Overnight Oats With Yogurt

Yogurt and oatmeal is my new favorite thing – and it’s perfect for the busy mornings when you have the energy and wherewithal to do about 3 things, but there are 53 things to do. It’s also handy when you have guests – like at the holidays (major success with this one)! And best of all this is a make-ahead recipe! Yep, an overnight oats with yogurt recipe!

Tis the season for deliciousness – isn’t it always around here?! I’m not generally big on bread-heavy breakfasts. They don’t tend to stick for long and they don’t get us any protein. but, I don’t always want eggs or have the time for it. Oats and yogurt both offer great protein, so it’s like uber productive on busy mornings without adding a reason to wakeup earlier. Winning!

And all the same applies to family get-togethers too. The recipe is on the healthy side; easy to make ahead; perfect because you can prepare exactly the number you need; and completely customizable if you want to get some help in the kitchen!!

Overnight Oats With Yogurt

There are a million ways to make overnight oats. I love this version with yogurt, because it has a beautiful creaminess that doesn’t make it too heavy. Not to mention it adds a little bit of protein in there.

I love all the spices in this dish (allspice, cloves, and cinnamon) – especially with the orange zest – but if you want to cut back on one or two of those spices, then you absolutely can! And then you can have people add their own topping morning of, rather than asking and guessing around beforehand.

The best part is adding the walnuts just before serving. Overnight, the oats, fruit, and seeds melt together into a soft dish. The last minute addition of the nuts, however, adds just the perfect bit of crunch in my humble opinion!

But, as I like to say, the oatmeal world is your oyster. So you add whatever toppings and mix-ins your heart desires. I do have some ideas below, however, for you and for anybody you might be feeding.

Overnight Oats for One + A Crowd

As I mentioned above, this recipe is good for the exact number you need. It’s measured out to make just one serving, so just multiply the measurements to get what you need. I absolutely LOVE the idea of making these in mason jars, mugs, or cups, but you could easily put it all in one dish and let people serve themselves!

Here are my picks for mason jars and various reusable lid options. It’s important to note that most canning jar options come in regular and wide-mouth. So just make sure you’re buying the right size lids! And these are often available at your local grocery store too.

What can you put in your overnight oats with yogurt?

Honestly, what can’t you put in overnight oats? Feel free to experiment too. My go-tos are raw nuts, seeds, and dried fruits. My favorite nuts include pecans and walnuts. For seeds, I usually do chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds, but pumpkin seeds are also yummy.

For dried fruit – it’s whatever I have on hand. Favorites include raisins, dried cranberries, dried figs, dried dates, and dried stone fruits. But any dried or fresh fruit would be fine!

And then the seasonings. Like making a smoothie (see my favorite ginger smoothie with spinach), you can and should absolutely play around with spices to your liking. Cinnamon is always gold in my book. Ginger and cloves are fun.

If you’ve fallen in love with cardamom like me, then you have to try it (and I’d recommend honey instead of maple syrup for that mix). Allspice, nutmeg, and turmeric are also good for playing around with.

oatmeal topping ideas

• chocolate chips
• peanut butter
• almond butter (any nut butter is fine)
• almonds
• pecans
• raisins
• golden raisins
• berries (even frozen as they’ll thaw overnight)
• fresh fruit (opt for those currently in season)
• flavored yogurts

You can also try making oatmeal in your rice cooker! Find the recipe in these rice cooker recipes! Any kind of milk is a great addition as well, including dairy milk, almond milk, and even coconut milk (the latter two are good dairy-free options). Out of milk?, try overnight oats with water.

More Breakfast Recipes

Recipes with Oats

For more breakfast recipes with oats, try fried oatmeal – weird sounding, but yummy and great to use up cooked oatmeal; this delectable pumpkin seed granola, and of course toasted muesli with yogurt. If you can’t get enough homemade granola like me, then this cranberry granola is a must! It’s from a hotel in downtown Leavenworth in Washington State. It was so delicious at the hotel, I had to get the recipe.

For a snack or your sweet tooth, these granola bites are yummy, quick to throw together, and just short of addictive. If you have extra muesli, try these muesli cookies. And this apple crisp with oat topping is my favorite dessert of all time!

And if you have extra dried dates, try them in these orange biscotti!