Overnight Oats, Three Ways

Name: Overnight Oats, Three Ways
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 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; ¼ cup mixed berries; 1 tablespoon slivered almonds; ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter; ½ banana, sliced; Pinch of cinnamon; ½ small apple, grated; 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon; Squeeze of lemon

One reliable base recipe and three flavour combinations I rotate through almost every week. Five minutes tonight, breakfast sorted tomorrow.

Prep: 5 minCook: 0 minTotal: 5 minServings: 1Difficulty: Easy

Three jars of overnight oats topped with berries, banana and peanut butter

Overnight oats are the breakfast I tell every busy friend to start making. They take five minutes to assemble, hold in the fridge for three days, and stop you from reaching for whatever sad pastry is nearest the office coffee machine.

I'll give you the base ratio I use, then three flavour combinations I actually eat — not the kind of recipe that calls for ingredients you'd buy once and forget about.

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.