50 Easy to Prepare Overnight Oats for Weight Loss

Whipping up these quick oats is as easy as pie, just set aside a few minutes the night before!

If you’re searching for a quick and easy meal that’s also healthy and can help you lose weight, overnight oats are the way to go.

Overnight oats are not prepared like oatmeal, which is cooked in boiling water on the stove or in the microwave. They’re simply rolled oats that have been soaked in liquid overnight in the refrigerator. It’s always best to eat overnight oats cold.

Is there anything better than a breakfast that cooks itself while you sleep? Where do we go to register?

Because you’ll be using pre-cooked rolled oats, soaking them in a liquid overnight is enough to soften them to the same texture as cooking.

Overnight oats recipes are popular because they’re simple to make, don’t require any cooking or extra pans to clean, take a fraction of the time to prepare, and are ideal for meal planning.

Have we managed to persuade you yet? If not, we’ve identified some fantastic health advantages of your new favorite breakfast, as well as some helpful hints on how to create the best recipe and how to store it properly.

Are overnight oats good for you?

Overnight oatmeal has a plethora of health advantages. A cup will make you feel content and full. According to research published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, those who eat oatmeal for breakfast feel fuller for longer and consume fewer calories at lunch than those who eat corn flakes.

Overnight oats are beneficial to your digestive system. Overnight oats made with uncooked, rolled oats contain 8.5 grams of resistant starch. Cooked oatmeal, on the other hand, has only 0.3 grams of resistant starch per serving. The prebiotic fiber resistant starch is a form of fiber that your body does not digest.

Instead, it goes through your digestive system unaffected until it reaches your gut, where it is fermented by gut bacteria and aids in the maintenance of a healthy gut environment. Fiber is abundant in oats. 4 grams of fiber are found in half a cup of rolled oats (the typical serving size for overnight oats).

That’s the equivalent of 14% of the daily fiber recommendation. Fiber keeps your digestive tract normal, keeps you full, and protects your heart, among other things. Oatmeal is beneficial to the heart. According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, a specific oat fiber called beta-glucan can lower cholesterol levels by 5 to 10%.

Although overnight oats have health benefits, how healthy they are depends on how they are prepared. Make sure you’re not including some of the worst elements in overnight oats, such as added sugars and flavored milks.

Carbs, fat, protein, and fiber should all be included in a well-balanced meal. Choose one of our hand-picked recipes below that combine healthy fats (nuts or nut butter), protein (protein powder, dairy milk, yogurt, almonds), and fiber to balance out carb-heavy oats and ensure your overnight oats are healthy and can help you lose weight (seeds, whole fruit).

Here’s how to prepare overnight oats for weight loss:

Overnight oatmeal is simple to make and can be broken down into a few straightforward steps.

Choose your favorite flavor combination. What kind of mood are you in? (Because the options are unlimited, we’ve compiled a list of recipe ideas below!) Seeds, add-ins like protein powder or Greek yogurt, flavorings, fruit, and other components can all be added.

In a jar, combine the oats, add-ins, and liquid. Fill a Mason jar or a small plastic or glass container halfway with rolled oats* and a liquid, such as nut milk or water, in a 2:1 ratio. If ratios aren’t your thing, try pouring your favorite milk over the oats, waiting until the bubbles stop, and then topping it off with another splash of liquid to make sure the oats are completely covered.

Stir everything together and set it aside to soak. Stir your mixture well and place it in the refrigerator to soak overnight (7-8 hours). (If you’re in a hurry, overnight oats can be ready in as little as 4-5 hours.) The flavors meld while you sleep, so all you have to do in the morning is eat it—no cooking required!

If you prefer hot oatmeal, you may microwave your overnight oats for a minute or two to warm them up. Check out some of our favorite delectable overnight oats recipes that will help you achieve your fitness goals.

*Note: Instead of rolled oats, you can use quick oats. Because instant oats are partially cooked even more than rolled oats, this substitution allows your overnight oats to be ready faster.

How to keep overnight oats fresh?

After mixing overnight oats, immediately place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

“Why do I have to refrigerate overnight oats if I used all non-perishable foods to create them?” you might query.

While it may seem strange to put a mixture of oats, water, seeds, nut butter, dried fruit, and spices in the refrigerator, it is an important step in keeping the food safe.

Because oats are not pasteurized, they may contain microbial infections. Because “the low moisture content of the oats prevents the pathogens from developing at room temperature,” you may usually store oats in dry storage.

However, adding milk, water, or nut milks to the oats offers “water that can allow these germs to multiply in number if maintained at room temperature,” potentially resulting in foodborne illness. If pathogens were present in the oats, storing them in the refrigerator would prevent or at least inhibit their growth.

Experts advocate following the usual USDA standards for preserving leftovers when it comes to how long you should keep your meal-prepped overnight oats. That means you shouldn’t store overnight oats in the fridge for longer than 4 days.

While overnight oats are okay to eat for four days, keep in mind that the oats will gradually soften the longer you keep them. So long as you don’t mind eating wet oats on day 4, you should be fine! You may also see a separation of the liquid from the oats. Before eating, give the mixture another stir.

For the best flavor and texture, eat overnight oats within two days.

Following that, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite healthy overnight oat recipes. These nutritious overnight oats recipes will help you meal prep a filling breakfast.

1. Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

This peanut butter jar breakfast is ideal for peanut butter fans. Plus, because this is one of the most basic overnight oats recipe, it’s a perfect opportunity to give the easy nutritious breakfast a try.

2. Keto Overnight Oats with Berries and Cream

This dish should be your go-to if you’re on the Keto diet but still want your overnight oat fix. To make it keto-friendly, the recipe starts with hemp hearts, walnuts, and chia seeds. It’s also wonderfully filling and tasty.

3. Mango-Ginger Overnight Oats

Another favorite overnight oats recipe is Mango-Ginger oats. This is packed with flavor because of the mango and pomegranate seeds. It’s a great way to add more fruit to your overnight oats than just strawberries and blueberries.

4. Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

With 15 grams of fiber, this dish will keep you full for a long time. You’ll adore this delicious breakfast option because it tastes like a cinnamon roll.

5. Pumpkin Pie Overnight Buckwheat and Oats

Who doesn’t enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie? Even better, pumpkin pie for breakfast! This recipe’s texture is enhanced by the buckwheat, which elevates the overnight oat game. You’ll want to make this recipe for breakfast on a regular basis.

6. Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats

This strawberry cheesecake overnight oats recipe is exquisite perfection, keeping with the dessert for breakfast trend. Given that it tastes like you’re biting into a slice of cheesecake, you won’t believe how low in calories this recipe is. There’s nothing better than graham crackers with strawberry jam on top.

7. Spiced Pear Overnight Oats

Adding fresh fruit to overnight oats has a certain appeal. It adds the brightness and freshness that we all seek in a breakfast. Pear gives the perfect complement to the basic and classic aromas of cinnamon and maple. This recipe is both delicious and simple.

8. Apple Pie Overnight Oats

You probably never considered cooking the apples before putting them in your overnight oats recipes. This recipe has it all, and it’s ready to put in the fridge in only 15 minutes and keep for a few days. Did someone mention dinner preparation?

9. Espresso Overnight Oats

Excuse me, coffee. You can get your caffeine fix without even drinking your morning coffee with this breakfast, and with a salted date caramel drizzle on top, you’ll want to make it every day. Did we mention it’s only about 250 calories?

10. Pumpkin Spice Latte Overnight Oats

What if you could have a pumpkin spice latte made out of oats? This is a brand-new trend that you probably didn’t expect to see. It’s also no longer only a fall flavor. These Pumpkin Spice Latte Overnight Oats are perfect for any time of year.

11. Neapolitan Overnight Oats

Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry are a classic combo. Simple and healthful techniques to imitate Neapolitan flavors that will make you feel like you’re eating ice cream for morning are available.

12. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Overnight Oats

When you start your morning with this fruit-and-chocolate-filled masterpiece, you won’t even miss your regular muffin.

13. Strawberry Chia Overnight Oats

Looking for a healthy overnight oats recipe? Try Strawberry chia! Almonds give this sweet and filling meal a great crunch. Additionally, the nut includes stomach-filling protein as well as magnesium, a mineral that aids with blood sugar regulation. The easier it is to keep cravings at bay, which often contribute to overeating and weight gain, the more stable your blood sugar levels are.

14. Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Overnight Oats

If you have a sweet tooth, you will love this dish. These creamy low-cal oats, made with chocolate, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, and banana, could pass for a delicious dessert.

15. Blueberry-Cashew Cream Overnight Oats

Flax and chia seeds are two nutritional powerhouses in this overnight oats dish. Both are high in fiber and selenium, a dietary element that may help to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

16. Lemon, Thyme, and Honey Overnight Oats

While it may appear to be a five-star dessert, this oatmeal is made entirely of healthy components such as oats, milk, yogurt, thyme, and lemon. This is certainly a healthy overnight oats recipe.

17. Cocoa Nib and Pomegranate Overnight Oats

Morning oats with pomegranate seeds are an often-overlooked ingredient. In this easy-to-make breakfast, the sweet seeds go well with the crunchy, bittersweet cocoa nibs.

18. Gingerbread Chocolate Overnight Oats

Who said gingerbread had to be limited to the holiday season? We’re not like that! This recipe is easier to make than the traditional holiday cookie (and it’s also low in calories).

19. Flax, Blueberry, and Vanilla Overnight Oats

Blueberries are a terrific addition to your morning breakfast bowl because they are high in disease-fighting antioxidants and stomach-filling fiber.

20. Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats

When you start your morning with this innovative take on the standard PB&J, you won’t even miss your sugary cereal.

21. Orchard Bircher Muesli

This hearty breakfast is far from dull or uninteresting. The flavorful combination of rolled oats, chopped hazelnuts, apricots, and cherries will please your taste buds while also keeping your stomach from growling before lunchtime.

22. Pumpkin Persimmon Overnight Oats

Thinking of how to prepare a healthy overnight oats recipe? Try pumpkin, persimmon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. It’s not often that all of these ingredients appear in the same breakfast bowl, but we’re digging the fruity take on typical fall and winter flavors!

23. Slow Cooker Peach Overnight Oats

The mix of peaches and protein-rich nuts in your oatmeal bowl will perk up your morning and keep hunger at bay.

24. Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

Warm pumpkin oatmeal is the epitome of fall, and happily, this is one recipe that will help you maintain a healthy weight. The addition of Greek yogurt improves the protein content, keeping you full until lunchtime, while the cinnamon adds taste and balances blood sugar levels.

25. Apple Cinnamon With Maple Cream Overnight Oats

Instead of those nutrient-deficient Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, try a warm bowl of these similar-tasting oats. Unlike the bulk of the recipes on this list, which require an overnight chill, the flavors in this dish meld in the slow cooker while you sleep. The aroma of apples, brown sugar, and vanilla will make getting out of bed a bit easier.

26. Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats

Although this dish has about the same number of calories as a blueberry muffin, it is considerably better for your weight reduction objectives due to its high protein and fiber content. Furthermore, fresh blueberries can aid in the burning of belly fat. The University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center conducted a 90-day study in which rats fed a blueberry-enriched diet had much lower belly fat than the control group.

27. Double Chocolate Brownie Batter Overnight Oats

This “brownie” may be one of the finest alternatives for your breakfast bowl, with only 15 grams of sugar per serving—especially if you’re craving something sweet and filling. It’ll keep you full till lunchtime thanks to its 10 grams of fiber. Certainly a favorite overnight oats recipe by many!

28. Cherry Chia Overnight Oats

Oatmeal with low sugar and high protein? It’s not only conceivable, but it’s also really tasty. Thanks to the combination of fresh sweet cherries and creamy almond butter, a top source of healthy fat and protein, you won’t even miss the additional sugar.

29. Toasted Pistachio and Pineapple Muesli

It may appear frightening, but don’t be put off by the large size. This recipe has healthy fats from almonds and flax seeds, which will help you get through the morning without reaching for the break room sweets.

30. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Overnight Oats

Does it have a low calorie count? Check. Are you sugar-free? Yup. Is it flavor-packed? You’re aware of it! This autumn-inspired breakfast bowl is the epitome of having your cake and eating it, too.

31. Orange, Coconut, and Vanilla Overnight Oats

Most oatmeal recipes call for fruits like berries and bananas, which is why we were thrilled to find a blogger who flavored her breakfast with oranges. Try this one-of-a-kind recipe; your taste buds will reward you.

32. Mocha, Banana, and Chia Overnight Oats

Taking the effort to layer your oats with sliced banana ensures that every mouthful of this parfait is precisely balanced, which you’ll want in every bite with tastes like these. Use slightly green bananas in this recipe. They’re high in resistant starch, which helps with satiety and digestive resistance. As a result, the body is forced to work harder to digest the food, promoting fat oxidation and reducing belly fat.

33. Figs and Honey Overnight Oats

This recipe uses a lot of fiber-rich figs to keep you full until noon. Your breakfast will also help you avoid water retention and bloat because the fruit is a good source of potassium.

34. Peach Streusel Overnight Oats

This streusel-inspired recipe will not only wow your taste buds, but it will also aid in weight loss. New research suggests that stone fruits like peaches may help prevent metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of risk factors, one of which is belly fat, that raises the risk of obesity-related disorders like diabetes.

35. Vegan Overnight Oats

This high-fiber, vegan-friendly breakfast is made with oats, almond milk, vanilla extract, and nutritious add-ins like fruit and coconut flakes.

36. Cocoa Banana Overnight Oats

This recipe’s banana and yogurt give it a creamy texture and a slightly sweet flavor that’s impossible not to enjoy. A word of caution, though: When choosing a yogurt to add in, make sure it’s the appropriate kind for weight loss—the wrong kind can derail your weight-loss attempts.

37. Coconut Cardamom Overnight Oats

With these fiber-rich and low-calorie portable parfaits, you can send the mid-morning hunger packing. The blueberries in the handmade jam are high in antioxidants, while the cardamom improves circulation and gives your skin a lovely glow.

38. Maple Bacon Overnight Oats

While bacon for breakfast is nothing new, bacon paired with oatmeal is a unique combination. The walnuts add a delicious crunch and polyunsaturated fat (a vitamin that helps you lose belly fat), while the maple syrup balances out the flavorful breakfast sausage.

39. Bananas Foster Overnight Oats

This Instagram-worthy Mason jar dinner combines waist-slimming coconut oil, bananas, cholesterol-lowering flax, oats, and a variety of delectable spices. There’s no better way to start the day than with a delicious—and filling—breakfast.

40. Skinny Funfetti Cake Batter Overnight Oats

If cupcakes are your weakness, this recipe will not disappoint. These creamy low-calorie oats, made with oats, skim milk, butter essence, and colorful sprinkles, could pass for a delectable dessert.

41. Kiwi Coconut Cashew Overnight Oatmeal

The kiwi, an underappreciated flat-bellied fruit, finally gets its due in this tropical-inspired recipe! According to Alexandra Miller, RDN, LDN, the corporate nutritionist at Medifast, one medium kiwi offers roughly 60 calories and 100% of the vitamin C we need in a day. Vitamin C-rich fruits aid fat oxidation during moderate-intensity exercise and can also reduce fattening stress chemicals like cortisol.

42. Coconut Latte Overnight Oats

This morning meal, spiked with a quarter-cup of brewed coffee, will rev your engine. Freshly brewed coffee has a lot of flavor for very few calories, so you can use less sweetener without sacrificing flavor. What’s more, it’s only 215 calories.

43. Overnight Vanilla Oats

Warm things up with these vanilla oats, which contain half of your daily calcium needs (49%) and are metabolically significant, according to study. This is because calcium boosts metabolic activity by increasing thermogenesis, or core body temperature, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The advantages don’t end there. Walnuts include polyunsaturated fats, which activate genes that minimize fat storage and increase insulin metabolism.

44. Double Chocolate Cashew Overnight Oats

This recipe necessitates the use of a rich chocolate cashew milk. The oats go from a flavorless carb to a chocolatey pleasure worth waking up for as they sit in it overnight. This sweet and crunchy mixture, made with small chocolate chips and chopped cashews, is a favorite overnight oats recipe! You won’t want to miss this!

45. Overnight Chocolate Chia Oat Pudding

Cacao powder, berries, coconut, and banana combine to make a dish that is pure decadence.

46. Almond Joy

Unlike an actual Almond Joy candy bar, these oats are low in sugar and high in fiber and protein, two elements that everyone who is attempting to lose weight should aim to consume at every meal.

47. Maple French Toast Overnight Oats

French toast is a high-calorie meal that can lead to significant belly fat gain. This variation, on the other hand, incorporates a healthy breakfast item into the mix to provide the same comfort food feeling without the guilt. Plus, every single one of its constituents has the potential to speed up your metabolism!

48. Salted Turtle Overnight Oats

These salted-turtle-flavored oats are as good as they sound, a flavor profile no longer reserved for cookies and cupcakes. There’s not much to dislike about a sweet and salty flavor combination topped with crunchy pecans, and the nutritional information is spot on. This dish is a definite winner.

49. Matcha Overnight Oats

Matcha powder is a delicious complement to your morning cereal. The powdered tea is high in EGCG, a chemical that promotes lipolysis (fat breakdown) while inhibiting adipogenesis (the formation of fat cells).

50. Blackberry Mojito Overnight Oatmeal

This rum-spiked dish is a fiesta-inspired supper we can get behind for only 250 calories.

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