Overnight Oats

Overnight oats solve breakfast the night before: everything goes into one jar, the oats soften in the fridge while you sleep, and there is nothing to cook or wash in the morning. This base is deliberately plain — get the ratio right once and you can take it in any direction with fruit, nut butter or cocoa.

Prep: 5 minutes · Cook: 0 minutes (no cooking) · Total: 5 minutes prep, plus overnight chilling · Serves 1

Equipment

• Jar or container with a lid
• Spoon

Ingredients

• 50g rolled oats
• 120ml milk (dairy or plant-based)
• 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup, to taste
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• A pinch of salt
• Fresh fruit, to serve

Instructions

1. Add the oats, milk, yoghurt, honey, vanilla (if using) and salt to a jar.
2. Stir well until combined, making sure no dry oats are stuck to the sides.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.
4. In the morning, stir again and loosen with a splash more milk if it's too thick. Top with fresh fruit before eating.

Tips

• Rolled oats work best: quick oats turn mushy and steel-cut oats stay firm without cooking.
• Roughly one part oats to two parts liquid by volume is the ratio to remember.
• Add nuts, seeds or crunchy toppings just before eating so they don't soften overnight.

Substitutions

• Use any milk you like, dairy or plant-based.
• Swap the yoghurt for an extra splash of milk if you don't have any.
• Stir in a spoonful of peanut butter, cocoa powder or chia seeds for variety.

Storage

Keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Not suitable for freezing.

Food safety

Soak in the fridge, never at room temperature, and keep the jar covered. Once you have added fresh fruit, eat it the same day.

Allergens as written

• Oats (gluten unless labelled gluten-free)
• Milk (dairy milk and yoghurt)
• Nuts, if you add them

Nutrition estimate

• Calories: Roughly 280 kcal per serving (estimate, before fruit and toppings)
• Protein: Roughly 11g
• Carbohydrates: Roughly 42g
• Fat: Roughly 7g

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