Overnight oats is a popular breakfast that's trended around the world, climbing its way up as a top favorite breakfast item. People love it! They rave how quick, easy, and healthy the breakfast option is. The creamy bowl of oats is often enriched with smooth chocolate or sweet fruits that bring a burst of health and happiness to your mornings.

These make-ahead breakfast oats are ideal for the days where you are too busy or too lazy to cook. It also serves as a break from the traditional breakfast options we eat daily. This hassle-free breakfast is full of fiber and nutrition that is not often supplied by takeout meals. Not only is it tasty and effortless to make, but its health benefits will amaze you. 

My take on the overnight oats is inspired by the world famous and beloved chocolate bar, Snickers. Enrobed with smooth chocolate, these delicious nutty and savory peanuts were the perfect inspiration for my own overnight oats recipe. The creaminess of the overnight oats beautifully mingles with the chocolatey and peanut flavor. As a bonus, it’s gluten-free and guilt-free too!

In this blog, I tell you why you should incorporate overnight oats into your diet and its health benefits. I also give tips and tricks to make the perfect overnight oats along with my exclusive overnight oats Snickers recipe. Let’s stimulate your taste buds!

What are Overnight Oats?

Overnight oats are a revolutionary breakfast option for anyone. The process of preparing it is quite simple. All you need to do is soak the oats in milk. The milk acts as a blooming agent that works overnight — milk or any liquid activates the starch in the oats and releases a natural acid that helps break them down. After some time passes, the oats turn soggy and distribute their nutrients into the soggy concoction. 

You can flavor the overnight oats according to your personal preference. Some people like eating them along with fruits, and others add flare with adding other ingredients such as carrot & yogurt to make carrot cake, or chia seeds for a little boost of protein and omega 3's. 

The mushy texture makes it very easy to consume, especially in the morning. It’s almost like a smoothie bowl, but with extra texture and fiber! Make the dish the night before and eat with a spoon the next morning. 

Health Benefits of Overnight Oats

Oats are high in fiber, which helps with digestion. Soaking oats overnight reduces the phytic acid — the acid which stops the absorption of iron, calcium; and other minerals, making it harder to digest food. Other than that, oats act as a filling breakfast. 

It is also an amazing fat-burner! Numerous dietitians recommend it for easy weight loss without constipation issues. It is recommended to eat it almost every other day to maintain a balanced diet as well as provide the nutrients the body may lack due to a poor diet.

This superfood is also recommended for people with diabetes due to it improving insulin sensitivity and boosting the immune system, Oats also are beneficial for cardiac patients to help them maintain their weight. A tasty window into healthier meal choices.

Ingredient Breakdown

One of the beautiful things about these oats is that you can have hustle-free mornings with this easy breakfast. The shopping list isn’t super long and it uses ingredients easily available in your pantry or local grocery store. To make this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Gluten-free oats: Rolled oats or oats are the base of this breakfast concoction. I recommend gluten-free because it is healthier and easier to digest. If you can’t find rolled oats, you can use instant oats instead — they cook quicker and become softer faster. Therefore, if you use instant oats, cut down the refrigerator time to a maximum of 5-6 hours.
• Non-dairy milk: Feel free to use any non-dairy milk that you like. Soy milk, Almond milk or even Oat milk can be used to make these chocolate peanut butter overnight oats.
• Powdered peanut butter: You may have a jar at home. If not, you must try it! It tastes just like peanut butter but with fewer calories. It has a fluffy texture. When the powdered peanut butter is combined with water or other liquids, it releases its fats and becomes creamy. If you cannot find powdered peanut butter, then regular peanut butter works as well. However, keep in mind the calories will increase.
• Maple syrup: It adds a bit of sweetness to the oats.
• Vanilla extract: The extract enhances the sweetness and flavor of the oats overall. It also works as a balancing agent too.
• Peanuts: The nuts create a crunchy texture. If you use the Snickers overnight oats recipe for weight loss, you should consider omitting the peanuts or just adding a small amount on top.
• Chocolate chips: Since the oats are Snickers-themed, chocolate is a must-have. It adds a decadent and rich flavor to each bite of the Snickers overnight oats.
• Chia seeds: Even though chia seeds are optional, I recommend adding them. Not only are they healthy, but their sticky outer coating with the crunchy middle is heavenly. The seeds build texture while providing high levels of nutrients to the recipe as well.

How to make the Snickers Overnight Oats

The concept of overnight oats is very fascinating. Here are brief step-by-step instructions on how to get the perfect oats every time you make them:

Step #1: Take an airtight jar. If you do not have a large airtight jar, then you can use any size airtight container for the time being. I also recommend a 16-ounce mason jar for the overnight oats.

Step #2: Fill the jar with all the ingredients.

Step #3: Close the lid of the jar or container. 

Step #4: Refrigerate the tightly closed jar for at least 8 hours or overnight. Yes, it is that easy to make overnight oats.

Step #5: In the morning, open the jar and stir the oats.

Step #6: Enjoy your chocolate overnight oats chilled or warm.

Tips for making the Best Snickers Overnight Oats 

To make the oats perfectly delicious every time, here are a few things you really need to consider:

• If your peanuts turn soggy from our overnight soaking method, then we recommend adding chopped peanuts right before serving. Peanuts can be a part of the dish and a garnish too! 
• There are many alternatives to powdered peanut butter. Besides good old peanut butter, one of the best alternatives are sunflower butter and tahini butter. They have the same sweet and salty taste with fewer calories.
• Always stir the oats before eating. I recommend emptying the jar into a bowl and then mixing it before eating. Jars are handy, but it sometimes makes it harder to stir. Improperly stirred oats may result in inconsistent flavor with every bite.

Serving Ideas

There are countless ways to eat overnight Snickers oatmeal. Since these oats are Snickers-flavored, here are the best ways to serve them:

• Warm it up a bit. This idea may sound crazy, but I’ve tried it and it's indescribably delicious! Don’t cook it until it is mushy; just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and stir in between heating. Be warned: this method melts the chocolate chips, so you may want to add more chocolate in the batter after heating.
• Top the oats with chocolate chips and peanuts, and drizzle with some melted chocolate.
• To add a touch of sweetness, drizzle some maple syrup on it. It’s not a necessary stop but it definitely adds depth to the flavor.

How to Store Overnight Oats?

You can store the overnight oats for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. After 12 hours, the oats start to become extra soft. After 5 days, it may become extremely creamy, and you may not find any visible specks of oats. If you are a fan of oats with a bit of crunch to them, then try making them the night before and devouring them in at least 16 hours.