Somewhere along the line I went from eating nothing for breakfast,
to this…
Need less to say, I haven’t looked back!
After years of having no energy throughout the day, breakfast is now my favourite meal. I never skip breakfast anymore! Contrary to what I used to believe, eating a big breakfast did not make me put on weight. I have more energy to fuel my day, stronger workouts, and I rarely snack at night time because I know a filling breakfast is not long off.
I started making Vegan Overnight Oat Parfaits last Spring as a fun way to spruce up my breakfast. The parfaits involve layering vegan overnight oats, Banana soft serve, and an array of mix-ins in a glass or jar (you can also plop everything in a bowl if you prefer not to layer them!)
Before Bed: Prep your Vegan Overnight Oats in a bowl and place in the fridge- no cooking required. Peel and chop 1 banana and place in baggie or container in the freezer.
My go-to Vegan Overnight Oats recipe:
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 1 tbsp-2 tbsp chia seeds (thickens mixture overnight)
- 1-1.25 cup non-dairy milk (I now use Eden organic soy which has 12 gram protein!)
- 1.5 tbsp carob powder or flavoured protein powder (optional)
- Maple syrup, to taste
- Fruit like blueberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, mango, banana.
In the morning: Process your frozen banana in the food processor to make creamy Banana soft serve. Grab your Vegan overnight oats from the fridge, banana soft serve, and desired toppings and layer them in a glass, jar, or bowl to make a parfait. For step by step photos see here.
Mix-in & Toppings ideas:
- Fruit (e.g., blueberries, strawberries, peaches, kiwi, mango, banana, etc)
- Nut butter
- Shredded coconut
- Raw buckwheat groats (adds a nice crunch)
- Cacao nibs
- Granola
- Crumbled Oat square
- Coconut butter
- Jam
The result is a healthy breakfast that tastes just like a frozen dessert. :) It is great for warmer weather when you don’t want a hot bowl of oats.
On really hot days…well, things can get a bit out of control…
Here are some of my favourite parfait recipes:
Chocolate Cake Batter Vegan Overnight Oats
Peanut Butter and Jam Vegan Overnight Oats
Strawberry Carob Vegan Overnight Oats
Strawberry Banana Softserve and carob Vegan Overnight Oats
Homemade Strawberry Jam Carob Vegan Overnight Oats
Blueberry Vanilla Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats
Cherry Chocolate Bomb Vegan Overnight Oats (My FAV!)
Banana Soft Serve Vegan Overnight Oats
Banana Split Vegan Overnight Oats
Gingerbread Pumpkin Vegan Overnight Oat Parfait
My breakfast this morning was a fun take on Neapolitan ice cream.
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Neapolitan Vegan Overnight Oat Parfait (Vanilla, Chocolate Carob, Strawberry)
Yield: 1 serving
Vegan Overnight Oats:
- 1/3 cup regular oats
- 1.5 tbsp chia seeds
- 1-1.25 cup non-dairy milk
- 1.5 tbsp carob powder (or sweetened protein powder)
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- Maple syrup, to taste
Directions: Mix together in bowl and place in the fridge overnight. Stir well in morning & add maple syrup to taste.
Banana Soft Serve:
- 1 large frozen banana, chopped
- 2-3 frozen strawberries (to make strawberry soft serve)
Directions: Process frozen banana in food processor. Remove half and place in bowl. Now add a few strawberries into the processor and process to make strawberry soft serve. Now you have both vanilla and strawberry soft serve.
Toppings I used:
- Chopped strawberries
- Blueberries
- Homemade granola
- Buckwheat groats
- Shredded sweetened Coconut
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I got to eat two of them because the jars were extra small.
Two parfaits > One parfait.
My overnight oats NEVER look this pretty! Thanks for all of the great variations!
Thanks for putting all those yummy photos in one place. Warm weather means overnight oats!
I tried overnight oats once…maybe the adding of the chia makes a huge difference because I just could not get over the texture of it. I am willing to try again once I find chia though.
I agree. I can’t stand that texture! But those pictures look so appetizing!
Try not leaving them overnight, just leave them for 30 mins to an hour in the fridge.
I don’t like them overnight either, they get too squishy for me, but an hour-ish soaking makes them prefect for me!
haha those poor squishy & slimy chia seeds! Actually, I used to think overnight oats looked SO GROSS and I could not get over how anyone could eat it. Funny how I got hooked!
Oh my! The blueberry parfait one looks like a dripping candle!!
i love the texture! & you’re so right about breakfast/late night snacking connection… whenever i feel the urge to raid the pantry, I just think about how in a couple of hours I’ll be waking up to breakfast so it would be pointless to snack. works for me!
You have the prettiest breakfasts I have ever seen :)
Oh my goodness, your collection of overnight oats is just amazing! They don’t look like breakfast at all – more look decadent desserts! I’ve made your vegan overnight oats many times, but I’ve never tried turning them into a parfait. This post has motivated me though :) Your breakfasts look so fancy and indulgent!
You are the queen of overnight oat parfaits Ange! They all look amazing. I don’t understand when people say they don’t/can’t eat breakfast… why wouldn’t you want to start your day with something like this!? :)
such gorgeous photos and amazing looking oats! i’m pretty sure you can convince anyone to start eating breakfast if they skip out.. i mean, look what they’re missing out on!
My breakfasts are amazingly simple (coffee milk and english muffin, usually followed by fruit). . . but I have noticed that I love my simple breakfast ritual, and that whenever it gets off-kilter, my energy and spirits suffer. 3 Cheers for breakfast! And of course, I’m impressed with your breakfast creations!
I LOOOOOVE your parfaits! They are so so pretty. You make me want to experiment with all different kinds of flavors with my oatmeals. I made your gingerbread VOO this morning and it was sooo good :) I just bought some frozen cherries so cherry chocolate bomb VOO are on my list for tomorrow ;)
*drool* x 100
I am salivating like Pavlof’s dog.
Haha – me too!!
That strawberry jam one looks really tasty:D
Your so right…A filling breakfast supplies fuel for the day. I love breakfast and your VOO! (but mine usually look more like mush…I like to keep my roommates on their toes, lol)
I definitely have never had a breakfast as pretty as your parfaits!
I was JUST drooling over VOO this morning while I brushed my teeth and cursing myself for not throwing some in the fridge last night! Now that I finally have a processor that actually smooths the banana (the Magic Bullet just doesn’t cut it), I can’t WAIT to start making parfaits this spring/summer! Now if I could only force myself to get out of bed earlier… maybe a cold, delicious treat is the kick I need to get out of bed!
breakfast is my fav meal of the day as well! it makes getting up so much easier ;)
I don’t know where to start… I think the peanut butter is calling my name the most. Gorgeous photos.. it’s not easy to make chia/oats look good
wow! these look great! breakfast is my favourite meal too! though i can only really enjoy it during the weekends because during the weekdays i’m too busy packing my bag for school haha. thanks again for these amazing recipes!
You had me at Chocolate Cake Batter Vegan Overnight Oats ; )
I love seeing how much your photography has improved over the years! (Mine has obviously done the same :) ) The Neapolitian is gorg!!!!
Ditto! :) I don’t think it was hard for me to improve though considering I used to think these food in my hand pictures were the bomb! http://ohsheglows.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/img_2206.jpg lol!
I love how your parfaits look — so refreshing and delicious. Now that it is getting warmer out, I want a nice cool breakfast :)
Not only do you create great recipes, your photography is amazing too! I just picked up more chia seeds for my overnight oats + oatmeal and will have to try one of these recipes this week :)