Pumpkin Overnight Oats
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When you want a quick and healthy breakfast with the flavors of fall, pumpkin overnight oats are a great choice! This make-ahead breakfast takes just 5 minutes to prep, and includes Greek yogurt for extra protein.
We love easy breakfasts – anything with minimal prep and ingredients is exactly what we need for our busy mornings. If you are busy/on the go, overnight oatmeal is perfect for you! Overnight oats with yogurt are meal prep friendly, loaded with protein, and easy to eat on the go.
If you’ve never tried them, overnight oats are just old fashioned oats that you soak overnight with milk and toppings in the refrigerator for a nutritious breakfast option. They are really easy to customize with whatever mix-ins and toppings you enjoy with oatmeal.
Liz’s Tip for the best Overnight Oats
- Add a little vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to your overnight oats to improve the flavor!
- You can add a little extra liquid when you’re ready to eat if you prefer a looser consistency.
- For the best texture, only use old fashioned rolled oats. Quick cooking oatmeal gets too mushy when it sits in liquid for a long time.
- For the best results, prep this breakfast 24 hours in advance.
Some of our favorites are Apple Pie Overnight Oats, Chocolate Overnight Oats, and Banana Overnight Oats.
These overnight oat mugs are our favorite containers for overnight oats! These pretty mugs are really easy to eat out of because of the handle and I love the lids!
Ingredients
Substitutions
Oats: Old fashioned oats are best for overnight oats. Steel cut oats don’t soak up enough liquid and will still be hard, even after soaking. Quick cooking oats become too mushy! If you’re gluten-free make sure to use gluten free certified oats. You may also like our Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal.
Nonfat Greek Yogurt: You can substitute nonfat Greek yogurt for whole milk Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt. We prefer to use plain greek yogurt, but vanilla greek yogurt would also be good! I haven’t tried dairy free yogurt but I think it would work!
Milk: Any milk will work in this recipe. I prefer to use whole milk in this recipe but you can use almond milk or any nondairy milk that you like!
Maple Syrup: If you’d like to substitute honey for maple syrup or agave you can.
Pumpkin: Make sure to use 100% real pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. They are very different. If you don’t have pumpkin puree, you can use mashed bananas in place of it, but you will lose most of the pumpkin flavor.
If you have any leftover puree, use it to make our Healthy Pumpkin Muffins!
Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can substitute pumpkin pie spice for 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a sprinkle of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
Other add-ins: Mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, pecans, walnuts, or seeds would all be delicious in these pumpkin overnight oats. I like to add chia seeds for extra healthy fats.
Make them vegan: I haven’t tried making these oats vegan, but I think you could use plant-based milk and dairy free yogurt.
Add Protein Powder: You can add 2 tablespoons of your favorite vanilla protein powder for a boost of protein! We recommend adding right before you’re ready to eat with an extra 1/4 cup of milk. If you mix in the protein powder ahead of time it might thicken the oats too much and give them an odd texture.
How to make pumpkin overnight oats:
- Measure all of the ingredients into a mason jar or a container with a lid. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Store in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
When your overnight oats have chilled in the fridge for at least 6 hours, they’re ready to be eaten!
P.S. If you love pumpkin as much as I do, you have to check out healthy pumpkin bread or these 30+ Healthy Pumpkin Recipes.
For the recipe, you’ll need to use old fashioned rolled oats. These are the only oats that will work for making overnight oats!
Do not use quick cooking oats or steel cut oats to make overnight oatmeal. With quick cook oats, they can get too mushy when soaking overnight. With steel cut oats, they can’t soak up the moisture overnight. They need to be cooked with heat to make them edible. You’ll wind up with a big mess unless you use old fashioned overnight oats.
How to Eat Pumpkin Overnight Oats
You can eat your overnight oats cold or warm! It’s up to you and your tastes.
We like to pop them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before eating, but they are just as delicious when eaten cold!
storage
Refrigerator: We recommend storing this breakfast for no longer than 5 days in the fridge. As the days go on, the oatmeal will get softer.
Freezing: You can freeze this dish for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing.
Reheating: Reheat this meal in the microwave, a toaster oven, conventional oven, or in a skillet on the stove.
Love oats? Check out these 30+ Healthy Oatmeal Recipes!
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup nonfat greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk regular or nondairy
- ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- To a mason jar or overnight oat mug (we love these mugs!) add all ingredients and stir well to combine.
- Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.
- Eat cold as-is, or heat the pumpkin oatmeal in a microwave.
Video
Notes
- Add a little vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to your overnight oats to improve the flavor!
- You can add a little extra liquid when you’re ready to eat if you prefer a looser consistency.
- For the best texture, only use old fashioned rolled oats. Quick cooking oatmeal gets too mushy when it sits in liquid for a long time.
- For the best results, prep this breakfast 24 hours in advance.
Can you use One Degree Organic Sprouted Rolled Oats for this recipe?
Those are the only oats I use – I love them!
Delicious! I used molasses because I didn’t have maple syrup, but that made it not quite sweet enough. Just a teaspoon of sugar fixed it.
Super excited to try this recipe. I was hoping to prep them for the week. How long would they be good in the refrigerator?
here’s a section on how to store these oats in the post. Pasting it below. Hope you love them!
We recommend prepping/storing these overnight oats for no more than 5 days in the fridge.
As the days go on, the oats will get softer. For best results, prep 24 hours in advance
Delicious and filling! Tastes like pumpkin pie!
Thank you Alesia!!
Fall and winter favorite to make ahead for work. Grab and go in the morning. So easy and I love all things pumpkin.
Glad you like them! They’re one of my favorite fall breakfasts 🙂
So easy to make and super tasty ?..
I’n glad you enjoyed them, Cindy!! They’re one of my favorites too!