Easy Chai Spiced Overnight Oats

This recipe brings warm chai spices to a healthy breakfast dish: overnight oats! These Chai Overnight Oats are easy to make, great to meal prep or make ahead, and full of fibre and good nutrition so you can start your day right.

You already know overnight oats are a favourite weekday breakfast of mine. I love how easy, quick, and healthy they are! There’s truly nothing better than knowing your breakfast is prepped and ready for you when you’ve got a busy morning ahead.

One of my favourite ways to mix up my overnight oats is to try out different flavours! I already have many popular overnight oatmeal recipes here on the blog, like my Pineapple Coconut Overnight Oats and Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats, but I figured it was time for a new flavour!

In my opinion, chai is such a delicious yet underrated flavour so I wanted to feature it here in these Chai Spiced Overnight Oats. The result is a flavourful, satisfying, simple, and healthy breakfast option. If you love warm flavours like chai, you’re going to love this recipe!

What are Overnight Oats?

Overnight oatmeal or overnight oats is basically oatmeal that you prepare the night before, and let sit overnight!

Generally, overnight oats are made with a combination of ingredients that include oats, milk (or non-dairy milk), a sweetener like honey or maple syrup, and chia seeds.

When these ingredients are mixed together and allowed to sit overnight, the oats and chia seeds soak up the liquid, and the result in the morning is a creamy oatmeal-like texture achieved without cooking. It’s pretty genius if you ask me!

What is the role of chia seeds in overnight oats?

Chia seeds are a key ingredient in overnight oatmeal because of their ability to absorb liquids. When combined with a liquid like milk, chia seeds soak up the milk and expand, creating a thick and creamy consistency.

In addition to creating the thick oatmeal-like consistency, chia seeds also add nutrition to overnight oats. They’re a good source of fibre and healthy fat, so adding them to our oats also adds fibre and healthy fat.

What Makes Overnight Oats Healthy?

As a Registered Dietitian, I appreciate the nutrition profile that overnight oats offer. Here is a glimpse at what makes these Chai Overnight Oats healthy:

• Overnight oats are high in fibre. Thanks to a combination of oats (a whole grain) and chia seeds, this breakfast recipe is rich in fibre-rich carbohydrates, which are important for fullness, energy, and balanced blood sugars.
• In addition to carbohydrates, this overnight oats recipe is a good source of protein thanks to the use of Greek yogurt. Not all overnight oats recipes call for yogurt, but I like to add Greek yogurt to mine for the protein boost. Each serving contains 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt which offers approximately 7 grams of protein. The oats, chia seeds, and milk (depending on what kind of milk you use) would also add some protein too.
• Overnight oats are great for meal prep because you can make them ahead of time. And one way to ensure you eat a healthy, balanced breakfast in the morning is to have it all prepped and ready to eat.

How to Make Chai Overnight Oats:

These Chai Overnight Oats take less than 10 minutes to make, and then you can pop them into the fridge to set overnight.

1. To make them, start by stirring together the dry ingredients including the oats, chia seeds, and chai spice in a medium sized bowl.

2. Next, add the wet ingredients, including the Greek yogurt, milk of your choice, and the liquid sweetener. Mix them together with the dry ingredients until well-combined.

3. Divide the mixture evenly amongst your mason jars or meal-prep containers, cover, and place in the fridge to set overnight (or for a minimum of 4 hours).

4. In the morning, serve the overnight oatmeal with the toppings of your choice. I like adding chopped fruit like apples or pears and a drizzle of almond butter.

How to Make Homemade Chai Spice:

The most common chai spices are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, and pepper. Yep, pepper! Allspice is also often used, and I included it in my recipe. To make the homemade chai spice, combine all of these together in a small mason jar. See the recipe card notes below for measurements and instructions.

You can store the homemade chai spice in your pantry. Add it to your overnight oats, hot oats, homemade lattes, and more. This mixture of spices gives a warm and cozy flavour to any recipe. Whether it’s a latte, a mug of tea, or a jar of overnight oats, if it’s chai spiced, it’s cozy to me.

How to Store Overnight Oatmeal:

Store your overnight oats in a sealed container (like a mason jar) in the fridge. They will need to set in the fridge for a minimum for 4 hours or overnight. For best results, I like to make mine before I go to bed and keep them in the fridge for at least 8 hours overnight.

Overnight oats will keep well in the fridge up to 4 days as long as they are kept in a sealed airtight container.

Can You Eat Chai Latte Overnight Oats Hot or Cold?

The great thing about overnight oatmeal is that you can eat it cold straight out of the fridge. Alternatively, you can warm them up in the microwave! Both are delicious. Personally, I prefer to eat mine cold as I don’t have the patience to warm them up ;). I’m all about quick and easy!

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