---
title: "Overnight Oats"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2025/04/overnight-oats/
last_updated: 2026-03-17
---


This post premieres the [`#recipes`](/categories/recipes) category in this blog.

What I like about this recipe is that it is quite freestyle, one can mix and
match whichever ingredients are available at hand. In my place most
ingredients are almost always available, only fresh fruits have high churn.

And it's easy to make it fun by adding / removing ingredients at the last
minute, tweaking the overall result each time. The sky is the limit.

I recommend to have it for **breakfast** (it's enough!) or as an **afternoon snack**
(for example, bring a Tupperware to work).

## In Bulk (Tupperware)

### Ingredients

The most important ingredients are **in bold**.

The coolest™ ingredients are _in italics_.

- base (pick at least one)
  — **milk** (animal or not; prefer low-fat)
  — plain yogurt (greek, vanilla also OK)
  — high-protein yogurt
  — skyr
  — speisequark
  — _semolina pudding_
  — avoid: water
- grains (pick at least two)
  — **oats** (steel-cut or rolled -> auf Deutsch: Haferflocken)
  — **chia seeds** (let them _soak_)
  — flax seeds
  — hemp seeds
  — avoid[^1]: quick oats
  — avoid: porridge
  — avoid: cereal (Müsli)
- sweet(ener) (pick at least one)
  — **peanut butter**
  — almond butter
  — _maple syrup_
  — _acacia honey_
  — _raw honey_
  — wild honey
  — date syrup
  — **cinnamon**
  — vanilla extract
  — avoid: sugar / brown sugar
  — avoid: hazelnut butter / Nutella™
- fruits (pick at least one)
  — bananas
  — strawberries
  — raspberries
  — blueberries
  — cherries
  — figs
  — avoid: dry figs

### Preparation

#### The first day

These are overnight oats, therefore they should ideally be prepared one day
before you intend to consume them. The intent is to leave them simmering in the
fridge while you're sleeping. Needless to say, it will be served **cold**.
There's a variant of this recipe that is served hot, but it's out of scope of
this post.

1. Grab a dish to mix the ingredients within. Ideally, **a container with a lid**
so that it can be stored in the fridge right away once we're done.
Alternatively, a bowl will also do. Don't get a plate. Some people like to do it
in cups (preferably a big cup if you want to eat enough!).

1. Start by adding the base. Normally I will do milk (always available) + some
plain yogurt if available. Cold milk, do not add hot milk! Room temperature is
also OK.

1. Add your grains. Oats are essential. Chia and flex seeds are nice to have.
   Anything else is a bonus.

1. Add your sweet(ener)s. Unless you're on a diet. But frankly, even if you are,
   do add some, just be moderate. Peanut or almond butter are perfect. I also
     love to add maple syrup, but I typically defer it for later, right before
     eating the oats. The same applies to honey.

1. Mix everything. Preferably with a spoon.

1. Put the container in the fridge. Good night!

#### The second day

The fruits should be cut in small pieces. Add them to the container.

Add other sweeteneers (as previously mentioned: maple syrup, honey, etc).

It's done. Enjoy!

**Note**: When in a rush, you can prepare and eat the oats within the same day.
Just leave them in the fridge for _at least_ one hour.

## Cup / Glass

It's also possible to prepare a smaller portion in a glass.

Add the content in this order:

1. oat
2. chia / flax seeds
3. milk
4. yogurt
5. sweetener (e.g. maple syrup)

**Disclaimer**: This post was written without AI, and without any web searches,
it's purely from my memory and experience. Consume (pun intended!) this
information at your own risk.

[^1]: What triggers _"avoid"_ is one of: (i) experience, (ii) moral, or (iii)
    diet.