Basic Overnight Oats: 5 Minute Meal Prep

Fun fact: I used to hate overnight oats.  I thought they were weird and soggy and kinda gross. Maybe I just wasn't making them right because now I love 'em!  Or I'm just a year older and so much wiser? Yeah, that's probably it. Today I am sharing with you my favorite way to make your basic overnight oats.  It's a healthy way to meal prep your breakfast and it takes only 5 minutes! Promise!

Anyway, to make this recipe you add in your oats first and then your liquid ingredients. As the oats sit overnight, they soak up the liquid and it becomes this nice little mushy bowl of deliciousness.  It tastes better than that sounded. Promise. Similar to these breakfast egg muffins, breakfast sheet pan and breakfast casserole recipes, overnight oats are so easy to meal prep ahead of time and you can make so many different versions. Whatever combination your little heart desires.  Since I add protein powder to my oats, it is also an easy way for me to get in a little extra protein.

I make my oats with 4 basic ingredients: almond milk, oats, chia seeds and protein powder.  That's it.  Pretty simple. The chia seeds aren't totally necessary so if you wanted to, you really only need 3 ingredients. I do add some other things when I'm feeling fancy but the 3 main ingredients usually stay the same. I like to add collagen peptides for some extra protein as well as all the benefits of collagen!  Other additions I love are coconut flakes or powdered peanut butter (I use PB Fit) to the dry mix. Once thing that I have found helpful when making overnight oats is to make sure to mix all the dry ingredients well before adding your liquids. This ensures that when you take it out of the fridge in the morning, everything is well blended and ready to go.

The make up of your overnight oats is really based on preference.  If you prefer thicker oatmeal, then add less liquid. I typically use ¾ cup to ½ a cup of oats but you can play with the amount a little to get the consistency you want. If protein powder isn't your jam, then you can add greek yogurt instead and reduce the amount of almond milk. In place of almond milk I have also used coconut milk, cashew milk and even chocolate milk.  All equally delicious! Once you take your oats from the fridge, then the fun part begins.  You can top it with fruit, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, granola, bee pollen, hemp seeds, nuts or all of the above if you're feeling ambitious. The ski is the limit! The recipe in this post will be for the basic version in the photo but I listed a few ideas below for when you want to change things up.

Overnight Oats Variations

• PB & J: powdered peanut butter mixed in, topped with strawberries & more peanut butter (obvi)
• Piña Colada: coconut milk instead of almond milk, topped with pineapple and coconut flakes
• Peaches & Cream: vanilla protein powder mixed in, topped with peaches and granola
• PB & Banana: powdered peanut butter mixed in, topped with peanut butter, banana & cinnamon
• Nuts about Chocolate: cacao powder and chocolate protein powder mixed in, topped with chocolate chips and walnuts
• Pumpkin Pie: ¼ cup canned pumpkin mixed in, snickerdoodle (or vanilla) protein power, topped with cinnamon and granola

And with that, here is the basic recipe to get you started on making your own overnight oats masterpiece.

Basic Overnight Oats

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• Author: Jen Lopez
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Cuisine: American

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Description

A simple basic recipe for overnight oats in a jar! This is a healthy make ahead breakfast that's perfect for your next meal prep! Add in a scoop of protein powder and you have a protein packed breakfast on the go! 

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Ingredients

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• ½ cup dry oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats)
• ¾-1 cup almond milk (I LOVE the Califia Farms Toasted Coconut Almond Blend)
• 1 scoop protein powder (I love Levels Vanilla Cinnamon)
• 1 Tbs Chia Seeds
• *If you choose not to use protein powder add ¼ cup greek yogurt instead and reduce almond milk to ½ cup. Note that you may want to add a little stevia or agave nectar if you prefer more sweetness to your oats.

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Instructions

1. Pour oats in a small container
2. Add protein powder and chia seeds to oats and mix dry ingredients well
3. Pour in almond milk and stir to mix
4. Cover with a lid and store in refrigerator overnight
5. In the morning add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

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Notes

*nutrition facts calculated with protein powder listed

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Jar
• Calories: 410
• Fat: 10.8
• Carbohydrates: 42
• Fiber: 10.5
• Protein: 34