I started making these pumpkin overnight oats one fall when I was craving something pumpkin-y, but also wasn’t in the mood to bake. They soon became my favorite go to breakfast, and not just in the fall.
It feels decadent, but is full of good for you ingredients that will leave you feeling full all morning long. I also like these as a mid afternoon snack, but I make sure not to eat the whole thing, or I end up ruining my dinner 🙁

Overnight oats are, in my opinion, one of the unsung heroes of the make ahead breakfast movement (is this a thing?).
- They can be made up to a week ahead of time.
- Overnight oats can be customized to almost any flavor profile and many dietary restrictions.
- They are a healthy and filling way to start the day. Breakfast is the most important meal after all.
- And most importantly they are truly simple to make.
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What do you need to make overnight oats?
You’ll need a few things to get you set up for success and then these overnight oats will be yours forever. 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, making it easy to store enough jars of overnight oats to get you through the week.
You’ll also want to have a large quantity of old fashioned rolled oats on hand. I like to use Quaker Oats, but any old fashioned rolled oats will work well here. Quick oats and steel cut oats have their place, but it’s not in this recipe. The old fashioned oats have just the right texture all week long. I buy my oats at Costco, but you could easily by them in the bulk bins or tall oatmeal tube at Target or on Amazon (I think Target has the best price).
Fun fact: reuse those oatmeal tubes for all sorts of art projects. Click here for a few great examples of ways to reuse them.
For these pumpkin overnight oats you may also want to have some cubes of pumpkin puree on hand. I make my frozen cubes from either canned pumpkin that I spice up (with brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice) or from canned Libby’s Pumpkin Pie Mix that I just freeze to have ready when needed.
Once you have these items gathered, the rest is all about measuring and dumping ingredients into the jars. Some people like to make everything in one big bowl, stir it together and then portion them out. I find that things don’t get evenly distributed that way.
How do you make pumpkin overnight oats?
Think assembly line and you'll be good to go.
I first lay out my jars and find the lids and bands to go with them. It’s the worst when you’ve made all of your jars, but can’t find the last lid. Then I measure out the oats into each jar. Then, using a measuring cup, I pour the milk into each jar (dairy and plant based milks both work well here). After the milk is in, I add in the yogurt and the flavorings. In this case, I would add in a cube of pumpkin puree, a dash of cinnamon and some chopped walnuts or pecans.
From there, all you need to do is put a lid on it. When you are ready to eat, open the jar, stir everything together and voila, breakfast is served!
Tips and Tricks:
- If I’m making a big batch of overnight oats for the family (5 mornings for 4 people), I will dump my oats into a big mixing bowl to make measuring everything out more simple.
- This 4 cup liquid measuring cup helps speed up the process and keeps me on track with how much milk I’m pouring into each jar.
- My suggestion is to make a few flavors at a time so you don’t have to eat the same thing each day for an entire week. I have some other recipes for overnight oats on the blog. Check them out below.
Here are a few other of my favorite easy breakfast recipes:
📖 Recipe
simple pumpkin overnight oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup milk
- either 1-2 tablespoons canned pumpkin that has been spiced up brown sugar, cinnamon, etc, pumpkin pie mix, or 1 frozen cube of either of these options
- 1 heaping tablespoon greek yogurt
- optional: choppped nuts a sprinkle of cinnamon
Instructions
- put oats in a clean 8oz wide mouth mason jar
- nestle pumpkin puree or frozen pumpkin cube into the oats
- top with greek yogurt and then pour in the milk
- add chopped nuts or cinnamon (if desired)
- cover and seal jar and put in fridge for at least 12 hours or up to one week
- when you eat them, give them a good stir first to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated
Notes
Nutrition
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