Maybe your kids love to sit down to a heaping bowl of warm oatmeal before school, but you don’t always have time to prepare a fresh pot.
Instant oatmeal is quick and easy, but some days you might be hungry and looking for a heartier version.
Overnight oats are the perfect solution!
This breakfast is so easy to prepare with your favorite ingredients the night before, so it will be ready and waiting for your family when they wake up in the morning.
And the best part is that there is absolutely no cooking required.
Simply soak the oats overnight to absorb whatever milk you add. Feel free to use any type or combination of yogurt and milk that you prefer – dairy-free options also work well here.
Mason jars or other small glass containers with lids that seal tightly are the perfect vessels for this morning treat. A 12-ounce container is the best size for one serving, and you can easily make this recipe in big batches as part of your meal prep, divvying up the ingredients into each jar.
Filled with healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals, and plenty of delicious goodness, they look so cute!
Feel free to experiment with your favorite fruits and flavorings. In this particular recipe, we combine sweet mashed bananas with the oat mixture, and top the jar with shredded coconut and fresh, juicy raspberries.
Just make sure you start each batch with the same basic ingredients: rolled oats, milk, yogurt, and chia seeds.
With a little preparation the night before, you can enjoy a hearty breakfast every morning.
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Overnight Oats with Banana, Coconut, and Raspberries
- Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 12-ounce serving 1x
Description
Want a make-ahead breakfast that doesn’t require any cooking? Try our creamy overnight oats with bananas, coconut, and tart raspberries.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup milk, plus more for serving
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 medium ripe banana, mashed
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon honey, plus more to taste for serving
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- In a 12-ounce jar, add the oats, milk, yogurt, mashed banana, chia seeds, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and honey. Stir to combine until all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Sprinkle the coconut shreds and place the raspberries on top.
- Top the jar with a lid and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Serve chilled, thinned with additional milk and topped with added sweetener if desired. Store overnight oats in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Oatmeal
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Breakfast
Keywords: overnight, oats, oatmeal, banana, raspberries, coconut
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Gather, Measure, and Prep Ingredients
Get out one 12-ounce mason jar with its lid and band, or several if you’re making a few servings of this recipe at a time. This recipe is super easy to multiply. Grab a long spoon for stirring.
Start by mashing the banana in a small bowl with a fork. As long as it’s ripe, it will be soft and easy to mash. I look for bananas speckled with some brown spots, because they’re at an ideal stage of ripeness and will provide additional sweetness to the mixture.
Measure the oats, chia seeds, salt, cinnamon, and shredded coconut.
Measure the milk. Feel free to use your favorite dairy or alternative non-dairy milk beverage. The oats will easily absorb either option.
Measure the yogurt. You can use vanilla or another flavor instead of plain.
Measure the vanilla extract and honey. If you’re looking for a suitable vegan alternative, an equal amount of maple syrup, agave syrup, or even a berry syrup can be swapped in for the honey.
Rinse, dry, and measure the raspberries.
Step 2 – Add Ingredients to Jar and Stir
Pour the oats into the jar and top with the milk, yogurt, mashed banana, chia seeds, vanilla, and honey.
Use the long spoon to make sure you reach the bottom of the jar while mixing in order to thoroughly combine all of the ingredients.
Top the oat mixture with the coconut and raspberries. You can layer them on top of one another, or neatly arrange them side by side for a colorful display.
The oats will expand only slightly as they soak, so you don’t need to leave much headspace at the top of the jar for your toppings.
Step 3 – Cover and Chill
Screw the lid on your mason jar with the band and place it in the refrigerator.
Are you in a rush and don’t have time to make them the night before? The oats will be ready to eat after 4 hours of soaking in the refrigerator. Their texture won’t be as soft and creamy when they soak overnight, but they’ll still be perfectly delicious.
When you’re ready to eat breakfast, remove the lid, stir the contents, and taste to see if you’d like to thin the mixture with additional milk or add more sweetener.
Some of the shredded coconut will sink into the mixture, so I like to add a little more coconut and a few more raspberries as a fresh garnish before digging in. If you prefer, you could also wait to add these toppings until just before serving.
Overnight oats may be stored in their jars in the fridge for up to 5 days.
A Foolproof, Feel-Good Breakfast!
What’s better than a healthy, ready-to-eat treat to kick-start your day? If raspberries aren’t your first choice, feel free to grab another fruit that better suits your palate. Sweet, tropical mango is always a winner in my book.
Add a little decadence and thickness by stirring a tablespoon of your favorite nut butter into the oat mixture. I like partnering peanut butter with strawberries for a fresh take on PB&J.
For more crunch, try chopped toasted hazelnuts or almonds on top.
What will you reach for to stir some love into your overnight oats? Share your most memorable mix-ins when you leave a comment below! And don’t forget to give this recipe a five-star rating if you loved it.
Did this bright breakfast inspire you to fall for the fresh, sweet-tart flavor of raspberries? Try these recipes that feature the juicy fruit next:
- Red Fruit Custard
- Cream Cheese, Raspberry, and Pineapple Quesadilla
- Chocolate Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies
Photos by Fanny Slater, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone and Allison Sidhu.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Fanny Slater
Fanny Slater is a home-taught food enthusiast based in Wilmington, North Carolina who won the “Rachael Ray Show” Great American Cookbook Competition in 2014, and published her cookbook “Orange, Lavender & Figs” in 2016. Fanny is a food and beverage writer, recipe developer, and social media influencer. She was a co-host on the Food Network series “Kitchen Sink,” was featured on Cooking Channel’s longtime popular series “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” and continues to appear regularly on the “Rachael Ray Show.”
