Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Peanut butter overnight oats are the perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings! Prepare multiple servings in advance and then enjoy a nutritious breakfast on-the-go.
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Peanut Butter Overnight Oats Recipe
Breakfast can be difficult many mornings when you're trying to get the day started, get everyone where they need to be, and eat something healthy and filling. One of my favorite easy breakfasts is overnight oats. They're a super simple way to get a protein-packed breakfast that is loaded with nutritional benefits.
These peanut butter overnight oats are to die for! I mean, I love peanut butter so they're extra delicious to me. I'll put peanut butter in anything from homemade cereal bars to creamy smoothies too. Even making peanut butter and jelly Hawaiian roll cheese danish is fun. It's just so tasty!
Weekday mornings just go much more smoothly when I have things like overnight peanut butter oats in the fridge. I just prepare them the night before and they're ready the next day, or prepare them multiple days ahead of time and store until needed.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
What's more simple than spooning a bunch of ingredients into jars and then setting them in the fridge for later? I can't think of much! Easy overnight oats recipes like this one are easy to love:
- This is a wonderful breakfast to bring to friends in need, or to make for a meal train. Since you can make as many jars of this breakfast as you want, you can prep plenty to bless friends and family.
- Recipe like this one are wonderful for meal prep menus. You can store these until needed and eat on them all week long!
- This recipe is sugar free and loaded with nutritional foods. Feel good about what you're eating and what you are feeding to your family.
Ingredients & Substitutions
All overnight oats start with old-fashioned oats (AKA rolled oats, which are different than quick oats), some kind of milk and a sweetener.
This one calls for chia seeds, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon and, of course, peanut butter. The beauty of overnight oats is that you can customize them easily! Here are a few ways you can do that:
Nut butter: Creamy peanut butter and chunky peanut butter will both work. Choose whatever is your favorite! For a peanut allergy, swap the peanut butter with any of your favorite nut butters. Almond butter, sunflower seed butter and cashew butter would all be tasty.
Sweeteners: You can use honey or agave syrup to sweeten the oats in place of pure maple syrup.
Spices: Feel free to omit the cinnamon and/or change up the spices. Some nutmeg or clove would be tasty, and vanilla extract would add great flavor too.
Milk: Use your milk of choice in this recipe, anything will work to soak through the oats. Coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk - all great dairy-free milk options. You can also use regular milk if you don't need to stick to the non-dairy milk options.
Mix-ins & Toppings
There are tons of delicious add-ins that you can mix into your oats.
- Chocolate chips would be tasty and are especially yummy if you really like a chocolate peanut butter cup! You can also
- Fresh fruit such as berries or banana slices on top is always a winner - makes them taste like PB&J! You can also drizzle on jam or add a layer in the bottom of the jar.
- Nutritional add-ins like plain green yogurt, flax seeds, collagen peptides or protein powder are also common to make this a high-fiber or high-protein breakfast.
- For crunch, shredded coconut or chopped nuts - like walnuts, pecans or peanuts - are all great additions.
How to Make Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
With nutritious ingredients and very simple steps, you can make this overnight oatmeal recipe in no time. Here's some step-by-step instructions on what to do:
- Pour the rolled oats into the bottom of a clean, dry, small mason jar.
- Then add the chia seeds and milk to the jar.
- Add peanut butter, maple syrup and cinnamon.
- Stir together until thoroughly combined, making sure that all of the oats are coated in liquid.
- Add the lid and refrigerate the oat mixture for a minimum of two hours. However, it's best to chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- When you are ready to serve, add you favorite toppings and enjoy! (I recommend strawberries, blueberries and/or raspberries.)
Making a bunch at once? Multiply the recipe below, then mix everything up in a big bowl and divide between jars.
How to Store Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
These mason jars filled with peanut buttery goodness are incredibly easy to store. They are a wonderful meal prep item! Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, keep in mind that the longer the oats are stored the more soggy they will become.
What to Serve with Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
You don't have to serve anything with this breakfast item, but if you want to pack in more to your meal then there are a few tasty dishes to pair these oats with!
Things like egg muffins or a big helping of Mexican breakfast casserole would be delicious. A serving of this baked frittata would be great too.
And don't forget your toppings! Whether it's extra peanut butter, an extra sprinkle of chia seeds, homemade whipped cream or some greek yogurt - there can never be too many toppings in a jar of oats.
Tips for Success
With these few tips and tricks, you can guarantee that every jar of your breakfast will be perfect:
- If you are using natural peanut butter, it is extremely important that you thoroughly mix the butter and oil together before adding the peanut butter to the oats.
- To ensure that this recipe is entirely gluten free, make sure that you purchase certified gluten-free oats.
- When you mix up the jars of oats, be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the jar to get all peanut butter incorporated.
FAQ
Allowing oats to sit in liquid overnight gives them time to absorb that liquid and soften to a nice and chewy texture. It's just like hot oatmeal, where the oats absorb the moisture, this is just a slower process with cool temperatures instead of heat!
While you can make these oats with either milk or yogurt, it is best to use milk so that there is plenty of liquid for the oats to absorb. However, you can absolutely top the finished product with a big scoop of Greek yogurt to add more flavor and protein.
More Easy Breakfast Recipes
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Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small jar, layer oats and chia seeds. Seal jar and store in a dry place up to 6 months.
- When ready to prepare, fill the jar almost to the top with the milk of your choice. Use more milk to make a runnier oatmeal, or use less milk to allow it to firm up more.
- Stir in peanut butter, maple syrup (or the sweetener of your choice) and cinnamon. Seal and shake jar.
- Leave overnight in the fridge to rest for at least 8 hours, up to 4 days. Enjoy cold.
Nutrition
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