Easy Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds

Overnight oats with chia seeds are the ultimate healthy weekday breakfast. Easy, meal prep-able, zero cooking required.

Creating a healthy and satisfying plant-based breakfast routine can be challenging. Because more often than not, breakfast = eggs. And while waffles and pancakes are easy to veganize, they aren’t exactly weekday-friendly.

Overnight oats with chia seeds are a nutritious solution for those of us who need to grab something quickly on our way out the door. This basic recipe is a hybrid of overnight oats, chia pudding, and bircher muesli. The gluten-free mixture of rolled oats, chia seeds, and chopped nuts makes a creamy pudding with a satisfying texture. This simple vegan breakfast is filling and requires zero actual cooking – a total win-win.

What Are Overnight Oats

“Overnight oats” refers to oatmeal that’s simply soaked (not cooked) in milk for at least a few hours, or most commonly overnight. Soaking makes oats soft and digestible – without having to babysit them on the stove.

Why Add Chia Seeds to Overnight Oats

Putting chia seeds in overnight oats adds a ton of nutrients and creates a creamy, pudding-like texture. Chia seeds are a great source of protein, fiber, calcium, and iron, and happen to be the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Oats are a nutritional powerhouse, too. They’re packed with fiber, which is great for gut health, and can help lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. Oats are also high in minerals – most notably manganese, copper, zinc, and iron.

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

Base Ingredients:

• Oats: “Old-fashioned” rolled oats are best because they’re less refined than “quick-cooking”, and thus retain slightly more nutrients. But, you can totally make this recipe with either type.
• Chia Seeds: These little guys absorb moisture and expand sizably when combined with a liquid, hence why a little bit goes a long way.
• Milk: I recommend oat milk for its rich texture, but any non-dairy milk will work here (almond, soy, cashew, etc.).
• Maple Syrup: Any liquid sweetener will work as a sub, like honey or date syrup.

Optional:

• Nuts: Add protein, fiber, and healthy fats. I recommend walnuts or pecans here, but almonds, cashews, or pistachios work just as well. If you’re allergic, you can skip these.
• Vanilla Extract + Cinnamon: Add a lot of flavor and a hint of sweetness, but if you don’t have these, just skip them.

How to Make Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds

Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Combine the Dry Ingredients

In a large lidded container, combine the oats, chia seeds, nuts, cinnamon, and salt. (Note: A lot of overnight oats recipes instruct you to assemble the pudding in individual jars. I don’t own that many identically-sized jars – and frankly don’t know many people who do – so I mix up the batch in a large container and decant the pudding into a jar/bowl when I’m ready to eat.)

Step 2: Add the Wet Ingredients

Then pour in the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir this up until evenly combined and set aside for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Stir Again

You’ll notice that within a few minutes, the chia seeds will start to absorb the milk and the pudding will start to thicken. To ensure the seeds don’t clump up into one big chunk, stir the mixture again after 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Chill + Serve

Cover the container and chill in the fridge until the mixture is thick and pudding-like. The “overnight” oats will be ready to eat in a couple of hours and will continue to thicken in the fridge over the next day. When you’re ready to eat, scoop some into a bowl or to-go container, add your toppings, and enjoy. 

Topping Ideas

Overnight oats are a great vessel for so many other healthy and delicious things, like…

• Fresh berries and fruit (my favorites are peach, banana, mango, and pear)
• Toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, or almonds)
• Toasted coconut flakes
• Other seeds (hemp, flax, or sunflower)
• Peanut butter (or other nut butters)
• Chia jam

P.S. If you want to make chia pudding without oats, check out my strawberry and chocolate peanut butter versions.

More Healthy Breakfast Ideas…

• Carrot Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
• Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding
• Vegan Cornmeal Pancakes

Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and tag @thenewbaguette on Instagram with your creation.