How to Make Overnight Oats

An easy tutorial on How to Make Overnight Oats five different ways for healthy breakfasts all week long! 

If you have been reading my blog, you know one of the keys to sticking with a healthy diet is meal planning and being equipped with healthy food for the whole week. Whether it’s breakfast or dinner, I like having nutritious options on hand to feed myself and my kids when we’re busy or rushing from activity to activity.

I’m not a huge meal prepper, but I do love prepping breakfasts…and one of my go-to breakfasts to make for the week has always been overnight oats! There’s nothing simpler than throwing a bunch of ingredients in a bowl at night and waking up to a ready-made breakfast in the morning.

I love that I can make a large amount all at once on my meal prep day for healthy breakfasts all week. Even better? I make them all with a different combination of delicious toppings!

I actually started this when I was teaching and because I assembled the oats in small mason jars, I had a portable breakfast to bring to work each morning. I used to heat them up and bring them to our morning team meetings…and I swear, even when there were donuts around, people wanted to know what I was eating because they smell so freaking good!

Looking for more portable Mason Jar breakfasts?  Check out these recipes:

21 Day Fix Mason Jar Egg Casseroles

Instant Pot Oatmeal Jars (21 Day Fix)

21 Day Fix Baked Oatmeal Jars

21 Day Fix Breakfast Banana Split

How to Make Overnight Oats

To make a week’s worth of Overnight Oats, mix the following ingredients together:

• 1 2/3 cups of gluten-free rolled oats
• 1 2/3 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2.5 tsp maple syrup or honey

Then I divide the Overnight Oats mixture into small mason jars and top them with my favorite topping combinations!

Chunky Monkey Overnight Oats: (1 yellow, 1/2 orange, 1/2 yellow treat swap, 1 purple, 2 tsp)

1/2 sliced banana

1 T chocolate chips 

1 T sliced coconut 

2 tsp peanut butter

Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats: (1 yellow, 1/2 purple) 

1/4 sliced banana 

1/4 cup sliced strawberries

Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats:  (1 yellow, 1 purple, 1/4 blue)

1 diced peach

2 T canned coconut milk or cream (you can freeze the rest)

drizzle of maple syrup or honey

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats:  (1 yellow, 1/2 purple)

1/2 cup diced apple

extra sprinkle of cinnamon 

Very Berry Overnight Oats:  (1 yellow, 1/2 purple) 

¼ cup blueberries

¼ cup sliced strawberries

 

And here are some more 21 Day Fix Overnight Oats ideas!

Banana Nut Crunch 

1/2 sliced banana + 4 chopped walnuts (1 yellow, 1 purple, 1/2 blue)

Peanut Butter & Chocolate 

2 tsp natural peanut butter + chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips (this is a great healthy treat swap option) (1 yellow treat swap)

Peach & Blueberry Almond

1/4 cup fresh diced peaches + 1/4 cup blueberries + 6 chopped almonds (1 yellow, 1/2 purple, 1/2 blue)

Peanut Butter & Jelly

2 T chopped dry-roasted unsalted peanuts + 1/2 cup sliced strawberries (1 yellow, 1 orange, 1/2 purple)

Are these Overnight Oats good for meal prep?

This is perfect for a week of meal prep!  You can eat these for breakfast or even a snack!

The recipe in the recipe card is for one serving or five servings (enough for a full week!), but you can double, triple, or quadruple the measurements to make as many servings as you want to have for the week.

Are overnight oats eaten cold?  Can you warm overnight oats?

Yes and yes! My kids like to eat them cold, but I love to heat mine for a few seconds in the microwave…just be sure to take the lid off first.

What size jar should I use for these Overnight Oats?

There are many different sizes of Mason Jars out there, but I prefer these small, half pint jars for overnight oats because they fit the 21 Day Fix serving size for oats perfectly.  If you use bigger jars, you will have a lot of extra space, but it will still work just fine!

What kind of Oats do I use for Overnight Oats?  Can I use Steel Cut Oats?

I find the best oats to use are Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats, and I always buy a certified gluten-free brand, but if you aren’t sensitive to gluten, any brand will work!  I personally don’t like using steel cut oats for overnight oats, but you can always give one jar a try and see what you think!

How many days do Overnight Oats last?

They last up to 5 days in an air tight container like these half pint jars. 

More 21 Day Fix Oatmeal Recipes

Blueberry Overnight Oats | Carrie Elle

Coconut Overnight Oats | Carrie Elle

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats | Carrie Elle

Hummingbird Cake Overnight Oats | The Foodie and the Fix

Clementine and Cocoa Overnight Oats | The Foodie and the Fix

Blueberry Lemon Steel Cut Oats | My Crazy Good Life

21 Day Fix Baked Oatmeal Cups

Instant Pot Baked Oatmeal (21 Day Fix)