OVERNIGHT OATS- 3 DIFFERENT WAYS!

Disclaimer : I don’t own any of this content. It was copied from Bake With Shivesh. I have been following him since a few months now and really love his content. This was one I felt like sharing with y’all.

WHAT ARE OVERNIGHT OATS?

There are two basic ways of preparing oats. One way involves cooking them with milk on the stovetop right before you want to eat them. Another way of preparing oats is a no cooking method where you soak oats in milk and let the oats absorb the milk. This gives a porridge-like consistency and there is no need to cook oats made in such a way.

Usually, it only takes about 2 hours of time for the oats to absorb the milk. However, for the best flavor and texture, it is advised to leave your oats soaked in milk overnight.

INGREDIENTS FOR THESE RECIPES

As I’ve mentioned above, the recipe for these overnight oats is very easy and requires the most commonly available ingredients. You will first need to make the basic recipe to which we will add the toppings of different flavors later.

For the basic recipe, all you need is milk, oats, and honey. The milk and oats ratio that I use is 2:1 i.e., two parts milk and one part oats. The 2:1 ratio gives me the perfect consistency of oats the next day. I add a little bit of honey for some sweetness but if you’re someone who is not a big fan of sweet oats, then you can leave out the honey.

For this recipe, I used rolled oats and not steel cut or instant oats. The main difference between rolled oats and steel cut oats is with regard to the way they absorb liquid. Rolled oats absorb liquid faster than steel cut oats and eventually get soft and slightly mushy. Steel cut oats on the other hand, absorb lesser liquid. This enables the steel cut oats to maintain their shape. Less absorption of liquid also leads to more of a nutty flavor in steel cut oats.

A lot of recipes for overnight oats also have greek yogurt in their basic recipe. But according to me, milk, honey, and oats are all you need for the basic recipe.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN OVERNIGHT OATS

If you want to make vegan oats, then here is what you’ll need:

I used rolled oats for my recipe. Rolled oats are vegan itself so you can definitely use these.
I used cow’s milk for my recipe. But using almond milk or soy milk is a good substitute for cow milk.
For sweetness I added honey but you can add maple syrup. Honey is taken from honey bees so it’s not considered a vegan product.
You can add any fruits you like, any seeds you prefer and you can also add some vegan yogurt if you want!

OATS AS A HEALTHY MEAL

Oats make for a perfect breakfast because they have a lot of health benefits. Plus, things like oatmeal definitely fill you up. Thus, there’s less scope of munching on snacks and junk! Health benefits of overnight oats include:

Oats are a great source of nutrients. They have fiber, protein, magnesium, potassium, and omega 3 fatty acids.
They do not have any pre-added sugar. Some instant flavor varieties might have some sugar, but simple plain oats have zero added sugar.
They are also high in antioxidants which help lower blood pressure levels.
Oats contains good amounts of healthy carbohydrates.
The vitamins in overnight oats can also help boost brain function.

Type	Ingredients	Instructions
Overnight oats	1 cup milk ½ cup rolled oats 2 Tbsp honey	To make the basic overnight oats, in a bowl, put rolled oats, milk, and honey. Mix this well and refrigerate it overnight or a minimum of 2 hours. Once refrigerated, transfer the basic overnight oats into your serving dish and assemble your overnight oats according to your flavor preference.
Apple Pie Oats	½ cup overnight oats ¼ cup chopped apples 2 Tbsp dried cranberries 1 tsp light brown sugar ¼ tsp cinnamon 2 Tbsp water ¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)	In a saucepan add chopped apples, dried cranberries, cinnamon, light brown sugar and water. Cook this apple pie folling on low heat till all the sugar dissolves. Set aside Take your serving bowl/ glass and add half of the basic overnight oats. Fold in chopped pecans. This is optional. Add the rest of your basic overnight oats and top it with the apple pie filling and some chopped nuts. Serve immediately.
Banana and Chocolate	½ cup overnight oats 1 Tbsp cocoa powder ¼ cup crushed walnuts 1 banana (sliced) 2 tsp chia seeds (to top)	In your serving bowl/glass, put the basic overnight oats. Now add cocoa powder to this and mix it well. Top it with sliced bananas and chia seeds. Serve immediately
Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats	½ cup overnight oats 1 cup diced strawberries 2 Tbsp strawberry chia jam 2 Tbsp peanut butter Strawberries and pumpkins seeds (to top)	In your serving bowl/glass, put the basic overnight oats. Fold in chopped strawberries to this. Add a layer of strawberry chia jam. Then add a layer of peanut butter. Top this with fresh strawberries and pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately