Overnight Steel Cut Oats are a delicious, healthy, make-ahead breakfast. This recipe combines steel-cut oats and almond milk along with other goodies like fresh fruit, nuts, and seeds. This nutritional breakfast can be prepped quickly and packed in mason jars for an easy, take-along, healthy breakfast.

Do you like oatmeal? I have loved oatmeal since I was a little girl, so this recipe was right up my alley. Not fond of steel-cut oats? No worries, you can make these with old-fashioned rolled oats as well. It is so easy to personalize these with your favorite goodies. This is the perfect breakfast for health-conscious families that are always on the go. You can pack them in mason jars or Tupperware-style containers for little ones.
I have a whole house full of oatmeal fans. If you like oatmeal as much as we do, try my oatmeal muffins, oatmeal pancakes, oatmeal raisin cookies, and oatmeal bars.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients on the recipe card below.
- Steel Cut Oats: Steel-cut oats, also known as pinhead oats or Irish oats, are coarser than other types of oats and have a chewier texture. The cooking and softening time for steel-cut oats is longer than for old-fashioned rolled oats. They absorb more liquid and take longer to soak.
- Milk: I used almond milk, but use your favorite milk.
- Maple Syrup: This can be substituted for honey or agave at a 1:1 ratio. Other substitutions include date syrup, golden syrup, and caramel syrup.
- Vanilla Extract: You can use almond extract, vanilla bean paste, or vanilla yogurt.

How to Make Overnight Steel Cut Oats
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Grab an airtight container. Add oats, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- On the second day, add ¼ cup of fruit, nuts, or seeds to a mason jar. Spoon in an equal amount of the overnight oats mixture and top with more fruit and a drizzle of honey. Cover the jars with the lids and refrigerate.
Flavor Variations
- Banana Nut: ½ banana, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, almond butter, or any nut butter, and 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans or walnuts.
- Pina Colada: ⅓ cup chopped pineapple, 1 tablespoon toasted coconut.
- Almond Blueberry: ¼ cup blueberries, 1 tablespoon flax seeds or hemp seeds, 2 tablespoons sliced almonds.
- Mixed berry: A few blackberries, a few raspberries, ¼ cup chopped strawberries.
- Apple: ⅓ cup chopped apple, a couple of pinches of cinnamon, ½ tablespoon chia seeds.

Do You Have to Use Steel-Cut Oats for Overnight Oats?
If you prefer rolled oats in your oatmeal, mix them in place of the steel-cut oats. Jump to the second day when you fill the mason jars with fruit, nuts, seeds, and mixed oats. Cover and refrigerate for one night.
Feel free to mix or match any of these or try some new interesting combos that work for you and what you have on hand. These oats are a delicious, healthy breakfast that travels well when you are running late.
More Oatmeal Recipes

Overnight Steel Cut Oats Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1½ cups almond milk or your milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Banana Nut
- ½ banana
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon of chopped pecan
Pina Colada
- ⅓ cup chopped pineapple
- 1 tablespoons toasted coconut
Almond Blueberry
- ¼ cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon flax seed
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Mixed Berry
- ¼ cup blackberries
- ¼ cup raspberries
Instructions
- In an airtight container, add the oats, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine, cover, and refrigerate overnight, stirring a couple of times.
- On the second day, add about ¼ cup of fruit, nuts, or seeds to a mason jar. Spoon in a ¼ cup of overnight oats and top with more fruit. Cover the jars with the lids and refrigerate them one more night.
Notes
- If you prefer rolled oats in your oatmeal, mix them in place of the steel-cut oats. Jump to the second day when you fill the mason jars with fruit, nuts, seeds, and the mixed oats. Cover and refrigerate for one night.
- The nutritional information is just for the overnight oats.
Nutrition
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Alicia
Looks delicious! I see a lot of other overnight oats recommend Chia seeds. Could we add Chia seeds to this recipe?
Beth Pierce
Yes, you sure can!
Mary
Im making this and was wondering if I can use frozen berries?
Beth Pierce
Yes you sure can!
Sandra
I love make ahead breakfast! And this one is so perfect!
Betty
So easy, healthy, and delicious. Make ahead for those busy school mornings when you can barely catch your breath.
katerina @ diethood.com
My favorite breakfast! Can’t wait to try all of these!! YUM!
Erin
What a perfect way to start my day! I just love everything about this!
Katie L
Do you have any suggestions for using quick cooking steel cut oats??
Beth Pierce
How about a little bit in cookies.
Katie L
No, I mean, if I wanted to use quick cooking steel cut oats for overnight oats, would you recommend any changes in your recipe?
Beth Pierce
Ahh. I have not worked with those. I am sure that they do not need to soak as long. You might need to experiment with them a bit.
Casey
I love all of these tasty options, and some I’d never have thought of. What a great way to get the kids to eat something nutritious!
Chenee
I eat a lot of overnight oats for the health benefits, but never thought about putting pineapple and coconut in it! This was more like a dessert… we all loved it!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Chenee! It is so yummy!
Ali
I didn’t know you could make overnight oats with steel cut oats! I have a huge bag I need to use up, this looks like a great recipe for them.