Peanut butter fans - this one's for you. And me. I do love my peanut butter and these apple peanut butter overnight oats are a delicious and satisfying way to enjoy it. Creamy overnight oats with swirls of rich peanut butter and crisp fresh apple combine in a simple, make-ahead breakfast that will fuel you for hours. Prepare it in 5 minutes with only 6 ingredients. Let's go.
Jump to:
- Why We Love Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Do Overnight Oats Cause Sugar Spikes?
- Are Overnight Oats Good for You?
- Overnight Oats Ingredients & Substitutions
- How to Prepare Vegan Overnight Oats
- How to Store Overnight Oats
- Alternative Toppings
- FAQs
- More Plant-based Breakfast Recipes To Try
- Make This Recipe
- Leave a Comment
Why We Love Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Do Overnight Oats Cause Sugar Spikes?
The quick answer is yes, eating oats results in a rise in blood sugar, but these "spikes"—as social media often calls them—are not inherently bad for most people. Oats are a significant source of carbohydrates which your body, through a series of very cool chemical processes, converts to glucose (the "spike") and eventually ATP (your body's energy currency). Glucose triggers your pancreas to release insulin, which sets off another series of reactions to manage the increase in blood sugar levels.
While overnight oats can provide a nourishing breakfast for most people, they may not be ideal on their own for those with insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, or diabetes.
Are Overnight Oats Good for You?
Yes, overnight oats are incredibly good for you. Oats are high in fibre, including beta-glucan, which is known to help lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol and regulate blood sugar.
In fact, overnight oats may actually be better for your blood sugar than hot oats. Soaking raw oats creates resistant starch—a type of fibre that digests more slowly and results in a much more gradual glucose release.
To optimise this even further, combining your overnight oats with healthy fats, protein, and additional fibre is suggested to "clothe" your carbohydrates. Adding these ingredients slows down digestion and the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, giving you sustained energy all morning.
Great add-ins for overnight oats include:
Disclaimer: While I am a qualified nutritionist, this information is for general use. If you are insulin resistant, pre-diabetic or diabetic, speak to your specialist about your individual needs.
Overnight Oats Ingredients & Substitutions
Rolled oats. Old fashioned rolled oats give the best texture for overnight oats. You can use steel cut oats but you'll need to add more liquid and they have a chewier texture. You can also use quick oats but they will much softer the next day.
Dairy-free Milk. Use your favourite dairy-free milk - I use soy as a gentle way of boosting my protein intake but oat or almond milk will work too.
Chia Seeds. Besides being little nutritional powerhouses (hello, omega-3, fibre and antioxidants), chia seeds gel up overnight to create a super creamy oat texture. If you love chia pudding, try my strawberry chia pudding - it's tastes like strawberry milk.
Maple Syrup. You can't go wrong with a little sweetness and a touch of maple syrup is perfect here. You could also use agave or rice malt syrup.
Peanut butter. We're making peanut butter overnight oats today, so we're gonna need some peanut butter. You could swap it for any nut or seed butter you like.
To add extra creaminess to your overnight oats, you can add a good dollop of yoghurt too.
How to Prepare Vegan Overnight Oats
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Preparing overnight oats with peanut butter is ridiculously easy. You can either prepare them in the jars you are going to serve them in or in a mixing bowl to transfer later.
I use a mixing bowl but that's because I am a Messy-Bessy and just find the larger vessel easier. I make enough oats for a few days so the bowl works for that too.
Step 1.
Add the milk, peanut butter, chia seeds, maple syrup and vanilla to a jar or bowl and give a quick stir. Add the oats and a pinch of salt and stir until combined. You can add seeds or any nuts you like now too.
Step 2.
Cover with cling wrap, foil or a lid and pop in the fridge to rest at least 3 hours but overnight oats are best after a night's rest.
Step 3.
Top with vegan yoghurt and apple slices or cubes to serve.
How easy is that?!
How to Store Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are great for making ahead and topping with a different topping each day.
To Store. Overnight oats will stay good for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. I generally store the peanut butter oats without any fruit and top them up fresh each day. If you add fruit to the original mixture, keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days, no more. The fruit will go bad first.
For Freezing: Yes, you can freeze overnight oats! Make up your mixture and transfer the soaked oats in serving size containers in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Alternative Toppings
Anyone who has smeared a good dollop of peanut butter on to a freshly sliced apple will love this Peanut Butter Overnight Oats recipe with apple. But you can mix it up with other easy toppings.
Whether you're meal-prepping breakfasts for the week or need a quick grab-and-go option, these Apple Peanut Butter Overnight Oats are an easy way to start the day with fibre, protein and plenty of flavour.
FAQs
This is a tricky one because even certified gluten-free oats can be troublesome for celiac sufferers. In theory, the recipe will work with gluten-free oats but to be safe, perhaps try this overnight buckwheat recipe from Foolproof Living.
You can use quick oats to make overnight oats however, they will be much softer - mushier- than rolled oats.
Overnight oats - without fruit stirred through - will last for 3-4 days stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
More Plant-based Breakfast Recipes To Try
Sign up to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Insta for all the latest news. If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook "Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family" It's full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.
Make This Recipe
Apple Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats heaping
- ¾ tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup dairy-free milk
- 1½ tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or more if you like sweeter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- small pinch of salt
Toppings
- ⅓ cup crisp apple cubed
- 2 tablespoon chopped peanuts optional
- Peanut Butter Caramel optional
Instructions
- Add the milk, peanut butter, chia seeds, maple syrup and vanilla to a jar or bowl and give them a quick stir. Mx in the oats and salt and stir again. Don't worry if the peanut butter doesn't mix completely - it's almost better to have streaks of peanut butter through your oats.
- Cover with cling wrap, foil or a lid and pop in the fridge to rest at least 3 hours but overnight is best.
- Remove from the fridge and place a thick layer of sliced or cubed apple over the oats.
- Dollop a good amount of dairy-free yoghurt on top and add chopped nuts. Optional of course, but so tasty. Enjoy.
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Stine Mari says
Lovely photos for a lovely breakfast!
Amanda says
Oh, thanks so much Stine. I love the peanut and apple combination.
Yasmin says
Your photographs are absolutely gorgeous! Looks so delicious! xx
Amanda says
Thanks so much Yasmin. That's really lovely of you to say.
athleticavocado says
This is what I call the most perfect breakfast! I'm a huge fan of pb and apples in oats!
Amanda says
Thank you! I love pb and apple slices so this was a natural progression.
Rahul says
I love the pics and the recipe too...looking forward to try this yummy recipe asap!