Can I make overnight oats with steel-cut oats?

Steel cut oats are difficult to use for overnight oats unless you do a quick cook of them before storing. I have a blog post dedicated to how to make overnight oats with steel-cut oats that can help!

How long do overnight oats take to set?

As the name suggests, overnight set up is generally recommended which is about 6-8 hours. But if you are like me and forget 90% of the time to make your overnight oats the night before , you can still prep these oats the morning of. They only need about an hour or often less time (at least 15 minutes) to set depending on your patience. So pack before you leave and by the time you get to work or school you can enjoy them.

Can I heat my overnight oats?

100% yes! Cold oats aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but a quick solution for this is to just heat them up in the microwave or on the stove top. Usually a minute and 30 seconds tends to do the trick, but adjust depending on how powerful your microwave is.

How long do overnight oats keep?

Once sealed and placed in the fridge, your oats will last for up to 4 days . So you can double this recipe easily and have them ready to go for the week.

PBJ Overnight Oats - Plant Based RD

Name: PBJ Overnight Oats
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats; 2 tbsp chia seeds; 1 tsp cinnamon; Pinch of salt; 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plant-based milk, I used soy milk; 2 tbsp plant-based yogurt, I used Forager Project; 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, salted; 2-4 tbsp any fruit jam, I used apricot jam; Maple syrup, optional if you want your oats to be sweeter

Description

Peanut butter and jelly is the ultimate flavor and are the stars in these PBJ Overnight Oats. Easy to prep and are ready to eat in less than an hour.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups unsweetened plant-based milk, I used soy milk
2 tbsp plant-based yogurt, I used Forager Project
2 tbsp natural peanut butter, salted
2–4 tbsp any fruit jam, I used apricot jam
Maple syrup, optional if you want your oats to be sweeter

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Instructions

Combine all your dry ingredients to a bowl or divide half the ingredients into individual containers or jars. Give the dry ingredients a good mix.
Now add in your wet ingredients to the bowl or divide half the wet ingredients into the appropriate containers. Mix well to combine and let sit for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, give the oats one more mix and then seal the containers and allow to sit and gel for at least 15 minutes to an hour or overnight if prepping in advance for the week.

Notes

For best results, use rolled oats (old-fashioned). Quick oats will get super mushy and steel-cut oats will be hard and chewy using this method, which is not ideal. Use this overnight steel-cut oats recipe instead.

After mixing your oats, wait 5 minutes and mix them again before letting them set. This helps the chia seeds better gel around the oats and also helps the oats release their starches for the perfect creamy texture.

Adjust sweetness based on preference. The flavor will be impacted by the jam and yogurt you use. If your yogurt is very sour and the jam is not enough to sweeten it, then add a little touch of maple syrup or agave to help balance it.

To make the oats higher in protein use high protein plant-based milk. I recommend using either a soy or pea protein milk to soak them in. You can also add other high protein options like a protein-rich plant-based yogurt. And if you are a big peanut butter fan, you can also stir in some extra peanut butter powder as a cheap protein powder alternative.