Name: The Best Overnight Oats
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: ½ cup old-fashioned oats; 1 Tablespoon chia seeds; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup; ¾ cup milk; optional toppings: fruit (peanut butter, almond butter, nuts etc.)

These overnight oats have just 6 ingredients and easy to prep ahead of time for those busy weeks. There's no better way to start your morning than with a healthy and balanced breakfast.

When overnight oats became popular I was not a fan. Like AT ALL. The thought of cold oatmeal was not appetizing. That was until I needed a breakfast that would hold me over until lunch.

Once I gave overnight oats a try, I was hooked (as in I ate them on the regular and still do!) I was pleasantly surprised and wondered how I ever lived without them.

Why You'll Love These Overnight Oats

Keeps you full for hours
Has whole grains, fiber and protein
Can customize your toppings
It only takes 5 minutes to make these
Perfect for meal prepping
Delicious!

Ingredients For Overnight Oats

You only need 6 ingredients to make these overnight oats— most of which you probably already have!

Oats: I find that using old-fashioned oats works best for this recipe. If you need it to be gluten free, make sure you use certified GF oats.
Chia Seeds: These not only help thicken the oats mixture but also adds healthy fats.
Cinnamon: Adds flavor.
Vanilla Extract: Adds more flavor!
Maple Syrup: This adds just a tiny bit of sweetness.
Milk: Use what you have on hand. I typically use unsweetened almond milk or oat milk.

Let's Make It!

There are 3 steps, it's THAT easy!

Combine Ingredients: Add all the ingredients into a jar/container. It doesn't matter the order, just that they all make it in there.
Stir Together: Give all the ingredients a big stir to make sure they are combined.
Refrigerate: Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight, or even up to 1 week.

*If making a larger batch you can either make in the jars/containers that you will refrigerate in or a large bowl and then store in jars/containers.

Perfect For Meal Prepping

For those busy weeks having meals planned and/or made ahead of time is a HUGE help. What I love most about these is that they take 5 minutes to make and then let them sit in the refrigerator. You can easily double, triple or quadruple the recipe too!

Let that refrigerator do the work for you. 😉

Topping Recommendations for Overnight Oats

The toppings are truly endless— you add what you love! Since this is a "base recipe" as I like to call it, you can really customize and add to it.

Fruit: During the warmer months when fresh fruit easily available, I love chopping it up and stirring it in. It adds so much freshness. Or I add frozen fruit and it thaws in the oats.
Peanut Butter & Banana: Like PB&J, peanut butter and bananas are best friends.
Peanut Butter: I'll scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter, warm it up and stir it in. SO GOOD.
Cocoa Powder & Peanut Butter: This basically makes it that you're eating dessert for breakfast.
Almond Butter & Almonds: There are times that I'm on an almond kick and add both.
Nuts: Any type of nuts work fabulous in this recipe.

There's so many ways to make these your own! And if you're someone that gets bored easily of meals, you can switch up your add-ins and toppings week to week! Or you can switch to avocado toast.

PS. If you have a little one, this recipe is perfect! My 10.5 month old LOVES these (I omit the maple syrup) and serve it with fruit and yogurt.

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