Feel Good Foodie's Yumna Jawad Shares 4 Overnight Oat Recipes for What She Calls 'Morning Dessert'

Cookbook author and content creator Yumna Jawad makes oats in four flavors: lemon blueberry, mango sesame, chocolate pomegranate and peanut butter and jelly

It's easy to wake up on the right side of the bed when you know that breakfast is ready.

Yumna Jawad loves her overnight oats — which she describes as "creamy, slightly chewy and pleasantly cold like a morning dessert" — for several reasons. "It can be made the night before and ready to eat in the morning without needing to cook or reheat anything," the food blogger explains.
"I love sprinkling the crunchy toppings — like chocolate chips or peanuts — in the morning to enhance the texture."

You can prepare enough of her oat base recipe to last up to five days — and then experiment with different mix-ins based on what fruits, nuts, seeds, nut butters or other ingredients you have on hand.

"The flavor combinations I use are rich, refreshing and have some nods to my Mediterranean staples," adds the author of the new The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook. "But there are endless combinations that make this a great breakfast to have on repeat."

Related: Curtis Stone's 'Gourmet' Citrus Bostock Doesn't Require 'Any Serious Pastry Skills,' He Says

Overnight Oats Base

1 cup uncooked old-fashioned regular rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk

½ cup low-fat Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

Flavor combination of choice (recipes follow)

1. Stir together oats, almond milk, yogurt, chia seeds and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Add ingredients of desired flavor combination (see below); stir until evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap (or, alternatively, divide mixture between 2 glass jars with lids), and place in refrigerator. Let chill for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.

2. Remove from refrigerator. Divide between 2 bowls, and serve chilled or warmed through. Garnish with additional toppings as desired.

Serves: 2
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours, 20 minutes, including at least 3 hours chilling

Blueberry Lemon

½ cup fresh blueberries, plus more to garnish

1 tsp. fresh lemon zest

2 Tbsp. sweetened shredded coconut, plus more to garnish

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Add ½ cup fresh blueberries, fresh lemon zest, 2 Tbsp. sweetened shredded coconut and vanilla extract to oats. Before serving, top with blueberries and coconut.

Mango Sesame

½ cup chopped mango, plus more to garnish

1 Tbsp. tahini

2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds, plus more to garnish

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Add ½ cup chopped mango, tahini, 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds and ground cinnamon to oats. Before serving, top with mango and sesame seeds.

Chocolate Pomegranate

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus more to garnish

2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa

2 tsp. pomegranate molasses

⅛ tsp. kosher salt

1. Add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, unsweetened cocoa, pomegranate molasses and kosher salt to oats. Before serving, top with chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter & Jelly

½ cup chopped fresh strawberries, plus more to garnish

2 Tbsp. strawberry jam

2 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter

2 Tbsp. crushed dry-roasted peanuts

1. Add ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and creamy peanut butter to oats. Before serving, top with 2 Tbsp. crushed dry-roasted peanuts and strawberries.

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