Muesli, overnight oats, no cook oats, refrigerator oats, so many names for this simple meal.
The key to perfect overnight oats is the ratio of liquid to oats; watery oats are no good, nor are super hard oats. After much trial and error, I have come up with a fool-proof ratio of oats to liquid and chia seeds to liquid, and it is as follows:
- Twice as much liquid as oats
- ¼ cup liquid per 1 tbsp of chia seed
- 1 tbsp chia seed per serving
Please keep in mind that I prefer my oatmeal on the chunky and chewy side. Add a wee more liquid (like one to two tablespoons) if you like more fluid oatmeal.
I often prepare this when I need a filling breakfast, even lunch, for a meal that will keep me full for hours. Although small in volume, one serving of these oats is big in nutrients. Both chia and oats are high in fibre and protein, which are two nutrients that digest slowly. Therefore, keeping you feeling fuller for longer without all that tummy bloating business. This recipe is also extremely quick to prepare; you’ll be done making tomorrow’s breakfast or lunch in under 5 minutes! Breakfast will be waiting patiently in the fridge, all ready to go the next morning. Overnight oats are the ideal meal for those mornings when you’re stressed for time, or those on-the-go lunch hours.
Traditionally in Switzerland, this breakfast dish is flavoured with fresh and/or dried fruits, but today I will be sharing my decadent version, blurring the lines between breakfast and dessert. Because in my mind, the two are practically the same thing. Cake for breakfast? Done that so many times. No shame.
This combination of maple syrup, pecans, peanut butter, and bananas is so addicting! It’s also a rather long name, so let’s just shorten it to Maple PPBB, shall we? These flavours pair so perfectly with each other, it makes it difficult for me to even consider trying something else. Rich, spicy, sweet, and crunchy all at the same time. Yummmm~
Aw yeah, drizzle on that maple syrup. The real stuff please. None of that nasty “naturally flavoured” stuff.
Since learning about the “melted banana trick” from Chocolate Covered Katie, I’ve been using it as a natural sweetener in both my hot and cold oatmeal. Never looked back since. I refuse to prepare oatmeal if there aren’t any ripe bananas in the house.
When I was doing this photo shoot, my mom actually asked me why I didn’t pick a nicer banana to photograph. She was talking about the just-turned-yellow bananas we just got. In my eyes, a super spotty banana is most beautiful. I can physically see how sweet and delicious it’s going to be. -Drools-
A tip especially for cold oatmeal, melt the peanut butter with the banana; it makes mixing it all in a whole lot easier!
All that’s left to do is stir it up and dig in! (And get the recipe)
- ¼ cup oats (I prefer old-fashioned, but quick cook works fine)
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- A splash of vanilla
- ½ ripe banana, sliced
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- A small handful of pecans, toasted*
- In a small bowl or jar, combine oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, almond milk, and vanilla. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight, at least 8 hours.
- Before serving, microwave sliced bananas and peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl for 20 seconds, or until bananas are soft and peanut butter is melted. Add to chilled oats.
- Drizzle in maple syrup and top with pecans; stir until combined. Enjoy!
Looks great!
These look amazing! I love overnight oats and will have to try these soon because I am drooling just looking at your pictures!
Thanks Haley, we hope you’ll enjoy the recipe!
I have this almost every day! It is so yummy. Do you know what the nutritional content is by chance?
Hi Becca! We’re glad you enjoy this recipe so much that you want to incorporate it into your daily routine. Unfortunately, we don’t have a nutritional facts label made at this time, so you will need to search for each ingredients on a database. Thanks for stopping by!
This was VERY good, I will be including this in my morning routine!
Hi Brian, we’re so glad to hear you loved it!
Hii I love the recipe. Can I add milk or water instead of almond milk
Milk would work great! Water may be tasteless so I would suggest milk.
Great recipe. I used cow’s milk, almond butter (not a big peanut fan) and through on a handful of quinoa granola as had no pecans to toast. Yum.
OMG!!!! I had this today for breakfast and LOVED it so freaking much that I keep on talking to all of my coworkers about your overnight oats. I made a few changes though, but it was due to an empty fridge (grocery day is today haha): the only milk I had was chocolate milk (thank God for my husband’s addiction to it lol), walnuts instead of peacans, full banana instead of 1/2 (it would go bad otherwise lol!). Oh, and a couple of scoops of yogourt. It was heavenly! THANK YOUUUUU!!!! xoxo Olena
Whoo-hoo! So glad you love it as much as I do! Chocolate milk and overnight oats sounds like a winner to me!
I had this yesterday for breakfast and fell in love immediately. I took walnuts instead of pecans and a full banana and it was delicious! I have been eating overnight oats for about one year and your recipe becomes one of my favourites right now. I love it for breakfast because it feels like having a dessert for breakfast, but it is very healthy and the best for a balanced diet and even vegan mostly. Another one of my favorites is this, you have to try it! http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/bircher-muesli/#x1yPkfVZIvp9wB0z.97 Many greetings from Germany! 🙂
We’re delighted to hear this has become ‘Your Favourite Overnight Oats’ too! Bircher muesli has been on my list of foods to try, so thanks for sharing Elke. Sending you warm regards from Canada!
I made this but I used almond butter instead of peanut butter and I also added a tablespoon of protein powder 🙂 loved it thanks for the recipe !!
Hi Mindy, that combo sounds heavenly too! Thank you for coming back to share your experience!
So you don’t cook this at all then?
No cooking required! Just make sure you give it enough time to soak and soften in the fridge (i.e. overnight).
Hello,
About how many calories are there in this recipe? What brand of peanut butter do you use and maple?
Hi Isabel, we currently do not provide nutritional breakdowns for our recipes. We recommend using any peanut butter made with 100% peanuts. As for maple syrup, any pure maple syrup will do; the one used in this recipe was by Kirkland from Costco.
I just made this. I don’t do much fructose so I used brown rice syrup instead of the maple and no banana. I’m thinking it will still be delicious 🙂 thanks for the ratios of liquid to oats. So happy I found this!
Do you have to use yogurt? Or can you skip it?
Yogurt is not needed in this recipe.
Today, 23 July 2019, I was with my walking group while one lady was talking about her overnight oats that she always had. My breakfast for the last two years consisted of a fruit and veggie smoothie, namely whole cranberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, apple, half banana, stalk of celery, some Swiss chard and spinach with kale, topped with tumeric, almonds, walnuts and flax seeds. I added everything that was supposed to be healthy. Tonight I made an “overnight oats” jar for the morning, and intend to have it as my breakfast to see if I can lost thirteen pounds in the next two and a half months. I will have my smoothie later in the day if I am able to enjoy the overnight oats. I am willing to give them a try. I would like to report back to this site with some positive results.