan-gluten-free-chocolate-cakes.html
Danica Pelzel says
Charlotte, thanks for sharing! I love overnight oats and chocolate, but I haven’t tried them together, yet! And I don’t eliminate any foods from my diet currently, but I used to be a vegetarian, so I tend to cook vegetarian meals most of the time. I’ve actually been trying to experiment more with meat so that I’m more comfortable cooking it.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m pretty sure it’s easier to introduce meat into meals than take it out (everything tastes better with added bacon!) so I’m sure you’ll have a whole array of meat filled dishes in no time!
Cristina @ I Say Nomato says
These are gorgeous! I love overnight oats, I’ll have to try this combination!
Charlotte Oates says
Overnight oats are great aren’t they. I hope you enjoy this one x
Vicki Montague - The Free From Fairy says
I love overnight oats too! I can’t eat them at the moment but I still do them for the kids and hubby every now and again. I hope I can help you be more confident in freefrom cooking! Just ask if you want to know anything!!! Love your photos as always. Did you do a course or teach yourself? I am currently looking for a course…
Charlotte Oates says
I have so many questions about free from cooking so I’m sure I’ll be over asking you very soon.
My photography is self taught. I bought the book by pinch of yum which is a good introduction although I suspect you’ll know most of what’s in it already. I basically find pictures I like, try to figure out how they were taken and then Google a lot until I can find the tips I need. I’d love to find a really great food photography course to add some structure to what I do so if you find one let me know.
Kyra says
These overnight oats look so tasty! Good on you for stepping out of your comfort zone and trying a “free from” recipe and trying new foods 🙂 coconut milk is delicious in many recipes! Thank you for sharing with #freefromfridays!
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Kyra. I’ve only recently tried coconut milk but I love the flavour so I’ll definitely be using it again soon.
HonestMum says
I love this and I adore how you are expanding your repertoire and trying new things, I love that about cooking. I want to try overnight oats and I adore coconut milk, it’s so creamy. I mostly stick to low carb, low GI and wheat-free food, I feel better and it’s healthy, can’t wait to see more of these kinds of recipes from you. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Charlotte Oates says
It’s a bit daunting as “free-from” is a complete mystery to me at the moment, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge.
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
I still haven’t tried over night oats. I love coconut and coconut milk so I must try this recipe! I have cut out a lot of gluten from my diet purely because I feel less bloated when I don’t eat it. Thank you so much for joining in with #cookblogshare x
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Kirsty. These oats make a great gluten free breakfast, wish I’d made some last night now!
Jennifer says
This is something I may have to add to our back to school breakfast rotation when the time comes…looks amazing! Visiting from Cook Blog Share 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
It’s perfect for school days as all the work (what little there is) is done the night before.
Sophie @ Mum, M & More says
These look delicious. I would like to try some overnight oats. Your photography is so good too 🙂 #tastytuesdays
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Sophie. I’ve been working really hard to improve my photography so I’m glad you liked it.
You should definitely try some overnight oats, they’re so quick and easy to make and there’s so much you can do with them, I’ve got lots more flavours in mind to try at some point!
Mummy Tries says
They look sooooo good Charlotte! I’ve just introduced oats occasionally for the kids, so will def be trying this recipe 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Renee. I hope they enjoy them x
Alison says
Those look lovely. I really must try overnight oats but keep forgetting. We do eat lots of porridge but a colder dish would be lovely on a hot day
Charlotte Oates says
If you like porridge then I’m sure you’d enjoy overnight oats.
Made With Pink says
These look absolutely delicious. I love anything with coconut & chocolate. I can’t wait to try these. Thanks so much for linking them up to Breakfast Club!
Charlotte Oates says
It’s a great classic flavour combination isn’t it!
I only discovered breakfast club this month. I post breakfast recipes quite a lot so I’m sure I’ll be back again.
Jenny says
This sounds and looks so amazing. What a lovely recipe and food photography too. love your styling. Popping over from #recipeoftheweek
Charlotte Oates says
Thanks Jenny. It’s delicious x
Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
Oh yum! This oatmeal looks lovely, the flavor combination makes it a healthier alternative to an Almond Joy candy bar 😉
Charlotte Oates says
Just had to google an almond Joy bar as I’ve not heard of it before. It looks delicious!
Fionnuala says
Sounds yum Charlotte. I am a big fan of overnight oats too but have stuck to fruits flavours so far. Strawberry and banana is one of my favourites but apple and prune is very tasty too I find.
I’ve popped over from The Breakfast Club.
Fionnuala from http://www.threesonslater.blogspot.com
Charlotte Oates says
Those sound like delicious combinations too.
Corina says
I’ve never tried overnight oats but I love the sound of the cocoa and dessicated coconut in these. I definitely want to have a go. I also don’t really cook or think about cooking any ‘free from’ recipes. I was once asked in a comment how to adapt one of my blog recipes to make it free-from something and I had absolutely no idea what to advise!
Charlotte Oates says
I hate not knowing the answers when someone asks a question about one of my recipes. I’ve been know to make things using their suggested ingredients just to check.