Always in a rush in the morning? Then you need overnight oats. Super simple to prepare and you do it all the night before, so they’re ready just when you need them in the morning.
Way back in January, when I shared my Banana and Almond Breakfast Smoothie recipe, I said that I was on a mission to improve my selection of healthy breakfasts. My mission then stalled for a while. This was for two reasons…
- That banana smoothie is really yummy – I couldn’t resist making it.
- I got a bit carried away making pancakes so didn’t have much time for healthy breakfasts.
Overnight oats seem to be everywhere at the moment. So a few weeks ago I gave them a try and thought I’d share my super simple version.
The great thing about overnight oats is that you do all the work (what little there is) the night before, so if you need breakfast in a hurry in the morning you just take it out of the fridge, grab a spoon and dig in.
So what are overnight oats
In case you’ve not come across them before I thought I’d give you a brief overview. Overnight oats are porridge oats that have been soaked overnight in the fridge. They absorb quite a lot of the liquid so have the consistency of a really smooth porridge.
This breakfast is relatively high in fibre and protein which will help keep you filled up.
I tend to make my overnight oats using milk (although I’m experimenting at the moment). However, I’ve seen lots of variations using alternative non-dairy milks (e.g. almond milk) or yoghurt.
You can then add extra toppings. If I’m in a rush I add a teaspoon of honey to give some extra sweetness, and if I’ve got a bit more time I’ll add fruit, nuts, seeds or maybe a few chocolate drops :-).
So here’s the recipe… (OK recipe may be a slightly generous term as it’s so easy, but I thought I’d put it in a nice recipe box anyway).
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Simple Overnight Oats
INGREDIENTS
- 50 g oats
- 120 ml skimmed milk - you can use any milk but I prefer skimmed
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the oats (approx. 50g) in a bowl.
- Add the milk (approx. 120ml). The milk should be just covering the oats.
- Cover.
- Leave in the fridge overnight.
- Remove from the fridge and add your favourite toppings before serving.
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.
Some more overnight oats inspiration…
If you enjoy overnight oats then take a look at my COCONUT & CHOCOLATE or STRAWBERRY, MAPLE & PISTACHIO versions.
Free From/Suitable For
The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Gluten-Free (please check your oats carefully as some contain gluten due to the manufacturing process used).
- Egg-Free
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soy-Free
- Fish-Free
- Crustacean-Free
- Mollusc-Free
- Celeriac and Celery-Free
- Mustard-Free
- Lupin-Free
- Sulpher Dioxide and Sulphite-Free
Can be made vegan and dairy-free by using a dairy-free milk.
Trevor Berry-Dowling says
Made this with dried cranberries and apricots out of this world.
Brent Horner says
Do you feel that having the surname Oates means that you have always been subconsiously drawn to this recipe?
Charlotte Oates says
Absolutely.
Alison says
I like 2 soak my porridge so 2 soak it in the fridge is fantastic
Lindsey Park says
Hello there
Do you know how much chia seeds I should add?
Charlotte Oates says
That really depends on what you’re trying to achieve by adding the chia seeds. Are you just trying to get a little of the nutritional benefit they give, change the texture, or make this more like a chia pudding?
Jan says
How much is 50g oats in cups?
Charlotte Oates says
It’s just under half a cup, for this recipe, using half a cup is fine.
Katrina says
I have overnight oats alot and here is another way for people to try. 50g oats and a 120g of Muller Light lemon style Greek yogurt. Add blueberries in the morning for alittle sweetness. Delicious. Lemon and blueberries go so well together.
Jean wood says
Hi I noticed in the nutrition that there was2.1 of Iron,I thought Porridge had no Iron, As I have Haemochromatosis I try to keep away from Iron rich cereals so I was wondering if you know of any porridge that does not have added Iron.
Charlotte Oates says
I’m not a nutritionist so definitely not best placed to answer this question. However, I know that oats do contain iron (although it appears to be non-heme iron if that makes a difference to you). I cannot advise you on another suitable cereal, I really would suggest you speak to a qualified nutritionist to get their advice on this.
Georgia Thompson says
Hi can you use it with porridge oats please?
Thanks!
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, that’s what I usually use.
Angie says
Can I heat it up. Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
You can, but I find that it goes extremely thick and gloopy. If you want warm oats then I’d suggest just making regular porridge.
Heather says
I’ve used this method before so that making regular porridge is quicker in the morning. I actually find it works very well, I would just add some more milk in the morning and stir to get rid of the gloopiness You can heat it in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Renee @ MummyTries says
Giving these a try for tomorrow morning 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
Fantastic, I hope you enjoy them. What sort of milk have you used?
Gemma Bell says
I added a bit of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots) as well as some seeds along with the milk and let them all soak overnight. It makes the berries swell a little as they also absorb the liquid. Absolutely delicious.
Charlotte Oates says
Great idea, that sounds delicious.
Amber says
So you don’t cook it?
Charlotte Oates says
Nope, it softens in the liquid overnight. If you try and cook it it will go thick and gloopy
Amber says
Ah okay, thanks! Just popped it in the fridge with some blackberrys
Cj says
This is exactly what I was looking for – An overnight oats recipe with no complications. I’ve never tried them before so I didn’t want to go through all the motions of 22 ingredients just to try them for the first time (and to see if this would work with steel cut oats).
Oats + Milk + Fridge = SOLD 🙂
Charlotte Oates says
I always prefer to start simple and then add extra flavours later. This also tastes really good as a simple version with coconut milk.
I’ve tried it with both rolled and steel cut oats and it works just as well with both.
Simi Jois says
Does this work on steel cut oats ??
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve tried it with both steel cut and rolled oats and it works equally as well with both.