Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds

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The easiest ever Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds — only three ingredients and a couple minutes of prep time for a filling and nutritious breakfast!

Love overnight oats? Us too! Try one of our four Overnight Oats recipes, these Pumpkin Overnight Oats, or these favorite Brownie Batter Overnight Oats.

Looking for overnight oats without chia seeds? Try these Chocolate Almond Overnight Oats.

Overhead view of Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds, topped with nut butter and fruit

These Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds are a BONUS recipe as part of our Back-To-School Lifesavers — a series of recipes that are intended to have little (or no) veggie chopping, minimal prep time, around 10 ingredients or less (not including pantry staples), and use kid-friendly ingredients. This (obviously) isn’t a dinner recipe, but a fun back-to-school breakfast (snack?! treat?!). Click here to see all the recipes in the series!

Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds

This breakfast of chia seeds and overnight oats may not be for everyone, but it has been my go-to as of late!

On a recent camping trip, I threw this “recipe” together the night before we left and added the jar of it to the cooler. While we typically build a fire and cook a campfire breakfast (the best!), we planned for breakfasts on the go so we could get to an early morning hike. Not expecting much of my cheater Overnight Oats and Chia Seeds, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the concoction was. Winner!

Good enough that I started craving it the next morning and ended up whipping together a whole week’s worth for breakfasts and snacks. These chia seeds in overnight oats could not be relegated only to camping trips!

Process shots: Combine oats, chia seeds and milk; refrigerate.

Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds Benefits

And while this is barely a recipe, I figured the breakfast I can’t stop eating was worth a share anyway.

Not only is the prep ridiculously quick, but this breakfast is also so filling and nutritious.

Chia seeds are packed with antioxidants, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and loaded with fiber. If you’re looking to increase your fiber and/or protein intake, these tiny seeds are a great place to start.

QUICK TIP

One ounce of chia seeds (2 tablespoons) has close to 10 grams of fiber! Fiber is an important part of a balanced diet, and, among many other benefits, is linked to reducing food intake and appetite. This is because high-fiber foods are more satiating than low-fiber foods, meaning you will likely stay satisfied for longer while eating less.

Ingredient Shot: Steel-cut instant oats

Only Three Ingredients!

  • Chia seeds. Health food sections, bulk food sections, the baking or spice aisle, or bulk food bins are all places you may find chia seeds in your grocery store. 
  • Better Oats® Instant Oatmeal. This is fairly specific, but it helps us cut down on other ingredients since it’s flavored and sweetened– so we don’t need to add anything extra here. We’re obsessed with these instant oatmeal packets — Maple and Brown Sugar is our favorite flavor! If you are watching calories or looking to make overnight oats with chia seeds for weight loss, the 100-calorie packets are also delicious in this recipe.
  • Plant-based milk. While any plant-based milk works here, our two personal favorites are macadamia nut milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

QUICK TIP

Use leftover chia seeds in Chocolate Chia Seed PuddingChia Seed Pudding, or atop this Breakfast Toast!

How To Make Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds

This recipe is truly as simple as mixing everything together and letting it sit overnight!

  1. Add the entire packet of oatmeal, chia seeds, and milk to a jar or container and stir.
  2. In the morning, the oats and chia seeds will have softened and expanded. Sometimes they’ve clumped up a bit, but give everything a good stir and you’ll be left with an ultra-creamy and tasty breakfast!

QUICK TIP

You don’t need to prepare the oats or do anything beyond opening the packet and emptying its contents into a jar!

Process shots: After soaking, the mixture is thick; transfer to a bowl; add fresh fruit; add nut butter and other toppings.

Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds Topping Ideas

My favorite way to enjoy these Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds is with a handful of fresh berries and a packet of maple almond butter — so good! Here are some more ideas:

  • Fresh fruit: Pick what you love most: chopped strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, chopped banana, kiwi, or mandarin orange slices. My kiddos love these oats with chia seeds and banana — dice it up and mix it throughout with some peanut butter!
  • Nuts and/or seeds: Dry-roasted and lightly salted sliced almonds, pecans, or cashews would be delicious. Pepitas would also make a nice topping!
  • A handful of granola (We love this Almond Granola.)
  • Puréed fruit: Purée some berries with milk and swirl through it the mixture for fruity Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds.
  • A drizzle of nut butter: Add almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, or any of the other options for a hit of protein plus flavor. My favorite topping (especially easy when camping or on the go) are these individual RX Nut Butter packets — SO good! 

VARIATIONS

  • Overnight oats with chia seeds and yogurt: For an even creamier pudding, mix through some tasty yogurt in the morning. We love Noosa® vanilla bean yogurt best here!
  • Overnight oats with chia seeds and protein: To boost the amount of protein, add a tablespoon or two of protein powder in the morning– or add in some nut butter, which also has a good amount of protein.

Closeup view of Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds and several toppings.

Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds FAQs

1What is the texture of Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds?

These overnight oats are ultra-soft and creamy. If you’ve had muesli before, the texture is similar — this breakfast is like a softened oat cereal with cold milk.

The chia seeds gel overnight, further thickening the mixture and adding a nice contrasting texture.

2Why do you put chia seeds in overnight oats?

The chia seeds add fiber, protein, and boast many health benefits. They also add a nice texture, a subtle pop of flavor, and help to thicken the mixture.

3Is it good to add chia seeds to oatmeal?

Yes! These tiny seeds are a nutritional powerhouse! They have essential minerals that can help improve digestive health and stabilize blood sugars. (Source)

4Can I add raw chia seeds to oatmeal?

Yes! No part of this recipe needs to be cooked. Everything softens to a nice creamy consistency overnight. This recipe is intended to be eaten chilled — straight out of the fridge.

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Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds

5 from 1 vote
The easiest ever Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds -- only three ingredients and a couple minutes of prep time for a filling and nutritious breakfast!
Print Recipe

Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds

5 from 1 vote
The easiest ever Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds -- only three ingredients and a couple minutes of prep time for a filling and nutritious breakfast!
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine American, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds
Prep Time 5 minutes
Overnight Chilling Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 1 serving
Chelsea Lords
Calories 308kcal
Cost $3.12

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 cup milk (Note 1)
  • 1 packet Better Oats Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal (Note 2)
  • Optional: toppings such as fresh fruit, nut butter, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup (Note 3)

Instructions

  • COMBINE: Combine all the ingredients in a container with a lid. Do not follow package directions for preparing the oatmeal; simply open the packet and dump it in! Stir, cover, and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 hours. Heads up-- the liquid won't get fully absorbed -- it remains fairly liquidy and creamy which we love (think muesli with milk added in)!
  • ENJOY: In the morning, give the mixture a good stir (sometimes it clumps a bit) and transfer to a bowl or enjoy straight from the jar (cold -- this is intended to be eaten chilled!) with your favorite toppings. We love adding fresh berries and flavored nut butter (Note 3). Enjoy!

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Milk: Any milk works, but to keep it vegan, use plant-based milk. We prefer plant-based milk anyway! Our two personal favorites are macadamia nut milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk. We like the milk with vanilla flavoring -- more flavor!
Note 2: Better Oats® oatmeal packets: This is fairly specific, but it helps us cut down on other ingredients since it's flavored and sweetened-- so we don't need to add in anything extra. We're obsessed with these instant oatmeal packets -- Maple and Brown Sugar is our favorite flavor! If you are watching calories, the 100-calorie packets are also delicious in this recipe! We love both.
Note 3: Toppings: My favorite way to top this breakfast is with a handful of fresh berries and a packet of this maple RX Nut Butter® -- so good! Here are some more ideas:
  • Fresh fruit: Pick what you love most: chopped strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, chopped banana, kiwi, or mandarin orange slices.
  • Nuts and/or seeds: Dry-roasted and lightly salted sliced almonds, pecans, or cashews would be delicious. Pepitas would also make a nice topping!
  • Granola (We love this almond granola.)
  • Puréed fruit: Purée some berries with milk and swirl it through the mixture for fruity Overnight Oats and Chia Seeds.
  • Nut butter: Add a drizzle of almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, or any of the other options for a hit of protein plus flavor. 
Note 4: Nutrition information: Overnight Oats with Chia Seeds stats will vary, depending on what oatmeal packet is used and what (and how much) you add as a topping. Calories have been calculated based on 100-calorie oatmeal packets and using 30-calorie (per cup) unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 47.6g | Protein: 15.4g | Fat: 4.2g | Cholesterol: 4.9mg | Sodium: 105.8mg | Fiber: 8.5g | Sugar: 15.4g

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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