3 breathlessly yummy overnight oats with chia seed

So, here’s the thing. I am madly in love with chia seeds. The health benefits are super insane and these days whatever I eat, I find creative ways to add just a bit into my meals. My most recent breathlessly yummy creation has been yummy overnight oats with chia.

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If you love chia seed recipes, then you MUST check out this awesome chia seed water!

Eating overnight oats with chia seeds for breakfast is like having a creamy, rich pudding. The only difference is that this pudding is not only healthy but also rich in protein.

What you’ll also come to appreciate about overnight oats is that you don’t have to spend time preparing them in the morning. You do all the prep the night before and in the morning you just sit down and enjoy or grab and go.

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Overnight oats are one of the few healthy grab and go breakfast for busy people like you and I. There are so many overnight oats recipes out there but today I will share with you 3 different types of overnight oats with chia seeds that I love.

Overnight oats with chia seeds for weight loss

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Oatmeal is one of the most affordable pantry foods that you can dress up in so many ways.

You can have oatmeal with fruit, milk and just about anything else you can experiment with.

Although oats are on the lower end cost-wise, the benefits of oatmeal are way more than their price.

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Why you should avoid instant oats

Oats fall under the whole grain category, but to get full health benefits of oats for weight loss you should never touch instant oats and flavoured oats with a 6ft pole.

The reason is that instant oats are very high in sugar, and depending on the flavour, they can also be extremely high in salt.

Health benefits of overnight oats with chia

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Whether you eat overnight oats in the morning or at night, you will still get all the health benefits of eating oats.

Oats are high in soluble dietary fibre, and according to research, the type of fibre found in oats, beta-glucan, and helps to keep you fuller, longer.
Apart from that, oats are also known to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and colon cancer, as well as lower the levels of bad cholesterol.

Apart from that, oats are also known to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and colon cancer, as well as lower the levels of bad cholesterol.

The type of antioxidants that are found in oatmeal helps to reduce skin damage, inflammation and itching.  

We can agree that overnight oats with chia seeds is the best breakfast for weight loss.

On the menu, for overnight oats with chia seeds, is chocolate peanut butter overnight oats, cranberry overnight oats with coconut milk and banana overnight oats.

Note that the minimum time that the oats will need to soak before eating them is 2 hours for rolled oats and 5 hours if you are using steel cut oats.

You can refrigerate and store leftover overnight oats up to 2 days. After 2 days, the oats will be too mushy to eat.

1. Cranberry overnight oats

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What you will need to make cranberry overnight oats

Steel-cut or rolled oats

If you are watching your calories, then I would recommend going with steel-cut oats as they contain fewer calories and have a lower G.I than rolled. For this recipe I used rolled oats.

Coconut milk

Since oats are high in carbohydrates, I prefer using coconut milk to make my strawberry chia seeds overnight oats because coconut milk contains fewer carbs than cow’s milk.

Cranberries

Cranberries contain antioxidants, vitamin C, are awesome for the heart and help regulate blood sugar.

You should only add the berries when the oats are ready to be eaten, if not the fruit will become soggy.

Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are super low in calories and very high in fibre and protein. If you don’t have chia seed, you can use flax seeds. Just note that flaxseed contains more calories than flax seeds.

Non-fat plain yoghurt

For extra protein and calcium, you should add non-fat plain yoghurt to the overnight oats. I also love the creaminess that the yoghurt adds to the oats.

An alternative to plain yoghurt would be Greek yoghurt.

Honey

The cranberries or any fruit that you add to these overnight oats with chia seeds will work as your sweetener.

However, if you still need to add a sweetener, I would suggest using pure honey over artificial sweeteners and sugar.

Ingredients

½ cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

½ cup coconut milk

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup plain yoghurt

½ cup cranberries

1 teaspoon honey

Pinch of salt

 How to make cranberry overnight oats

In a bowl, combine the oats, salt, chia seed, coconut milk, and yoghurt.

Scoop the mixture into mason jars and seal tight.

Refrigerate for about 4 hours or longer, for a creamy texture.

When you are ready to eat, add cranberries or desired toppings and honey to taste.

You can serve the overnight oats chilled or you can pop them in the microwave for quick heating, especially on a cold winter morning.

2. Healthy banana overnight oats

Ingredients

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup plain yoghurt
• 1banana
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. In a bowl, combine the oats, salt, chia seed, coconut milk, and yoghurt.
2. Scoop the mixture into mason jars and seal tight.
3. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or longer, for a creamy texture.
4. When you are ready to eat, add banana slices and honey to taste.
5. You can serve the overnight oats chilled or you can pop them in the microwave for quick heating, especially on a cold winter morning.

3. Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats with chia

Related recipe:

How to make the best homemade dark chocolate

What you will need for chocolate peanut butter overnight oats

• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup Greek yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Extras
• 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

1. Mix the oats, Greek yoghurt, cocoa powder, chia seeds, salt and coconut milk in a bowl.
2. In another small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and vanilla extract and microwave for about 15 seconds for even distribution.
3. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the bowl with oats and mix thoroughly.
4. Scoop the mixture into a mason jar and refrigerate for 4 or more hours.
5. Serve chilled or microwave. Top with fresh pieces of half a banana, or as desired.