Overnight oatmeal is chewy and extremely satisfying. I like to put a little overnight oatmeal on top of fresh fruit and add almond or cashew milk.  A bowl of overnight oatmeal, topped with some chopped nuts or a little fruit makes a delicious breakfast that will keep you going all morning.

This no-cook oatmeal is really easy to make. This is my basic recipe, but you can change it up in a variety of tasty ways.

This recipe makes about two full-size servings. As a topping for my fruit bowl, it carries me through a week.

Tips

• You need to let this sit overnight in the refrigerator for the oats to soften.
• I don’t add sweetener to my overnight oats. The fruit adds enough sweetness for me. If you want a sweeter mixture, you can add a little honey, brown sugar, or agave nectar.
• Make a larger batch on the weekend, so that you have it on-hand in the refrigerator for the rest of the week.
• This recipe makes a moist, soft granola-like oatmeal. If you prefer a creamier version, add a cup of almond milk (or another milk).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 tablespoons plain, nonfat Greek-style yogurt
• 1 medium apple
• zest from 1 orange

Instructions

Add the oats to a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the yogurt. The mixture will be thick and clumpy.

Grate the apple, skin included, into the oats. Add the orange zest to the mixture.

Stir the oats until the ingredients are well blended. Cover them and store them in the refrigerator overnight.

Variations and Additions

There are so many ways to add variety to these overnight oats. Here are a few suggestions.

Add any of the following ingredients to the basic recipe.

• Dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, cherries, or chopped dried fruits such as dates, apricots or mangos.
• Shredded coconut.
• Chia seeds, flax seeds or ground flax seeds, wheat or oat germ.
• Chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds. You might want add these to a serving just before eating the oats, so that the nuts keep their crunch.

Change up the basic recipe with some of these ideas.

• Use lemon or lime zest instead of orange zest.
• Add 1/4 cup of orange juice to the mixture.
• Replace the grated apple with another grated fruit. Pears are really good in this recipe (choose crisp, firm pears). Try nectarines or apricots (use very firm fruit).

For a vegan version of overnight oatmeal, replace the yogurt with a non-dairy version of yogurt or a 1/3 cup of coconut milk, almond or cashew milk.

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For another breakfast option, you might like Flour Bakery’s Banana Bread.