These Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit are such a fun and delicious way to change up your regular oatmeal. They're sweet and creamy with a nice texture from the chia seeds. And it's perfect for the mornings you want a quick and easy grab-and-go breakfast that's actually good for you.
Oats are so filling and a great source of fiber. These Chocolate Baked Oats are another great healthy breakfast or snack. They are sweet and cake-like, but made with wholesome ingredients.
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❤️Why You'll Love these Overnight Oats
- They only take a few minutes to make.
- Overnight oats are great to prep for the week ahead.
- It's super customizable! Add in your favorite fruits, nuts, nut butters or seed butters!
- They're healthy, filling and use only a few ingredients!
- This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan.
- They're creamy and delicious!
👍Why this Recipe Works
- Overnight oats with frozen fruit is a great budget friendly breakfast!
- The ingredients to make it are kitchen staples that you probably already have.
- Oats do not have to be cooked. They soak up the milk, making them soft and delicious.
😯What are Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are a no-cook version of oatmeal. Instead of cooking the oatmeal on the stove or microwave, the oats are mixed with milk and a few other ingredients, and then refrigerated overnight in a sealed container or jar. The oats absorb the milk, expand and soften, yielding a cool, creamy consistency.
📝Ingredient Notes
Oats: Use old-fashioned rolled oats. If you eat a strict gluten free diet, make sure your oats are labeled "certified gluten free".
Yogurt: Any yogurt will do, but I prefer to use unsweetened plain coconut yogurt by the So Delicious brand. Use a yogurt that you enjoy the taste of.
Frozen berries: I like to use frozen mixed berries that have blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, but you can use whatever frozen fruits you like.
Chia seeds: These add great variation, texture, fiber and healthy fats!
🥄Instructions
In a mason jar, add the oats, cinnamon and chia seeds.
Add in the plant based yogurt, milk and pure maple syrup.
Mix it all together.
Put the lid on the jar and refrigerate overnight. The oats will need a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge.
When you're ready to serve, microwave the frozen fruit for about 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl. Add the fruit on top of the oats and enjoy!
🍯Substitutions/Additions
- Milk: Any milk will work. I prefer to use homemade almond milk or homemade cashew milk. The thicker your milk is, the thicker consistency your oats can have.
- Pure maple syrup: Date syrup or even date paste would be my next choice. It has such a delicious sweet flavor that works incredibly well with oats.
- Yogurt: Adding yogurt makes it have a much creamier consistency, but if you prefer not to use any, you can substitute it with about two tablespoons of more milk.
- Cocoa powder: Mix in about ½ teaspoon to make chocolate overnight oats.
- Chocolate chips/ cacao nibs
- Almonds: Sliced or slivered almonds give a nice crunch!
- Hemp seeds: These add additional protein and a nice texture.
- Almond butter: I would add almond butter when incorporating "warmer" flavor combinations like bananas, walnuts and cinnamon or even apples and cinnamon.
- Vanilla extract
- Bananas: Top with bananas, chopped walnuts and an extra dash of cinnamon (and maybe a drizzle of honey) for warm, sweet banana flavors!
- Mangos and strawberries: For light sweet flavors, use a combination of frozen mangos and strawberries.
🥛Jars
I recommend using a 16-ounce mason jar or an 8-ounce mason jar.
✅Pro Tips
- Add enough liquid, but not too much: Not adding enough liquid can result in thick and pasty oats. If you find that your oats don't have enough, mix in more milk before serving. A good rule of thumb is to use a 1:1 ratio of oats to milk. Too much milk will give you soupy oats, which isn't ideal.
- Add the toppings last: I know it can be a time saver by adding them the night before, but for the best consistency, and the fruit and toppings last. This ensures that the consistency and texture is not altered. This does not include the chia seeds. Chia seeds need to be added before refrigerating because you want them to absorb the liquid and expand.
- Remix them before eating: Give them a stir to evenly distribute the oats and cream.
- Eat them as a snack: They're great to eat as a snack too because they're filling, high in protein, fiber and healthy fats.
🧊Storage
A jar of overnight oats will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. It could last a bit longer, but I would say up to 3 days for the best texture.
⁉️Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Place the oats in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them for about a minute, or until warm. I recommend warming the frozen fruit separately in the microwave. This way you can drain any excess liquid you don't want in your oats.
Use old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats will get too soggy and steel cut oats will not soften enough.
I recommend either microwaving the frozen fruit for about 30 seconds and adding it on top of the oats right before serving, or preparing the overnight oats in a bowl and pouring them on top of the frozen fruit in the jar. If you add the frozen fruit on top and then refrigerate, it will increase the liquid contents of the oats from the juices.
Thaw the fruit in a microwave safe bowl for about 30 seconds, or until completely thawed.
Yes. Although, it's not recommended. It won't be as creamy as it is with milk. Water will give a totally different texture and consistency. However, adding the yogurt will help make it creamier, so I would make sure to use the yogurt too.
Yes. It does give it a creamier consistency, but if you prefer to not use any, just add a couple tablespoons of more milk.
⭐️Before you go! If you enjoyed this recipe for my Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit, leave a review and comment down below to share it with me! I love to hear from you. Also, if you aren't following me on Instagram, search @thedairyfreemenu for some more cooking inspiration!
📖 Recipe
Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit
Equipment
- 16-ounce mason jar or an 8-ounce mason jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup plant based milk
- ½ teaspoon chia seeds optional
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1 ¼ tablespoons pure maple syrup or to taste
- 2 tablespoons plain non-dairy yogurt see notes
- ¼ cup frozen mixed berries
Instructions
- In a mason jar, add in the oats, cinnamon and chia seeds. Then add in the plant based yogurt, milk and pure maple syrup. Mix it together well.
- Put a lid on the jar and refrigerate it overnight. The oats will need a minimum of 4 hours in the fridge.
- Thaw the frozen fruit in a microwave safe dish for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Add the fruit on top when ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to make this recipe without yogurt, substitute the yogurt for about 2 tablespoons of more milk.
- You can also swap out the pure maple syrup with honey, date syrup or even date paste.
- You can also add the frozen fruit to the bottom of the jar. This will keep the red and blue juices from leaking out into the oats, messing with the liquid to oats ratio. You'll want to mix the overnight oats separately in a bowl and then add them on top of the fruit, and refrigerate.
- These oats can last a few days in the fridge. But for best quality, I try to consume them within 3 days.
Nutrition
Note: The nutrition label is only an estimate. Amounts may vary.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!