How to Make Overnight Oats: 6 Ways

When you have no time to prepare breakfast, but still want a healthy and nutritious meal — overnight oatmeal can be the perfect choice. The best thing about it is that you can customize it by adding your favorite ingredients and create lots of combinations. Enjoy it cold or warmed up in the microwave — this creamy treat will always taste good!

5-Minute Crafts has prepared 6 delicious variants of overnight oats for you to try.

Ingredients for making overnight oatmeal

Oats: The best option is to use ordinary old-fashioned oats, as they will give you a creamy texture if you leave them to soak overnight. Instant or quick-cooking oats can become soggy, so it’s better to not use them.

Liquids: You can choose any milk you prefer, from cow to various plant-based options. If you don’t want to use milk, you can just make your overnight oats with water.

Toppings: Don’t be afraid to experiment and mix your favorite fruits, berries, nuts, and spices together to create new tastes!

Chia and flax seeds: they are optional, but they will add useful nutrients to your dish. Just make sure that you add ground flaxseed instead of whole, as it is easier to digest.

Yogurt: This is also optional. You can add some plain Greek yogurt or its vegan alternatives for an even creamier texture and as a boost of protein.

Sweetener: It is optional to add it to your oats, as the treat will be rather sweet thanks to the fruits in it. However, if you feel like you want it to be a bit sweeter, you can opt for honey or maple syrup.

Vanilla extract: This is another optional ingredient. You can add it to enhance the flavors of the treat. You can also use it instead of a sweetener.

1. Basic overnight oatmeal

This is a basic recipe. You can take it as a base and experiment with it by adding your favorite toppings like fruits, berries, and nuts.

You will need:

1 cup (4.5 oz or 128 g) oatmeal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup (4.3 oz or 123 g) Greek yogurt

1 cup (8 oz or 237 ml) milk of your choice (cow, soy, almond, coconut, etc.)

1-2 tablespoons sweetener that you like (honey or maple syrup)

What to do:

Step 1: Put oatmeal and chia seeds in your favorite jar.

Step 2: Add yogurt and the sweetener of your choice to the ingredients.

Step 3: Add milk and stir the ingredients together. Close the lid of the jar and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Tip: If the product appears to be too thick, you can always add more milk to it.

2. Blueberry-lemon overnight oatmeal

You will need:

1/2 cup (1.5 oz or 40 g) oats

1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flax meal

1/3 cup (3 oz or 80 g) plain Greek yogurt

2/3 cup (5 1/3 oz or 158 ml) milk of your choice (cow, soy, almond, coconut, etc.)

1/2 cup (3.35 oz or 95 g) fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp sweetener that you like (honey or maple syrup)

Pinch of salt

What to do:

Step 1: Put oatmeal and chia seeds in your favorite jar.

Step 2: Add blueberries and yogurt to the ingredients.

Step 3: Add the sweetener that you prefer, milk, and stir all the ingredients together. Close the lid of the jar and place it into the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Strawberry overnight oatmeal

You will need:

1/2 cup (1.5 oz or 40 g) oats

1 tbsp chia seeds or ground flaxseed

1/4 cup (2 oz or 60 g) Greek yogurt

1/4 cup (2 oz or 30 g) chopped strawberries

1/2 cup (4 oz or 120 ml) milk of your choice (cow, soy, almond, coconut, etc.)

1 tbsp sweetener that you like (honey or maple syrup)

What to do:

Step 1: Put oatmeal and chia seeds in your favorite jar.

Step 2: Add yogurt and chopped strawberries to the jar.

Step 3: Add the sweetener that you prefer, the milk, and stir all the ingredients together. Close the lid of the jar and place it into the refrigerator.