Vanilla overnight oats are the perfect basic overnight oatmeal recipe. Top with your favorite fruits, nut butter, granola, or nuts.
This is a great breakfast idea for people who enjoy meal prep. You can make several jars of overnight oats on Sunday night and have an easy, healthy breakfast ready all week long.
Old fashioned oats are a gluten-free whole grain and are a good source of dietary fiber. Plus, chia seeds are high in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
This vanilla overnight oatmeal is a great base recipe. Once you perfect these oats, you can customize the recipe with your favorite add-ins.
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Recipe highlights
- Easy to make: Just stir up the ingredients and refrigerate overnight.
- High fiber: A half cup of old fashioned oats has 4 grams of dietary fiber.
- Healthy fat: Chia seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
For more overnight oats recipes, try Nutella overnight oats, protein powder overnight oats, or peanut butter overnight oats.
Ingredients
- Old fashioned rolled oats - These are something labeled old fashioned or rolled oats, or both.
- Vanilla almond milk, unsweetened - This is a great option because it enhances the vanilla flavor and has fewer carbohydrates than cow's milk. Plus, it's sugar-free. In contrast, whole milk typically has about 12 grams of sugar per serving.
- Vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt - This adds both sweetness and flavor. Vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt has less fat, fewer carbohydrates, and more protein than traditional lowfat vanilla yogurt.
- Maple syrup - To sweeten.
- Chia seeds - For fiber and a thicker consistency. Chia seeds absorb some of the liquid.
- Pure vanilla extract - For taste.
- Salt - For taste.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Combine all of the ingredients in a 12 to 16-ounce bowl or jar. A 12 ounce Mason jar is pictured below.
Mix until well combined. The mixture will be liquidy, but don't worry, the oats and chia seeds will absorb most of the liquid when it chills.
Cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of four hours.
Remove from the fridge, stir the oatmeal, and serve.
Topping ideas: fresh blueberries (pictured), banana, almond slices (pictured), cinnamon, craisins, toasted peanuts, peanut butter, almond butter, and honey.
Substitutions
Customize these vanilla overnight oats to make them your own. Use it as a base recipe for your own creation.
- Milk - Any milk will be great with this recipe: cow's milk, almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk, cashew, you name it. This recipe was made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, so note that the nutrition will change with any adjustments.
- Yogurt - This recipe was developed with vanilla Greek yogurt but would also be delicious with any other plain yogurt (plain Greek, non-fat, cashew milk, almond, you name it). Note that the nutrition will change.
- Chia seeds - This oatmeal recipe can be made without chia seeds but will have a much thinner consistency. The chia seeds swell and absorb the liquid, making it thick. You can add less milk or yogurt for thicker oatmeal if you choose to remove the chia seeds.
For a vegan version, try this vegan vanilla oatmeal recipe.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment or kitchen tools to make this recipe. All you need is a 12 to 16-ounce jar or container. This is a 12-ounce wide-mouth mason jar.
A bowl covered in plastic wrap or a Tupperware container with a lid will also do the trick.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The old-fashioned oats will become softer over time.
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Overnight Oats
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup vanilla almond milk unsweetened
- ¼ cup vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a 12 to 16-ounce bowl or jar, mixing until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or a minimum of four hours.
- Remove from the fridge, stir the oatmeal, and serve. See Notes for topping ideas.
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