Fast, healthy and cheap: the trifecta of student food that too often goes unfulfilled.
Of course, these terms are all relative — especially with food. What is quick for one person might be more involved for another and budgets and diets vary from person to person.
Most recipes I find only satisfy two of the three criteria, but lo and behold, this recipe is a refreshing exception, managing to meet all of the conditions that comprise the ideal of student food.
I present to you my saviour from breakfast-less mornings and lunch-less afternoons in the midst of the semester’s inevitable chaos: overnight oats.
They are low maintenance, require no cooking and are almost infinitely flexible to accommodations. If you don’t eat gluten, you can buy certified gluten-free oats. If you don’t eat dairy, you can use non-dairy milks. If you have an allergy or aversion to any of the ingredients, you can substitute almost anything similar you can think of and it will still be delicious. You can also use things you might already have on hand or that aren’t a huge investment — especially if you buy them in small quantities from bulk bins.
Below is my classic version, but there are many substitutions and combinations to play around with. This makes one serving and will last for up to two days in the fridge. Eat it for breakfast or pack for a delicious lunch or hearty snack!
Ingredients
1/4 to 1/3 cup rolled oats is where to start depending on your appetite. The oats expand as they soak, so if it looks meagre at first, have faith.
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk should match the amount of milk to oats.
1 tbsp maple syrup if you want to sweeten it. I recommend a liquid sweetener like honey, maple or agave syrup — but brown sugar also works! Just make sure you shake it really well. Err on the less sweet side because you can always add more after soaking.
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and other spices are fun to play with. Try substituting cardamom, cloves, ginger or apple pie spice. But use 1/4 tsp if you do — these spices are stronger than cinnamon.
1 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds are good substitutions as well as chopped roasted nuts, sunflower seeds and hemp hearts.
1 tsp flax seeds or sesame seeds also work and add a nice savoury flavour. You could also use chia seeds, but know that they expand into chewy, tapioca-like balls when soaked.
1/4 cup blueberries are also lovely as are sliced strawberries, bananas, raspberries, pitted cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears or apples.… The list goes on. I would recommend using berries or stone fruit over melons or citrus because of the milk. Frozen fruit are also great for this recipe – they defrost while soaking and have a nice chewy texture.
Dried fruit is another option. Cranberries, cherries, blueberries, raisins, currants, chopped up candied ginger, dried mango, pineapple, apple and apricots are all delicious choices.
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut is optional, but this makes it taste like dessert for breakfast. If you’re using sweetened shredded coconut, add less or no sugar unless you like it really sweet.
1/3 cup plain yogurt mixes into your oats in the morning to make them creamy and slightly more filling.
Instructions
Put oats, milk, sweetener, spices, seeds and/or nuts, fruit and coconut into a lidded container that seals tightly — mason jars or lidded tupperware are great. Make sure there’s a little air left at the top so that it will mix properly. Put the lid on tightly and shake.
Put in the fridge overnight or for at least six hours to soak. Eat it cold with yogurt or warmed in the microwave like oatmeal.
Variations/Substitutions
Other great combinations:
Cherry/cardamom/honey/sliced almonds
Banana/cocoa/agave/peanuts
Dried pineapple/ginger/honey/macadamia nuts
If you want something more indulgent — though obviously less healthy — or think that chocolate deserves a place in your breakfast, add chocolate chips or substitute them for fruit. Use chocolate syrup as your sweetener. Add cocoa instead of spices. Add mini marshmallows and sprinkles. Or make a banana/caramel/pecan version. Go wild.
I use rolled oats because they soak the best. Quick oats also work, but they’re a little mushier. Steel-cut oats would either need to be cooked or soaked for longer, so they probably wouldn’t work as nicely with this particular version of the recipe. You could also use an instant oatmeal packet, but you would probably need to cut out the sweetener and spices.
Try putting peanut or other nut butter into your oats for a creamier version.