How to Make Overnight Oats

Overnight oats made with yogurt, rolled oats, and high-fiber chia seeds are a simple, easy-to-customize make-ahead breakfast recipe.

Say Goodbye to Boring Overnight Oats!

It might sound boring, but I eat overnight oats almost every weekday, no matter the season. I keep it interesting by inventing endless ways to add flavor, whether topping it with fruits and nuts or adding cocoa powder, spices, or citrus zest. 

The base is simply rolled oats and chia seeds mixed into plain yogurt and softened overnight in the fridge. They are so easy to adapt, so I included recipes for making protein overnight oats, blueberry overnight oats, chocolate overnight oats, pumpkin overnight oats, plus lots of different topping suggestions.

Once you realize how easy it is to vary the flavors, you’ll find this breakfast is like a blank canvas that lends itself to endless invention.

How to Make Overnight Oats

Some recipes call for building each jar individually, but I like to mix the base (yogurt, oats, chai, and vanilla), then divide it equally among 6 jars.

• Make the base mixture. In a large bowl, combine 1 quart (32-ounce) container of plain yogurt with 1 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup chia seeds, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Add mix-ins: If making a full batch of a single flavor, such as blueberry, chocolate banana, pumpkin, or apple cinnamon, mix in the ingredients for that flavor now (see 4 Flavor Variations Section Below). Divide equally into 6 jars that have lids, and refrigerate overnight.
• Add toppings. If you like, just before serving, add toppings like fresh fruit, nuts, nut butters, or granola. 

4 Overnight Oats Flavor Variations

Part of what makes overnight oats such a convenient make-ahead breakfast is that you can add flavorings like fruits or spices ahead of time, and then they’re ready to go, whether or not you have time in the morning to add toppings. 

Though I love nut butter with oatmeal, while testing this recipe, I found it an odd match with the tart flavor of the yogurt. I tried a chocolate-peanut butter version, but it just didn’t taste right, no matter how much I tinkered. I tested through several to make the balance of flavors just right. Here are some delicious options I stand by! 

To Batch a Single Flavor for the Week:

• Blueberry Overnight Oats: Stir 1 cup frozen blueberries and 1/4 cup honey into the base mixture and divide into containers. Chill overnight. This one will be purple! Just before serving, sprinkle each container with 1/4 cup Homemade Olive Oil Granola.
• Banana Chocolate Overnight Oats: Mash 2 medium bananas with a fork and stir into the base recipe along with 3 tablespoons cocoa powder until smooth. Serve topped with fresh raspberries and 2 tablespoons crumbled dried banana chips or chopped hazelnuts. This one is also delicious with orange zest! 
• Pumpkin Overnight Oats: Whisk 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and 4 to 6 tablespoons maple syrup or date caramel into the base recipe. Just before serving, top each container with chopped toasted walnuts or pecans and drizzle with extra maple syrup or date caramel.
• Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats: Coarsely chop or grate 1 to 2 fresh apples and stir into the base recipe along with 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Serve topped with 2 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, and a dash of cinnamon.

4 Overnight Oats Topping Ideas

If you do have time to customize your overnight oats in the morning, there are endless ways to dress up this recipe with fruit, granola, nuts, seeds, and other toppings. Here are some of my favorite combinations: 

• Berry-Almond Overnight Oats: Top with fresh raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries and sprinkle each serving with 2 tablespoons toasted, sliced almonds.
• Pomegranate-Coconut Overnight Oats: Top each serving with 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds and 2 tablespoons toasted coconut. Drizzle with honey, if desired.
• Persimmon-Pistachio Overnight Oats: Top each serving with half of a ripe, chopped Fuyu persimmon and serve sprinkled with 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios. This is especially delicious with a little ground cardamom stirred into the base recipe. 
• Overnight Oats with Fruit Compote: A super fast and easy version, I add a spoonful or two of mixed berry compote or strawberry-rose compote to the bottom of each jar, then spoon in the base oat recipe. The next morning, I mix it together like a fruit-on-the -bottom yogurt. 

How to Make Protein Overnight Oats

The yogurt adds protein to this overnight oats recipe, but there are several ways to amp up the protein even more without substantially impacting the flavor of the base recipe. Here are three things I like to add. You can mix these in and then add any of the following flavor variations or toppings. 

• Whey protein powder: To pump up the protein in my overnight oats, I often mix in whey powder. I prefer plain, but vanilla-flavored whey works, too. Note that whey protein powders are often sweetened, so that may impact the overall flavor of your oats. If you want to make a flavor variation that includes a sweetener, you may want to cut back on the quantity. To the base mixture, whisk in 2 scoops of whey protein isolate (50 extra grams of protein total). You can certainly add more, but I usually stick with this amount because more tends to overpower the flavor of the yogurt. 
• Hemp hearts: I also love adding hemp hearts, which are the soft, protein and mineral-rich interior of hemp seeds. They have a mild, nutty flavor, too. To the base mixture, stir in 1/2 cup hemp hearts to add an extra 20 grams of protein. 
• Use Protein Oats: For added protein, you can use High Protein Oats, which are naturally bred to contain more protein: 10 grams per serving versus 6 grams in regular rolled oats.

Swaps and Substitutions

• Plain Yogurt: I prefer European-style yogurt for this recipe because it’s thinner, but thicker Greek yogurt works too; you may find you want to stir in a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to loosen the texture.
• Rolled Oats: Soaked overnight in the yogurt, rolled oats take on a soft texture. This recipe is specifically designed to work with old-fashioned oats, also known as rolled oats. You can also use this recipe with oats labeled instant or quick cooking, but avoid steel-cut oats for this recipe. Without cooking, they won’t soften enough to be fully tender and creamy. For more information on types of oats, check out our primer on how to make oatmeal. 
• Chia seeds add healthy Omega-3s and fiber to your diet. Soaked overnight, they plump up and thicken the mixture, though not as much as chia seed pudding. If you don’t have them you can leave them out.

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