Overnight Oats Without Milk (Four Ways)

Do you have a craving for overnight oats but you have no milk on hand? Or you're wanting to make overnight oats without milk to make them dairy free? This creamy, smooth overnight oats recipe is perfect for you and only takes minutes to prepare! Plus, I give you four different ways to make overnight oats without milk, so you will probably already have the ingredients on hand.

Overnight oats are the perfect healthy breakfast to meal prep in advance. They are essentially like cold oatmeal and are great for the warmer months. Overnight oats are a quick grab-and-go breakfast that taste delicious and keep you full all morning long. My mixed berry compote or raspberry compote is the perfect accompaniment to these overnight oats. 

And for more overnight oats recipes you might like to try my Pistachio Overnight Oats, Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit, Overnight Oats with Protein Powder or my Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats.

This recipe is plant-based, vegan and dairy free so long as you use a plant-based milk and/or yoghurt. 

Jump to:

• What You'll Love About This Recipe
• Base Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions 
• How to Replace Milk 
• Optional Add-ins
• Toppings 
• Step-By-Step With Pictures 
• Tips & Tricks
• Storage
• FAQ
• More Overnight Oat Recipes 
• 📖 Recipe
• Comments

What You'll Love About This Recipe

There is so much to love about this overnight oats recipe without milk! They are:

• the perfect, quick and nutritious breakfast to meal prep. 
• smooth with a creamy texture, yet still dairy free! 
• an easy make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings. 
• filled with fibre, healthy fats and plant based protein to keep you fuller for longer. 
• Hemp seeds and chia seeds for added essential fatty acids. 

Base Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions 

I love that this recipe is packed with healthy ingredients that are easy to find. To make this overnight oats recipe you will need:

• rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) - you could also use quick oats or instant oats (I prefer to use non-contaminated oats).
• hemp seeds - these are optional so use them only if you have them (they can be swapped for any other seed). 
• chia seeds - chia seeds help to thicken the overnight oats. They aren't essential but help with the texture. You could also use flax seeds or flax meal. 
• vanilla extract - optional, use only if you have on hand. 
• pure maple syrup - use any other sweetener of choice such as honey or a small amount of coconut sugar or brown sugar. 

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient quantities. 

How to Replace Milk 

There are several ways that you can make overnight oats without milk but these four are my favourite! 

Water - I normally make my cooked oatmeal with water so why wouldn't this work for overnight oats as well? In place of water you could use any non-dairy milk you have on hand like coconut milk, soy milk, hemp milk, oat milk or unsweetened almond milk. 

Yoghurt + Water - In the picture recipe I have used a combination of water and coconut yoghurt to create a thick and creamy. You could also use Greek yogurt or your preferred yogurt. Note that if you use a sweetened yogurt, you probably won't need to add maple syrup as it will be sweet enough already. 

Nut or Seed Butter + Water - Mixing almond butter, cashew butter or tahini into water gives an instant, milk-like, creamy liquid that is perfect for soaking oats in! Use one tablespoon of your preferred nut or seed butter in this recipe. 

Juice - Use your favourite juice to soak the oats in. I prefer to use a cold pressed juice that is made using just fruit and not reconstituted fruit and definitely avoid juice with added sugar! Freshly squeezed orange juice works perfectly in this recipe!

Optional Add-ins

Get creative with this recipe by adding in some delicious extras. Some ideas are:

• chocolate chips
• dried fruit like sultanas or dried cranberries
• protein powder
• ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• cocoa powder

Toppings 

Look, you can eat overnight oats plain if you like. Really, you can. But personally I find them much more delicious and fun by adding delicious toppings. You might like to try these:

• fresh blueberries, strawberries or raspberries
• slices of banana
• cacao nibs
• drizzle of maple syrup
• extra nuts and seeds
• tahini
• a dollop of yoghurt 
• granola for crunch factor

Step-By-Step With Pictures 

This overnight oatmeal recipe is perfect for a delicious breakfast that takes next to no time throwing together. See the steps and images below for how I made these overnight oats using yoghurt and water instead of milk. 

STEP 1: Add all ingredients to a jar. Add in the rolled oats, water, hemp seeds, chia seeds, vanilla extract, coconut yoghurt and pure maple syrup to a glass tumbler, glass jar or airtight container. 

STEP 2: Stir and store. Give the mixture a good stir until it's all very well combined. Place the lid on firmly or cover with compostable cling film. Pop the oats into the fridge overnight to eat the next morning (or for at least 3 hours). 

STEP 3: Add toppings. Top with your favourite toppings like fresh fruit and berries, extra yoghurt or tahini. 

Tips & Tricks

• I suggest mixing your overnight oats in a glass jar (like a mason jar) with a lid, a glass tumbler or in an airtight container. 
• This recipe makes one serve but if you're meal prepping on a Sunday night (or anytime of the week really), it's a good idea to triple the recipe for three days of easy breakfasts! 

Storage

Store overnight oats in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. 

FAQ

More Overnight Oat Recipes 

I'm adding more and more overnight oats recipes to the blog all of the time (can't stop, won't stop!). Here are some others you might like to try:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
• Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats (my all time favorite!)
• Strawberry Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk

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