Name: Café au Lait Overnight Oats
Prep time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup large flake oats; 1 cup milk of choice; 2 tablespoons smooth natural nut butter ((peanut or almond)); 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey ((or to taste)); 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; pinch sea salt; cinnamon ((for garnish)); chia seeds or hemp hearts ((for garnish))

These Café au Lait Overnight Oats are the perfect pick me up. Let’s talk about efficiency here: have your coffee and breakfast all in one bowl! Made the night before, this recipe will get your morning off and running.

I love overnight oats (especially waking up and knowing breakfast is taken care of) and I sure love coffee! This is an inevitable match that I can see falling nicely into my rotation. This recipe is not just a pretty face, however! Overnight oats have plenty to offer as a powerful start to your day.

What are Overnight Oats?

Overnight oats are a no-cook oatmeal, that you mix up and let sit overnight in the fridge. That soaking time allows the oats to absorb the liquid and flavours and soften them enough to eat uncooked. In the morning, you have a ready to go breakfast!

Why Eat Overnight Oats?

What’s all the hype about overnight oats? Okay, let me break it down for you.

Overnight oats are easy to make. No seriously. They are SO EASY and use minimal ingredients.
They can be made ahead. I love a good meal prep! Being able to whip this up in 5 minutes for the following day is oh so lovely.
The toppings. One of the great things about overnight oats is the flexibility they offer for adapting to peoples individual preferences! They can be made vegan, low sugar, gluten-free, sweet, savoury, the list goes on…
They are a great start to your day! Oats are great for a hearty breakfast and are high in fiber, keeping you full for longer. They also are packed with other goodies like protein, magnesium, potassium, and omega 3 fatty acids.
May be easier to digest. Soaking the oats helps break them down, which may make them easier to digest vs un-soaked oats. It is also reported to reduce the phytic acid content (phytic acid is naturally occurring in many plants and interferes with the absorption of some minerals such as zinc and iron).

Are Uncooked Oats Safe to Eat?

Unlike many grain products (ie: wheat flour), flaked oats (both large flake and quick oats) are steamed before pressed, essentially cooking the grain (so yes, they are safe to eat). Bacteria are killed only when food made with flour is cooked. This is why you should never taste or eat raw dough or batter—whether made from recalled flour or any other flour (see here for more information).

How to Make Café au Lait Overnight Oats

For this recipe I decided to use my instant espresso powder (Nescafé) for the flavour I was after, but regular instant coffee would work too. I used 1 teaspoon but you could adjust on how bold you want! (taste as you go with overnight oats always!). The creaminess comes from almond beverage (any unsweetened milk will work), a swirl of natural peanut butter (sub almond butter if desired), and sweetness from vanilla extract and honey. Together, this tastes like your favourite coffee! Whisk all your ingredients together in a bowl and transfer to a container with a lid (I use a glass jar). Allow to sit in the fridge for about 4 hours at least, or overnight.

What Toppings go on Overnight Oats?

Top with whatever your heart desires: yogurt, cinnamon, nuts, hemp hearts, honey drizzle, mini dark chocolate chips….you get the idea! For this Café au Lait Overnight Oats recipe, I topped it with almonds, a pinch of sea salt, cinnamon, and a splash of peanut butter. I won’t judge you if you throw a little spoonful of mini dark chocolate chips in there!