Creamy Overnight Oats: Three Ways

Creamy Overnight Oats: Three Ways

Prep: 10 minutes · Chill: At least 6 hours · Total: 6 hours 10 minutes · Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick or steel-cut)
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of fine salt
• Berry-almond option: 1 cup mixed berries and 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• Peanut butter-banana option: 2 tablespoons peanut butter and 1 banana, sliced just before serving
• Apple-cinnamon option: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 small apple, diced just before serving

Directions

1. Add the oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt to a bowl or large jar. Stir until no pockets of yogurt remain.
2. For berry-almond oats, gently fold in half of the berries now and refrigerate the remaining berries and almonds separately. For peanut butter-banana oats, stir in the peanut butter now but wait to slice the banana. For apple-cinnamon oats, stir in the cinnamon now but wait to cut the apple.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight, so the oats and chia seeds can absorb the liquid.
4. Stir before serving. If the oats are thicker than you like, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the reserved toppings.
5. Divide into two servings and eat cold, or microwave in 30-second intervals in a microwave-safe bowl until warm.

Cook’s notes

Use old-fashioned rolled oats. Quick oats become very soft, while steel-cut oats stay firm with this amount of liquid. Add banana and fresh apple only before serving for the best color and texture.

Storage

Refrigerate the oat base in covered containers for up to 4 days. Keep crunchy toppings separate. Do not leave dairy-based oats at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Estimated nutrition per serving

The base contains approximately 310 calories · 15 g protein · 46 g carbohydrate · 8 g fat · 7 g fiber · 140 mg sodium. Toppings change the estimate.