Overnight Oats- Hot or Cold?

lporter229

I have attempted to make overnight oats three times now, using 3 different types of oats (rolled, steel cut and quick) and I have not been happy with the results on any of them. I have been under the impression that they are to be eaten cold, but maybe that is my mistake. Do you eat your overnight oats hot or cold? How do you make them for best results? Mine have been either too chewy or too grainy.

livingleanlivingclean

Overnight oats are eaten cold AFAIK.
I've generally made mine with oats, liquid (milk, or yoghurt and water), flavouring (spices, vanilla, cacao etc), sweetener/sweetened protein powder.... Sometimes chia.

tulsalo

They are meant to be eaten cold. But I'm a rule breaker so I make mine following a recipe and then warm it up for a minute or minute and a half in the microwave before eating it. This helps solve the texture issue plus I just like them warm. This way you get the benefits of old fashioned rolled oats (whole grain, I think?) without all the extra work to cook them.

atthebeach08

Can either of you give out the recipe that you like to make this ? Mine doesn't come out right either...

kcs76

lporter229 wrote: »

I have attempted to make overnight oats three times now, using 3 different types of oats (rolled, steel cut and quick) and I have not been happy with the results on any of them. I have been under the impression that they are to be eaten cold, but maybe that is my mistake. Do you eat your overnight oats hot or cold? How do you make them for best results? Mine have been either too chewy or too grainy.

I thought that too and thought they were disgusting until a friend suggested warming them up. It made all the difference, imo. For reference, I only use steel cut oats. I find the texture of rolled too squishy even when prepared traditionally.

refugeefromkekistan

I have been eating overnight oats for a couple years now nearly every day, it's become a favorite. You definitely need to warm them up. I cycle between a few different brands, currently I'm using Bob's Red Mill, but always steel cut, rolled just doesn't taste right or feel satisfying to me. One quarter cup is 36g on the label, I double it, I put 72g in container and add water to about an inch or so above the oats. I warm it up for about 2m:30s in the microwave, then let it sit for a couple minutes on the counter. Of course your microwave will likely be different, just look for them to go from the raw oats to kind of clumping/softening.

My usual bowl will be adding a scoop of protein powder, trail mix, almond butter, almonds, few chocolate chips or a piece of dark chocolate, milk or greek yogurt if it's getting too thick/dry. If it's post-workout and I'm really hungry I multiply the above and add in some chopped fruit usually. I am definitely addicted to it!

tulsalo

The recipe I use is 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Put in Mason jar and shake to mix then leave in fridge overnight or at least 8 hours. Sometimes I put a tsp of honey or syrup or a tbsp of peanut butter or almond butter and mix it in before warming. Again warming them to me makes all the difference with taste and texture. Also goes well with fruit mixed in before or after warming.

Sandie020

I make these often with oats, spoonful of fromage frais, yogurt and frozen fruit leave in fridge overnight and mixe well in the morning. I find the frozen fruit moistens the oats and I think they are yummy but everyones tastes are different :-)

Diatonic12

Cold. If you want to treat yourself because they are pricey, try maker's oats or you can make your own variation on a theme. I don't use rolled oats either. I like bare oats organic. They come in portable indv. servings, reasonably priced. The sky is not the limit and it never was. You can add absolutely everything. Dried fruit, nuts, protein powder, yogurt, fresh fruit, dried bananas, dried peanut butter, some use a tad of instant coffee and you can add some homemade granola to give it a crunch. They are great.

Shake it all up in a jar and you're good to go. I don't even wait for the overnight thing, I do it fresh in the morning. I find I get more grain bang for my bucks. I like the fiber content and it's the cereal that keeps on working, working, working every day.

nickssweetheart

I don't see the point of making them overnight if you're just going to heat them. I make overnight oats when it's hot enough that I don't want a hot breakfast, just something cool and refreshing. But I use rolled oats.

amandarunning

I use rolled oats with a splash of milk but main wet ingredient is Strawberry Skyr or Greek Yoghurt (sometimes add strawberry protein powder for the macros)...frozen or fresh berries on top and it's delicious. I don't like the texture when it's just milk or water as the wet ingredient - kind of slimy.

klorben

Old fashioned rolled oats is key. Quick oats makes it too squishy.

Here’s my recipe:
1/2c pats
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
A few dashes of cinnamon
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
1tbsp Teddie peanut butter

Put in mason jar (in that order), shake, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, I’ll slice a banana on top of it. I also eat it cold and prefer it that way.

AndyWR72

I made some today using single serve packet oats (Oat so simple) I added the recommended amount of skimmed milk and chilled overnight. In the morning I added fresh mango and strawberry, It was great, the oats were really creamy, it was like having a bowl of Strawberries and Cream.

missysippy930

When i first started making they I used steel cut oats and tried eating them cold. HORRIBLE!!!! I didn’t make them again for a long time. A friend told me to try using regular oats and to microwave it in the morning. Made all the difference! Now I eat them a couple of times per week, and love the variety you can experiment with

shunggie

I just started with the Quaker brand and LOVE them. I want to make them on my own because while I got a good deal on these, they are expensive. I thought I would hate them cold, but actually I love it. I can't wait to make my own.

mariluny

You should try them with yogurt, it's the only way I like them.
I used to make them half oats and milk, hated it.
Now I make them 1/3 cup each of greek yogurt, oats and milk. The texture is similar to regular cooked oats and I love it. I use large flake oats, which I like the best.

DX2JX2

lporter229 wrote: »

I have attempted to make overnight oats three times now, using 3 different types of oats (rolled, steel cut and quick) and I have not been happy with the results on any of them. I have been under the impression that they are to be eaten cold, but maybe that is my mistake. Do you eat your overnight oats hot or cold? How do you make them for best results? Mine have been either too chewy or too grainy.

Try upping the liquid to make sure they're properly hydrated. Barring that, try adding some yogurt to increase the richness of the cereal.

That said, they're not for everybody. I feel the same way that you do about them. I prefer my oatmeal more like a traditional porridge. If I want something chewier, I'll go with steel cut instead of rolled.

Basically, it took me a while to realize that overnight oats are exactly what you think overnight oats would be. There is no radical amazing transformation in texture or anything. They're not horrible - I just don't prefer them to cooked.

JeromeBarry1

I use kefir with overnight oats. The kefir, and yogurt also, have beneficial bacteria cultures. Overnight, the bacteria from the kefir works on the oatmeal, converting it into a pleasant taste and texture, at least for me. I add whey isolate chocolate powder, blueberries, and chopped pecans to my oats as well, and everything fits in a 1-cup mason jar. I put a lid on it and let it sit out at room temperature overnight to achieve this effect.

HereToLose50

I have to warm them a little. Chilled thick chunky oatmeal is vile. The texture makes me gag. Warmed with a little fresh milk or whatever liquid used makes them a little smoother and not so thick.

hesn92

Yea I wasn't a fan of overnight oats either. The texture wasn't quite right. And I always warmed it up in the microwave. I'm not eating cold oatmeal. I always just did old fashioned with milk and brown sugar. I tried adding yogurt to it once and it was disgusting.

lorrpb

I always heat mine up. Just did not care for them cold because soggy oats are different than COOKED
oats.

kimny72

I make mine with yogurt so the thought of warming them up makes me gag

Mine is basically two parts yogurt to one part oats, plus some frozen fruit and peanut butter. So it's more yogurt than oats, and the oats aren't soggy, they expand and are a little doughy/chewy. And the oats absorbing some of the water out of the yogurt makes it a little thicker, almost a "mousse"-ey texture. I would think making it with just milk it would be soupy and a weird texture. I always thought the point was the bacteria in the yogurt "cooks" the oats.

Cooking old fashioned oats only takes 2 minutes in the microwave, so if I'm going to have hot oatmeal I would just make it fresh.

onesummergirl

I eat mine cold, with fruit and granola. Delicious!!

From Oh She Glows cookbook

4.9 from 45 reviews

Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats are the time-crunched person’s breakfast secret weapon, since they take just a couple minutes to make at night before bed. When you mix together rolled oats, chia seeds, and almond milk, the chia seeds absorb the milk and the oats soften, creating an effortless chilled porridge. Place it in the fridge at night and forget about it until morning, when you’ll wake up to a cool, creamy bowl of oats that’s just perfect in the spring or summer. This is my go-to overnight oats recipe, but feel free to change up the fruit and other mix-ins as you like.

Yield
1 bowl
Soak time overnight or 2 hours
Prep time 5 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 large ripe/spotty banana, mashed
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Suggested Toppings:

Granola
Fresh fruit
Coconut flakes
Pure maple syrup
Cinnamon
Nuts and seeds

Directions:
In a small bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth. Now stir in the chia seeds and cinnamon until combined.
Stir in the oats, almond milk, and vanilla (if using). Cover and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 2 hours.
In the morning, stir the oat mixture to combine. If your Overnight Oats have a runny consistency even after they soak, simply stir in an additional 1 tablespoon chia seeds and place the mixture back in the fridge until it has thickened up. If the oat mixture is too thick, simply add a splash of milk and stir to combine.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 1 large bowl | Total Fat 16 grams
Saturated Fat 2 grams | Sodium Fat 230 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates 78 grams
Fiber 21 grams | Sugar 16 grams | Protein 14 grams
* Nutrition data is approximate and is for informational purposes only.
Tips:

Not a banana fan? Try swapping the mashed banana for 1/4-1/2 cup of your favourite yogurt and liquid sweetener, if desired.

lyzxyzzy

Good to see others doing this. This is what I've been starting the day with:

55g rolled oats
5.5 fl oz silk protein nut milk -- because it is nearly all carbs at this point
3g brown sugar

I make 3 of these at a time and stick them in the fridge. In the morning, they get 1:30 in the microwave.

Westcoastgirl99

I wasn't a fan of overnight oats until I tried making them again this summer when we had a long stretch of really hot weather. It was refreshing to have them cold in the morning and I finally found a recipe that worked for me and was really creamy and tasty.. Here it is:
1/3 cup whole oats
1/3 cup yogurt (I use plain but vanilla would work too)
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp chia seeds
1/3 -1/2 of a banana, mashed up (necessary for a bit of sweetness and nice texture)
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Mix everything up in a jar or container and put it in the fridge overnight. I have been topping them with either fresh peach slices, fresh blueberries or strawberries. You can also add frozen blueberries on top the night before.

Stir the next morning and enjoy.

daveredvette

I started overnight oats about 2 weeks ago before my long runs and bike rides. I found recipe on fit foodie. I use Quaker old fashion oats 1/2 cup, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, flax seed, dash cinnamon, dash honey and i scope of peanut butter. Let set over night. I do like it cold.

I ate this before Ironman WI last weekend and my stomach was good.

icemom011

Is there a particular reason or benefit of not cooking oats? I eat oatmeal often, different kinds of oats, i love it with yogurt and frozen or fresh fruit. It keeps me relatively full until lunch, so just wanted to know.

kimny72

icemom011 wrote: »

Is there a particular reason or benefit of not cooking oats? I eat oatmeal often, different kinds of oats, i love it with yogurt and frozen or fresh fruit. It keeps me relatively full until lunch, so just wanted to know.

I eat them cold in the summer when I'm not in the mood for a hot breakfast. I'm not a morning person and run around like a loon in the AM getting ready for work so being able to make it ahead of time and just grab it saves me 2 or 3 minutes. Those are my reasons at least!

saragd012

I hated them cold too, but they are pretty good heated up. I'd make mine in a mason jar with almond milk + protein powder (or greek yogurt) and fruit. One of my favorites was a chocolate peanut butter flavored protein powder with bananas. I'd actually nuke the sliced banana in the jar before adding the other ingredients and throwing in the fridge overnight. It gets all bubbly and (IMO) makes it taste sweeter.

mbaker566

i eat them warmed up. because cold oat=ew

this morning i had oats+cider+salted caramel