I have to admit, at first I thought that overnight oats were just a health fad that wasn’t going to last and I really had no interest in trying them. Then, as fate would have it, the family that I was personal cheffing for twice a week wanted to try them as a quick breakfast to have before school. So in a way I guess I was forced to look into it, and when I did, I realized that there were infinite number of flavor combinations because oats are pretty much a blank canvas.
The family that I cheffed for had two young boys with surprisingly developed palettes, so I had a wide range of flavors that I could try. Of course, banana peanut butter was their all-time favorite, but I have listed several other recipes here that both parents and adults enjoyed!
So the base recipe, the building blocks, if you will, of overnight oats are the following:
1 Cup Old fashioned oats
2 C Milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or whatever liquid you want
After that, the world is your oyster! I wanted to add extra protein, so many of my recipes have greek yogurt in them, along with ground flax and chia seed.
Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats:
Yield: 4 cups, 5-6 servings
1 C Old Fashioned Oats
2 C Milk
? C Peanut Butter
1 Banana, mashed
2T Chia seeds
2 T Flaxseed
½ C Greek Yogurt
Method:
- Mix the mashed banana, greek yogurt and peanut butter together in a large bowl.
- Add the chia, flax, oats and milk and mix thoroughly.
- Place in the refrigerator overnight.
And that’s it! You’re done! I portioned the oats into little mason jars so they could just grab them and go, but you could easily leave it in a tupperware and spoon it out when you’re ready to eat. I usually prefer my oats slightly warm, especially if the recipe calls for spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, but I know plenty of people that eat them cold. Also, feel free to adjust the consistency with a little milk. I find that when I heat mine up it gets thicker, so I like to add almond milk to bring it back to the right texture.
Here are some other flavor combinations to try:
Coconut Peach Almond: Oat Base Recipe + diced peach, shredded coconut, chia, flax, sliced toasted almonds, and a little bit of nutmeg
Apple Pie with Pepitas:Oat Base Recipe + diced apple (I like to use something bright and crisp like pink lady, fuji, or honeycrisp), cinnamon, nutmeg, pepitas, honey (to taste), and applesauce.
Cinnamon Oats with Berry Puree: Oat Base Recipe + 1 t cinnamon, ½ c toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans, and Berry Puree (Your choice of 1 c mixed berries with ½ c greek yogurt, pureed together).
Chocolate Banana Coconut: Oat Base Recipe + 1 Banana, mashed, 1 banana diced, ½C greek yogurt, shredded coconut, chocolate covered coconut pieces OR mini chocolate chips.
As you can see, I try not to use any sweetener other than fruit, but a little brown sugar or honey in the oat base goes a long way if the fruit is out of season or not particularly sweet.
So, that’s it! Like I said, there’s a million combinations you can create, or ask your kids what they would like to try.
Leave us a comment with your favorite flavor combo!