As wonderful as oats are (at least I think they are!), a body can get tired of them always cooked into the same old hot porridge.  Besides, winter is pretty much over in most parts of the world, and who wants to eat hot oatmeal when it’s warm out?  Not me, especially not here in Southeast Asia, where it’s either hot, or hotter.  Right now it’s hotter.
So, rather than strap a feedbag onto our faces and give a whinny, let’s find a more civilised way to eat our oats cold, shall we?
All you really need to make overnight oats are oats and liquid, but I wanted to get a little fancy for the first run out of the chute and make it special by adding pumpkin and chia seeds.  The pumpkin adds flavour and nutrition (Vitamin A & fiber) and the chia seeds bump up the protein content as well as give your finished oats a thicker texture.
It’s still easy, though! Â It takes only 10 minutes to prepare the night before, and the fridge does the rest of the work for you. Â In the morning, you have a thick, creamy, chewy cereal with all the goodness of oats, and none of the heat! Â Just add your toppings… or not. Â It’s good by itself if you’re in a hurry, or you need to take it to go. Â But with toppings, it’s heavenly.
Move on over, Goldilocks. Â I think we’ve found our “just right” oats.
Notes
The total time includes the soaking time, either 6 hours or overnight.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ½ cup cooked pumpkin
- 2 T. chia seeds
- 1 T. maple syrup
- ¼ t. cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
Toppings (optional):
- pumpkin seeds
- chopped pecans
- chopped apples or pears
- coconut flakes
- dried cranberries
Instructions
- Divide all ingredients between 2 bowls (or jars with tight-fitting lids.) Stir or shake vigorously until well-mixed.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight, until liquid is absorbed.
- Add toppings of your choice just before eating. Makes 2 servings.
Looks very nice!!! I am a big fan of oats;-) Will try soon.
XX
Thanks, Sharka! It is such a nice way to eat oats during the warmer months. 🙂 And there are just so many versions of this too… Hope you enjoy! xo
I ate this for breakfast today — a very hot morning in Manila. Delicious! I substituted agave syrup for the maple syrup, and regular milk (gasp!) for the almond milk. I didn’t have dried cranberries, so I topped it with dried cherries. (It’s actually quite yummy without any toppings, if one is in a hurry.) Thank you for such a fun and easy recipe that keeps us cool during the heat wave of Manila’s summer season!
Shana, thanks so much for this lovely feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and dried cherries sound delicious. Yup, with this heat wave I’m eating a version of these oats every day now!!
I find myself eating this not only for breakfast, but also as an afternoon snack! It’s a great, quick, and cool pick-me-up! I’m on my second batch in three days…!
Shana, I’m so glad you love it! I do too… it’s soooo cooling!! Of course, I have my “chocolate peanut butter” version, which I’ve been known to eat in the afternoons… 😉 xo