Overnight Oatmeal Recipes to Jumpstart Your Morning

Overnight Maple-Raisin Oatmeal Recipe

Steel-cut oats offer a nutty alternative to hot cereal made with rolled oats. If you prefer, substitute firm pears for apples or dried cranberries for the raisins.

Blackberry-Citrus Granola Bowl Recipe

The best way to cook steel-cut oats during the week? Don’t cook them at all. Instead of a slow simmer, soak the oats overnight in your milk of choice, and serve the next morning. The oats soften and plump in the liquid yet retain a wonderfully chewy texture. If you prefer them warm, heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Cocoa nibs add a little extra crunch and a wake-up jolt similar to coffee. We love the contrast of creamy oats with the crunchy granola (recipe below). Use seasonal blackberries and citrus or any fruit you like.

Overnight Oats with Kefir, Berries, and Toasted Coconut Recipe

This oatmeal bowl is a great on-the-go breakfast and is also made probiotic-rich with the addition of kefir.  This bowl is best enjoyed cold becuase the active cultures in kefir are sensitive to heat. Resist the urge to microwave the oats, keeping it chilled for maximum benefits.

Overnight Oats with Stone Fruit Recipe

A buttermilk, syrup, vanilla and cinnamon mixture makes a super rich and creamy oatmeal. Refrigerate overnight and top with fruit and nuts just before serving.

Berry-Banana Overnight Oats Recipe

Speed up your morning routine with a low-maintenance breakfast made the night before. Studies show frozen blueberries have considerably greater polyphenol concentrations than fresh, while most other nutrient levels are comparable between the two. Walnuts deliver a one-two punch of crunch and nutrition: They are a top nut for brain health thanks to the powerful combination of omega-3 fats, vitamin E, and antioxidants.

Overnight Oats Recipe

These little jars filled with fiber, whole grains, and protein are a necessary solution to your busy weekday mornings. The best part is, they're extremely customizable. Feel free to experiment with any of these additions: A spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or natural peanut butter, a handful of nuts (we prefer walnuts), some raisins or other dried fruit, or a tablespoon of chia seeds or ground flax meal. Not a fan of cold oats? Simply place the glass jar in the microwave (without the metal lid!) and nuke for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Make an Overnight Bulgur Bowl and Sleep In Recipe

Forget jumping on the overnight oats bandwagon and make the leap to the not-so-basic bulgur bowl. Set aside 30 seconds for prep before bed and you’ll be rewarded with an extra 15 minutes to sleep in. All the work is done while you sleep, you just need to rise and dine. A big ol’ batch will last a few days in the fridge, so you’ll have breakfast all week long. 

Start with the base. You can use anything from skim milk to buttermilk here. If you have a sweet tooth, try sweetened coconut or vanilla almond milk. Then, add your favorite mix-ins. We’ve offered a few suggestions but get creative or just throw in whatever is in the pantry. Congratulations, you’re officially a morning person.

For the Base:

Directions

Combine the bulgur and dairy in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, place in the fridge and forget about it. In the morning, fluff with a fork and stir in your favorite toppings.

For a Peanut Butter and Banana Bowl:

Directions

Thin out your peanut butter by mixing it with 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water. Combine bulgur, yogurt, peanut butter, and banana in a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt.

For a Mounds Candy Bar Breakfast Bowl:

Directions

Combine bulgur and yogurt in a bowl. Top with however much of the remaining ingredients you’d like.

For a Berries and Cream Bowl:

Directions

Combine bulgur and yogurt in a bowl and top to your taste.

Overnight Oats with Blueberries Recipe

Steel-cut oats have a wonderful chewy texture but can take a long time to cook. By soaking them overnight, all you have to do is heat them in the morning. Chia seeds help make the cereal creamy and filling. The recipe comes from the outdoor cooking experts behind the blog Dirty Gourmet, dirtygourmet.com.

GEAR 2-qt. backpacking saucepan, spork, backpacking stove and fuel, Nalgene bottle (for measuring), backpacking ladle

Overnight Oats With Raspberry & Seeds Recipe

Lose weight the 5:2 way. This quick and easy healthy breakfast recipe is featured in the breakfast section of the new 5:2 Starter's Guide to The 2-Day Diet. The book provides a selection of over 100 tasty recipes that meet the daily 500 calorie allotment for the 2 days of intermittent fasting, as required by the 5:2 Diet. 

Overnight Honey-Almond Multigrain Cereal Recipe

Steel-cut oats and barley soak up water overnight so they're ready to go in the morning. Use a big bowl because the grains will expand.

This Oatmeal Trick Will Save You Tons of Time in the Morning Recipe

If you like the start the day with a bowl of oatmeal, you’re familiar with the options: rip open a packet of artificial-tasting instant oats and toss the contents in the microwave, grab a cold jar of overnight oats you made the night before, or go the old-fashioned stovetop route and probably be late to work. Before you shake your fist at the sky and shout “IT’S HOPELESS” like a beleaguered woman in an infomercial, give this oatmeal trick a try. Make a big batch of oatmeal at night, then freeze mini-portions in a muffin tin, ready to be defrosted in the microwave at a moment’s notice.