These delicious vegan blueberry overnight oats taste like a blueberry muffin, but don’t require you to turn on your oven! Made with fresh or frozen blueberries, plant-based milk and vegan yogurt, these dairy free overnight oats are just as creamy and delicious as a traditional recipe.
This no-cook blueberry overnight oats recipe is not only delicious, but it is also packed with nutrients. There is lots of fiber and protein in the oats and blueberries are just loaded with antioxidants.
Anthocyanins, a compound which is most abundant in blueberries and other purple hued produce, has been the focus of many research studies for its potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cancer.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- No-Cook: unlike your traditional bowl of oatmeal, overnight oats need no cooking! As the oats sit in the milk, they soak it up and soften so you can eat it without ever heating it up. Great for a healthy dorm friendly breakfast or even a mid-afternoon snack.
- Scalable: this plant-based blueberry overnight oats recipe is written for one serving, but it can easily be scaled to meal prep several servings of overnight oats at the same time. Perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast for busy parents and teens.
- Diet & Allergen Friendly: this recipe is vegan, dairy free, egg free, and gluten free (when using gluten free certified oats).
Want more vegan overnight oats recipes developed by a plant-based dietitian? Check out my basic vegan overnight oats recipe post that includes recipes and tons of helpful tips for the perfect batch of vegan overnight oats!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Old Fashioned Oats: Choose regular old fashioned rolled oats for overnight oatmeal. Since your oats are going to be sitting in liquid for several hours, you want to achieve the perfect balance between too mushy and too chewy. Quick cooking oats are too mush-y for my taste and steel cut oats are too chewy.
- Milk: To make these vegan, I use plant-based milk for my overnight oats. I typically use soy milk because it is higher in protein than other non-dairy milks, but you can use any plant-based milk you prefer like almond, hemp, oat, rice, or cashew.
- Yogurt: To make your overnight oats extra creamy, add some yogurt. Any type of yogurt will do, but I like to use a plant-based yogurt, especially one that has at least 7 grams of protein per serving.
- Chia seeds: Using chia seeds takes your overnight oats to another level by making them more pudding-like. They are technically optional, but I feel like this base overnight oats recipe is so much better with them.
- Maple Syrup: Add a touch of sweetness to your overnight oats with some maple syrup. You can easily skip the maple syrup if you want to make the recipe sugar free. If you don’t like maple syrup, you can also use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or agave.
- Salt: It may seem counterintuitive to add a pinch of salt to your overnight oats, but I promise you that a dash of salt takes your overnights oats from meh to Y-U-M!
- Blueberries: Use either fresh or frozen blueberries for this overnight oats recipe. If using frozen, add them to the pudding before chilling so they can thaw overnight as the oats thicken. Personally, I prefer using frozen because the juice released from the berries as they thaw is delicious when mixed in.
Pssst… All the ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Variations
- Lemon: Instead of adding cinnamon and nutmeg, add the zest from 1/2 lemon to your overnight oats for a delicious lemon blueberry version. (Inspired by my lemon blueberry baked oatmeal!)
- Ginger: Blueberry and ginger are another classic combination that can be used in this overnight oats recipe. Instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg, add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger (depending on how strong a flavor you like) or 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root to your overnight oats before chilling.
Step by Step
Step One: Add all of your overnight oat ingredients to a bowl or wide mouthed jar and stir well to combine. You can stir the fresh or frozen blueberries in with the oats in this step, or layer it on the bottom of your jar and stir when ready to serve. (If using fresh blueberries, you can also add them just before serving.)
Step Two: Place your blueberry overnight oats in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight to thicken. To serve, add the chopped almonds and any other desired toppings.
Expert Tips
- Batch Prep: Rather than make one serving of overnight oats at a time, you can batch prep at least 5 servings at once at the beginning of the week. They store well in the fridge for up to a week so just adjust the portions of the recipe below to batch prep as many servings as you need.
- Use Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: quick cooking oats will work for this recipe, but they become mushy when chilled. However, if you like a softer, more pudding-like texture that might work for you! You just want to avoid steel cut oats as they will not soften enough overnight to be edible by morning.
- Oats too thick?: If you meal prepped your oats, you may find them to be thicker after 2-3 days so just stir in a splash of milk to thin them out again.
Topping Suggestions
Here are some of my favorite toppings for this vegan overnight oats recipe.
- Nuts and Seeds: add some crunch and extra healthy fats by topping your oats with some chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, or pistachios. If you have them, hemp hearts or pumpkin seeds are also great here.
- Nut Butter: this blueberry overnight oats recipe is delicious with some almond butter stirred in. You could also try it with cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Fruit: add more fruit if you’d like. This recipe would be great with some chopped banana on top or another berry like raspberries or strawberries. Coconut flakes are also a delicious topping.
- Granola: the soft, pudding-like texture of overnight oats pairs well with a crunchy topping like granola. Here are my favorites: homemade vegan granola or grain free granola.
Oats are a versatile and budget-friendly pantry staple that I always keeps on hand. Check out my health benefits of oats post for the lowdown on this nutritious whole grain from a plant-based dietitian.
Recipe FAQs
If you don’t have chia seeds, you can use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed instead. If you don’t want to add the flaxseed, just reduce the milk from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
You can add extra protein by stirring in some almond butter or 1/2 scoop of your favorite plant-based protein powder (use either vanilla or plain).
Overnight oats are a blank canvas so add lot so of flavor by adding spices, fruit, nuts, seeds, and nut butter! The flavor combinations are endless – but this blueberry overnight oats is a classic.
Storage
- Refrigerator: store overnight oats in an airtight container or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- Freezer: you can freeze this overnight oats recipe in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Did you love this recipe? Make sure to leave a ⭐️ rating and tag #dietitiandebbie on instagram!
Blueberry Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk of choice (I like soy milk)
- 1/3 cup plain or vanilla vegan yogurt
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 dash nutmeg
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
Instructions
- In a small bowl or mason jar, add the oats, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, chia, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir well with a spoon. (If using frozen blueberries, add those now.)
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight. To serve, add fresh blueberries, chopped almonds, and other toppings as desired.
Notes
- Both fresh or frozen blueberries work well for this recipe so you can enjoy it anytime of the year whether they are in season or not.
- Chia seeds: if you don’t have chia seeds, you can use 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed instead. If you don’t have flax, reduce the milk from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. You can also freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Nutrition
Make this recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @dietitiandebbie and tag me #dietitiandebbie
Leave A Reply!