Spice up your morning oatmeal with these Cranberry Overnight Oats! Prepare individual jars before bedtime, and in the morning, you'll wake up to a delightfully satisfying and festive breakfast waiting for you.
Cranberry sauce is excellent for adding some sweet tartness to recipes like crispy feta wraps, turkey leftover wraps and almond tart.
These creamy oats are made with Greek yogurt and without chia seeds, ideal for enjoying throughout the cranberry season.
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Why It's Yummy
- Perfect for Holiday season. Enjoy a simple and delicious festive breakfast with overnight cranberry oats. Simple to make, nutritious, and without chia seeds. Read more about health benefits of eating oats and oatmeal.
- A fun way to use leftovers. Transform your leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce into a scrumptious breakfast. Cranberry Overnight Oats provide a perfect blend of sweetness, healthy fats, and carbohydrates, reminiscent of a cranberry pie, but suitable for your morning meal.
Ingredients
- Cranberry sauce - use leftover cranberry sauce, store-bought or for a fresh batch, check out my homemade cranberry sauce or lingonberry sauce.
- Yogurt - is optional but enhances the flavor. You can opt for dairy-free (plant-based yogurt) or regular unsweetened plain yogurt.
- Oats - opt for old-fashioned rolled oats, however, quick oats are also an option. I don't recommend steel-cut oats. Due to their small size, steel-cut oats nearly dissolve in the liquid. You can still use them but they'll be chewy and dense. Some oatmeal alternatives could work but old-fashioned oats work best for overnight oats.
- Milk - feel free to choose any milk variety, like almond, coconut (carton coconut milk), cashew, oat, or regular dairy milk. Cranberry sauce is sweet enough, so use unsweetened milk if possible.
- Honey - optional choice for extra sweetness and flavor. These overnight oats will still taste sweet with the cranberry sauce. Alternatively, you can use pure maple syrup, agave or date syrup or paste.
- Vanilla - another optional ingredient that adds so much flavor and a pleasant dessert-like aroma. Don't skip it!
- Optional add-ins for extra nutrition - ground flax seeds add fiber and texture, and finely chopped nuts or chia seeds offer healthy fats and creaminess. Add about 1-2 tablespoons of each. If adding these mix-ins, consider doubling up the milk.
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
Instructions
Step 1 - cranberry sauce base. Begin by placing 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce in a glass container.
Step 2 - Greek yogurt. Layer with ¼ cup of Greek yogurt.
Step 3 - Oats. Add oats, followed by vanilla extract, and honey. Pour milk on top.
Step 4 - Chill. Seal the container and refrigerate it overnight.
Step 5 - Add toppings and serve. The next morning, top with 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce, add almonds, and a pinch of cinnamon. If the oatmeal is too thick, you can add a dash of milk before adding toppings.
- This recipe is for one larger jar (10-12 ounces), suitable for a single serving. To make more, simply double the ingredients and repeat the steps for additional servings.
- Keep in mind that the oats will expand by about 10%, so don't fill the jars all the way until the top. If you do, you may need larger jars.
Flavor & Texture Profile
- Flavor: These cranberry oatmeal taste sweet, and tart, it's almost like having pie for breakfast!
- Texture of the overnight oats: cool, smooth, creamy, and slightly chewy. You can always add more milk to make them softer.
Tips
- You can do layers like I did in my recipe, but mixing everything together is also an option. And will make your oats beautiful pink.
- While easy overnight oats are typically served cold, you can easily reheat the oats the next day, either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- A few extra toppings: shaved dark chocolate, sundae syrup, fresh cranberries, sugared cranberries, orange zest, a drizzle of peanut butter, chopped nuts, caramel sauce.
- Jars - You can use smaller about 8-12 ounce weck jars, mason jars, glass jars with plastic lids, or those with bamboo lids as alternatives.
- Run out of cranberries? Use this strawberry rhubarb jam instead.
- Related: Are Oats and Oat Flour Gluten Free?
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store. These overnight oats can be refrigerated for up to four days.
- To Freeze. I don't recommend freezing this but this could be an option. Frozen overnight oats can last up to 6 months, but their taste, texture, and quality will be affected over time.
FAQs
Overnight oats stay fresh up to 3-4 days.
Yes! Use certified gluten-free oats.
Yes! These cranberry overnight oats taste delicious when warmed up in the microwave or on the stovetop. For this, you'll have to mix everything together or serve the cranberry sauce separately. You may need to add some additional milk to make it more ''porridge'' like.
Frozen overnight oats can last up to 6 months, but their taste, texture, and quality degrade over time. For the best results, aim to consume them within 3 months.
To freeze overnight oats, use a freezer-safe airtight container, such as a glass mason jar or a resealable container with a lid. Plastic containers may absorb odors and affect the oats' flavor. Plastic bags are an option too.
For convenience, freeze them in individual portions to reduce food waste and make them readily available when needed.
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Recipe Card
Cranberry Overnight Oats
Ingredients
Method
- Step 1 - cranberry sauce base. Begin by placing 2 tablespoons of cranberry sauce in a glass container.
- Step 2 - Greek yogurt. Layer with ¼ cup of Greek yogurt.
- Step 3 - Oats. Add oats, followed by vanilla extract, and honey. Pour milk on top.
- Step 4 - Chill. Seal the container and refrigerate it overnight.
- Step 5 - Add toppings and serve. The next morning, top with 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce, add almonds, and a pinch of cinnamon. If the oatmeal is too thick, you can add a dash of milk before adding toppings.
Nutrition
Notes
- This recipe is for one larger jar (10-12 ounces), suitable for a larger single serving, or for smaller servings. To make more, simply double the ingredients and repeat the steps for additional servings.
- Keep in mind that the oats will expand by about 10%, so don't fill the jars all the way until the top. If you do, you may need larger jars.
- Flavor: These cranberry oatmeal taste sweet, and tart, it's almost like having pie for breakfast!
- Texture: cool, smooth, creamy, and slightly chewy. You can always add more milk to make them softer.
- To Store: These overnight oats can be refrigerated for up to four days.
- To Freeze: I don't recommend freezing this but this could be an option. Frozen overnight oats can last up to 6 months, but their taste, texture, and quality will be affected over time.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
This recipe was inspired by Marisa Moore.
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Carol Erlbach
This sounds delicious. Since Thanksgiving is over, what other fruits can we substitute? Bananas and blueberries or rasberries or both?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
any sour tasting berries are great. As well as any berries really!
Kurt
I used the homemade cranberry sauce for this. That recipe really made the final product taste extraordinarily delicious! Thank you for sharing that recipe - as I try and make everything from scratch if I can.
Julia
thank you Kurt, glad you liked it!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Enjoy this easy, nutritiousand delicious breakfast: cranberry overnight oats without chia seeds.