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How-To

How To Make Overnight Oats

Because nothing is better than waking up to a ready-made breakfast.
Overnight chia oatmeal in three different mason jars—two short and one tall—on a yellow table beside a sliced banana and yellow spoons and a carton of oat milk (Photo: Christie Vuong; Food Styling: Sage Dakota; Prop Styling: Andrea McCrindle)

Imagine waking up in the morning to find a healthy, filling breakfast ready and waiting for you in the fridge. That can be your reality tomorrow if you take a few minutes before bed to whip up some overnight oats. And this wellness blogger breakfast essential is more than just like-bait on social media—overnight oats taste great, especially since you can customize this DIY dish with your favourite fruits, nuts seeds and milks. Here's how to get started.

How to make overnight oats

You don't need to follow a recipe to make amazing overnight oats. Pull out a clean mason jar, or if you don't have one, a cereal bowl will do. While the Chatelaine Kitchen has developed a few snazzy overnight oats recipes, you can go off recipe by mixing together equal parts rolled/large-flake oats (not instant oats) and milk (dairy, nut or soy all yield yummy results). Stir in some yogurt, nuts, nut butter, seeds and/or fruit (fresh or dried) and let your jar or bowl sit covered in your fridge. As you sleep, the oats will plump up as they absorb liquid, leaving you with a tasty bowl to devour come morning.

Overnight oats recipe

If you've never made overnight oats, or you're a seasoned expert looking for some new flavour combinations, here's tried-and-true recipe —with filling chia seeds!—you can try.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened plant-based or dairy milk
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp dried cranberries, or 1 finely chopped fig
  • 1 banana, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp toasted sliced almonds

Instructions

  1. Combine milk, oats, chia seeds, honey, vanilla and dried fruit in a 250-mL Mason jar
  2. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate overnight
  3. Before serving, top with banana and almonds

You can also make no-cook overnight steel-cut oats with this dairy-free recipe that comes together in a thermos—it's truly a grab-and-go dream come true.

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Originally published in 2018, updated in 2023

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