Overnight Oats for Quick Weekday Breakfasts

Learning something new.

A few months back I was at a work event and I happened to be sitting beside two of the organization’s senior team leaders. Both Sue and Terry are foodies who love to cook. The event hadn’t started yet so we started  chatting about food. Sue mentioned overnight oats and Terry agreed that it’s a must for a quick and healthy breakfast. I was intrigued! Why had I never heard of overnight oats?

Months later…

It’s about time. I let months go by, but something recently triggered my memory of this and I set out to do a little Google research. I realized that I’ve been missing out on something good, so I decided I should finally get around to trying out this popular breakfast for myself.

I found a variety of techniques and ingredient combinations for preparing this dish, but I set off to prepare my own version. It’s quite versatile.

Make it yours!

My first attempt worked out really well, but I gave it another go and this time I added a few more ingredients that I knew would make it extra tasty. For my first attempt I had used honey, which worked very well as a sweetener, but for today’s recipe, I replaced that with maple syrup, a flavour I absolutely love! I also added flaked coconut for a little crunch, and some cinnamon.

I’m very happy with the delicious results and I’ve already been making this a part of some of my weekday breakfasts. You know what else is great? When I eat this for breakfast, I don’t feel hungry before lunch time. Apparently oats break down slowly which keeps you full, longer. I’ll take that!

How easy?

Overnight oats are super easy to make and because I mix my ingredients before going to sleep, my breakfast is ready to eat when I get up in the morning. Oh, and it lasts for a few days (and gets creamier with every passing day), so I don’t even have to make this everyday in order to enjoy it everyday.

Faster than drive-thru for breakfast.

We’re all time-starved and sometimes that results in us making poor breakfast choices as we rush off to work in the morning. It’s nice to have a healthy option that tastes great, fills me up, and doesn’t add time to my already rushed morning routine. In fact, this is faster than the time it takes for me to go through the drive-thru coffee shop on my way to work in the morning.

If you don’t all the time in the world, give overnight oats a try. Heck, even if you have all the time in the world, give overnight oats a try. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Start your day off right…and always eat well, friends.

Print Recipe

Overnight Oats for Quick Weekday Breakfasts

Make this breakfast ahead of time for a few days' worth of breakfast. It’s quick, delicious and healthy. It’s also easy to customize.

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American

Servings: 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup Balkan-style yogurt (greek also works nicely)
• 1 1/2 cups low fat milk (we use 1%)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tbsp whole ground flaxseed meal
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Desired chopped fruits or nuts for toppings

Instructions

• Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
• Remove the oats from the fridge, portion and top with your favourite fruit or nuts.
• Enjoy this dish for breakfast or as a snack.

Notes

• This is an extremely versatile recipe. Feel free to add, remove or change ingredients. For example, use chia seeds instead of or in addition to flaxseed. Use honey instead of maple syrup, add chopped nuts into the mix, leave our the coconut, etc.
• This recipe can be made in larger portions and enjoyed for up to 5 days. As time passes, the mix will become creamier.
• Feel free to replace the milk with almond milk or other milk replacement.
• Add more oats if you prefer a denser breakfast.