Last Updated on 10th March 2022 by
Have you gotten on the overnight oats trend yet? This is a high fiber food with lots of nutrients, and it can be even more nutritious for you than cooked rolled oats.
When you soak the oats overnight, that breaks down the starch from the oats and then improves nutrient absorption. What this does is make the food a lot easier to digest. Your body can handle it easier, so you’ll be able to get more benefits from it.
Some foods pass through your digestive system really fast without giving your body the full nutritional benefits. When you have the starch broken down like this and you get the high nutrient absorption that overnight oats offer, your body benefits so much more.
They are really good for people who suffer from type 2 diabetes, as they help boost insulin production. If you or someone you know has trouble regulating their insulin and is struggling to keep their diabetes under control, adding overnight oats to their diet may be an excellent change to make.
Of course, anyone suffering from diabetes should make sure they talk to their doctor before making major changes to their diet or lifestyle.
You’ll also find that they’re easier to eat, since they become soggy by soaking overnight.
How to make overnight oats? I’ll share with you a method that works really well and ensures you get the maximum nutritional value from this food.
How to Prepare Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup of milk (or dairy substitute)
- Nuts, seeds, protein powder, fruit, or granola to serve (optional)
Directions:
- Mix together milk, oats, and anything you are serving with the overnight oats, like fruits, nuts, or seeds. Stir everything together and store in an airtight jar or container.
- Let it refrigerate for at least five hours, but as long as 10 hours.
- Add additional liquid if needed in the morning., stir the liquid in, and add any toppings you prefer, like granola, protein powders, spices, nuts, or fruit.
You can use this recipe for how to make overnight oats without yogurt, but you could also add yogurt to it. It’s up to you how you want to make your overnight oats. There are so many different options for toppings and flavorings that you could use.
If you’re wondering how to make overnight oats with yogurt, consider cutting back on the milk you use. You’ll end up with a thicker oat mixture this way, but it won’t be overly milky. Try using half a cup of milk and 1/4 cup of milk in the recipe, and then keeping everything else the same.
How to Store Overnight Oats
These store for a minimum two days, but they can store in the fridge for longer if you don’t add certain fruits like banana to it. Some of the toppings can detract from the shelf life, so pay attention to them.
Make sure that you keep the oats part of the refrigerator with a temperature will stay consistent. If you notice the smell or appearance changing at all, you should toss them out.
How to Make Overnight Oats with Almond Milk
There are a number of milk substitutes you can use, if you don’t want to use dairy milk. Perhaps you are allergic to dairy milk or you just want something that is less fattening.
You could use almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk interchangeably with dairy milk for this recipe. You don’t have to make any changes to the amounts you’re using.
One of the great things about making overnight oats is that the portion sizes don’t have to be exact. You could easily use 1/3 of a cup or 1/2 cup of milk or oats for the recipe and it wouldn’t ruin it.
If you’re looking to substitute in some almond milk, then go for it.
How to Make Overnight Oats with Protein Powder
People will use protein powder in their overnight oats to make the food more filling and more of a complete meal. You can do that just by adding some to the mixture once it comes out of the fridge in the morning. Just sprinkle a bit of protein powder on top and eat it like that or mix the powder into the oats. No other preparations are necessary.
How to Make Overnight Oats with Instant Oatmeal
You could use instant oats in your overnight oats if you want to. What you end up with is a thinner cut of oats that is a bit finer. They are easier to digest, so they have that going for them.
You can prepare them the exact same way; you don’t have to make any concessions because you’re using the instant oatmeal.
If you are using instant oatmeal, they’ll be ready a lot faster, but soaking them over a period of time can still provide a lot of great benefits. You still get the higher nutritional value and the easier digestion that overnight oats give you.
If all you have is instant oatmeal on hand and you want to make overnight oats, then go forward.
How to Make Overnight Oats with Water
Using water instead of milk for water is a really good way to decrease your calorie content for this dish. Do you need to make any changes to the proportions in the recipe I gave you above if you using water instead of milk?
Try this ratio when you’re using water and oats together: for every one cup of oats, use a cup and a half of water. This will give you enough water for them to soak well and not dry out. Other than that, you can follow the recipe up above the exact same way to make your overnight oats using water rather than milk.
Make sure there’s enough water to cover the oats when they’re resting in the fridge. You also want to use a bowl, jar, or other container that is shaped in such a way that it can accommodate your oats and water so that cup and a half of water can cover a cup of oats.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
Jenil
Saturday 20th of April 2024
Wow, I just read the article about Overnight Oats, and I absolutely loved it! The way the steps and details were explained was so simple and helpful. I tried making the recipe, and it turned out to be fantastic! Overnight oats are such a convenient and delicious breakfast option, especially for busy mornings. Plus, I used True Elements Rolled Oats for this recipe, and they worked perfectly. I'm definitely going to make this again and again. Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe!