Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight oatmeal with tender apples, cinnamon, and chia seeds make a filling and healthy breakfast that can be prepped in advance and eaten on the go.

There is nothing better than waking up in the morning and knowing that breakfast is already ready to go in the fridge. Start your coffee, take a few minutes to wake up, and relax knowing that you don't have to cook or prepare anything! If that sounds appealing, you need to start making these overnight oats.

There are so many things I love about these overnight oats beyond the fact that they can be prepped in advance. First of all, I love that they are super hearty and filling. While many breakfasts can leave you hungry an hour later, these oats will keep you fueled all morning long. I also love that they are sweetened naturally with cooked apples and applesauce. This means no sugar spikes. 

Then there are the toppings. There are so many ways to make these feel like a different breakfast every morning. Eat them cold right out of the fridge on morning one. The next day, warm up your apple cinnamon oats in the microwave and drizzle some peanut butter on top. Day three - add some fresh berries and chopped nuts.

Then on the last day, throw your overnight oats in the blender with some extra milk and a small scoop of peanut butter. Four hearty, healthy breakfasts all prepped in advance from the same base recipe.  Trust me, you will absolutely love these easy overnight oats. 

How to Make Overnight Oatmeal

Once you starting making overnight oatmeal, you'll probably want to make it all the time and try out all kinds of different fruits, nuts, seeds, and flavor combinations. Here's the base recipe you need to get started:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats 
• 2 tsp chia seeds (optional - adds thickness and tons of nutrients!)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• Sweetener to taste (consider using a mashed banana for a natural sweetener)
• Stir all of this together and refrigerate for at least four hours for the oats to soften and flavors to combine. Fruit can be added before or after refrigeration, just plan based on how long it will be in the fridge. Some fruits hold up better than others. 

Recipe Ideas and Tips

There are so many different ways to customize these overnight oats. From trying it with different milks, adding things like nuts or seeds, or even swapping out the fruit.

• For an extra dose of protein and healthy fats, consider adding some nut butter to the oatmeal. Peanut butter is a natural choice with apples, but almond butter, sunflower butter, and cashew butter are all delicious as well.
• For some crunch, consider adding some chopped nuts before serving. Walnuts and pecans are really tasty with apples. 
• If you prefer more warming spices with your apples, consider swapping in apple pie spices or pumpkin pie spices for the cinnamon and nutmeg. These spice blends usually also contain allspice, mace, and ginger.
• If you are going to use sweetener, consider pure maple syrup, which really complements the apples. Honey is another more natural option.
• If you don't have apples, this also works with pears and pear sauce. 
• If you don't have chia seeds, you could also make this with flax seeds or flaxseed meal. It can be left out as well, I just like adding another nutrient dense item to the mix. 
• For an extra dose of protein, consider adding a scoop of vanilla, caramel, or cinnamon protein powder to your oats. Most of the time, this will also serve as the sweetener. 
• Swap in this pear compote instead of the apples for another tasty fall flavored overnight oatmeal.

How to add yogurt to overnight oats?

Many people like to add yogurt to their overnight oatmeal to add protein, probiotics, and nutrients. It also makes for ultra creamy oats since the yogurt both adds its own creaminess and further softens the oats. 

There are two options for adding yogurt. First, you can simply add between 1/4-12 cup of yogurt to the recipe. The texture will change slightly but it will just as delicious. The other option, if you prefer thicker oatmeal, is to reduce the amount of milk slightly to make up for the extra yogurt. For example, if you were to add 1/2 cup of yogurt, only add about 1/3 cup of milk.

Adding yogurt to oats is also a great way to add flavor to your oats. Using vanilla, coconut, chocolate, or fruit flavored yogurt all adds another layer of flavor. It also will eliminate the need for extra sweetener in many cases since flavored yogurt is already sweetened. 

How long do these last in the fridge? Can they be frozen?

Overnight oatmeal should be eaten within 4-5 days of when it is prepared. However, depending on the things that are added to the mixture, this time may be a bit shorter. This recipe, with cooked apples and applesauce, will last 4-5 days without any problems.

If you find you are unable to finish your overnight oats, you can freeze the oatmeal. I recommend freezing it in individual servings, perhaps in a muffin tray like in this frozen oatmeal cup recipe.  Then simply deforst overnight in the fridge or pop it in the microwave. 

Is this eaten warm or cold?

It's totally up to you! Overnight oats can be eaten cold right out of the fridge. They can be warmed in the microwave for a more traditional bowl of oats. You can also pack them for lunch of a late breakfast and enjoy them room temperature.

Also if one morning you aren't feeling like oats, throw them in a blender  with some extra milk to make a quick oatmeal smoothie. 

Looking for more oatmeal recipes

• Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
• Best Microwave Oatmeal
• Oatmeal Smoothies
• Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal