Strawberry Shortcake Overnight Oats

This super nutritious make-ahead Strawberry Shortcake Overnight Oats takes just minutes to put together and tastes surprisingly like the dessert. A perfect breakfast recipe to have on hand when strawberries are in season!

We are obsessed with overnight oats! That’s why we’ve consistently rolled out recipe after recipe for you, like these flavors so far:

• Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats
• Strawberry Shortcake Overnight Oats
• Peach Pie Overnight Oats
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Overnight Oats
• Almond Joy Overnight Oats
• Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats

Take a look at all the benefits below, and you’ll see why we make overnight oats every week in our homes.

What Are the Benefits of Overnight Oats?

Make-Ahead: You can whip up several of these on the weekend and have breakfast ready to go for the week. They just take minutes to put together.

No Cooking Involved: The oats soften in the liquid as it sits in the refrigerator, which means no cooking is needed. Doesn’t get much easier.

Super Healthy: Breakfast doesn’t get much healthier than this! The combo of fresh or frozen strawberries, oats, milk, and almonds provides fiber, protein, antioxidants, and valuable minerals.

Eat On the Go: Whether you have just a few minutes before you leave for the day or need to eat breakfast in the car or at your desk, this breakfast-in-a-jar fits the bill! Eat these overnight oats cold or warm.

Super Tasty: Enjoy the kid-favorite tastes and textures of strawberry shortcake. With just the right amount of sweetness, saltiness, and texture, this is one of our favorite overnight oats combos.

How to Make Overnight Oats

In just four simple steps, you can throw together your overnight oats and be ready for the week. Here’s how:

1.  Build the Base: In a clean 10-ounce or 12-ounce mason jar, pour in your favorite (unsweetened) milk. Add old-fashioned or rolled oats and your all-natural sweetener of choice (pure maple syrup or honey). 
2. Add Fruit: Whether it’s fresh or frozen berries (like this recipe), chopped peaches or tropical fruit, or your favorite dried fruit, this ingredient adds more sweetness, flavor, and nutrition. We do recommend adding banana slices fresh rather than ahead of time, but they can work ahead of time if you don’t mind mushy bananas.  
3. Add Toppings: Pour in the remaining add-ins, like Greek yogurt, vanilla, and sliced almonds for this version.
4. Shake and Refrigerate: Seal and shake. Set in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. 

Check out our video showing just how simple it is to make overnight oats (this version is our Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats)…

Do I Eat Overnight Oats Warm or Cold?

We hear this question a lot. The best way to serve overnight oats is…whatever you like best! Eating them cold or warm works.

Serve Overnight Oats Cold: Shake the jar. Stir in a little extra milk if it’s too thick and more sweetener if you’d like. Grab a spoon and eat your oats cold. This is the perfect solution for those mornings when you’re on the run!

Serve Overnight Oats Warm: This is our preferred way to serve overnight oats. Shake the jar and then remove the lid. Warm the oats in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Stir. Add more milk or sweetener as needed. Warm up even more, if desired.

CAN I FREEZE OVERNIGHT OATS?

As cookbook authors and long-time freezer meal evangelists, our professional opinion is that this is one dish that won’t freeze and thaw well. The texture will be adversely affected because of the high-water content in the fruit. Also, because of the yogurt in this recipe, it may separate, as well. If you’d like a freezer-friendly oat recipe, try one of our Baked Oatmeal recipes:

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
• Peanut Butter and Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Baked Oatmeal with Fruit
• Brownie Baked Oatmeal

Prep a few of these overnight oats ahead of time and enjoy healthy, hearty breakfasts throughout the week.

Make sure to check out more of our oatmeal breakfast recipes in our recipe index.