19 Best Ingredients To Upgrade Your Overnight Oats

Sometimes — or maybe all the time, depending on what your daily schedule looks like — you have to get out of the door first thing in the morning. As much as you might want to make a hot breakfast from scratch, many of us just don't have that luxury on weekday mornings. You can always microwave a frozen breakfast sandwich or visit your local drive-thru on the way to work, but if you're looking for something easier, cheaper, and incredibly simple to make, overnight oats may be your ideal breakfast.

As the name implies, you make overnight oats in the evening, put them in the fridge, and enjoy them in the morning. You can heat them up if you prefer warm oats, but you can also eat them cold, straight out of the fridge. The most important thing to consider when you're making overnight oats, though, is the toppings. Those add-ins can make or break your breakfast, transforming a basic bowl of oatmeal into a breakfast you actually look forward to. The following are some of the best ingredients you can use to upgrade your overnight oats. Give them a try, or use them as inspiration for other delicious toppings.

If you're going for a sweet flavor profile but want to keep things light, berries can be one of the best additions to your overnight oats. They bulk up your oats and provide a variety of flavors and textures. There are several ways to use berries, but the easiest way is to use them fresh. Stick to the solo addition, or use a mix of different berries for a fruit-centered profile. You can also give fresh berries a boost with fruit jams. Pair similar elements, best seen in the recipe for strawberry overnight oats amped up with strawberry jam, or opt for different berries and jams for contrasting flavors. You can also cook the berries down before adding them to your oatmeal. Frozen berries will give you a much softer texture, while fresh berries are more likely to stay firm and provide some chew.

Experiment with a variety of different berries to give your overnight oats a boost of flavor. Whether you use berries as a topper or as the star of the show, they're an easy way to upgrade your oats.

On their own, oats are generally very plain. Even if you prefer their neutral flavor, you're probably going to want to add something else to the mix. Whether you're looking for a quick, sweet addition to slightly elevate a simple bowl of oats, or you're searching for the penultimate topping after you've layered all the other ingredients, honey is a great option.

There are many amazing sweeteners suitable for cooking that would be amazing in overnight oats, but we particularly like honey because it delivers more than just sweetness. Depending on the honey you use, it may impart various flavors and aromas, in most cases nuanced floral or even herbaceous notes, adding a layer of complexity to your overnight oats. For best results, make sure you're using raw honey — not the glorified, honey-flavored sugary concoctions.

When you want to add flavor and texture and additionally amp up the nutritional profile of overnight oats, you can't go wrong with seeds. Of course, there are a ton of different seeds to choose from. Chia seeds are one of the obvious options, as they lend a lovely texture. You can stir them directly into the oat mixture and let them sit overnight to soak up the excess liquid, or you can mix your overnight oats with the classic chia seed pudding, which you can make separately.

You don't have to stick to chia seeds, though. Pumpkin seeds can make a fun addition to your overnight oats, particularly if you're going for a pumpkin spice-adjacent flavor. Sesame seeds can lend a nutty flavor to the dish, and sunflower seeds can offer a delightful crunch.

You may think of overnight oats as a primarily sweet concoction, but in reality, you can easily transform them into a savory dish. If you prefer waking up to a savory breakfast, try adding ground meat to your overnight oats. Yes, you'll have to cook the meat the night before, then combine it with the oat mix. Add some broth or water to soften the oats overnight, and you'll have a deeply flavorful, high-protein breakfast to dig into first thing in the morning.

Ground chicken, turkey, beef, and pork can all work here, or you could opt for vegan ground meat instead. Even tofu scramble or tempeh could be an amazingly delicious replacement if you're trying to stay away from animal protein.

When you want your overnight oats to be rich and creamy but also prefer a bit of tang, and maybe even some sweetness, yogurt is the ingredient you should turn to. For the most neutral base, choose unflavored yogurt. Greek yogurt is best if you want your oats to have some zest, particularly if you're opting to make a savory bowl of oats. Regular yogurt is the way to go if you prefer a more neutral, or sweeter flavor profile. You can choose from full-fat yogurt or low-fat versions, depending on your preference.

Yogurt is an amazing addition because it is incredibly versatile and works amazingly with other toppings. Go with fruits and nuts for a sweeter breakfast or meat and veggies for heartier, savory versions.

If you buy flavored oatmeal packets, you may notice that a lot of them taste like vanilla. If you want to harness that same flavor in your homemade overnight oats, stock up on the best vanilla extract. Of course, you can always use whole vanilla beans if you happen to have some, but it can be expensive to have them on hand on a regular basis. Vanilla extract is easy to find at most grocery stores and offers a budget-friendly alternative to the real thing. Plus, once you add other ingredients, you can't really notice the difference.

If you ask us, vanilla extract works best in overnight oats when it's combined with something sweet. Try pairing it with honey, or opt for alternatives such as maple or agave syrup.

Here's another one for the savory oatmeal lovers. Miso can make a wonderfully salty, umami addition to your overnight oats, and it can be paired with other ingredients or used on its own. There are different types of miso you can use in your oatmeal recipes, so choose the one that best fits your taste and the profile you're aiming for.

White miso arguably has the lightest, most approachable flavor, and it has less salt compared to other varieties. Yellow miso has a more pronounced flavor than white miso and is known for its high levels of acidity. Finally, there's red miso, which packs the most intense flavor punch. You can choose which variety you prefer based on the type of flavor you're going for. All three of these can add complexity and a unique umami profile to your breakfast.

Whether you're opting for savory or sweet overnight oats, sea salt can come in handy. If you cook a lot, it's probably something you already have on hand, so you won't have to run to the grocery store to incorporate this simple addition. In sweet overnight oats recipes, salt can balance the dish, toning down the intense sweetness and creating harmony between the sweet and salty elements. In savory versions, the salt can make other ingredients more prominent and generally enhance the dish.

Basically, no matter what kind of overnight oats you're trying to make, sea salt is a welcome addition. Sprinkle some into the recipe the night before, and you'll see what all the hype is about.

Many home cooks think about solid ingredients they want to add to overnight oats and often ignore or consider the spices that can easily upgrade their favorite combinations. These are perhaps the easiest ingredients you could add to overnight oats because they're shelf-stable and you're not likely to run out of them. Although there are a ton of different spices you can use here, baking spices may be one of our favorites.

When we say baking spices, we're thinking of flavorings like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. They might remind you of baked goods, Christmas cookies, or cozy nights at grandma's house. If you're making sweet overnight oats, these spices add a depth of flavor that will instantly upgrade your oats.

There are many fruits that work well in overnight oats, but bananas are certainly one of the best options. We love putting bananas in our oats because they yield a thick, almost creamy texture you can't achieve with other fruits. If you want soft and pliable bananas, you can microwave them before adding them to your overnight oats mix. This results in an incredibly rich texture, but they also impart well-balanced sweetness without adding honey or sugar.

If you want bananas to retain texture and chew, slice them and add them on top of the oatmeal before you let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight. Whichever technique you opt for, using bananas is a cheap and easy way to upgrade your oats.

Adding cheddar cheese is another simple way to upgrade savory overnight oats. You can use various cheese varieties for this overnight specialty, but we particularly like cheddar because the sharp, intense flavor provides a nice balance with the neutral profile of regular oats. Plus, it pairs well with many other toppings, like ground meat, miso, and Greek yogurt.

If you like to heat overnight oats, add cheddar to the mixture any way you like. However, if you plan to eat them cold, you'll probably want to grate the cheese so it's evenly distributed throughout the dish. That way, you'll get that sharp cheesiness in every bite.

Just because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it doesn't mean it's not a good time to satisfy your cravings. If you're a true chocolate lover, this is one of the best ways to eat it in the morning. Chocolate chips are a great addition to overnight oats because they lend the dish some sweetness. They also deliver a more varied texture. You can warm up your overnight oats to get the gooey, melted chocolate situation, or enjoy them cold with more toothsome chocolate chips.

We like mini chocolate chips the best, as they blend better with the rest of the ingredients. However, you can use larger chips or chocolate chunks if you want intense chocolate flavor.

It's always nice to incorporate fresh fruit into your overnight oats recipes, but there may be times when you don't have fresh fruit on hand. Luckily, you don't have to run to the grocery store just to make your fruit quota for the morning. One easy way to make sure you always have fruit on hand to add to your overnight oats is to keep some dried coconut flakes in your pantry. They make for a sweet, chewy addition to your oats, and you won't have to buy a new bag of them every week as they are shelf-stable and easy to stock on.

You can add coconut flakes in the evening so they have time to soften up and be easier to chew. However, you can also add them right before you serve the oats, if you want them to retain more of the original, crispy texture.

You don't have to choose between eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. The two can go well together, especially if you use a soft-boiled egg as a topping. This is best done in the morning so you can ensure your egg is as fresh as possible. Luckily, it doesn't take long to soft boil an egg, and you can even do that the night before you serve the oats. Remove the egg from its shell, slice it in half, and place it on top of your prepped oatmeal.

There is a reason why we recommend a soft-boiled egg instead of hard-boiled. It all comes down to that rich, decadent yolk. If that yolk is still runny, it can be used as a thick sauce for your overnight oats and make the best savory upgrade.

Who says that breakfast can't taste like dessert? Definitely not us. On those days when you need a little extra comfort in your life, let loose and add some whipped cream to your overnight oats right before you serve it. You don't want to leave that whipped cream in the container overnight, as it might lose its form and that signature airy texture. Using sweetened whipped cream can lend the oats some sweetness, but you can always use the plain version.

Serving whipped cream on top of your oats is a way to make your breakfast fun. It makes you feel like you're eating a cake first thing in the morning, and there is nothing better than eating a cake-like treat right after waking up.

If you're craving overnight oats but don't know how to achieve a rich, complex, and salty flavor profile, this is the ingredient for you. Soy sauce can work wonders in most recipes, but it shines in overnight oats. Because oats are so neutral, they can handle a lot of flavor derived from other ingredients, and soy sauce is ideal for this purpose. Salty, packed with umami, and undeniably bold, soy sauce can single-handedly transform a boring bowl of oats into a surprisingly delicious breakfast.

Keep in mind that if you're using soy sauce, you might want to pull back on the amount of salt you typically use in savory overnight oats recipes. Taste as you go to avoid digging into a salt bomb at 7 a.m.

Fresh fruit is beloved for its juiciness, but dried fruit can offer an equally interesting flavor profile, not to mention a markedly more exciting texture. Dried fruit tends to be sweeter than its fresh counterpart because sugar is more concentrated, so adding it to your overnight oats may mean you can pull back on other sweeteners you typically use. It also has a richer, warmer flavor that can work well for cozier, heartier recipes.

We also love the texture that dried fruit offers. It's often quite chewy, which can be a nice break from the soft, unremarkable texture of the oatmeal. Try using raisins, dried mangoes, or dried apple slices in your next bowl of overnight oats. Freeze-dried fruit can also add an interesting crunch to the mix.

You can add various nuts to your overnight oats if you want to boost texture, nutritional value, and flavor, but if you ask us, almonds are the best choice. This is because of the lovely, soft texture that almonds take on after soaking in liquid. They lose their crunchy texture and instead become soft and chewy, which feels like a real treat when you dig into your oatmeal. That's why we suggest adding them to your overnight oats the night before.

If you want more of that crunchy texture, add slivered almonds to your overnight oats right before you're ready to eat them. You can incorporate them into the mix or sprinkle them on top of the oats. Slivered almonds are a bit easier to chew than whole almonds, and they'll still deliver that mildly nutty flavor we love.

If there's one ingredient that can upgrade just about anything, it's melted butter. Good quality butter is quite rich in flavor and adds an essential roundness that oatmeal is typically missing. If you plan on heating your oatmeal before eating it the next morning, you can place a pat of butter in the container before you go to bed at night. On the other hand, if you want to eat your overnight oats cold, you're better off just melting some butter in the morning and pouring it on top right before you're ready to eat.

Make sure you mix the butter in well to get a taste of that signature richness in every bite. The best thing about this topping is that butter can work for both sweet and savory oats.