Overnight Oats ideas are undoubtedly the perfect breakfast recipe for those who are often in a hurry in the morning. With the porridge from the fridge, you don't have to do without a healthy breakfast even when time is short .
And if you manage to have breakfast on your way to work or at the office, you'll have a delicious breakfast to-go with this dish.
Find out what else breakfast has to offer and how you can achieve the perfect overnight oats here.
What are overnight oats?
As the name suggests, Overnight Oats are oatmeal that swell overnight , turning into a delicious breakfast.
For the preparation, oatmeal is mixed with water, milk or plant drink . Then the mixture is placed in the fridge overnight. There, it has time to swell and develop its flavor. The next morning, a creamy porridge awaits you, which you can enhance as you wish with toppings such as nuts, dried fruits, seeds, or fresh fruit.
Prepared in a wake-up glass or other portable container, you will also have a delicious breakfast to-go in no time.
Overnight Oats vs. Porridge
Overnight oats are closely related to porridge , the well-known breakfast classic.
Both are prepared with water, milk, or a plant-based milk alternative, and both varieties are considered a healthy breakfast . This is due to the common main ingredient of the two dishes: oatmeal . It is not for nothing that oats are considered a domestic superfood, because in addition to vitamins B1, B6, and E, the grain provides healthy minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. The fiber it contains also keeps you full for a long time and provides energy throughout the morning.
While in the preparation of porridge the oatmeal is boiled in liquid and thus becomes soft and creamy , this process takes place overnight in Overnight Oats . This has the advantage that added spices such as cinnamon or vanilla, as well as fresh fruit, can develop their full flavor through the longer steeping time without losing their freshness.
Porridge and Overnight Oats are a true dream team. The advantages of the two breakfast dishes will tell you in which case you should choose which type of preparation of the oatmeal:
The advantages of porridge
- Fresh, hot breakfast: Unlike overnight oats, porridge is freshly prepared and eaten warm. This makes porridge perfect for those who like to start the day comfortably and take a little more time for breakfast.
- Breakfast to feel good: Especially in the cold winter months, a warm breakfast has a very beneficial effect on the body and makes it easier to get started on gray autumn days.
- Boost your immune system: Apart from the feel-good effect, warm foods are also credited with numerous health benefits. For example, it is said that they are easier to digest since they are already at the operating temperature of the body. Traditional Chinese medicine, TCM for short, is also convinced of this. According to the well-known alternative medicine, a hot breakfast strengthens your immune system and nutrients can be better absorbed.
- Quickly prepared: Fresh oatmeal does not always have to involve a lot of effort. The VERIVAL porridges are ready within a few minutes.
The benefits of overnight oats
- Breakfast for those in a hurry: If you like to enjoy your bed until the last minute in the morning or simply don't have time for a full breakfast, you still don't have to do without a complete breakfast. Overnight oats are prepared the night before and served in less than a minute the next day. This makes it the perfect breakfast for all morning muffins.
- The perfect breakfast to-go: The way it is prepared also makes it an ideal breakfast on the go. To do this, stir the ingredients in a sealable container to take away. For example, wake-up glasses are not only practical companions for transporting your breakfast, but they also look chic and protect the environment.
- Keep a cool head: As much as we like to have warm meals in winter, we all love cold food in summer. Oatmeal fresh from the fridge sounds very tempting, doesn't it?
- Variety for spooning: Whether with chia seeds, fresh fruit, or as a modern Bircher cereal – overnight oats do not get boring so quickly and give room for experimentation.
The right way to prepare overnight oats
Step by step to breakfast enjoyment: For the correct preparation of overnight oats, you should follow these steps:
Step 1: The basics
If you follow the basic overnight oats recipe , they are traditionally prepared with oatmeal as a base . This will also make your breakfast porridge very creamy.
Alternatively, you can use spelt flakes or other cereal flakes of your choice. In the case that you suffer from gluten sensitivity or even celiac disease, gluten-free oatmeal or rice flakes are suitable .
Step 2: Seeds for that extra something (optional)
For the extra portion of fiber , you can add seeds such as chia seeds or flax seeds to your base as desired. Although the miracle seeds also make a wonderful topping, you can mix them directly with your cereal flakes, they can swell overnight and make your breakfast porridge a little firmer.
Our tip: Use our delicious VERIVAL organic muesli as a base for your overnight oats. So you don't have to worry about extra ingredients and toppings.
Step 3: Milk or plant-based drink?
The next step is to select the liquid you want to mix your oatmeal with. Thanks to the large selection of milk and plant-based drinks , Overnight Oats are a delicious breakfast for all nutritional needs.
Once you have decided on your milk or milk alternative, mix your base flakes with the liquid in a ratio of 1:2 (one part oatmeal, two parts liquid) and stir well.
If neither milk nor plant-based drinks are on your menu, you can also mix the oatmeal with water. They may not be quite as creamy, but they still taste good.
Step 4: Bring in spice!
Before the mixture is put in the fridge, where it can be cooked overnight, spices of your choice are added.
Ground cinnamon , for example, is particularly popular . But cardamom, vanilla, or turmeric also give your breakfast a delicious, spicy touch.
Chocolate fans can stir in cocoa in this step . If you like it a little sweeter, you can also add agave syrup, maple syrup, or honey .
Stir again briefly and then go into the fridge with your mixture.
Step 5: The right toppings
Overnight , the oatmeal and seeds have time to swell. They absorb the liquid and a creamy slurry is formed.
The best way to serve your overnight oats is with delicious toppings . For example, take fresh fruit such as apples, apricots, or berries, cut the fruit into small pieces, and add them to your porridge. It tastes best if you opt for seasonal fruit.
Nuts provide the necessary crunch. Whether hazelnuts, cashews, or walnuts – they are all excellent as a topping. But the VERIVAL crunchies and granola are also good for refining your oatmeal.
Overnight Oats recipes to try and get inspired
What makes Overnight Oats a wonderful breakfast is its diversity . From the base to the toppings, you can vary the oatmeal according to your taste. For example, the quick breakfast dish invites you to get creative and to combine ingredients in a colorful way.
Try our recipe suggestions , be inspired by them or mix your own delicious creation.
Oat breakfast with superfood
With a few extra ingredients, your overnight oats will become an absolute power breakfast in no time . How about chia seeds , for example? The superfood from Mexico not only provides numerous healthy ingredients but is also considered a slimming agent.
In addition, the seeds are a good source of protein, which is why they are highly recommended for a vegan diet.
Our tip: Use a plant-based drink instead of milk for our recipe if you would like to have a vegan breakfast.
Delicious Recipe: Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp oatmeal (approx. 45g)
- 80 ml water, milk, or a plant-based alternative
- 1 tbsp. yogurt
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (equivalent to about 15 g of chia seeds)
- Honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup for sweetening
- Fruits, nuts, and seeds of your choice (as a topping)
Preparation
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Water, milk, or a plant-based alternative comes together with the oatmeal and the chia seeds in a glass and is stirred well.
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Our insider tip: Add a tablespoon of yogurt.
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For sweetening, we recommend honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup.
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The mixture is put in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
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Then stir well, decorate with fruit, nuts, or seeds, and enjoy.
Nutritional values
Vitamins for spooning
At Overnight Oats, there are no limits to your creativity . Once you know the basic recipe, you can let off steam with the toppings and try out more unusual creations. Like our carrot cake for spooning . The grated carrot gives your breakfast extra volume and therefore fills you up well. There is also a vitamin kick on top.
Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 50 g oatmeal
- 150 ml plant-based drink
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cashew butter (optional)
Preparation
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Grate the carrot first and then put it in a jar, such as a mason jar.
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Then add the oatmeal, the plant drink, the cinnamon, the pinch of salt, and the cashew.
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Mix all the ingredients in the jar well and then put the overnight oats in the fridge overnight or for at least 3 hours.
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The next day, the oats and carrots have soaked up the liquid, and the overnight oats are now nice and creamy.
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You can then eat the overnight oats like this or refine them with various toppings. Nuts, in particular, go particularly well with the Carrot Cake Overnight Oats.
Gluten-free overnight oats
With the healthy overnight breakfast, you have a dish that you can adapt to your individual dietary needs. If you suffer from celiac disease or some type of gluten sensitivity, you should definitely try our recipe for gluten-free overnight oats. We use gluten-free VERIVAL Bircher Porridge as a base, but gluten-free oatmeal is also ideal for this.
Gluten-free overnight oats with banana
Ingredients
- 50 g gluten-free Bircher porridge or gluten-free oatmeal
- 120 ml milk or plant drink
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 banana
- 50 g blueberries
- 1 tsp agave syrup (if needed)
Preparation
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Pour the gluten-free Bircher Porridge or gluten-free oatmeal into a mason jar.
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Next, add 120 ml of a liquid of your choice (milk or plant drink) and mix the ingredients together.
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In addition, add a pinch of salt to your overnight oats, and if you like your overnight oats sweet, add another teaspoon of agave syrup.
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Place the mason jar or jar in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 3 hours.
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If your overnight oats are nice and creamy, you can take them out of the fridge.
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Now you can refine your overnight oats with fruit of your choice. For this recipe, we used banana and blueberries.
