Overnight Oats In A Jar
Taking five minutes before bed to make these Overnight Oats In A Jar means you’ll have a nourishing breakfast ready on waking. It’s a choose your own adventure breakfast with the toppings too. Once the base is made, you can top them with anything you like.
In This Article
Nutritional Benefits
Oats contain a soluble fibre called beta glucan, which can help to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar as well as improve insulin sensitivity (1). Beta glucan also supports gut health by balancing the gut microbiome, and the presence of various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants also make oats great for immune health (2,3). Then there’s the cinnamon, which is great for keeping blood glucose levels in check (4) and sweet cravings at bay (5).
Ingredients – What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe
Preparing overnight oats is a simple and delicious way to ensure a nutritious and satisfying breakfast is ready and waiting for you in the morning. This “no-cook” method involves combining a few staple ingredients in a jar and letting them work their magic in the fridge overnight. The oats soften and absorb the flavours of the surrounding ingredients, creating a creamy and easy-to-customise meal that’s perfect for busy mornings.
- Oats – serve as the base for the recipe, providing a hearty and nutritious foundation.
- Almond milk – this was simply my preference. Any milk of your choosing can be used in the same quantity.
- Maple syrup – adds a touch of sweetness with a touch of caramel and toffee flavours. A great combination with the oats and cinnamon.
- Peanut butter – enhances the creaminess of the oats along with adding a good dose of healthy fats and protein. This helps keep you satiated.
- Banana – provides natural sweetness and a creamy texture along with a host of vitamins and minerals like potassium, vitamin C, and fibre. It also contributes to one of your fruit servings for the day!
- Cinnamon – imparts a warm and aromatic flavour spice while contributing depth and complexity to the overall taste of this delicious breakfast dish.
- Toppings of choice – I’ve used raspberries, choc chips, and granola in this version.
This recipe is very forgiving. The ratio of oats to milk is the only thing that needs to remain as is. That aside experiment with any toppings or spices you’d like to create a different breakfast every time. Try swapping out the cinnamon for this Homemade Pumpkin Spice to give it a heap of extra flavour.
How To Make Overnight Oats In A Jar
The magic of overnight oats lies in their simplicity. With just a few minutes of prep the night before, you’ll have a ready-to-eat breakfast you can grab on your way out the door. Mix it in the jars if you want minimal clean-up, or mix it all in one big bowl and transfer to jars if preferred.
- Pour half the oats, cinnamon, and milk into one jar, then the other half into another. Also add the sweetener here if you’re using any.
- Mix until they’ve taken on a nice cinnamony colour overall.
- Mash the banana and peanut butter (or the nut butter of your choosing) together until it’s like a thick paste.
- Add half the banana/nut butter mix to each jar and stir again to combine.
- Chill in the fridge overnight and allow to thicken.
After a night of resting in the fridge, your deliciously creamy overnight oats are ready to enjoy! Simply grab your jar, add any fresh toppings you like—such as berries, nuts, or a drizzle of maple syrup—and you have a delicious and healthy breakfast.
Substitutions And Variations
Not a banana lover? Try mashing berries or a ripe pear in. Apple puree is another option and if doing this I’d suggest mixing ¼ cup with the peanut butter before adding that to the oats.
Tips For Success With This Recipe
Getting the ratio of oats to milk right will give you creamy overnight oats every time. Too little milk makes them too firm, while too much means soggy oats. ¾ of a cup of oats will need roughly ½ a cup of milk. It could take a touch more if you’d like the overnight oats less firm. But too much and they’ll be swimming in liquid in the morning.
Storing
These jars will easily keep in the fridge for a couple of days but may firm up slightly. If this happens, just add a touch more milk and mix it through before you add the toppings.
FAQ
Oats can be quite tough to digest when raw and still firm due to the starch they contain. As such, it’s important to ensure they soak up plenty of liquid to soften up. The longer they soak, the more this starch will break down making the oats more digestible and easier on the gut. 2-3 hours would be the absolute minimum but overnight is best.
They’re eaten straight from the fridge – so, cold. If you’re after something more warming porridge is the way to go.
You can do either. I’ve added banana to the base mix because this makes the oats extra creamy. If you skip on that, simply add a bit of fruit to the jars before serving.
More Breakfast Recipes
- Tiramisu Overnight Oats
- Gluten Free Sourdough Pancakes
- Stewed Apples
- Baked Oats For One
- Guacamole Toast
If you try this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment, rate it, and remember to tag @wholenaturalkitchen in your pics or reels on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok!
Overnight Oats in a Jar
Equipment
- 2 Jars with lids (350ml/12 oz capacity)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup almond milk (or your milk of choice)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (smooth or crunchy is fine)
- 1 medium ripe banana, mashed (this is optional but makes the oats even more creamy and delicious)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Extra toppings of your choice. I used strawberries, raspberries, chocolate chips, granola and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Instructions
- Place half the oats, almond milk and cinnamon into one jar and the other half of these ingredients into another. Stir each to combine.
- Mash the peanut butter and banana together, then place half in each jar
- Stir all ingredients in each jar well, then put a lid on both and place them in the fridge overnight
- Decorate the top of the oats with your toppings of choice and a little extra drizzle of maple syrup or honey the next morning before serving then enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Gabby Campbell
Gabby is a degree qualified Naturopath/Nutritionist (BHSc Nat) with a love of all whole foods. She started her Naturopathic career in clinical practice before making the move to recipe development and online education – a result of wanting to combat the misinformation that abounds on the internet about food and health. Whole Natural Kitchen aims to transform the way you think about healthy eating by helping you embrace an abundance of nutritious foods while leaving the health fads behind. MORE ABOUT GABBY
This is one of my favourite overnight oats recipes! I make it daily. Either this one, or your Tiramisu overnight oats. Absolutely delicious!
Thank you, I’m so glad you love them!