Overnight Oats, Three Ways
One reliable base recipe and three flavour combinations worth rotating through each week. Five minutes tonight, breakfast sorted tomorrow.
Overnight oats are the kind of breakfast worth recommending to anyone short on morning time. They take five minutes to assemble, hold in the fridge for up to three days, and offer a better option than whatever pastry sits nearest the office coffee machine.
Below is a base ratio along with three flavour combinations built to be genuinely eaten, not the kind of recipe that calls for ingredients bought once and forgotten.
Ingredients
Base (per jar)
- ½ cup (45g) rolled oats (not instant)
- ½ cup (120ml) milk of your choice
- ¼ cup (60g) Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1–2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- Pinch of salt
Berry & almond
- ¼ cup mixed berries
- 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Peanut butter & banana
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- ½ banana, sliced
- Pinch of cinnamon
Apple pie
- ½ small apple, grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Squeeze of lemon
Instructions
- Add all base ingredients to a jar or container with a lid. Stir well to combine.
- Stir in the flavour add-ins for whichever version you're making.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- In the morning, give them a stir and loosen with a splash of milk if you like a thinner texture. Add fresh toppings just before eating.
Cooking tips
- Rolled oats are key — instant oats turn to mush, steel-cut stay too chewy.
- The yoghurt is what makes them creamy instead of gluey. Don't skip it.
- Make three jars at once on Sunday night and you've sorted Monday through Wednesday.
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