These Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit are easy, delicious, and perfect for those winter mornings when you don't have any fresh fruit on hand! Make them the night before for a quick and healthy breakfast.
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These overnight oats are made with frozen fruit but taste just as wonderful as fresh fruit. You can use frozen berries, mango, peaches, or your favorite fruit mix.
All you'll need to prepare this creamy oatmeal breakfast is 7 simple ingredients and less than 5 minutes.
This make-ahead breakfast recipe is dairy-free, and vegan, and can easily be made gluten-free by using certified gluten-free oats.
What are Overnight Oats?
Overnight oats are the no-cook method of making oatmeal. Instead of cooking oatmeal on the stovetop or microwave, you simply soak the oats with milk overnight.
The soaking process allows the liquid to be absorbed by the oats and you are left with a soft, creamy, and nutritious breakfast or snack.
Overnight oats don't actually need to be soaked overnight but prepping the oats the night before is the most efficient method so the name fits!
They technically only need to be soaked for 2 hours to be soft enough to enjoy.
Can you use frozen fruit in overnight oats?
Yes, frozen fruit is a wonderful addition to overnight oats.
They add flavor and can be much more affordable than fresh fruit- especially berries. Berries are so expensive right now.
Thankfully, frozen fruit is tasty and works perfectly in these oats!
I love using frozen raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries in this oat recipe. I typically buy a large bag of mixed berries at Costco.
The frozen berries will thaw overnight and the juices of the fruit will drip down and flavor the oats. Give it a good stir and enjoy your berry overnight oats.
Ingredients
Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit are creamy, and delicious, and are a wonderful easy breakfast for busy mornings!
All you need to make this easy overnight oats recipe is a handful of ingredients like dry oats, chia seeds, and frozen fruit.
Old-Fashioned Oats: I highly recommend using Old Fashioned Oats (Rolled Oats) instead of quick oats. Quick oats will be thinner and have a mushy consistency which is not ideal.
Chia Seeds: This is optional but chia seeds are a healthy addition and I love the texture of them. This can be substituted with ground flax.
Plant Milk: These overnight oats are made with plant-based milk. You can make them with coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk.
Vegan Yogurt: Plant-based yogurt is going to give these oats a nutritious boost while also making them more filling and creamy! I recommend using an unsweetened variety or you'll need to adjust the maple syrup.
Maple Syrup: Just a tablespoon for sweetness! You may want to adjust this depending on the fruit you are adding. If you like less sweet oats, add less and you can always taste and add more.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds a lot of flavor to the oats! This is optional for these oats since we are flavoring them with frozen fruit but it's recommended if you have it on hand.
Frozen Fruit: I recommend using a mix of frozen raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. The strawberries tend to be in large chunks so I usually chop them into pieces before adding them to the oats.
Helpful Equipment
You don't need anything fancy to make overnight oats. I recommend buying a few jars with lids so you can prep your overnight oats in advance to have them on hand for a few days.
You can stir them in the jar that you are planning to store them in or a mixing bowl.
I recommend either 8-ounce jars or 16-ounce jars.
Here are a few jars that I recommend: 16oz Weck Jars with Glass Lids, 8oz Jars with Latch, and 16oz Mason Jars.
An 8oz jar will be filled to the top with oats and the toppings will overflow a bit so the jar won't close. This jar is good if you're eating them at home or adding the toppings later but not if you're traveling.
If you're planning to add the toppings and then take the oats on the go, I recommend a 16oz jar for you.
How to Make This Recipe
Add the old-fashioned oats, almond milk, vegan yogurt, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt into a jar that has a lid. See above for a list of jars that I use and recommend.
Stir well to combine and top off with the frozen fruit.
The frozen fruit will thaw overnight and the juice will drip down and flavor the oats. In the morning, give it a good stir to incorporate the fruit.
Seal the lid tight and place it in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
The next morning, remove the lid and stir well. Add any desired toppings to the top and enjoy!
Topping & Additions
These delicious overnight oats already have great flavor from the frozen fruit but you can never have enough toppings!!
- Fresh fruit is always a wonderful topping for oats- I typically go for fresh berries, apples, or bananas.
- Can't go wrong with a spoonful of nut butter- I love peanut butter and almond butter
- Chopped nuts like walnuts, almonds, or pecans would be nice
- Seeds like sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or pumpkin seeds would be delicious
- Plant-based yogurt
- Add extra protein by adding a scoop of vegan protein powder
Tips & Tricks
Since the frozen fruit will thaw during the overnight process, it will release liquid and cause the oats to have more visible liquid than overnight oats without frozen fruit.
The extra liquid didn't bother me and I actually enjoyed the oats with frozen fruit a lot but if you want to avoid the extra visible liquid, reduce the amount of liquid by 1 tablespoon.
Wait to add toppings: This is important, trust me. Take the extra few seconds in the morning to add the toppings fresh. It will taste much better!
Salt your oats! I know this sounds weird but trust me. Just like how we add a pinch of salt to desserts. It will help balance and bring out the flavors and won't make your oatmeal salty.
Substitutions & Additions
Almond Milk: Any plant-based milk will work for this- I like the nutty flavor of almond milk. You can use soy milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk.
Chia Seeds: If you don't like chia seeds, you can replace them with ground flaxseed. I wouldn't omit this ingredient entirely because it helps soak up the liquid and adds a boost of nutrition.
Maple Syrup: Agave syrup is a great replacement for maple syrup. You could also use brown sugar.
Vegan Yogurt: I love the addition of vegan yogurt because it adds creaminess and a boost of plant-based protein. You can use mashed bananas, pumpkin purée, or apple sauce in replace of it but it will change the overall flavor of the oats.
Storage
Storage: Store your overnight oats in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, you can heat the oats for about a minute in the microwave and add toppings. I recommend giving them a try cold though! They are delicious.
Yes, but they tend to fall apart and get mushy faster. If you want to use quick oats, eat them within the first day.
Steel-cut oats will work but keep in mind that they will need to be soaked longer and will remain dense and chewy.
Yes! Check out my post on Overnight Oats with Water.
If desired, yes! I prefer adding a splash of maple syrup for flavor and a hint of sweetness but you could compensate with sweet fruit.
More Overnight Oat Recipes
Recipe
Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit
Ingredients
- ½ cup Old-Fashioned Oats
- 1 tablespoon Chia Seeds
- ½ cup Unsweetened Plant Milk see notes
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Vegan Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup or Date Paste
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- ¼ cup Mixed Frozen Fruit or Berries
Instructions
- Add the old fashioned oats, almond milk, vegan yogurt, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt into a jar that has a lid. Stir well to combine and top off with the frozen fruit. Seal the lid tight and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours.
- The next morning, remove the lid and stir well. Add any desired toppings to the top and enjoy!
Notes
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