Yogurt and Oatmeal

Yogurt and oatmeal is my new favorite thing – and it’s perfect for the holiday season when you have guests and/or no desire to make anything in the morning!

Tis the season for deliciousness!! And there are no complaints on my end about that! On Christmas Day, we usually do stockings and presents in the morning followed by a late brunch or lunch at 12 or 1.

Since we all need a little food before the big meal, we’ve always done small, grab as you want breakfast setups. Sometimes it’s bagels and toppings. Other times our family’s classic cinnamon coffee cake and fruit.

This year, however, I’m planning on yummy yogurt and oatmeal. It’s a great make-ahead breakfast that makes individual servings. It’s also perfect because you can prepare exactly the number you need – to avoid even more leftovers this holiday season (though you may want some of these). . .

Yogurt and Oatmeal

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!

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!

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 individual jars, mugs, or cups, but you could easily put it all in one dish and let people serve themselves!

What can you put in your yogurt and oatmeal?

Honestly, what can’t you put in overnight oats?

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 fresh or dried 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.

You can also try making oatmeal in your rice cooker! Find the recipe in these rice cooker recipes! Need a vegan recipe (or 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!