Parent & Kid-Friendly Recipes: Overnight Oats

On the hunt for a good meal prep breakfast? Overnight oats are the perfect solution! If you don't know what overnight oats are, they're basically oats that get soaked overnight with milk, flavorings, and toppings. The oats absorb the liquid and get amazingly thick, and fluffy. They lose that “raw” flavor – even though they're never cooked – and make a really delicious, filling breakfast.  We’ve provided our basic overnight oats base recipe, plus four tasty flavor renditions. Choose any of the flavor renditions suggested, or get creative and style these delicious oats any way you want!

Base Overnight Oats 

Makes: 1 serving | Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup rolled old fashioned oats
• ½ cup milk of choice
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Flavor Renditions

1. PB&J

Ingredients:

• 1 handful berries 
• 1 Tbsp jam
• 1 Tbsp nut butter 

2. Pina Colada 

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned
• ½ Tbsp coconut cream
• ½ Tbsp shredded coconut flakes

3. Going Nuts 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp nut butter
• 1/3 of a banana, sliced
• 1 Tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• 1/2 Tbsp shredded coconut flakes

4. Carrot Cake 

Ingredients:

• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ cup shredded carrots
• 1 Tbsp raisins

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all ingredients in the Base Overnight Oats recipe in a dish that fits how many servings you’re making. Stir together until everything is well combined. 
2. Cover your oats with a lid or plastic wrap and pop them in the fridge. Refrigerate overnight for best results, or a minimum of 4 hours. 
3. When you’re ready to eat your overnight oats, add the desired mix-ins into your base, and combine. Serve and enjoy!

HELPFUL TIPS:

• We like to prepare our overnight oats in batches based on their flavor rendition. To do this we make a batch of the base overnight oats, add in our flavor rendition ingredients, THEN refrigerate overnight. This method really allows the oats to soak up all those yummy flavors and provides your taste buds with maximum flavor. And, since we like to prepare ahead of time, we usually make a batch of each flavor rendition in one setting, label them by date and flavor with our favorite Write-On Labels, and store them in the fridge. We like to make enough to last throughout the week. This makes breakfast TOO easy!
• Our favorite milk to use for the base recipe is Almond milk, or Coconut milk, but use whatever you and your family enjoy.
• Store your overnight oats for up to 8 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.