Start your day off with this amazing applesauce overnight oats! It is creamy, sweet, and incredibly delicious. An easy grab-and-go breakfast perfect for busy workdays.
For a higher protein option, I recommend checking out my chocolate protein overnight oats or vegan protein overnight oats.
I am a huge fan of overnight oats! They are simple to prepare and nutritious, yet taste amazing. Plus, I get to customize the add-ins and toppings depending on what I am in the mood for!
Although I usually make my basic overnight oats without chia, this recipe is my go-to when I have leftover applesauce from making other recipes (such as my banana oatmeal muffins and applesauce banana bread). Applesauce works surprisingly well in oats and gives them sweetness and flavor.
Jump to:
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Wholesome, nutritious, and incredibly filling
- The perfect on-the-go breakfast that is convenient and meal-prep friendly
- Highly customizable with an endless combination of add-ins and toppings
- No cook and easy to whip up
🌾What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Oats - You can either use rolled or quick oats. Quick oats yield a smoother, mushier texture, while rolled oats produce chewier overnight oats. Steel-cut oats WILL NOT work in this recipe.
- Applesauce - Both unsweetened or sweetened applesauce can be used.
- Milk - Feel free to use any milk, be it regular milk or plant-based alternatives like almond milk or soy milk.
- Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract - Optional, but they give tons of flavor to the overnight oats.
🔪How to make
Mix milk, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a mason jar.
Then, add the remaining ingredients, including oats, chia seeds, and cinnamon.
Stir until everything is well mixed, and refrigerate it for 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to enjoy, give applesauce overnight oats a quick stir, adding more milk if needed.
✅Helpful tips
- Make it in a jar - I highly recommend making overnight oats in a jar like this 16 oz Mason jar. You can prep, store, and enjoy oats using only one container!
- Let oats soak for at least 4 hours - Although oats will soften after just 1-2 hours, soaking them for at least 4 hours allows enough time for the flavors to mellow together.
- Adjust the consistency - Before serving your oats, give them a quick stir and add milk to thin them if the overnight oats are too thick for your liking.
- Serve it warm - Although overnight oats are commonly eaten cold, you can also enjoy them warm. Simply transfer oats to a microwavable bowl and heat it.
- Don’t add toppings too early - Add them right before serving to ensure they stay fresh, especially fresh fruits and crunchy toppings such as granola or chopped nuts.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
✨Variations and add-ins
Chocolate overnight oats - Add 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to your oats. You might need to add more sweetener to balance out the bitterness of the cocoa.
Peanut butter overnight oats - Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Top it off with more peanut butter or chopped peanuts before serving.
Apple pie overnight oats - Top your oats with diced apples, a dust of cinnamon, and chopped walnuts/pecans.
High protein - Add up to 1 scoop (¼ cup) of your favorite protein powder. You will need to add more milk to thin out the mixture. Or, check out my vegan protein overnight oats.
Yogurt - Both Greek yogurt and plant-based yogurt are great additions! They give extra creaminess and a boost of protein to the oats. Replace up to ¼ cup of milk with yogurt.
Gluten-free - If you are intolerant to gluten, make sure to use a brand of oats that is certified gluten-free.
Spices - Other than cinnamon, you can also add pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, nutmeg, or other spices that sound good to you!
🍌Topping ideas
And here comes the fun part - topping your applesauce overnight oats! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Fruits - Sliced bananas, diced apples, fresh or frozen berries, raisins, chopped dates
- Chocolate - chocolate chips, chunks of chocolate, cacao nibs
- Sweeteners - Maple syrup, chocolate syrup, jam, sprinkle of brown sugar
- Shredded coconut or coconut flakes
- Granola - like my matcha granola or protein granola
- Nut butters - peanut butter, cashew butter, coconut almond butter
❄️Storing and meal prep suggestions
- Fridge - Applesauce overnight oats can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. If possible, only add toppings right before serving to ensure that they stay fresh.
- Serving - Give it a quick stir, adding some milk if your overnight oats are too thick for your liking. Top it with toppings of choice and dig in!
?Commonly asked questions
Although overnight oats are usually served cold, you can also enjoy them hot by heating them in a microwave-safe bowl until warm.
Chia seeds are a popular addition to overnight oats because they help thicken them, resulting in a creamy, pudding-like consistency. They also give the oats a pleasant, chewy texture. Moreover, chia seeds are rich in fiber and healthy fats, which adds more nutritional value to your overnight oats.
However, if you're not a fan of chia seeds, feel free to leave them out! Just make sure to reduce the amount of milk used by 3-4 tablespoons, or your overnight oats may become too watery.
Once the oats have soaked for at least 2 hours, they are ready to be enjoyed. However, it is recommended to soak them for more than 4 hours to allow sufficient time for the oats to soften and flavors to mellow. This will result in a creamy and delicious bowl of overnight oats.
If your overnight oats are too thin, you can thicken them by adding 1-2 teaspoons of chia seeds. Then, stir the mixture and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before enjoying. The chia seeds will absorb the liquid and create a gel-like consistency.
Alternatively, add a few tablespoons of protein powder to thicken your overnight oats. This will not only thicken the mixture but also provide a boost of protein, keeping you fuller for longer.
It is possible to replace milk with water when making overnight oats. This might result in slightly less creamy and rich oats, but they will still be tasty. You can add some yogurt or a spoonful of nut butter to your oats to compensate for the reduced creaminess.
🍽️More oatmeal recipes
If you made this recipe, leave a rating and comment below. We would love to hear from you! Subscribe to My Plantiful Cooking to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox! Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to get the latest updates. 😉
📖 Recipe
Creamy Applesauce Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk of choice (use plant milk to make this recipe dairy-free)
- ¼ cup applesauce unsweetened
- 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ½ cup oats rolled or quick (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
- Mix milk, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a mason jar.
- Then, add the remaining ingredients, including oats, chia seeds, and cinnamon.
- Stir until everything is well mixed, and refrigerate it for 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to enjoy, give applesauce overnight oats a quick stir, adding more milk if needed.
Notes
- Let oats soak for at least 4 hours - Although oats will soften after just 1-2 hours, soaking them for at least 4 hours allows enough time for the flavors to mellow together.
- Adjust the consistency - Before serving your oats, give them a quick stir and add milk to thin them if the overnight oats are too thick for your liking.
- Serve it warm - Although overnight oats are commonly eaten cold, you can also enjoy them warm. Simply transfer oats to a microwavable bowl and heat it.
- Storing - Overnight oats can be refrigerated for 4 days. If possible, only add toppings when ready to serve.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Join the discussion !