This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
These healthy overnight oats with frozen fruit are easy to make and perfect for meal prep. Oatmeal is a satisfying, nutritious, and budget-friendly plant-based breakfast.
Using frozen fruit is an easy way to have everything on hand to make a healthy breakfast for busy mornings. Prepare the oats, then top with frozen berries, cherries, or mangos. The fruit will thaw overnight. Then, stir the fruit into the oats, and the juices will help flavor the oatmeal. The frozen fruit overnight oat recipe is customizable with a variety of topping ideas and variations.
The recipe doesn't require any cooking and uses simple ingredients to make this creamy oatmeal. There are several ways to add frozen fruit to this easy oat recipe.
I've outlined the basic method in the recipe card below, but for more options, try my recipe for blueberry cheesecake overnight oats or mixed berry cheesecake overnight oats for a layered oatmeal. Try my recipe for strawberry overnight oats to puree the frozen fruit with milk. For more easy overnight oatmeal recipes using frozen fruit, try cherry overnight oats, raspberry overnight oats, or mango overnight oatmeal.
Jump to:
Recipe features
- It's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based!
- No yogurt and budget-friendly!
- 5-minute meal prep breakfast idea!
- Easily customizable!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
The recipe uses simple ingredients, but please see the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
Old-fashioned oats - Rolled oats are the foundation for my overnight oat recipes. I like to stick to old-fashioned rolled oats for the best texture, not steel-cut oats or quick oats.
Frozen fruit - Most frozen fruit should work. For this recipe, I use a mixed berry blend. Blueberries, cherries, peaches, and mangos work well, or use your favorite fruit. For frozen berry overnight oats, some frozen berries will lose their shape and become more mushy than other fruits. Frozen berries will release liquid as they thaw. Stir the berries and liquid into the oats to help flavor the oatmeal. Some berries will soften more and almost disintegrate when stirred into the oats, like raspberries.
Dairy-free milk - Any plant-based milk will work. Try almond, coconut, soy, oat, or cashew milk. I prefer a 1-to-1 ratio of rolled oats to milk, but adjust for your preferences. To use water, try overnight oats without milk.
Maple syrup - This can be substituted with agave syrup or another sweetener of your choice. Adjust the amount of sweetener to suit your preference.
Ground flaxseed - They soak up the milk and create a creamier texture for your overnight oats. Ground flaxseed can be replaced with chia seeds if needed. For more recipes with flaxseeds, try banana flaxseed pudding with strawberries.
Tips
- I prefer the consistency of a 1-to-1 ratio of oats to milk, and I use ground flax seeds to soak up some of the milk. If you prefer a thicker consistency for this overnight oatmeal, then reduce the milk by a tablespoon or two.
- If you prefer a thinner consistency, then add more milk.
- Add maple syrup to suit your preferences for sweetness.
- The recipe is for one serving, but multiple servings can be made at one time. This makes them perfect for a make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings.
How to make overnight oats with frozen fruit
There are several ways to add frozen fruit to this easy oat recipe. I added option 1 in the recipe card, but here are a couple of other options for you to try.
Option 1: Mix all the ingredients for the overnight oatmeal (except fruit) in a jar or airtight container. Then top with the frozen fruit. Place the oatmeal in the refrigerator to soak for at least 2 to 3 hours or longer for the frozen fruit to thaw (overnight is best). When ready to consume, stir the oats with the thawed fruit. The fruit and juices that are released will help flavor the oats.
Option 2: Thaw the frozen berries until they've softened and mash them in the bottom of the jar to have a layer of fruit. Then, mix the rest of the ingredients for the oats separately. Let the oatmeal sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken.
Next, layer the oat mixture on top of the fruit layer, like in my blueberry cheesecake overnight oats. With this method, you might want to add more flavor to the oats since the fruit will be separate. This can be done by adding lemon juice, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, or a nut or seed butter. Let the oats soak for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Option 3: Use a blender to puree the frozen fruit with milk. Then mix the liquid with the rest of the ingredients for the oatmeal. Like in my vegan strawberry overnight oats. When I puree the berries, I like to add ½ tablespoon of lemon juice to help preserve the color. Let the oats soak for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Variations
There are a variety of ways to add different flavors to oatmeal, but here are a few suggestions.
- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower butter
- Dairy-free yogurt
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- A little lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Chocolate chips
- Frozen fruit layer: Thaw frozen fruit enough to mash to make a layer of fruit on the bottom of the jar. Check out blueberry cheesecake overnight oats for more in-depth instructions.
- Blend frozen fruit: Blend the frozen fruit and dairy-free milk from the recipe and stir in the rest of the overnight oat ingredients. See the vegan strawberry overnight oat recipe for more in-depth instructions.
- Chocolate: Make it chocolatey by adding 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder. You may need to add more maple syrup to balance the bitterness of the cocoa powder and a splash of milk to thin out the oats.
- Blueberry lemon: Add lemon zest and frozen blueberries on top.
- Cherry: Add 1 tablespoon of almond butter and/or ⅛ teaspoon almond extract, and frozen cherries like in this recipe for overnight oats with frozen cherries.
- Raspberry: Add 1 tablespoon of almond butter and frozen raspberries, like in this recipe for overnight oats with frozen raspberries.
- Tropical: Frozen mango with shredded coconut, or try my recipe for overnight oats with frozen mango.
- Black Forest: Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder, use 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (instead of 2 teaspoons per the recipe below), and ½ cup frozen cherries to the top of the mixture and thaw overnight.
Toppings
If you add toppings to your overnight oats, add them the next morning, especially granola and nuts or seeds, so they remain crunchy.
- Chocolate chips or cocoa nibs
- Oil-free Granola
- Vegan yogurt
- Nuts or seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Fresh fruit like sliced banana or more fresh berries
- Shredded coconut
Storage
Refrigerator - Store the oatmeal in airtight containers in the refrigerator. I prefer to consume overnight oats with frozen fruit within 2-3 days. Oats without the fruit will last about 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. To meal prep for the work or school week, I prepare 5 days' worth of overnight oats without the fruit, then I add a serving of frozen fruit to a container the night before I plan on consuming it. Then the frozen fruit will thaw by morning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! Frozen fruit can be added to overnight oatmeal, a great alternative to fresh fruit. If you use frozen mangos, they're already peeled and chopped, making the prep work easier. If you're using frozen berries, they'll release liquid as they thaw. Stir the berries and liquid into the oats, and they will help flavor the oatmeal. Some berries will soften more and almost disintegrate when stirred into the oats.
No, steel-cut oats don't work well for overnight oats. If you need steel-cut oat breakfast recipes, try apple steel-cut oats, banana steel-cut oats, or pumpkin steel-cut oats.
No, you don't have to soak the oats overnight, but it does give the oats more time to soften and thicken up. They will need to be soaked for at least 2-3 hours to soften.
Yes, you can freeze overnight oats in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. If you do, I would make sure you freeze the container upright. I only tested with dairy-free milk as the liquid, so I can't say for sure how well yogurt or water would work. When I thawed my overnight oats in the fridge overnight, they didn't completely thaw by morning, so I continued to thaw them on the counter.
Related recipes
I hope you enjoy this recipe for an easy dairy-free breakfast idea! If you did, feel free to rate it and leave a comment. For more simple vegan breakfasts, check out all my easy vegan breakfast recipes.
Recipe
Easy Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These healthy overnight oats with frozen fruit are easy to make and perfect for meal prep. Using frozen fruit is an easy way to have everything on hand to make a healthy breakfast for busy mornings.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup (118 ml) dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup, or to taste
- ½ cup (70 g) frozen fruit (I use a mixed berry blend)
Instructions
- Mix the rolled oats, dairy-free milk, ground flaxseed, and maple syrup in a jar or a container with a lid.
- Then top with frozen fruit. Let the oats soak for at least 2-3 hours in the refrigerator or until the fruit is thawed, but overnight is best.
- Before consuming, stir the thawed fruit into the oats, and enjoy.
Notes
If you prefer a thicker consistency for these overnight oatmeal, then reduce the milk by a tablespoon or two.
If you prefer a thinner consistency, then add more milk.
Check out the blog post for more ways to add frozen fruit to overnight oats.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soaking time: 2 hours
- Category: breakfast
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: american
Runa says
This was my first try of overnight oats. Also my first try of flaxseed. That part will be a bit of an acquired taste for me but overall very good! I found the flaxseed flavor doesn't stand out so much if I heat it before eating. I will try your other recipes and variations. Thank you!
Allie says
Thanks for leaving a comment! Out of my oatmeal recipes, the strawberry overnight oats and applesauce overnight oats are the top favorites among readers. You can also try chia seeds instead of ground flax seeds.
Sara says
Thanks for the recipe, I have a frozen berry blend on hand; this was an excellent go-to breakfast.
Allie says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for commenting!