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.
FAQ’s
To reiterate, you do not need a bunch of jars to enjoy the magic of this chia oatmeal pudding. Just store it in a large container in the fridge (consume within 5 days) and scoop out however much you want when you’re ready to eat. This recipe makes 2-4 servings, depending how big of a breakfast you prefer and how many toppings you add. If meal prepping for more than one person, double or triple this recipe. If your oats get too thick after being in the fridge for a few days, thin them out with a splash of milk.
Yes! If you can’t get onboard with cold oatmeal, just put the prepared oats in a microwave-safe bowl/jar and microwave in 30-second increments – stirring in between – until warm.
Sure. A lot of people enjoy yogurt in overnight oats because it amplifies the creamy texture. To add yogurt to this recipe, reduce the amount of milk to 1 cup and compensate with 1/4 cup yogurt (vegan or dairy).
More Healthy Breakfast Ideas…
- Whole Grain Waffles with Oats
- 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.
The Full Recipe
PrintOvernight Oats with Chia Seeds
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rest Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Overnight oats with chia seeds are the ultimate easy breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats* (see note below)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts*
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk*
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large lidded container, combine the oats, walnuts, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine thoroughly. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir the pudding once more to make sure the chia seeds are not clumping together. Close the container, and chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
- Serve the pudding with fruit, nut butter, and/or extra nuts. (Keep in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 5 days. If your oats get too thick, thin them out with a splash of milk.)
Notes
- “Old-fashioned” rolled oats are best because they’re less refined than “quick-cooking”, and thus retain slightly more nutrients. But you can make this recipe with either type.
- Pecans, almonds, cashews, or pistachios will work just as well. If you’re allergic, just skip these.
- Any non-dairy milk will work (almond, soy, cashew, etc.).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/3 of the recipe, without toppings
- Calories: 310
- Fat: 19.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.3 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
Eileen says
How do you heat up the oatmeal before eating ?
Alexandra Shytsman says
Hi Eileen! Just going through my comments and realized I mis-read your question – whoops! You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop, just like regular oatmeal. Hope this helps 🙂
eileen says
thank you Perfect
Matshelane says
I just finish making mine according to the recipe. I will eat tomorrow since I have a smoothie for today.
Can’t wait, I love healthy food 😋
Alexandra says
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it 😀
ITA says
La preparación es sabrosa, además nos aporta múltiples nutrientes y es bastante digestiva.
No le agrego nueces ya que soy alérgica al alimento (nueces, almendras) y a cambio de jarabe de arce utilizo miel de abejas.
Alexandra says
Thanks for the feedback! Instead of nuts, you can add other seeds if you want – like hemp or sunflower.
ITA says
Alejandra, gracias por el comentario; a veces utilizo semillas de ahuyama (calabaza amarilla) ya que aportan proteína.
Makayla says
Is it okay to heat Up the Overnight Oats that have chia seeDs in them? Not sure if DamaGes the chia seeds benefits.
Alexandra says
Hi Makayla! I can’t speak too specifically on this topic but my feeling is that their benefits will be preserved if you heat the oatmeal gently. I imagine that boiling or baking something with chia seeds may be hot enough to alter them, but not gentle heat. Hope this helps!
Rachel says
Thanks for recipe! How much chia powder do you use? I cant figure Out the EquivaleNt to 1 TSP of the seeds. It must be a smaller amount since it is ground? Thanks!
Alexandra says
Hi Rachel! It’s honestly pretty flexible so don’t worry about messing this up 🙂
I would go with 3/4 teaspoon ground chia.
Rachel says
Thanks! After reading about too much chia not digesting For someone, i worried about using Too much or not having Enough water to Absorb it!
Dale says
i’m out the door at 6 a.m., and i need to take sonething i can eat at my desk.
Dale says
Just made thislast night and ate this morning. Pretty good! Rhinking ill try with chocolate almond milk.
Alexandra says
Yum, sounds perfect! Thanks for stopping by 🙂