Overnight oats: 4 simple recipes that take less than 5 minutes to make

If you’ve been on Instagram or Pinterest in the past year, you’ve most likely come across recipes for overnight oats – the latest health blogger phenomenon.

But rather than the usual sponsored content touting benefits such as weight loss and more energy, overnight oats are actually worth your attention.

Overnight oats are, as described in the name, raw oats that have been left to soak overnight and mixed with fruit, peanut butter, or other toppings.

The meal, which has transformed into a pudding-like consistency by morning, is usually eaten for breakfast as a quick, filling start to the day.

In addition to offering the perfect no-mess meal, overnight oats also have the added benefits of being good for your heart and a good source of fibre – and they can easily be made vegan.

These are four overnight oat recipes to try.

Three-ingredient overnight oats

If you want to take things slow the first time you try overnight oats, you can start with a recipe that just calls for three ingredients.

For this recipe, all you need are the basics for overnight oats: old-fashioned rolled oats, almond milk (or any other type of milk) and a sweetener such as honey or agave nectar.

Combine the ingredients in a mason jar, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Find the recipe here.

Carrot cake overnight oats

For those who want to add a little more flavour to their mornings, there are countless recipes to try.

This one for carrot cake overnight oats calls for diced carrots, golden raisins, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, and Greek yoghurt.

When it is time to eat – Most of the ingredients are added the night before – simply top with shredded carrots and golden raisins.

Find the recipe here.

Apple cinnamon overnight oats

You can also flavour your mornings with a overnight oat version of apple pie with this recipe.

To make apple cinnamon overnight oats, add plain yoghurt, chopped apple, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, maple syrup and chia seeds and cool overnight.

You can also add toasted almonds in the morning for an extra layer of flavour.

If you want to make your oats Instagram-worthy, you can place the toppings in layers – or mix all of the ingredients together.

Find the recipe here.

Brownie batter chocolate overnight oats

The best part about making overnight oats is they pair well with any flavour – even chocolate – so you can opt for a more dessert-like version.

This recipe calls for the addition of cocoa powder, chia seeds, salt, yoghurt, and chocolate chips and promises to taste like a healthier version of brownie batter.

In the morning, you can heat the oats or eat them cold.

Find the recipe here.