Lemon Overnight Oats Recipe

Name: Lemon Overnight Oats Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats; 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds; 1/8 Teaspoon Salt,; 1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest; Juice of 1 Small Lemon, or About 2-3 tablespoons Lemon Juice, to taste; 1/2 Cup Soy Milk (or any non-dairy milk); 1/2 Cup Vegan Yogurt; 1 Tablespoon Agave or Maple Syrup, to taste

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Lemon Overnight Oats are a zesty way to start your mornings! With just 8 ingredients, this easy meal prep is ready in just 5 minute or less! Just pop everything into the fridge and it's ready in the morning.

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Hey Internet, we've got another easy overnight oats recipes for you today! This time, we're making lemons the star of the show. We have a Lemon Blueberry Chia Pudding that's similar, but nice to have a recipe that really let's the lemon shine through and we honestly love overnight oats, maybe even a little more than chia pudding, sorry not sorry. It also makes this overnight oats recipe more flexible so you can add fruit that is on sale at your store.

Actually, we REALLY love overnight oats and have quite a few oatmeal recipes now! Our favorites include Cookie Dough Overnight Oats, Coffee Overnight Oats, Matcha Overnight Oats, Peanut Butter Overnight Oats, and our classic Protein Overnight Oats. We also really love baked oats like our Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal and Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats.

But today we're here to talk about lemon overnight oats! They're full of citrus flavor but there are so many different fruit combos that go great with this recipe. Strawberry and raspberries are a classic combo, as are most fresh berries, especially fresh blueberries! But so do cherries, peaches, mango, and so many others can be added to the top of these delicious overnight oats.

But we really packed that lemon flavor into this new recipe! Not just with fresh lemon juice but also a ton of lemon zest! With a microplane, you can grate a little of the lemon peel off to add some extra flavor.

So let's dive into this oat recipe.

Why Would Love This Overnight Oats Recipe

Simple Ingredients: You only need a handful of simple ingredients (yay pantry staples!) that you probably already have in the house! If you like lemon bars, this is the perfect breakfast for you.
Wholesome Breakfast: This family friendly breakfast is a great option for busy mornings. This overnight oats recipe is loaded with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs to keep your family going all morning. Plus this recipe uses no refined sugar!
Cheap Grab and Go: Stop buying breakfast out; you'll save so much money making these easy overnight oats. We buy our old-fashioned oats, chia seeds, and zesty lemons (we love their natural peanut butter!) from Costco and save a ton of money that way!
Great for Meal Prep: This recipe makes a single serving but you can double, triple, or even quadruple it if you want to make a bunch for the week! Depending on your preferences, I would consider whether you want to add the liquids and mix and refrigerate the night before (it only takes 5 minutes!) or make them all at once. The texture does get softer after a few days, but you can always add some granola for some crunch!

Ingredients

Pick up the following simple ingredients for this overnight oats recipe the next time you're at your local grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet certain daily values of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

½ Cup Rolled Oats: It's very important to rolled oats to get the right texture. Quick oats will just turn to mush. Steel-cut oats will not absorb the liquids fast enough to be edible.
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds
⅛ Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest
Juice of 1 Small Lemon or about 2-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice, to taste: I highly recommend fresh lemons for this recipe.
½ Cup Soy Milk or Unsweetened Almond Milk (any non-dairy milk)
½ Cup Vegan Yogurt: We use homemade Instant Pot Soy Yogurt for just about everything, but any vegan yogurt will work. We think the addition of yogurt really makes this taste like a lemon cheesecake overnight oats recipe or some kind of rich lemon dessert, anyway. Plus it gives them a creamy texture which is great if you're on the fence about overnight oats (fun fact: adding vegan yogurt is the only way Liz will eat overnight oats!
1 Tablespoon Agave or Pure Maple Syrup

Substitutions

Chia Seeds: Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed if you don't have chia on hand.
Soy Milk: While soy milk is higher in protein, there are many other great plant-based milk options that can easily used instead. Almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk are just a few of the non-dairy milk options you can use! Use any type of milk you have on hand, though we do love how creamy and high protein soy milk is!
Agave: Maple Syrup works great in these oats as well! You just want to use a liquid sweetener to make sure everything dissolves well while mixing.
Vegan Yogurt: Can't find vegan yogurt? Try blending up silken tofu (just silken tofu by itself) or you can blend up a thick cashew cream or sunflower seed cream.
Additions: Throw in some poppyseeds to make lemon poppyseed overnight oats, similar to our vegan lemon poppyseed muffins!

How to Make Lemon Overnight Oats

Mix the Dry Ingredients: Add the oats, chia seeds, and pinch of salt to your container and mix. I like to use a fork for this. For containers, you can use the fancy breakfast jars we used, a large enough mason jar, or any container you like.
Add the Wet Ingredients: Add the soy milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, agave, and vegan yogurt. Mix well and taste some of the liquid. If it's not sweet enough, now is the best time to add more sweetener.
Refrigerate to Set: Place the lid on the container(s) and set on a flat surface in the fridge to set for at least 2-4 hours but overnight is best for the best texture in our opinion.
Serve and enjoy! We love this with a side of fresh berries and a nice smooth iced matcha smoothie to help us wake up in the morning. A perfect flavor combination!
Store: These can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days, though we find the texture is best when eaten within 2-3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Blend the Mixture?

Yup, some people like to blend their overnight oats. Make sure you use the chia or flax seeds or it won't thicken in the fridge.

What Other Toppings Could I Add?

Coconut flakes, granola, berries, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, and pomegranate are all great additions.

Can I Use Steel Cut Oats or Quick Oats?

We think steel-cut oats take too long to absorb the liquids and end up not soft. You can try boiling these oats in the milk to make them more palatable. We still recommend using rolled oats for this recipe. Quick oats (AKA instant oats) have the opposite problem and absorb too quickly and can be a little soggy, though some people seem to think it tastes like cake. You'll have to eat the quick-cooking oats version within a day before they become too soggy.

More Vegan Breakfast Recipes to Try