
Happy February 1st!
I don’t know about you, but I celebrated the end of January this morning. We are one month closer to Spring and for me it is all about the little things in the deep of Winter. Today, we are bracing for a big snowstorm traveling up from the US tonight into Wednesday. If it is anything like I saw on the news, it is going to be a big one! Last night, Eric said we should hit up the grocery store and ‘stock up’ and I had to laugh because we probably have enough food in this house to survive until retirement.
But this post isn’t about Old Man Winter, it is about breakfast!
If you are new to the blog, you might not know about my obsession with Vegan Overnight Oats and Vegan Overnight Oat Parfaits, but a quick glance at my breakfast category on my Recipes page will explain things a bit better. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though.
Vegan Overnight Oats are mixed before you go to bed at night and you do not cook it, so there is literally zero preparation in the morning. You stick the spoon in and you enjoy the doughy goodness.
It is also perfect for those mornings when turning on the stovetop might pose a risk to yourself or others. My melted spatulas thank me.

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Carob Banana Chia Vegan Overnight Oats
For the rest of my Vegan Overnight Oat recipes, see here.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Almond milk (or your choice)
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 1 tbsp carob powder (I buy it at bulk Barn)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Tiny pinch of kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tbsp walnuts, chopped (optional, or use other nuts)
- 1 ripe banana, chopped
- Maple syrup to drizzle, to taste (optional)
Directions: Mix the dry ingredients (oats, carob powder, chia seeds, optional walnuts, salt) in a medium sized bowl with a whisk. Now pour in the milk and pure vanilla extract, Whisk well until all clumps are gone. Finally, Stir in the chopped ripe banana. Place in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. You can cover it, or leave it under covered. When ready, give it a good stir and enjoy. Drizzle a bit of maple syrup on top if you wish! You can get creative with different mix-ins too.
Nutritional info (Serves 1, not including walnuts): approx. ~450 kcals, 14 grams fat (includes 6.3 g Omega-3 & 1.9 g Omega-6), 20 grams fibre, and 16 grams protein.
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I have been receiving a lot of vegan overnight oat questions, so I thought I would do a quick VOO FAQ.
1. Can I substitute flax seed for chia seeds?
I have heard that you can substitute ground flax for the chia seeds in Vegan Overnight Oats. Once I tried using whole flax seeds and it did not work out great, so I never recommend using whole flax seeds. Because ground flax doesn’t absorb as much liquid as chia seeds, you may have to reduce the amount of milk you use (maybe 1/4 cup). If at all possible, use the chia seeds though because they really work lovely in this recipe.
2. Can I substitute cocoa powder for carob powder?
Carob powder is much sweeter tasting than cocoa powder, so I would not recommend substituting it 1:1. If you do not have carob powder, you could probably use 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder if you wanted to, but the recipe will work without either!
3. Can I use instant oats instead of regular oats?
I have not tried using instant oats before, but maybe a reader has tried this and can comment on this in the comments section? My guess would be that the instant oats do not absorb as much liquid as the regular oats. I also really enjoy the chewiness of the regular oats.
4. I don’t have almond milk, can I use rice, soy, cow’s, hemp, oat, etc. instead?
You can substitute any kind of milk you desire!
5. Is the banana necessary?
The banana (in this recipe) is what gives the VOO some sweetness. If you do not want to use a banana, I would suggest adding 1-2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup to stir in or maybe try using dates. I have also successfully used Vega Choc-o-lot protein powder and it worked great to sweeten it up.
6. Do I cook the Vegan Overnight Oats or heat them in the microwave before eating?
Nope! There is absolutely no cooking involved in this recipe.
Step 1: Place your oats, chia seeds, walnuts, carob powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk.

Step 2: Pour in 1 cup of Almond Milk (or your choice of milk) and the 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.

Whisk well until all the clumps are gone.

Step 3: Add in the chopped bananas.

Whisk and smash some of the bananas into the mixture. This will help incorporate the sweetness throughout.

Step 4: Place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight. During this time, the chia seeds and oats will soak up the liquid and thicken up.

After 1 hour in the fridge, it looks like this…

Thick, doughy, chewy, and strangely addicting.
I used to think overnight oats looked so gross (and I guess they still do a bit!), but this is one of my favourite breakfasts now. It really grows on ya, I promise!

Soooo…the Super Bowl is coming up this Sunday and we are having a couple parties this weekend. This means that I have some food prep to do this week!
My questions to you today are 1) What food should I make for the Super Bowl?, 2) Will you be watching the Super Bowl or making anything fun? Appetizers, finger foods, dips, main entrees, pizza, desserts, drinks? So much to choose from…!
How funny: you’re looking forward to spring because it’s too cold where you are, and I can’t wait for autumn because it’s unbearably hot where I am! And luckily for me, overnight oats are the perfect hot-weather breakfast :)
we really don’t need to cook the oats? that’s cool.
and no instant oat doesn’t work i’ve tried using those for baking once and it did not go well the oats swelled up in water.
i’ve never tried chia seeds but i shall give it a shot! :)
I LOVE VOO! I was introduced to them this summer & I ate ’em everyone morning :)
As for the Super Bowl, I’ll share my menu w/ you for inspiration (it has options for the meat eaters): 7 layer dip, guacamole, hummus & veggies, pigs in a blanket, spinach pies, & brownies mmmm oh & beer duh!
Hah I just did a post on game day eats, and even linked back to one of your recipes that we love as a finger food! :)
I can answer a few of the Q’s you posted for the overnight oats :)
When I’ve used instant oats in my overnight oats, they turn out mushy and nasty. Regular oats are way better.
I typically make my VOO with 1tbl of cocoa powder and it still turns out great! Of course I love the rich flavor of the cocoa. Some people may not.
I’ve also tried ground flax seed instead of chia seeds (when I ran out of chia) and it was a huge disappointment. Definitely doesn’t soak up enough liquid and the flavor of the flax stands out, where as the chia seeds soak up whatever flavor you mix in. Not to mention the texture! Ground flax makes it grainy…chia is…bubbly and beautiful :)
Also, check out this article the Reader’s Digest published
http://www.rd.com/health/big-breakfasts-mean-a-bigger-you/
I think I have to disagree, to an extent. I’ve learned from personal experience that if I eat no breakfast, I eat like MAD the whole day. If I eat a light breakfast, I’m generally hungry for lunch by 10, dinner by 3:30 and then I eat too much at night! But if I eat a satisfying breakfast, that sustains me til lunch, I eat lighter meals the rest of the day and feel satisfied. I’d say I generally eat less calories when I fill up on breakfast. However, what the study doesn’t show is if some of those people exercise (who eat larger breakfasts), burn more calories, and in turn eat more, due to their level of activity. I know I’m way more hungry in the morning, after a work out day, the day before. Plus, if I’m working out a lot, I NEED to eat a good breakfast to make it through my workout and do my best! Too many variables to make such a definite conclusion.
Thanks for your input to the questions! :)
Interesting link too…there was a study a little while ago saying that big breakfasts (upwards of 700 cals!) were the best for weight maintenance. I would be interested in reading the full article to see how they controlled for variables.
Nope … won’t be watching the Superbowl … I only watch games that the Riders are playing in :-)
Love your site! Enjoying your recipes here in Paris I’m a huge breakfast fan and love oats and muesli. Have some form of them pretty much every day. I’m curious- if you don’t soak the oats and eat them raw as muesli or toasted in the oven (like granola which I am into lately) does it still have the same health benefit as overnight muesli or hot oatmeal? Thanks!
The promise of these oats sitting in my fridge yanked me out of bed and got me doing yoga this morning! I used 1T cocoa powder and just a touch of honey.
Thanks for all the creative vegan recipes! I’m not vegan, more of a conscientious omnivore, but variety is the spice of life. :)
hehe so cute!
I just love your blog! I have been reading it pretty much every chance I’ve had over the last few days. There are so manu recipes I can’t wait to try I don’t even know where to begin. I made the peanut butter swirl pancakes and they were incredible! I was impressed with how well they held together. I just made the recipe above and can’t wait to try it! It’s my first experience with overnight oats. I usually eat steel cut oats, but I’m not sure if those would soften up enough. Have you ever made VOO with them? Thanks, Leslie
Yum!!!! This is my new favorite breakfast. Thanks so much for the recipe. I love that all the prep is done the night before and it’s portable with no microwave required. I can’t wait to try some variations on this.
I’m addicted. I am absolutely addicted to VOO. This is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been looking for. I love that you can spice it up so you can virtually eat it all of the time and never get bored. I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog a week ago. I’m hooked!
Would it be possible to replaced the oats with another grain?
You might be able to use spelt flakes or quinoa flakes, although I havent tried them myself. Let me know how it goes!
Can you use steel cut oatmeal rather than regular oats? Or is there much of a difference?
No I wouldnt suggest using steel cut oats…they dont get creamy like regular rolled oats.
I really think you should give gingerbread cookie overnight oats a whirl. Yum for Christmas!
I was wondering I can’t find the carob powder in the town I live. What can I use in replace of carob powder. I have carob chips an regular cocoa powder?
I dont know of anything that recplaces carob powder since it’s sweet and cocoa powder isn’t. I would suggest using 1 tbsp cocoa powder, but adding liquid sweetener to the mixture too as it will be bitter.
I use premium Ghirardelli Hot chocolate mix and it works great. I just use the same measurement as in the recipe.
Hi Angela, you really are an inspiration to me. I’ve just started a blog – mainly for me to keep track of things and feel like I need to be accountable on the road to health… I did just reference you – I hope that’s okay? — I’m not wanting to break any “blogging rules”!!! http://thre3littlebirds.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/healthy-eats/
Thank you Ill take a look!
Angela – have you ever made VOO with steel cut oats?
Actually, I just read your response to a commenter above. Nevermind!
Hi Angela,
I’m making the overnight oats before I go to sleep. Can’t wait to have this in the morning. Thanks for all these great recipes!
You article is well written. I enjoy reading your blog.
We love this dish at our house. Three kids and never one complaint. My 5yr old doesn’t like it cold so I just put hers in the micro for about 20-30 to take the chill off. I always make a triple batch and use the homemade oat milk from your blog! :) I actually sub Ghirardelli premium hot chocolate for carob/cocoa…super good! Thanks for all your great recipes.
I’m so happy to have stumbled upon your recipe. It’s TERRIFIC!
I made a few changes because of what I have on hand and regularly use:
> Substituted 2 tsp Raw Cacao Powder for the 1 TBSP Carob Powder
> Substituted Flax Seed Meal for Chia Seeds … used same amount as recipe
> Used 1/2 Banana (half is plenty sweet for me)
And did not use nuts or maple syrup.
The vanilla extract really added to it … would never have thought of that.
I absolutely loved it and can see this being a regular breakfast for me. Thank You :-)
Hey Kat, Welcome! So glad you are enjoying the blog so far. Thanks for sharing your recipe modifications! I always love to hear how others make them. Take care, Angela