Make your morning breakfast exciting again with these fresh and fruity strawberry overnight oats! They are made with simple ingredients like fresh strawberries, yogurt, plant-based milk, and maple syrup. Make a large batch and enjoy it with your favorite toppings every morning!
My strawberry overnight oats are NOT your boring oats mixed with just a handful of diced strawberries, they have fresh strawberries that are actually blended with milk and combined with oats. This makes the oats taste like a strawberry MILKSHAKE! I swear you won’t miss the strawberry flavor.
⭐️ Why This Recipe Works
The oats soak up the strawberry juice.
I used to make my strawberry oats in the simplest way, which meant making a batch of regular overnight oats and alternating them in a jar with diced strawberries. It sure is tasty, but it’s not INFUSED with strawberry flavor. After testing, I discovered that if you want your oats to taste like strawberries, they must absorb their juice, and that means blending them!
That’s why this recipe calls for blending the strawberries with the milk and the yogurt prior to combining them with the oats. The result is overnight oats that will remind you of your favorite strawberry milkshake!
Yogurt brings the perfect creaminess.
Nobody likes watery oats, and I don’t either. To remedy this problem, I combined plant-based milk and yogurt. Not only the addition of yogurt gives the oats a creamier and thicker texture but it also adds freshness thanks to its tanginess.
Diced strawberries add another layer of texture.
In addition to the strawberries being blended with the milk, I incorporate diced strawberries as well. This does two things: 1) It adds texture and a subtle chew. 2) It enhances the strawberry flavor. Bonus point: It makes your oats more colorful! You can add extra add-ins, more on that in the Variations section below.
🍓 Ingredient Notes
This recipe relies on just a few easy-to-find ingredients. Here is what you will need:
- Strawberries – Use the freshest and sweetest strawberries available. As there are literally hundreds of different strawberry cultivars, it’s hard to recommend a particular variety as it varies from area to area. I personally prefer to use wild strawberries as they tend to pack the most flavor and are relatively sweet.
- Oats – You can use rolled oats or instant oats. We tested both and got great results. However, the minimum resting time differs between each. More on that below.
- Plant-based milk – Use unsweetened plant-based milk such as soy, oat, almond, or cashew milk. When it comes to which type of milk to use, I have a preference for soy milk. It’s creamier than most of the other plant-based milk and higher in protein as well, making your oats more satisfying. It will also keep you full longer.
- Vegan yogurt – Use your favorite unsweetened vegan yogurt. I tested this recipe with different types of vegan yogurt. My favorite remains soy or almond yogurt as it doesn’t impart any flavor to the oats, allowing the strawberry flavor to really shine. On the other hand, coconut yogurt, while it does add extra richness, tends to alter the strawberry flavor.
- Sugar – You can use granulated white sugar, maple syrup, or agave syrup. Note that maple syrup adds a subtle caramelized flavor. Obviously, the amount of sugar will depend on how sweet you want your oats. I typically use 3 tablespoons and our testers thought the sweetness was on point. It’s not too sweet but sweet enough to balance the tanginess of the strawberries.
- Lemon juice – I like to add a tablespoon of lemon juice for one simple thing: to fix the color. Lemon juice helps the oats keep their nice pink hue.
- Vanilla extract – While vanilla extract is optional, I believe it takes these oats up a notch by bringing extra sweetness and a floral aroma. Use quality store-bought vanilla extract or our homemade vanilla extract.
🥣 How to Make It
- Blend the strawberries. Add the strawberries, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 10-15 seconds or until smooth.
- Combine with the oats. Transfer the blended strawberries to a large mixing bowl and add the oats. Stir until fully combined. At this point, taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
- Stir in the chopped strawberries. Next, add the diced strawberries and stir to incorporate them evenly into the mixture.
- Chill overnight. Finally, you can either transfer the oats to individual glass jars or simply keep them in the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The oats will absorb the liquid and thicken as they sit.
Rolled Oats vs. Instant Oats
As I mentioned above, this recipe works with both rolled and instant oats. Rolled oats have more texture and chew compared to instant oats, so pick the one you prefer. However, please note that instant oats are ready more quickly than rolled oats as they tend to be smaller.
- If using rolled oats: Allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. I tasted the oats after 6 hours and figured they still had some chew and did not completely absorb the liquid.
- If using instant oats: Allow them to rest in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Since instant oats are small compared to regular rolled oats, they soften more quickly.
📔 Tips
- Use frozen strawberries. In case you do not have fresh strawberries on hand, you can use frozen strawberries. Let them thaw on the counter for about 1 hour or until they are soft before using.
- Adjust the sweetness. Those oats are not overly sweet and might not be sweet enough for you. The sweetness also largely depends on your strawberries so I recommend giving it a try and adjusting the sweetness to your liking.
🍫 Variations
These overnight oats can be customized to your liking by playing with the add-ins. Here are a few ideas:
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip: Everyone knows strawberries and chocolate is a match made in heaven, isn’t it? Feel free to incorporate mini chocolate chips or shaved chocolate for stracciatella-like oats!
- Basil Strawberry: If you are more into herby and floral notes, you can infuse the oats with fresh basil. Thinly slice 1-2 small leaves of basil and stir them into the oats.
- Zesty Strawberry: Elevate the freshness of your oats by incorporating 1/2 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest.
🥜 What to Serve It With
The best part about overnight oats is that you can switch up the toppings every morning for a slightly different breakfast. Here is what we like to top our oats with:
- Granola: A sprinkle of granola adds plenty of crunch.
- Shaved chocolate: Use a peeler to shave dark chocolate and sprinkle it on top of your oats to create a layer of crispy chocolate shavings.
- Nut butter: Either cashew butter or blanched almond butter is a great way to add healthy fats and make the oats heartier.
- Banana slices: One of my favorite toppings! I love the combination of strawberries and bananas. Plus, bananas bring extra sweetness.
❄️ Storing and Freezing
- To store: These overnight oats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. To do so, simply transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the oats if you use frozen strawberries to start with.
💬 FAQ
In my opinion, there is no need to strain the blended strawberries. I didn’t see any difference in the final texture when I tried to strain them.
Yes, it is normal. I designed this recipe to yield creamy oats. Hence, the mixture will be quite liquid at first but will thicken after a few hours in the refrigerator as the oats absorb the liquid.
I hope you will love these strawberry overnight oats as much as we do! While I like to enjoy them as breakfast, my wife prefers to have them as a dessert. What’s your favorite way of enjoying your oats?
🥞 More Breakfast Recipes
⭐️ Did you like this recipe? Let us know in the comments below, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
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Blend the strawberries. Add the strawberries, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 10-15 seconds or until smooth.
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Combine with the oats. Transfer the blended strawberries to a large mixing bowl and add the oats. Stir until fully combined. At this point, taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
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Stir in the chopped strawberries. Next, add the diced strawberries and stir to incorporate them evenly into the mixture.
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Chill overnight. Finally, you can either transfer the oats to individual glass jars or simply keep them in the mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator. The oats will absorb the liquid and thicken as they sit.
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These overnight oats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Use frozen strawberries. In case you do not have fresh strawberries on hand, you can use frozen strawberries. Let them thaw on the counter for about 1 hour or until they are soft before using.
- Adjust the sweetness. Those oats are not overly sweet and might not be sweet enough for you. The sweetness also largely depends on your strawberries so I recommend giving it a try and adjusting the sweetness to your liking.
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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