The concept of overnight oats can be somewhat confusing to newbies, which is totally understandable.
- But, how does it work exactly?
- How are they “cooked” in the fridge, overnight?
- Do I eat them cold?
- Can I eat them warm (because eating cold oats weirds me out)??
- Why are they made in a jar?
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE.
I get you. At one point, I also pondered those hard-hitting questions. So lemme explain.
When it comes to overnight oats, there’s no right way or wrong way to make them or eat them. It’s kind of up to you and what you prefer.
Overnight oats are basically rolled oats swirled together in a mason jar with any kind of dairy-free milk, plus any extra goodness you feel like adding (chia seeds, berries, nuts, cinnamon, cacao powder, nut butter etc.). Then you seal the mason jar (or covered bowl, if that’s all you have) in the fridge overnight. The oats soften and soak up the liquid, essentially “cooking” overnight, so there’s no need to actually cook them.
Voila! YOU HAVE MAGIC IN A JAR.
Just like this jar of Peanut Butter Chia Overnight Oats.
Why do busy people love overnight oats so much? They’re CONVENIENT and CUSTOMIZABLE.
We’re busy. Life is crazy town sometimes. There are days when we wake up late and breakfast turns into a quick larabar so we aren’t late to work (which will leave us starvedddd in an hour or two, because a larabar is a snack y’all). We’ll be wishing for some magic-in-a-jar.
Overnight oats are a healthy grab-n-go breakfast, meaning one less thing you have to worry about, come morning. You literally grab the jar out of the fridge (don’t forget a spoon) and BOOM. The creamiest, yummiest breakfast that saves time, tastes uh-mazing, keeps you full and energized and more importantly, keeps you nourished. There’s literally nothing better. While I love smoothies, my love is equal for overnight oats.
You could warm them up on the stove in the morning, or dare I say it, in the microwave, OR you can eat them room-temperature, as I usually do. I take the jar out of the fridge and set it on the counter to warm up while I make coffee and chug my lemon water and love on Taz until he’s annoyed with me. That way, the oats aren’t “cold” but I also don’t have to dirty any more dishes. Hashtag lazy.
Why do I love overnight oats? Brain fuel. Packed with oodles of nourishment. DELISH. Filling. Easyyyy.
You should totally make them in cute mason jars, especially if you’re on the go because of the screw-on lid! Spillage problems avoided, you are welcome.
I poured my overnight oats into a bowl (as shown in some pictures) but either way, you can get creative, customize with your fave add-ins and be excited for your breakfast in the morning. Let’s talk about add-ins and toppings. The options are endless here. This is the part where you transform overnights oats into whatever you want them to be.
Overnight Oat Flavor Ideas:
- Peanut Butter Brownie? Add in peanut butter and cacao powder.
- Banana Coconut? Add in coconut milk, mashed banana and coconut flakes.
- Protein-Powered Berry Bliss? Add in plant based protein powder and berries (fresh or frozen).
- Crunchy and Savory? Add in crushed walnuts, cacao nibs and nut butter.
- Superfood Packed? Add in chia seeds, hemp seeds, maca powder, gogi berries etc.
- Peanut Butter and Jelly? Add peanut butter and jelly. Yup.
These heavenly Peanut Butter Chia Overnight Oats are loaded with so much goodness, lemme tell you. Whole grain oats, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, mashed banana (for natural sweetness) “peanut butter” which I will talk about, chia seeds, cinnamon, a teeny pinch of sea salt, coconut flakes, crushed almonds and cacao nibs. Sweet, savory, crunchy, creamy, energizing and superfood infused. Just the way I like it.
Fun fact! Two tablespoons of chia seeds contains: eight grams of fiber, six grams of plant protein, 12% of the daily value of iron, and 16% of the daily value of calcium.
I always, always, always add chia seeds to my overnight oats. They are little superfood gems! Just be sure to add extra liquid as chia seeds and oats SOAK up every ounce. The more liquid, the creamier and better.
For the “peanut butter”, I used a lightened up version. PB Fit Powder
Peanut Butter Chia Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any plant milk)*
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (but leave a few banana coins for topping!)
- 2 tablespoons PB Fit powder + 1 1/2 tablespoons water (or any nut butter, to taste)
- 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave, for extra sweetness
Extras/Toppings
- cacao nibs (optional)
- coconut flakes
- crushed almonds
- sliced banana coins
- extra sprinkles of cinnamon!
Instructions
- Add oats, chia seeds, cinnamon and sea salt to a mason jar and mix well. Add in almond milk, water, vanilla and mashed banana. Stir until combined.
- In a small bowl, mix PB powder with water, until creamy. You can double the ingredients for extra peanut butter-y flavor! Stir “peanut butter” mixture into mason jar. You can add toppings now or in the morning!
- Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. Dig in with a spoon and enjoy!
Notes
- * Other plant milk options: coconut milk, hemp milk, soy milk, rice milk, flax milk, oat milk, cashew milk etc..
- ** If overnight oats seem too dry for your liking in the morning, just add in a couple splashes of almond milk or water!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
PIN FOR LATER!
So, how do you enjoy overnight oats? What is your favorite recipe? Leave a comment below for more ideas!
This looked delish, but I’ve been lured into eating lots of “healthy” calories before so ran it through a calorie/protein counter. Basically a full day o’calories! It’s the 2 TBS of chia seeds and the PB powder that really put this over the top, including protein. Maybe less?
Looks delicious! Gotta love the inhuman, “nutritional facts?” post comment. I just calculated this with regular PB and it came out to 771 cal, 28 g fat, 108 carb, 21 g fiber, 22 g protein. You could get that down using the PB powder called for, and swapping out a low cal maple syrup or just stevia if you’re inclined toward that sort of thing. Thanks for sharing. What inspiring photos of a delicious recipe!
Yeah… delicious, nutritious, calorific, and it does make an enormous amount. I calculated the calories at 1467 per single serving, and that was without using any maple syrup, but using 2 tablespoons of Kirkland mixed nut butter. My husband and I split it. It’s really good, no doubt. I am looking for low calorie foods, that are high in protein and high in fiber… and foods which are also vegan. Oh boy…the quest continues.
★★★★★
I think I’m missing something.. How does this all fit in a mason jar? No biggie I used a bowl and it enough to fill 2 jars. How much water for the PB powder? I added the half cup to the first bowl of ingredients.. confused!
I’m lovin’ it! I actually just read like three of your posts today. So that means you better keep writing more, because I am going through these like they’re going out of style.
https://foursquare.com/user/349367
nutritional facts?
This was sooo delicious! My 2 year old and I gobbled them down. He was saying mmmm the whole time! I made them per the recipe and used sugar free soy milk, included the optional vanilla, used one tablespoon of maple syrup, natural peanutbutter and Stevia to taste. As a topping I used banana slices, chopped almonds and cinnamon.
I highly recommend them!
How do I make it for one person
Hi there! This looks awesome! If I split it in half and have one the next day or two days later…will it still be good?
Thank you!!
Could you use any type of a nut butter in place of the PB Fit powder? Just would like to clarify 🙂 Thanks!
I ended up giving it a try sub creamy peanut butter for the PB fit powder and I was bummed that I ended up not liking this recipe I found it to be bland in flavor & watered down. I also didn’t like the amount of chia seeds (personal preference). Just a heads up this recipe does not fit in a 16 oz mason jar or a 23 oz. I had to use a Pyrex glass bowl- 4 cup size & it also just barely fit in that. This recipe is definitely too big for one person. You would be eating this for a few days.
Thanks though 🙂
Any suggestions on what to use in place of bananas?
Maybe any berries, or berry mixture.?
This is a recipe with great flavor and nutrients, but it is highly calorific. I calculate this at about 750 calories, without taking into account any toppings and as soon as you add coconut flakes and cacao nibs, you’re easily at 1000. That’s a lot for breakfast, even if you’re making it your main meal of the day. I used half of this recipe for a breakfast serving and it was still very filling.
For nutrition, you’re looking at 42g protein, 43g fat, and 124g carbs. This has a fair amount of potassium and vitamins A & C, lots of calcium and iron, with not too much sodium or cholesterol.
I looked it up, and cronometer says that it’s 581 without the toppings. That’s a pretty good amount of calories for one meal, especially considering all the good stuff in it. Also, you say that it has “not too much cholesterol”. Except, that this doesn’t contain any cholesterol because the only foods with cholesterol are animal products. So it has exactly no cholesterol unless you use real milk…
Thought so thanks for the info that should have been included with the recipe
Is there a reason why you only use plant based milk or us it just a preference?
so that it’s vegan
Do you have the nutritional information?
How many days will this last in the refrigerator?
thank you
This was SSOOOOO GOOOD!!! Do u by any chance have the nutritional chart on this?
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i LOVE absolutely anything with peanut butter in it!!! not to mention breakfasts i can prep in advance to grab on the go before work! can’t wait to try this – thanks for sharing 🙂
Hey Jordan! Me too! Hope you love it 🙂