These Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds are a creamy, make-ahead breakfast that makes mornings effortless. Made with just 5 ingredients, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and loaded with berries.
"Love the idea of using coconut milk in here! I bet it adds so much creaminess and flavor, yum!" -Juliette
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ⏲️Ready In: Prepped in 5 Minutes
- 👪Serves: 3
- 🍽 Calories and Protein: 274 kcals and 7 grams of protein
- 📋Main Ingredients: Rolled oats, dairy-free milk, chia seeds, Mixed berries, and maple syrup.
- 📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free (oats depending)
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: They’re creamy, refreshing, and perfect for meal prep, giving you a nourishing grab-and-go breakfast with minimal effort.
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This dairy-free overnight oats recipe is one of those quiet wins that makes mornings feel calmer before the day even starts. Having a jar ready in the fridge means no thinking, no cooking, and no scrambling, just grab, eat, and go. It’s especially perfect on busy weeks when breakfast usually gets skipped or turns into whatever’s left on the kids’ plates.
I swear by make-ahead breakfasts because they buy you time and energy, which is exactly why I created my Rise and Chill Breakfast e-book. It’s packed with simple prep-once, enjoy-all-week options like this. If you want more ideas, these overnight oats with protein powder are great next stops. When mornings are smoother, everything else tends to fall into place a little easier.
Jump To
- A Quick Look At The Recipe
- 💭Why You'll Love The Recipe
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- Flavor Variations
- How To Make Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds
- Expert Tips
- How To Store Them
- Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds FAQs
- More Dairy-Free Overnight Oats Recipes
- Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds
💭Why You'll Love The Recipe
Easy to make: With just 5 main ingredients, these dairy-free overnight oats are ultra-simple to whip up.
Versatile: There are so many ways to adapt the overnight oats so that each jar is exactly what you need it to be.
Kid-approved: The combination of creaminess with bursts of berries means that kids love this breakfast!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rolled oats: Choose regular oats versus quick oats so that they still have some chew to them after soaking. Learn more about different types of oats and how to use them. Likewise, make sure to use gluten-free ones if you need them (check out the crucial staples to a gluten-free pantry, oats are on there!)
- Chia seeds: These are one of the three foods I recommend all toddlers have in their diet. Chia seeds are loaded with healthy fats. Plus, they absorb liquid, which gives these oats their creamy texture. Both black and white chia seeds work.
- Hemp Milk: Any plant-based milk will work. However, homemade hemp milk gives the oats a healthy dose of fats and an extra dose of creaminess.
- Berries: Both fresh and frozen berries work for the dairy-free, nut-free overnight oats.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Flavor Variations
High-protein dairy-free overnight oats: To give these overnight oat recipes a little more protein, add some collagen powder (learn what is collagen powder). This is what I do with espresso overnight oats, and it works like a dream.
Chocolate: Adding raw cacao powder, a smidge more maple syrup, and raspberries makes for an indulgent breakfast.
Toppings: Placing a dollop of Whole30 whipped cream on top of the oats is bliss.
How To Make Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds
Step 1: Combine the rolled oats and chia seeds in a small bowl.
Step 2: Add in the wet ingredients and mix. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes and mix again.
Step 3: Portion the mixture into two jars and top with the berries (you can also layer the mixture and the berries if you prefer).
Expert Tips
To make the best dairy-free overnight oats recipe, always re-stir. This is how you ensure the chia seeds don't "clump" at the bottom.
Just like with high protein chia pudding recipe, in my experience, the oats and chia seeds begin to absorb the water immediately. However, a lot of the oats sink to the lower part of the jar and leave the liquid on the top.
If you only stir the mixture once, you’ll end up with a lot of separation.
Instead, mix the batch, let it sit, and then mix it again before adding any toppings.
If you want to boost the protein in these easy overnight oats, you can add in ½- 1 scoop of collagen powder. This makes the oats a fueling breakfast or a great post-workout meal!
How To Store Them
Store overnight oats in a mason jar in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can enjoy the overnight oats chilled (which is what is expected), but know that if you wanted, you could heat them as well.
Overnight oats do not freeze well. The ingredients separate, and the oats become too mushy.
Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds FAQs
You can use water in place of milk when making overnight oats. Any liquid will absorb into the oats, making them expand. However, water will make it the overnight oats less creamy than they would be if using some kind of milk.
Overnight oats are best made with regular “old-fashioned” oats. These oats are what will help make the recipe thick and creamy. Using quick oats will result in a softer texture as they absorb liquid too quickly.
The ratio for liquid to oats in these recipes will always vary slightly depending on texture preference. More liquid means a texture similar to traditional oatmeal. Whereas less liquid means a firmer mixture. Keeping in mind that these dairy-free overnight oats use chia seeds, this recipe uses a ratio of 1:1.5 oats to milk. If using yogurt in place of chia seeds, this will vary.
Both fresh and frozen berries can be used to make overnight oats. Frozen berries will give off more liquid and will make thinner oats.
More Dairy-Free Overnight Oats Recipes
If you tried this Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes!
Dairy-Free Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats not instant
- 1 ½ cups homemade hemp milk
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 cup berries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream if using
Instructions
- Combine the rolled oats and chia seeds in a large bowl.
- Add in the dairy-free milk and maple syrup. Stir well.
- Let sit for 5 minutes and then stir again.
- Portion the overnight oats mixture into 2 mason jars and top with berries.
- Pop in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.
Notes
- If you want your overnight oats to come out perfect every time, always re-stir after letting it sit for five minutes.
- If you want to boost the protein in these easy overnight oats, you can add in ½- 1 scoop of collagen powder. This makes the oats a fueling breakfast or a great post-workout meal!
- Makes three smaller servings or two super large ones.
- Know that you can mix the berries into the overnight oats, layer them, or place them on top.
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
Nutrition
Shelby S says
A great recipe to whip up for busy weeks!
Suzanne Spiegoski says
This parfait looks so good! I love anything blueberry 🙂
fitasamamabear says
Agreed. I Could eat berries all the time 🙂
Juliette | Namastay Traveling says
I love the idea of using coconut milk in here! I bet it adds so much creaminess and flavor, yum!
fitasamamabear says
Mm I LOVE coconut milk- it makes everything creamy and decadent! Just don't eat TOO much of it because it can have a laxative effect if you're not used to it 😉
Jen | My Healthy Homemade Life says
This looks amazing! Can't wait to try it!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks- it's a tasty one for sure!
Grace Blossoms says
Loving these ingredients! I have a first grader this year, and I'm thinking about ways to keep him full until lunch with a healthy breakfast. I see you also have some other great recipes. Thanks!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks for the compliment Grace! The oat parfait is a tasty one and keep in mind that pancakes can be frozen and reheated in the morning to make for fast (but healthy) breakfasts too! Aw.. first grade! That's a huge step! Is he excited- are you?? I've yet to deal with the school thing but I imagine I'll be a mess lol
Emily says
Okay that coconut whip is so fun!
fitasamamabear says
Coconut whip is amazing- so decadent! And... coconuts!
Kumin Kueche says
wow! This looks super tasty!! Thanks for the inspiration!!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks for the compliment! It's a decadent one, I love it!
Erin says
Love this recipe! Will be trying it this week. Thank you so much for sharing!
fitasamamabear says
Thanks- enjoy it!
Rachael says
My toddler loves overnight oatmeal! Never realized you could make whipped cream with coconut milk, I'm totally going to try that. Thanks for sharing!
fitasamamabear says
I love that your toddler loves this- way to go mama! And yes you can! It's super rich though so just heads up not to scarf it all down- it gives you a tummy ache (said from experience lol)
Ginger says
Oh, this sounds so yummy! And I love that it's vegan! 😀
fitasamamabear says
It's definitely a tasty one.. who doesn't love coconut whip?!
Sarah says
I love anything with oats/granola. This looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing.
fitasamamabear says
Me too! I could live with just those two foods haaha
Pilar says
Waoo! I'm in love with this idea, so delicuous and easy to prepare... as you said it's perfect for a rushed morning. I'm buying all the ingredients to prepare it asap, thanks!
xoxo,
Pilar
fitasamamabear says
Glad it looks good Pilar! It's a tasty one. I made this one a bit fancy but in truth, you can literally just throw everything into a jar the night before and grab and go in the morning- so worth it!