Breakfast is an important meal of the day that we often do not make time for, so having easy, make-in-advance recipes is a great solution.  My recipe for strawberry overnight oats is a delicious way to make sure you start your day off with a healthy meal.  And even better – they’re a healthy version of fast food! 

From my website you can see that I LOVE overnight oats, there are so many variations from my  Mango Overnight Oats and Peach Overnight Oats to this recipe for Strawberry Overnight Oats.  They all have the same base recipe of oats and milk, then you just adjust the toppings to your preferences.

STRAWBERRIES! ¹

Did you know that strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside? It’s true! Also, strawberries get their name from traditionally being grown on a bed of straw mulch. If these fun facts are new to you, then impress your friends and family with them over Strawberry Overnight Oats at breakfast!

Strawberries are native to temperate climates around the world, including parts of North America where they can be foraged in certain regions.  California grows about 80% of the nation’s strawberries thanks to its ideal temperate climate that allows for a year-long growing season.

When making my Strawberry Overnight Oats you can use fresh, frozen or even dehydrated strawberries.  In the Northeast, Strawberries are in season mostly in May and June.  There is nothing quite as delectable as a fresh, farmers market strawberry. But for the rest of the year you can enjoy frozen or imported strawberries.

Selection and Storage

Red, plump and juicy-—the main factors for selecting strawberries, but there are more! Make sure to choose fully ripe berries, strawberries will not ripen much after being picked.  The caps should be bright green, fully attached and fresh looking.  The sweetest berries are small to medium, those giant strawberries at the grocer usually do not have much flavor.

When making my Strawberry Overnight Oats, use the strawberries as soon after purchase as possible.  Especially if you plan to make them a day or two in advance. Remove the stems just before making the Strawberry Overnight Oats, otherwise they tend to go bad quicker.

If you find yourself with a gluttony of strawberries you can freeze them yourself to be used in my Strawberry Overnight Oats.  Cut off the greens and place on a cookie sheet for at least 12 hours, then transfer to a plastic bag or freezer safe container.

Nutrition

Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, manganese, folate and potassium.  Like other fruits and vegetables they are also a good source of fiber, plant compounds and antioxidants that are health promoting and disease fighting.

When you enjoy my Strawberry Overnight Oats you will be getting an excellent source of soluble and insoluble fiber which promotes regular bowel movements, blood sugar and cholesterol regulation and will keep you full for hours. Oats are full of fiber, and are known for a soluble fiber called beta glucans.2 Beta glucans assist the body by removing cholesterol.2,3,4 Specifically, beta glucans bind to bile acids, which you excrete.3,4 This signals to the body that more bile acids are needed, and cholesterol breaks down in order for the bile acids to be made.3,4 Basically, these strawberry overnight oats are magical!

The chia seeds provide protein and fiber.  The type of milk you use will determine how much additional protein is in the Strawberry Overnight Oats. Plant-based milks like almond and oat milk are lower in protein than cow’s milk so I would recommend adding more seeds and nuts like pecans, walnuts, pumpkin and flax seeds to make my Strawberry Overnight Oats a complete meal.

If strawberries aren’t for you…

That’s alright! That is one of the benefits of these strawberry overnight oats – they’re customizable! You can add any fruit into your overnight oats, whether it’s fresh fruit, frozen fruit or dried fruit. You can also switch up the chia seeds if you don’t have them on hand. In place of chia seeds you can add flax seeds and/or hemp seeds. Of course, you can also swap the almond milk for water, another plant-based milk or cow’s milk.

In addition to all of these ingredients you can also include some add-ins, whether you add chocolate chips, coconut flakes, slivered almonds, a drizzle of honey, or all four!

Not only are these strawberry overnight oats completely customizable, but you can make it in batches, too. The recipe as shown is for one serving, however, you can multiply it by however many servings you want to make. The strawberry overnight oats will last in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Let’s Get Mixing!

My recipe for Strawberry Overnight Oats can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.  I like to cut the strawberries into bite size pieces so each bite of my Strawberry Overnight Oats has a chunk of plump juicy berry.  Feel free to add additional fruit like blueberries and bananas.  Additional toppings to consider are coconut flakes and chocolate chips.

Similar Recipes

Looking for more breakfast recipes? Try my Scrambled Egg Tacos and Blueberry Lemon Pancakes. Looking for more oat-filled recipes? Try my Vegan Oatmeal Cookies and Oat Flour Pancakes.

References

1. Harris LJ, Mitcham E. Strawberries: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve, and Enjoy. University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources; 2007. doi:10.3733/ucanr.8256
2. Nordqvist J. Oats: Health benefits, facts, research. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270680#nutrition. Published January 3, 2018. Accessed June 10, 2021.
3. Rondanelli M, Opizzi A, Monteferrario F. Le attività biologiche dei beta-glucani [The biological activity of beta-glucans]. Minerva Med. 2009;100(3):237-245.
4. Joyce SA, Kamil A, Fleige L, Gahan CGM. The cholesterol-lowering effect of oats and oat beta glucan: Modes of action and potential role of bile acids and the microbiome. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2019;6. doi:10.3389/fnut.2019.00171

Strawberry overnight oats

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Keyword: fruit, overnight oats, vegan

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

refrigerator time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 serving

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• Pinch of salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk cow’s milk, or other plant-based milk of choice
• 1/2 cup chopped strawberries divided
• Optional: 1 tablespoon chocolate chips or coconut flakes

Instructions

• Add oats, chia seeds, and salt to a mason jar or air tight container and mix together.
• Add vanilla extract and almond milk and mix well.
• Add ¼ cup strawberries, close container, and place in refrigerator overnight.
• When ready to eat: open container and mix well.
• Add remaining ¼ cup chopped strawberries on top.
• Add optional chocolate chips or coconut flakes.

Video

Notes

overnight oats can remain in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.