Overnight oats are a popular breakfast for weight loss plans because they are easy, refreshing and perfect for busy people. It is a personal preference whether you mix it up the night before or leave it layered to let the flavours mix a little themselves and more as you mix it to eat.
Disclaimer: Just Average Jen is not connected with any weight loss plan. Please check nutritional values and/or syns yourself as these are approximate to the best of my knowledge.
How to make healthy overnight oats
Overnight oats are usually healthier if you use low fat or fat-free yoghurt or milk. These recipes all use yoghurt but the choice of course is yours.
This is the base recipe or technique. Alongside this, you add your choice of fruit and flavouring if you wish and layer however you choose. There really is no way you can do it wrong.
Overnight oats on Slimming World
This recipe uses your 40g of plain porridge oats which on Slimming World can usually be used as your healthy extra b choice or 7 syns (approx). Layer these with around 150g of yoghurt. You can use whatever your favourite yoghurt is or save the syns and simply use fat-free natural yoghurt and a teaspoon of granulated sweetener.
The only syns in this base recipe are in the oats, 7 syns or your healthy extra b choice, and your yoghurt (if not using fat-free natural). Most Muller light yoghurts are half a syn a pot so this is quite negligible.
Fancy something warm instead?
A great alternative to a winter porridge, if you fancy something warm be sure to check out my Slimming World baked oats recipes.
Healthy overnight oats recipes
Apple and cinnamon overnight oats
Use a quarter of a teaspoon of cinnamon and one apple, finely chopped. If you are happy to use some calories or syns you could add honey too!
Gingerbread overnight oats
Use a small pinch of mixed spice, a small pinch of cinnamon and half a teaspoon of ground ginger. Spices don’t really have calories or syns so if you enjoy this you can just count the base recipe calories, points or syns.
Bounty – chocolate and coconut overnight oats
I love Bounty bars, do you? Adding coconut choc shot to your base mix gives a tasty bounty flavour and just 13kcals per teaspoon or on Slimming World, one syn for two teaspoons. It is perfect layered between oats and yoghurt.
White chocolate and raspberry overnight oats
I absolutely love white chocolate and raspberry cookies so this flavour in overnight oats emulates that a little. Mix 2 teaspoons of white chocolate Options hot chocolate powder with 200g of fat-free natural yoghurt to layer with your oats and as many raspberries as you choose.
Mint chocolate overnight oats
This delicious recipe is so simple but absolutely delicious. Simply using the mint choc shot for 13kcal per teaspoon or on Slimming Wolrd 1 syn (2 teaspoons) and layer with the oats and yoghurt of your choice, a mint chocolate one (often limited edition from Muller) is perfect but any would be good.
Chocolate orange overnight oats
I love chocolate orange but it isn’t really that healthy is it! This recipe is low in calories as grated orange peel has minimal calories and syns and with some choc shot at 13kcal for a teaspoon (half a syn on Slimming World approx), it is pretty healthy for a very naughty tasting breakfast! Some grated fresh orange peel adds a perfect flavour.
If you don’t have an orange handy or don’t want to waste the rest if you are unlikely to use it then substitute it with a quarter of a teaspoon of orange essence. You could use the Orange and chocolate Muller light for extra flavour.
Banoffee overnight oats
One of my favourite desserts is banoffee pie but the way I make it (condensed milk, digestives, whipped cream etc) is very calorific! I dread to think of the syns in it, I have never worked them out.
For banoffee overnight oats simply add a small sliced banana to your layers. For the toffee element, I would recommend a toffee yoghurt, you could make a bigger portion by using one toffee yoghurt and one banana yoghurt!
Cherry Bakewell overnight oats
This is best made with defrosted Dark sweet cherries you find in the freezers at the supermarket. Be sure not to buy sour cherries as they are not ideal! I find using 60g of these works well but have a play and see what you enjoy.
Add a quarter of a teaspoon of almond essence to your fat-free natural yoghurt and you have the perfect almond flavour.
If you fancy some almonds you could add some calories for those or syn them at 7.5 syns for 25g (approx). Why not make a bigger portion and use a cherry yoghurt too?
Apple and blackberry overnight oats
Another delicious choice is a super healthy overnight oats recipe as it is simply apple and blackberries except for the base technique ingredients.
Strawberries and cream overnight oats
Simply layering strawberries and using vanilla yoghurt gives you a bit of a taste of strawberries and cream without all the calories of cream. A perfect summer choice.
What are the best containers for overnight oats?
Many people use mason jars for overnight oats as they work perfectly. Others use a Tupperware tub or a bowl. There are even specially designed overnight oats containers which are pretty cool but to be honest I feel they are generally unnecessary.
The truth is, though, you can use whatever you want. It will be just as tasty!
The beauty of overnight oats, especially when making them in a mason jar or lidded container is they are a great breakfast to take to work.
Mistakes to avoid while making healthy overnight oats
The convenience, simplicity and versatility of overnight oats are what make it a clear winner when you’re looking for a simple no-fuss breakfast option to kick start your day with. But did you know you could actually be going wrong while making it?
Here are the 5 mistakes you should avoid when you’re making overnight oats.
Not following the correct liquid or yoghurt-to-oats ratio
This little step makes little difference if using yoghurt but can make a big difference with milk and plays a major role in determining how your overnight oats will turn out.
Using too much liquid, or the wrong kind of liquid might get your oats all soggy and mushy. Ideally, sticking to the 2:1 ratio of liquid (ideally a type of milk) to oats is the best to give you that perfect spoonable, porridge-like consistency.
Using the wrong kind of oats
This one’s a biggie. A lot of people tend to make this mistake while making overnight oats and think using instant oats or powdered oats such as Ready Brek instead of the old-fashioned rolled oats won’t make a difference.
Well, guess what? Big difference. Instant oats are usually smaller, absorb liquid quickly and get all mushy. Using rolled oats will give you just the right texture and bite you want!
Adding some toppings too soon
You might be tempted to add in the nuts, fruits and other toppings into the oats at the beginning itself to save yourself the time and effort in the morning, but hey- you might want to hold back on it!
If you add the toppings in at night, the nuts might end up getting chewy in the morning, and the fruits may get all mushy! Depending on what you are using, why not experiment with when you add them to the oat mixture for different flavours?
Only if you’re adding chia seeds or dried fruits should you always add them at night. Reserving the rest of the toppings for the morning is just as tasty!
Skipping the Healthy Add-Ons
There are tons of ways you can make your overnight oats even more healthy, and if you’re not implementing them, you’re basically wasting your efforts.
You could add in a little coffee or matcha powder if they are your kind of thing, or top your bowl of overnight oats with some extra chopped fresh fruits.
If you’re looking to get your protein fix in the morning, you can also add in a couple of spoons of nut butter into it, or some protein powder.
Not Remixing it
Last but not least, make sure you don’t forget to stir the oats mixture again before you go ahead and eat it. You stirred it well last night, so you shouldn’t have to do it again, right? Wrong.
Sometimes, the oats at the bottom might turn mushy, while the layer at the top might remain crunchy. Giving it a final mix before you dig in can ensure you get all those different textures together in one bite.
More recipes and ideas you may enjoy
If you are looking for breakfast ideas then do check out my full list of amazing tasty healthy breakfast ideas pop them on your 7-day meal plan with lots of fruit and vegetables!
Do you make a healthy breakfast but get stuck for lunch ideas? These healthy lunch ideas should help along with this 4-week lunches plan.
Do you have any favourite flavours? Do share them in the comments below.
