Overnight Oats for Spring

When strawberries are in season, I want to add them to everything I made, and these strawberry overnight oats are no exception. Lightly sweet – there’s no added sweetener other than the fruit – and like a strawberry yogurt smoothie in overnight oat form, it’s a very nice way to start the day.

Like all overnight oats, it’s a good make-ahead recipe to mix up on the weekend and then have on hand for quick breakfasts through the week. If you want to take good care of your future self and have a little something to look forward to every morning, mix up a batch of this and divide into individual containers with some toppings you like layered in. We like having them for snacks too.

Fresh or frozen strawberries can be used for this recipe. If you love this idea but don’t always want oats in the mix, try this strawberry chia pudding.

I don’t use affiliate links. Any links you see here are to other recipes or related information, not paid links.

Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

Just six ingredients go into this, including vanilla. The trick is to use good strawberries or, if you can’t get any, choose frozen (they’re usually picked in-season and frozen right away, so they will taste better than out-of-season imported fruit). These are my notes from recipe testing. You can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Oats: these should be rolled oats. Quick cooks oats can be used if really necessary but they will have a softer, mushy texture when soaked. This recipe doesn’t work with steel cut oats.
• Strawberries: use fresh or frozen strawberries (note the different amounts in the recipe card). I haven’t tested this recipe with freeze-dried berries. Strawberry greens are edible but I always remove and compost them instead of blending them into smoothie. It’s up to you.
• Yogurt: for the best flavour and texture, use a thick yogurt that you like plain. I always use soya yogurt, Greek-style if I have it, and you can use dairy yogurt or something like coconut yogurt if you’d like it to be a bit sweeter.
• Chia seeds: chia helps to thicken the overnight oats and shouldn’t be omitted. You could use ground flax but the amounts would change and so would the texture.
• Milk: a splash of milk keeps the oats from getting too thick. If your yogurt is thin and runny, you can use all yogurt (replace the milk with more yogurt) and if your yogurt is very thick you might need a little more milk than called for. You can always thin it out after soaking overnight if needed.
• Vanilla: a splash of vanilla extract makes everything taste a little sweeter. Substitute vanilla powder or paste if preferred. Cardamom is a nice substitution.

How to Make Strawberry Overnight Oats

There is an extra step here compared to standard overnight oats or müsli, with blending the strawberry base beforehand. It’s well worth it. If you hate the texture of chia seeds you could try blending the chia into the smoothie, like in this chocolate chia mousse, before adding the oats.

Step 1: add the yogurt, berries, milk, and vanilla to a blender. You can use a bullet blender or immersion blender for this if you don’t have a standing blender. If you have none of the above you could even mash the strawberries really well with a fork before mixing with the other ingredients.

Step 2: blend until very smooth. It should have the same texture as a strawberry smoothie. I have tried adding some extra sweetness with banana, but the banana browns so easily that it makes the oats taste a little unpleasant even after one day in the refrigerator.

Step 3: transfer to a bowl or lidded container and whisk in the oats and chia seeds. The mixture should be thick enough that you won’t need to mix it again, but if you’ve adjusted anything and it does feel quite thin, then give it another quick stir half an hour after the first one before refrigerating.

Step 4: chill for a few hours, covered, before serving. Overnight is best. At this point either keep it in the container and serve as needed, or transfer into individual containers and layer with more fruit to have a breakfast on-the-go already prepared.

Expert Tips for the Best Oats

• Sweeten to taste: as written, the recipe isn’t sweetened at all apart from what the strawberries contribute. Taste the smoothie base before adding the oats and chia to make sure it’s sweet enough for you – it’s easier to adjust beforehand. Maple syrup and honey are the easiest additions.
• Make it in season: either use seasonal strawberries in early summer, or make it with frozen fruit. Out of season strawberries are a complete waste of money.
• Make a strawberry shortcake version: for strawberry shortcake overnight oats, layer in jars with the overnight oats, fresh strawberries, cream cheese mixed with vanilla yogurt or thick vanilla yogurt, and a crumbled graham cracker.

More Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes

• Chocolate Chia Pudding – this needs just five ingredients and a few hours in the fridge for a fibre-rich chocolate breakfast or snack.
• Yogurt Chia Pudding – this pudding packs a full 16 grams of protein into a serving and tastes great.
• Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats – like a bounty bar in overnight oats form, try this if you love the combination of chocolate and sweet coconut.
• Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies – vegan and gluten-free oatmeal breakfast cookies packed with seeds and whole grain oats.

If you make this Strawberry Overnight Oats recipe or any other vegetarian breakfast recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.