Instant overnight oats are one of the best ways to eat oats, especially if you are a busy person. They are highly nutritious with essential vitamins and minerals, and great for weight loss due to their fibers. They are also very easy to make, and can be stored in the fridge or eaten on the go.
How do you make instant overnight oats? Firstly, you soak instant oatmeal in a bowl with water/milk and Greek yogurt. Then, you store the bowl in a fridge for a couple hours. To save time, most people store them overnight, thereby making them a hearty morning breakfast. The advantage of overnight oats over warm oatmeal is that it has a more creamy, pudding-like texture and flavor.
Overnight oats are highly customizable and versatile-you can make well over 100 overnight oat variants.
Here are 10 delicious recipe ideas you can easily implement for your overnight oats.
- Peanut butter and jelly oats. Very simple, just mix in peanut butter and jelly in your overnight oats, top it with something good like fruits, and you’re all set.
- Banana cereal combo. Slice up some bananas and add bran flakes and that is all the fiber you will need for the day. Pretty efficient!
- Berry mix. Mix in or crush raspberries, cranberries, and blackberries In your bowl. This offers a unique flavor blast to your meal.
- Gingerbread. You add cinnamon and chia seeds, preferably before storing the bowl in the fridge. Once it is ready, take it out and either dip gingerbread cookies in your creamy oats or crush them in. A true classic for sure.
- Protein based overnight oats. Mix any kind of nut butter in with whey or soy protein, and you’ve got yourself a protein packed meal that will keep you satisfied for hours to come.
- Trail mix oats. Feel free to mix in a deluge of nuts-almonds, pecans, cashews, whatever your heart desires. You can mix them in whole or chopped, but I rather prefer them to be chopped. Nuts consumed in moderation can boost your heart health and provide plenty of healthy fats to your diet.
- Pumpkin oats. They consist of pumpkin seeds, pumpkin puree, and raisins. Provides a unique autumn flavor that can be a perfect Thanksgiving day meal.
- Chocolate peanut butter banana. You create them exactly as they sound, with chopped bananas, chocolate shavings, and peanut butter. Your mixture can be very versatile-you can choose plantains over bananas, chocolate chips or Nutella over shavings, and your favorite nut butter over peanut. It is highly satisfying and is great to eat any time of the day. (Example-above image)
- Strawberry Shortcake. A popular option that mixes strawberry jam and/or strawberry ice cream. Top it off with chopped strawberries and you have a fantastic substitute for cake on your hands.
- Carrot maple. An experimental, unconventional mix that combines carrot pieces and maple syrup. The taste is delightful and provides a lot of room for additional toppings and mix ins!
Takeaways
To conclude, overnight oats are fun to make, and provide many opportunities to create something you can really enjoy. You can add a plethora of creative mix-ins to any of the above overnight oat ideas. Certainly, overnight oats being nutritious meals only further adds to their value.
