Overnight oats are stirred at night and eaten cold, or warmed, in the morning. Use rolled oats. Instant oats turn pasty, and steel-cut oats stay too hard for this method.
Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you get them ready. Adjust servings using the control beside the recipe. Amounts that start with a whole number scale with the serving size. Fractions such as 1/2 cup stay as written, so adjust those by eye.
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup berries
- Pinch of salt
How to make it
- Stir the oats, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a jar or container.
- Fold in half of the berries. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- In the morning, loosen with a splash of milk if the oats are thicker than you like.
- Top with the remaining berries and eat cold, or warm the base gently before adding the fresh berries.
A 1:1 ratio of oats to milk is a starting point. Add more milk in the morning rather than at night if you want them softer.
Substitutions
- Any milk works. Thicker yogurt makes a denser cup.
- Diced apple and cinnamon can replace the berries.
Storage
Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The berries soften as they sit, which is expected.
Pan and tools
- A jar or container with a lid, one per serving if you like
- A spoon
- No oven and no skillet
What to prep first
Stir oats, milk, and berries the night before and put the jar in the refrigerator. There is nothing to prep in the morning except a topping.
What to serve with it
More berries, a spoon of yogurt, or a few nuts. The oats are the breakfast. You do not need toast unless you are especially hungry.
Leftovers for lunch
A jar keeps for a few days in the refrigerator. Stir in a splash of milk in the morning if the oats drank everything overnight.
If it goes wrong
Stiff oats need more milk, added in the morning rather than the night before if you want them softer tomorrow. Sour oats were left too long. Start a fresh jar. A 1:1 ratio of oats to milk is only a starting point.
Make it part of your week
Save this recipe in the weekly planner so the grocery list is ready before you shop.
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