Breakfast has long been believed as the most important meal of the day. Many experts have supported the idea that people who take their food in the morning have more energy during the day and kick starts the metabolism in our body.

But, many people are guilty of skipping this energy-giving meal and find themselves chugging on their morning coffee as they rush out of the door. Due to their busy lifestyle and little time between getting up in the morning and running off to work, they just look forward to lunch time to quench their hunger…

Little did they know that there is an easy way to nourish themselves with a hearty breakfast without cooking in the morning – they never heard of overnight oats.

Many are jumping into the bandwagon and are enjoying this tasty treat – yes, its like eating dessert during breakfast! You’ll be astounded at how effortless they are made, not to mention how nourishing and healthy they can be. You can dress them according to your liking and with a little experimentation, you can create your own recipes. The only problem that you’ll have is deciding which one would be your favorite.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make overnight oats – before going to bed for your night’s sleep, you basically combine oats, milk and some extras like some fruits then put it into the fridge. After that you’ll be waking in the morning with your creamy, satisfying and healthy breakfast ready for feasting.

The flavor of your overnight oats will depend on the extra ingredient added in the concoction. Some would compare these oats to pudding as the mixture softens and swells the oats to produce a thick and creamy texture. As you do these recipes a time or two, you’ll get to know how you like your oats – creamier or drier. This will depend on the amount of milk or yogurt that you add to the mix. The easiest to adjust is the sweetness, you can always add honey, sugar or maple syrup to make it sweeter.

Now there are three types of oats that you can easily find in the market – old fashioned or rolled oats, quick oats, and steel cut oats. Though they all start of as unbroken grains of oat groats, they vary depending on the amount of process they go through before they hit the market shelf. Rolled oats appear flat and somewhat round textured discs. The oat groats are steamed to a point that they are pliable and soft so that they can be pressed flat.

Quick oats are almost like rolled oats but they go through more processes compared to the rolled variety. They start off pre-cooked, dried, then rolled and flattened a bit more compared to old fashioned oats. They have a mushier texture when cooked and require little cooking. Steel-cut oats are the most toothsome of the three. This variety is cut instead of pressed and they look like rice grain cut into pieces. This type takes a long time to cook and has a chewy feel as you eat it.

When making your overnight oats, both old-fashioned and quick oats require no cooking, just pop them into a jar with the milk and other ingredients then you’re ready to store it in the fridge overnight to let the liquid soften the oats.

With steel-cut oats you would need to cook it over a stove for some time or microwave it on high settings for a few minutes to soften them.

But enough of the introduction and let us start discussing about the different ways to prepare your easy-to-do breakfast.

Listed below are 10 tasty overnight oats recipes

10 Tasty Overnight Oats Recipes To Try

Peanut Butter Banana

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup rolled oats
2. 1/3 cup milk
3. 1/3 cup plain yogurt
4. 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
5. 2 tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
6. 1 teaspoon honey (more or less, to taste)
7. 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8. Pinch of salt

*Optional Toppings: banana slices, dollop of PB, chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips

So simple, all you need to do is add a banana to the oats by mashing it into the mixture with a few spoons of peanut butter. You can add some cinnamon, honey or salt according to your taste.

Raspberry Nutella

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup rolled oats
2. 1/3 cup milk
3. 1/3 cup plain yogurt
4. 2 tablespoons Nutella
5. Pinch of salt
6. 1/2 cup raspberries

*Optional Toppings: additional raspberries, drizzle of Nutella, toasted almond slices or other nuts

Easy peasy, just add in the raspberry and… are you ready – Nutella! Once you get up in the morning, you can add some extra raspberries and nuts to add some crunch.

Coco Almond Oats

Ingredients

1. 1/3 cup rolled oats
2. 1/3 cup coconut milk
3. 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
4. 1/4 cup shredded coconut
5. 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6. Pinch of salt

*Optional Toppings: additional shredded coconut, 1/4 cup toasted almond slices, mini chocolate chips

This is a bit more thicker than the others because of the coconut but if you would like to make it a bit thinner, just add some extra milk. The coconut taste dominates the flavor and to highlight it more, you can use vanilla yogurt. Top it off in the morning with some almonds and chocolate chips.

Lovely Morning Date

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 1/4 cup pitted dried dates, sliced
3. 1/2 cup mango, cubed
4. 3 tbsp. maple syrup
5. 4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
6. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

Dates are a good source of energy and sugar with maple syrup. This breakfast will surely power you through the day.

Paradise in the Morning

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 1/2 cup pineapples, cubed
3. 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
4. 1/2 cup blueberries
5. 4 tbsp. coconut flakes
6. 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
7. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

Sweet, juicy and bursting with flavor, adding pomegranate seeds will wake your senses in the morning to welcome the day full of life. Pineapple and blueberries complement well the overall taste of this concoction.

Cookie dough oats with chocolate chips

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 4 tbsp.  dark chocolate chips
3. 1/2 ripe banana
4. 1 tsp. vanilla extract
5. 4 tbsp. maple syrup
6. 1/2 cup cashew cream
7. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

Everybody loves cookies. But what’s the next best thing –  cookie dough of course. What could be better than having desert for breakfast?

Delight Salted Caramel

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 4 tbsp. caramel
3. 4 tbsp. cocoa powder
4. 1/4 cup cold coffee
5. 1/4 cup chopped dates
6. 3 tbsp. chia seeds
7. Pinch of salt
8. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

Salty and sweet, this overnight oats is another dessert and breakfast in one.  You’ll surely welcome each morning with a smile in your face.

Ginger-Mango Peach Oats

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 1 tbsp.  minced ginger
3. 1/2 mango, cubed
4. 1 peach, cubed
5. 3 tbsp. maple syrup
6. 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
7. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

A bit spicy and peppery, a little lemony, slightly sweet: ginger will exhilarate your mornings. Mangoes and peach add some juicy sweetness to the mix along with maple syrup. The chopped walnuts puts some crunch in each spoonful of this breakfast.

Blackberry-Lemon Mojito

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 1 cup blackberries
3. 3 tbsp. mint leaves, chopped
4. 1 tbsp. honey
5. 1 tbsp. lemon zest
6. 1 tbsp. chia seeds
7. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

Mojito in the morning? Seems outrageous but nothing is impossible with overnight oats. Blackberries are sweet and juicy and lemon adds that zing to the flavor perking up even the toughest mornings.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Ingredients

1. 1 cup Quaker oats
2. 3 tbsp. chia seeds
3. 1/4 cup peanut butter
4. 1 ripe banana, sliced
5. 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
6. 1/2 cup low-fat milk

Peanut butter and Jelly are perfect for sandwiches but it doesn’t stop there – it also fits overnight oats. Sweet, creamy, smooth and crunchy, this mix can be combined with some banana and chia seeds to add some more thickness.