Like your favorite oatmeal, only easier.
Life can get a little hectic at times.
Instead of grabbing whatever you can find on those busy weekday mornings when “hangry” hits, why not prepare some of these Overnight Oats and have them ready to go for the morning rush?!
You can prepare them the night before, pull them out of the refrigerator in the morning, and off you go with a happy morning in sight.
No more grumbling tummies while you are trying to find any glimmer of a nutrition bar in your purse.
If you’re loving the convenience of prepping breakfast ahead, try these other Overnight Oats Recipe for busy mornings.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Pecans. Roasted pecans add the perfect crunch and texture to this breakfast dish.
- Oats. Old-fashioned oats are key. Quick oats will get soggy, while steel cut oats won’t soften. Be sure to grab gluten-free if needed.
- Milk. Just about any type of milk will work—either regular or plant-based, like almond milk, coconut milk, or even oat milk. The higher the fat content the richer the oatmeal will be.
- Sweetener. Dark brown sugar or light brown sugar along with pure maple syrup are used to add flavor to this oatmeal. You can easily sub for another type, like coconut sugar or honey.
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Combine oats and milk.
Start by adding equal amounts of oats, milk, and vanilla extract in each jar. This should come out to about ½-cup oats, ½-cup milk, and ¼-teaspoon vanilla.
Give everything a stir to combine.
Pro Tip: The best thing to use when making overnight oats is an 8-ounce mason jar. These are the perfect size and conveniently have a top. But any airtight container will work.
Top with sweetener.
In a small or medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Pour equal amounts over the milk and oats in each jar. Seal with a lid.
Place the prepared jars in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but they’re best after chilling overnight.
Toast pecans and serve.
Just before you’re ready to enjoy the oatmeal, roast the pecans in a single layer at 325℉ for 5 to 7 minutes.
Sprinkle some pecans in each jar and serve with extra cinnamon and maple syrup if you’d like! Pair with fresh berries or banana slices for the perfect breakfast.
FAQs
Depending on the flavor you like, some excellent sweeteners include pure maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
The most important things to avoid in overnight oats are steel-cut or instant oats. Additionally, nuts and granola will lose their crispiness overnight, and some types of fresh fruit don’t do well.
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Maple Brown Sugar Overnight Oats
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Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups milk regular or plant-based
- 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup roasted pecans coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Combine Oats and Milk. In four 8-oz. mason jars place equal amounts of the oats, milk and vanilla in each. (½ cup oats, ½ cup milk, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla in each.) Stir to mix well.2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups milk
- Top with Sweetener. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and maple syrup. Pour a quarter of this mixture in each of the jars over the oats. Refrigerate the oats for at least 2 hours or overnight.3 tablespoons packed brown sugar, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- Toast Pecans and Serve. Just before serving, toast pecans at 325 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Divide pecans and sprinkle in each jar. Serve with additional cinnamon and maple syrup, if desired, and enjoy!¼ cup roasted pecans
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Video
Notes
- Serving size: This recipe can either be made in two larger mason jars, each holding two servings, or four smaller mason jars, each containing one single serving.
- Oats: Stick with old-fashioned rolled oats rather than quick or steel-cut oats for the best results.
- Flavors: While maple syrup and brown sugar add to the classic flavor, you can easily change it up with different sweeteners.
- Pecans: Don’t add the toasted pecans until you’re about to dig into this brown sugar oatmeal recipe.
- Add ins: An easy way to feel full longer is to include some optional add-ins, like protein powder, flax seeds, or chia seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Overnight Oats Recipes
Once you’ve had hot or cold overnight oats, you’ll be scouring the internet for more varieties. Thankfully, I have a ton of other versions that will quickly become your favorite breakfast.
Blueberry Overnight Oats
2 hrs 5 mins
Strawberry Shortcake Overnight Oats
2 hrs 5 mins
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
4 hrs 5 mins
Peach Overnight Oats
2 hrs 20 mins
how long should i heat it up for it I decide to heat it? And can you put mason jars in the microwave? I’m new to this overnight oats thing but am wanting to finally try it and this recipe looks amazing.
Hi Tara! Yes, you should be able to place your mason jar in the microwave, as long as it is a newer jar and has the microwave safe symbol on it. Be sure to leave the lid off, though! How long to heat up the oats?… If they are coming directly from the refrigerator I would guess around 45-60 seconds? However, I would encourage you to let them sit at room temperature for a little bit so you do not have to heat them up too much in the microwave! This will ensure that the oats do not dry out too much. Feel free to add additional milk as needed to get the consistency you want. Hope this helps!
This was my intro recipe to overnight oats and I loved it. I had to change an ingredient to fit my food plan:
Coconut palm sugar instead if brown sugar.
I used alcohol free organic vanilla and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It is delish. Could definitely do a half serving but hard not to eat it all.
Hi Ashley!! I am so happy you loved them. We use coconut palm sugar a lot in ours, too! Definitely makes it a bit healthier 🙂
This sounds delicious! However, I was wondering what kind of maple syrup you use? I’ve checked other recipes and they call for pure maple syrup. Do you also use pure maple syrup or do you use the kind of pancakes? 🙂
Hi Nelly! I use pure maple syrup in this recipe. One my favorite brands is Coomb’s Grad A maple syrup. We are pretty spoiled and use pure maple syrup on our pancakes, too 🙂 Thanks for the question!!
Oh okay 🙂 will it work with the other kind of maple syrup? That’s all I have until i get a chance to run out to the store.
Oh ya! I am sure it will work out great. I would start with a little less of your maple syrup just to make sure it’s not going to be too sweet. You can always add more later 🙂
Just wondering if you think this could be done with quick oats? I have a whole, unopened box and I’m moving soon so I also don’t want to buy a package of rolled oats right now, but this sounds so yummy I want to try it! I would probably just have to leave the oats sitting for less time, so probably not an overnight dish then…
Exactly, Lisa!! You could totally make these with quick oats. Just let them soak for an hour or two, and try using a bit less milk. You can always add more milk if you need it! Would love to hear how they turn out 🙂
I use quick oats all he time but I also leave them in the fridge for about 8 hours.
Hi, sorry if it seems like a silly question but I was a little confused about the servings. Is it 2 servings or 4? I’m not sure what it means by 2 servings eaten over 2 days.
Hi Alycia! The overnight oats recipe makes 4 regular-sized servings. I like to just make the entire batch in two larger (12-16 oz.) mason jars (versus 4 smaller jars) and then my husband and I will each eat from one of those jars for two days in a row. Hope this helped!
Yes it cleared that up perfectly, thank you!
You’re very welcome, Alycia 🙂
Do you by chance know the nutritional info on this per serving? I had never had overnight oats before but this was so yummy. I wasn’t brave enough to try it cold but will tomorrow. Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth!! I am so happy you enjoyed them 🙂 I have not calculated the nutritional info for this recipe. However, there are many online services (such as MyFitnessPal) that you can easily enter in the ingredients and it will tell you the nutritional date! Hope this helps!
Can I substitute water for almond milk? I’m dairy free, and I just ran out of almond milk!
You definitely can but the flavor will probably not be as good. I would also decrease the water by 2-3 tablespoons/cup used. If you have coconut milk I would recommend that over water… it will have a bit of a coconut flavor though 🙂
How long will the overnight oats keep in the fridge?
I would safely say for up to 3 days. Granted, the oats will start to change texture after a few days. My hubby still eats them up, though, so I don’t think it is very noticeable!
Can you warm it up in the microwave the next day? I’m not sure I will like cold oatmeal LOL
Absolutely! Just know that the oats may expand a bit more and the texture will change. I was a bit skeptical too about cold oatmeal but it is surprisingly yummy!
I wouldn’t warm them up. Maybe bring to room temperature but that’s it. I was very skeptical at first also. Try them chilled first. It tastes more like a parfait than oatmeal. To me anyway.
I totally agree, Tammy. They definitely taste a bit different than normal oatmeal! Great idea to bring them to room temperature. Thanks so much for your comments!
How is this cooked?!? Maybe missing that step!
Actually, that is the beauty of this recipe! There is no cooking required. The oats plump up and absorb all of the liquid overnight and are ready to eat in the morning 🙂