Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Vegan Overnight Oats
Yield
1 bowl
Soak time
overnight or 2 hours
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Vegan Overnight Oats are the time-crunched person’s breakfast secret weapon, since they take just a couple minutes to make at night before bed. When you mix together rolled oats, chia seeds, and almond milk, the chia seeds absorb the milk and the oats soften, creating an effortless chilled porridge. Place it in the fridge at night and forget about it until morning, when you’ll wake up to a cool, creamy bowl of oats that’s just perfect in the spring or summer. This is my go-to overnight oats recipe, but feel free to change up the fruit and other mix-ins as you like.
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe/spotty banana, mashed
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) almond milk
- 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 mL) pure vanilla extract (optional)
Suggested Toppings:
- Granola
- Fresh fruit
- Coconut flakes
- Pure maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- Nuts and seeds
- Banana soft serve
Directions
- In a small bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth. Now stir in the chia seeds and cinnamon until combined.
- Stir in the oats, almond milk, and vanilla (if using). Cover and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 2 hours.
- In the morning, stir the oat mixture to combine. If your Vegan Overnight Oats have a runny consistency even after they soak, simply stir in an additional 1 tablespoon chia seeds and place the mixture back in the fridge until it has thickened up. If the oat mixture is too thick, simply add a splash of milk and stir to combine.
Tip:
- Not a banana fan? Try swapping the mashed banana for 1/4-1/2 cup of your favourite yogurt and liquid sweetener, if desired.
I love that overnight oats are so versatile. There are so many different flavours you can make. I really enjoy peanut butter!!!
These are amazing! This is the first recipe with chia that I actually enjoy. I had my two kids try them as well and they loved them too! They heated theirs up in the morning and added in some melted peanut butter. This recipe is so easy and healthy. I’ve made them every day for the past few days. These will definitely be a staple for me. :)
Thanks so much for adding this recipe. I actually HATE oatmeal. I have never found a version hot or cold that makes me want to eat it….until yours! I made it exact to your recipe and added a bit of maple syrup per your suggestion for topping and ate the entire jar! Not sure what makes this one so special, but it is so delicious! I’ve struggled with veganizing breakfast, especially with my general aversion to oatmeal and having grown up on the southern tradition of bacon and eggs, so this really helps. Again thank you!
I LOVE this and I am a follower of all of your recipes! I make overnight oats almost everyday and I top it with my Whirlybird Granola. :) I wanted to see if you would be interested in trying some of my granola! I am a mom of 3 and I started this business because I could not find any granola that did not have artificial ingredients, added sugars, and still tasted great! Whirlybird Granola is vegan, free from GMO’s and anything artificial, and it tastes AMAZING!!! I would love to send you some samples to try on your oats or however you would like! If this is something you are interested in, just let me know and I will get the samples to you ASAP. Thanks in advance for your time!
Christy (owner of Whirlybird Granola)
Will this turn out fine if you skip the banana? Love your blog!
How long does this keep in the fridge? The recipe makes enough for probably 4-5 small servings for me (Not a huge eater in the mornings), which is great because I can make it Sunday Evening and last into the week. Am I safe to be eating this 4-5 days after making it?
delicious recipe though, Always make mine with some maple syrup and granola on top :)
Delicious! I love it! I’ve been eating this for every breakfast for over a week!
Have you tried with other fruits than banana?
Thanks
Hi Nathalie, great question! You could try using peeled mashed pear, or even shredded apple. Alternately, you could replace the banana by adding a bit of your favourite yogurt for thickening, and then adding your desired sweetener to taste. Hope this helps!
Hello Angela!
I was wondering if it could be an alternative to simply omit the yogurt/banana and use only the almond milk (in maybe lesser quantities) and sweetener. What do you think?
Thanks from a not-fan-of-bananas-who-might-not-have-yogurt-in-the-fridge ;)
Was looking for some sort of overnight breakfast and found this. I’m a longtime vegan and lover of oatmeal. This is perfect. I don’t add any toppings, just make the recipe as directed. I’ve shared it with several people, all of whom love it as much as I do. Thanks so much.
Hi Bonnie, I’m glad to hear you’ve been enjoying the overnight oats! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe love.
I’ve been using lots of ur recipes and just found this one. I only have steel cut and instant oats. Can I use either of those?
Hey Maria, I’ve used steel-cut oats in the past and it worked quite well (although I must say, the oats don’t get as cream as rolled oats, but they are nice and chewy). My guess is that instant oats would break down a lot while sitting overnight and might turn out overly “mushy”.
Yay thank you!
Hi Angela,
Can this be made with water and not milk?
Hey Karen, You can make it with whichever liquid you prefer, but I can attest that using milks creates a really creamy bowl! I think I tried it with water once in the past and wasn’t a big fan, but feel free to use what you like.
This is the second VOO I tried. Yesterdays one had so much maple syrup that I felt pukey eating it. I love this one so much more. The banana adds the perfect amount of sweetness and the flavours were awesome. I don’t usually like cold porridge and I had the idea that I can heat it in the morning but I didn’t need to because this was great as is. Bonus that it didn’t give me a sugar induced headache after eating it like yesterday’s breakfast! This one will be made often with the weather warming up. Thank you.
I’m so happy to hear this recipe was a winner, Anisah!
I have this everyday for breakfast – I LOVE IT! It is so easy and so nutritious, perfect for a healthy breakfast.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the overnight oats, Ella! I love having them ready and waiting on busy mornings especially.
Amazing! I have never found a breakfast until now that will keep me full until lunchtime. I work in an office and don’t get time to snack or eat anything until at least 1:30. I added peanut butter to mine, it was delicious. Thank you!
Do you have to include the banana to the recipe? I’m allergic to bananas.
Hi Laura, You can try swapping the mashed banana for 1/4-1/2 cup of your favourite yogurt (and maybe add a bit of liquid sweetener, if needed/desired). Alternatively, you could try using peeled mashed pear, or even shredded apple. Hope this helps!
Curious about the soft serve part. You mention it in several recipes (such as Chocolate Cake Batter Vegan Overnight Oats). The reason I like the overnight oats so much is that I can make it in the evening when I’m not in a hurry. In the morning the last thing I want to do is grab my blender and make stuff. If I don’t mind that the “soft serve” isn’t frozen, could I blend them up and add them the night before?
Great recipe! Thanks so much!
I just had to write a comment. A few years ago, my sister and I tried overnight oats from a random post on pinterest and it. was. AWFUL. We could not understand what the craze was about. Fast forward a few years, and I’ve made a zillion of your recipes, but always skipped over the overnight oats because I could not believe that you would even like them. Finally, last night, curiosity got the best of me and I told my husband I was going to give them a whirl (and promised a back up plan for breakfast). I know I shouldn’t be shocked, since I’ve loved every single one of your recipes, but we LOVED this. Thanks again for another recipe that will go into our household’s weekly rotation!
Aw, I’m so happy to hear that my recipe for overnight oats won you over, Shawna! Thanks so much for the awesome comment.
Hi!! I am looking forward to trying this, looks amazing! I just have one question: I am not a big fan of “creamy” foods, it there any way I can make this a bit more “solid”? Thank you!
Hi Rafaela, I would agree with you that overnight oats are definitely creamy (especially when you mash a banana into the mix or add yogurt!). That said, if you want to make them less creamy, I would suggest letting them sit for much less time and using less liquid. Instead of mashing a banana into the bowl, wait to add a chopped banana just before serving (or of course, any fruit you like). Shredded or finely chopped apple is a great swap for mashed banana, and it yields a less creamy result. The gel-like texture of soaked chia seeds can also throw some off at first, so you could also try making your first bowl with a minimal amount, and go from there. I would try using 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup almond milk, 2 teaspoons of chia seeds, and cinnamon and sweetener, to taste. If you let it sit for much less time in the fridge—15 minutes or so—the oats will remain chewy, firm, and a bit less creamy compared to letting it sit overnight. Another idea is to serve it with a crunchy granola on top for a nice texture contrast. Lastly, I have some delicious baked oatmeal recipes that might be more up your alley. They’re still make-ahead recipes (and can even be frozen and re-heated!), and will firm up a lot in the fridge! I really love baked oatmeal straight from the fridge, especially in the summer. I’d suggest trying my Heavenly Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal, Tropical Pineapple Baked Oatmeal, or Maple-Cinnamon Apple & Pear Baked Oatmeal (The Oh She Glows Cookbook p. 39). With a little experimentation, I’m sure you’ll find your perfect oatmeal!
How much is one serving? 1/2 cup? Cup?
Hi Paige, this recipe yields 1 serving. Hope that helps!
Overnight oats changed my mornings forever!!
I love having a bowl waiting for me in the fridge in the mornings! It’s so great. :)