If you've never tried overnight oats before, you're in for a treat! This recipe with kefir is packed with nutrition, a little peanut butter for extra protein, and fresh berries to top it all off. And once you learn how to make overnight oats (don't worry—it's simple!) you might just be forever converted. 😉
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I'm a gigantic oatmeal fan—so much so, in fact, that it is my breakfast about 90% of the time. It's easy, filling and super nutritious if you top it with superfoods like nuts and berries like I usually do. (Here's my favorite cool-weather oatmeal recipe.)
But when summer hits I love to mix things up with overnight oats. They are:
- refreshing
- filling
- easy to digest
- delicious and bursting with flavor!
And the best part of all? This simple overnight oats recipe literally takes just five minutes to prep before you put it in the fridge overnight, and it's ready in the morning. What could be easier?
Did you know?
Very similar to its cousin, yogurt, kefir is a fermented food produced by a process known as lacto-fermentation which converts beneficial bacteria from special kefir grains into lactic acid—both preserving the milk as well as giving it its deliciously tangy, sour flavor.
Oh, and if you love cool breakfast treats in the morning like this one, you should also try this fruit and yogurt parfait or this blueberry kefir smoothie.
Jump to:
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Only 5 minutes of prep time the night before, and they're ready to eat in the morning
- Nutritious and filling breakfast
- Great way to eat oatmeal on warm weather days
- Easy to customize with your favorite ingredients
- Kid-friendly and approved (especially with a little extra honey)
🌿 Ingredients
Most of the ingredients below are optional. Just make sure you grab some old fashioned oats and your favorite kefir (found in the dairy section) or milk, and you're good. I love using vanilla kefir and I'd definitely recommend fresh berries if you have them (so good!) and my other favorite ingredient, peanut butter. (Almond butter is also delish!)
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
Overnight oats ratio
Pro tip: A quick rule of thumb for the ratio between oats and milk or kefir is 1:2. For example, I like to use ⅓ cup oats with ⅔ cup kefir. If you prefer your oats to be a little less moist, feel free to cut back a bit on the kefir or milk.
📝 Instructions
As promised, these easy overnight oats with peanut butter are SO simple to make. Just place your oats, spices, seeds and milk in a small jar and mix to combine with a spoon. I used a glass working jar as shown here, but a pint-sized Mason jar would work perfectly too.
Then, mix in the peanut or almond butter if you're using some, just enough to create some swirly swirls in your oats. 😉
Finally, wash and add some fresh berries on top of your oats, place the lid on your jar and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.
In the morning, mix the fresh berries in a little, top with honey or maple syrup if desired, and enjoy!
📋 Substitutions
This is one of the most flexible recipes on this entire site. You can totally customize things according to your needs and taste.
- Blueberries - substitute strawberries, raspberries, sliced kiwi or your other favorite fruit (or use more than one!)
- Peanut butter - use almond butter, cashew butter, SunButter, or just leave out altogether
- Chia seeds - substitute ground flax seeds or flax meal, or leave out
- Kefir - I like using vanilla kefir, but plain works as well and you can adjust the sweetness with extra honey or maple syrup if needed; if you'd prefer, just use any kind of regular milk!
- Cinnamon, cardamom, sea salt - feel free to leave any of these out if you don't have them on hand
- Vegan - use almond milk or your favorite plant-based milk instead of dairy, and maple syrup instead of honey
- Dairy free - substitute your favorite plant-based milk or yogurt for dairy milk; unsweetened almond milk or oat milk work well
- Gluten free - this recipe is naturally gluten free as written, but If you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, make sure to use certified gluten free oats to avoid cross contamination issues
📖 Variations
You can also mix things up with these variations on overnight oats:
- Steel cut overnight oats - yes! you can use steel cut oats for this recipe—just swap out the same amount of steel cut as rolled oats (keep in mind that they will be chewier than rolled oats; if you prefer a softer version, leave overnight for an additional night or use quick cooking steel cut oats instead)
- Protein overnight oats - add 1-2 scoops of your favorite protein powder (I like Vega Protein Made Simple Vanilla)
- Yogurt overnight oats - simply swap out your favorite dairy or plant based yogurt or Greek yogurt for the milk or kefir and add a little water to thin (I love this option; you'll still up your probiotic game for the day and the yogurt cultures help to predigest the oats for you...a win win)
- Banana overnight oats - swap the blueberries with banana slices, but wait until just before you eat to add the banana (to prevent them from browning in the fridge)
- Apple cinnamon overnight oats - instead of berries, slice some apples and add to your oats in the morning to prevent browning overnight, then sprinkle with a little cinnamon and a touch or extra honey or maple syrup if desired
- Peanut butter overnight oats - skip the berries and double up on the peanut butter; I love this oh-so-creamy variation!
- Chocolate overnight oats - swap in chocolate chips or chocolate syrup instead of blueberries, because some days you just need chocolate with breakfast 😉
- Kid friendly - add a little extra honey or maple syrup if desired, and skip the chia seeds if your kiddos aren't really into that yet
🔪 Equipment
I used the following equipment for this recipe; the main thing you'll need is a good jar:
- Glass working jar with a lid (a pint-sized Mason jar would also work well)
- Small colander - to wash the berries
🍱 Storage
These overnight oats with chia will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days and work well for meal prep if you'd like to make ahead for the week. They don't stand up well to freezing.
🎉 Top tip
Don't be afraid to try new toppings to make your own perfect overnight oatmeal recipe. You can't go wrong, and it's fun to try new flavors along the way to mix things up and have an amazing breakfast waiting to greet you in the morning.
Enjoy!
💭 FAQ
Overnight oats is a method of preparing oats without actually cooking them on the stove. They are soaked overnight in milk, kefir or yogurt which softens and predigests the oats so that they are ready to eat in the morning.
Overnight oatmeal can last up to 4 days in the fridge, but is freshest when consumed within the first 1-2 days of preparing.
The average prep time for overnight oats is only about 5 minutes, followed by chilling in the fridge overnight.
Yes; overnight oats are ready to eat once you take them out of the fridge in the morning, no cooking required. If you prefer warmer oats, you can lightly heat them in a small pot over low heat first.
🍳 Recipe
Overnight Oats with Kefir
Equipment
- working jar with lid or other covered jar like a Mason jar
- colander optional, to rinse the berries
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup old fashioned rolled oats (see notes)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 dash cardamom optional, if you have some on hand
- 2 teaspoons chia seeds or ground flax seeds; optional, for extra nutrition and fiber
- ⅔ cup kefir or milk, any kind, or plant based milk for vegan/dairy-free; I used Lifeway Vanilla Whole-Milk Kefir
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter; optional, for extra protein
- ½ cup fresh berries any kind; I used fresh blueberries
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup for vegan, to taste; optional, for extra sweetness
Instructions
- Mix: Place the oats, spices, seeds and kefir in a small jar and mix to combine (I used a working jar; a pint-sized Mason jar would work too). Mix in the nut butter if using, just enough to create some swirls in your oats.
- Top: Wash and add the fresh berries on top of your oats, place the lid on your jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.
- Enjoy: Mix the fresh berries in a little, top with honey or maple syrup if desired, and enjoy!
Brad
This is my go-to breakfast and take to work lunch. Quick, easy, filling, healthy, and cheap… not often you can find all these qualities in one dish!
Cranberry sauce, sliced apples/cinnamon, random berries, dried apricots/molasses… possibilities are endless and go well with seasonal eating.
Allison
Oooh I love all of your variations Brad! (Making me hungry!) And so true; this is my go-to breakfast as well. 🙂
Noel Kantarian
I want to thank you for this great read!! I absolutely loved every little bit of it. I've got you bookmarked to look at new things you post…
Darwin Devito
Excellent stuff, just wonderful!