Blueberry Overnight Oats Perfection

In case you hadn't noticed, I have a little obsession with overnight oats. It started with the pumpkin overnight oats fall, spilled over to cinnamon roll overnight oats, expanded to mango overnight oats and well, you get the idea. Since that first try years ago, I've perfected the method and these blueberry overnight oats are creamy, fruity, breakfast perfection!

My kiddos love it and its a great addition to your "make ahead breakfast" rotation. Using a few simple ingredients, you can can have a scrumptious and filling breakfast prepared in just minutes!

Make Breakfast Fun!

This recipe is fun! If your kiddos are anything like mine, you know that brightly colored food is enticing. When you mix up this recipe with a cube of the blueberry puree, it turns purple. Just like magic! Let your kids stir it up and when they see they can have purple blueberry oatmeal for breakfast, you'll be the newest superhero in town...Captain Fun Breakfast to the rescue 🦹‍♀️!

And you win, because this no cook recipe takes just minutes to put together the night before and will leave you and your family satisfied all morning.

Ingredients

• Old Fashioned Rolled Oats: Buy these in bulk. Either at Costco, bulk bins (found at Whole Foods or other natural food stores) or in the biggest oatmeal tube you can find at your local grocery.
• Milk: While I recommend regular milk, you can easily use soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk as a substitute. Want to make these vegan? Use a plant based milk and a plant based yogurt.
• Blueberries: I like using a cube of blueberry puree, but frozen blueberries work just as well.

Frozen Blueberries Vs. Blueberry Puree

One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can use either whole frozen blueberries or frozen pureed blueberries (save the fresh blueberries for a special topping or to snack on). Using frozen berries makes meal prep a breeze because you can use what you have on hand.

Fresh blueberries will also work in this recipe, but will not turn your overnight oats purple or add any necessary liquid to your oatmeal base. If you choose fresh berries, I suggest adding an extra splash of milk to the recipe and even a drizzle of maple syrup for added sweetness.

Tools for Success

I don't always insist on having specific tools for my recipes, but when making overnight oats, these three items come in really handy!

• Mason Jars: I like to use these 8oz wide mouth mason jars for my oats. I think they hold the right amount for a good breakfast.  The wide mouth jar allows easy access so that you can get to every last bite. Mason jars also stack well in the fridge.
• Bulk Oats: Buy old fashioned rolled oats in larger quantities to save money. Try either the bulk bins at Whole Foods or another bulk food store, or get them from Costco.
• Dry goods scoop: I like this one because it connects to a container that is perfect for storing your oats in.

Step by Step Instructions

Start by laying out the jars on the counter with the lids and bands that match.

A quick tip: Put the jars on a rimmed baking sheet while you are adding the ingredients. It will make cleaning up the spilled oats a breeze😉 .

Then measure out the oats into each jar (or into serving bowls).

Next, using a liquid measuring cup, pour the milk into each jar (dairy and plant based milks both work well here). 

After the milk is in, add in the yogurt and the flavorings. In this case, that's just enough blueberries or blueberry puree to make the flavor pop.

Last but not least, put a lid on it. When you are ready to eat, open the jar, stir everything together and voila, breakfast is served!

Storage Tips

You can keep the filled jars of overnight oats in the fridge for up to a week. If you are taking this breakfast on the go, you'll want to keep them refrigerated or packed with an ice pack.

Toppings we love

While you can simply just open the jar, stir everything together and enjoy, adding toppings to your overnight oats is fun (see above, breakfast is fun😉) . Options include:

• Crunchy pecans or sliced almonds
• Fresh blueberries
• A sprinkle of chia seeds
• A sprinkle of brown sugar
• Dash of cinnamon

Variations in flavor

I would also encourage you to try other combinations of fruit that you like to mix things up! Swap out the blueberry puree for cherry puree, strawberry puree or banana puree and you'll have another delicious fruity overnight oat recipe in your back pocket!

📖 Recipe

FAQ's

What kind of oats work best when making blueberry overnight oats?

Old fashioned rolled oats are the best type of oats to use in this recipe. Instant oats (aka quick oats) will get too mushy and steel cut oats don't always absorb the milk as well. You can buy them just about anywhere you grocery shop. I typically buy in bulk at Whole Foods (in the bins) or Costco.

Can you make this recipe in a big batch?

Yes, absolutely. If I’m making a big batch of overnight oats for the family (5 mornings for 4 people), I will dump the dry ingredients into a large bowl to make measuring out the ingredients a bit simpler.

I then use this 4 cup liquid measuring cup for the wet ingredients to make sure I'm portioning out the milk evenly and add the blueberry and yogurt directly to each jar.

Can blueberry oatmeal be made allergy friendly?

To make the recipe gluten free: Most old fashioned oats are naturally gluten free, but be sure to double check that the ingredients are certified gluten free if you have a gluten allergy. The rest of the ingredients in the recipe are inherently gluten free.

To make the recipe dairy free: simply substitute the Greek yogurt for a coconut based dairy free yogurt and substitute the skim milk for any dairy free type of milk you like. Almond milk is my favorite substitute, but oat milk and coconut milk would also work well.