Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats

This Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats recipe is an easy and convenient way to start your day. Breakfast on the go that’s delicious and filling? Sign me up!

Originally posted June 21, 2022. Updated September 15, 2024.

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Why I love these Lemon Blueberry Oats

If you have been following this blog or my socials for any stretch of time, you will know how much I love overnight oats. I make a double batch 2-3 times per week so that my mornings are stress-free. There’s nothing as reassuring as knowing that a delicious breakfast is already made for the upcoming day. And to top it off, it only takes 5 minutes to prep.

Let’s go through a quick list: quick to make (check), can be prepared the night before (check), provides protein (check), fibre (check), healthy fats (check), and is a major flavour burst in your mouth (check)!! Okay, great. Glad we covered all of that.

The nutrient-packed ingredients support your health and keep you feeling full and satisfied. They also make an easy meal prep option. Just double or triple the recipe to prepare a few in advance so you don’t have to make them every night!

This Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats recipe is super impressive while still being extremely simple to make. If needed, you can also make a variety of adjustments and substitutions, depending on your preferences. 

 

Ingredients needed

Here’s what you need to make these easy overnight oats:

• Oats
  • I prefer using large flake oats for overnight oats because they hold the texture better.
  • See alternative oat options below.
• Chia seeds
  • These gel up when they are mixed with liquid and they add some volume and extra nutrients to the recipe.
• Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
  • I recommend using Greek yogurt because it’s thicker and provides significantly more protein compared to regular yogurt.
• Milk
  • Milk makes this meal creamy and offers additional protein, fats, calcium and other nutrients if fortified. 
  • Use your preferred choice of milk or plant-based beverage.
• Fresh blueberries
  • Fresh blueberries are key! When frozen blueberries thaw they add extra liquid to the oats and they don’t have the same flavour or texture that fresh blueberries do. 
• Lemon zest
  • Using lemon zest instead of lemon juice allows for more control over your flavours and tends to prevent the sourness that can come from lemon juice. If you prefer the combination of lime and blueberry, feel free to use this citrus fruit instead. If you don’t already have a lemon zester, this is similar to the one that I own and use weekly!
• Chopped walnuts
  • These are used for topping and add an element of crunch.

 

Optional ingredients

You might not be a fan of some of the recommended ingredients in this recipe. Or maybe you don’t have access to them. Perhaps you just want to add your own personal twist to it! Here are some suggested alternatives:

• Quick oats or old fashioned rolled oats
  • If you don’t have large flake oats you can substitute quick or rolled oats instead. I recommend reducing the milk by 1-2 tbsp so that it’s not too liquidy or mushy.
• Flavoured Greek yogurt
  • If you prefer a flavoured Greek yogurt, you can use this in place of the plain Greek yogurt in this recipe. I recommend vanilla, lemon or blueberry flavoured yogurt.
• Regular yogurt
  • Instead of Greek yogurt, you can use regular yogurt. However, this tends to be more liquidy than Greek yogurt so I recommend reducing the milk by 1-2 tbsp.
• Alternative milks
  • If you are looking for a higher protein option, I recommend using dairy milk or soy milk. Other plant-based beverages like oat milk or almond milk will still work in this recipe but provide much less protein.
• Strawberries or blackberries
  • You can use a variety of berries in this recipe if you prefer them to blueberries
• Seeds
  • If you’re trying to manage a nut allergy, opt for adding seeds instead, or disregard altogether.
  • For example: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc.
• Protein powder
  • If you want to add an extra boost of protein to overnight oats, you can use protein powder. I recommend adding a small amount to start with to make sure you enjoy the taste and texture. 
  • If you need help choosing the best protein powder for you, check out my blog posts on this topic here and here.
• Maple syrup, honey, vanilla extract or chocolate chips
  • Add any of these ingredients to increase the sweetness of this breakfast.

Personalize Your Overnight Oats

To make these Blueberry Lemon Overnight Oats your own, you may want to jazz it up even more. Here are some optional add-ins that you could consider:

• To add extra crunch and protein: top with additional chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, hemp seeds or extra chia seeds
• For extra creaminess use a higher fat percentage Greek yogurt or milk
• If you need some extra sweetness drizzle a bit of maple syrup, honey or your choice of sweetener. Alternatively, you could also use a flavoured Greek yogurt. There are many brands that offer lemon-flavoured yogurt, which would allow you to skip the zest altogether.
• To save time and energy by making a double or triple batch in a large bowl and just scoop and go in the morning. Work smarter, not harder!

Whatever way you prepare it, I hope it brightens your morning. 

 

What is the best liquid for overnight oats?

I highly recommend using any type of milk in overnight oats instead of water.

Milk makes this breakfast super creamy. It also provides additional protein, fats, calcium and other nutrients.

You can use whatever milk you prefer (ex. Dairy, soy, almond, oat, etc.). However, I always suggest opting for dairy or soy milk as these options provide much more protein compared to almond or oat milk.

Depending on the consistency of the milk you have, you may need to adjust the amount used. I have found that you need less dairy milk to achieve the same texture, compared to if you were using soy milk, for example. I have provided these recommendations in the recipe.

 

Why add chia seeds to overnight oats?

Adding chia seeds to the oat mixture helps with the texture and the nutrient profile of this breakfast. When chia seeds are combined with liquid, they soak it up quite easily. This creates a gel-like texture that pairs really well with oatmeal and prevents the final product from being too liquidy.

Chia seeds are also incredibly nutrient-dense. They provide an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, fibre and plant-based protein. Don’t forget to add these to your overnight oats!

 

How to make Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats

All you have to do to prepare these Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats is:

1. In a sealable jar or container, mix the oats, chia seeds, Greek yogurt and milk together. Stir well.
2. Place the mixture in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
3. When you’re ready to eat, add the lemon zest, fresh blueberries and chopped walnuts. Enjoy!

 

Tip: My favourite containers to store overnight oats in are mason jars or other glass jars with a tight lid. I have reused empty nut butter and salsa jars for this recipe. You just have to make sure to give them a good wash beforehand (especially the salsa jar)!

How much time do overnight oats need to soak?

You only need 5 minutes to prepare these breakfast meal prep overnight oats. To achieve the best texture of overnight oats, it is recommended to allow for enough time for the oats and chia seeds to soak up all of the liquid. This takes at least 1 hour in the fridge but ideally the mixture is left overnight (for at least 6 hours). 

 

What is the texture of overnight oats?

The final texture of overnight oats should be thick and creamy. If the mixture is really runny or liquidy then you have added too much milk. You can add extra oats or chia seeds to help soak up the excess liquid.

 

Overnight oats nutrition

Not only is this breakfast quick and easy but it’s also absolutely packed with nutrients!! I have broken down the nutrition information for each base ingredient.

 

• Large flake oats: Per 1/3 cup, there are 3 grams of fibre, 4 grams of protein and 8% of daily value of iron.
• Chia seeds: Per 1 tbsp, there are 3.5 grams of fibre, 2 grams of protein, over 100% of daily omega 3s and a variety of minerals.
• Greek yogurt: Per 1/3 cup, there are 7 grams of protein and 7% of daily calcium.
• Milk (dairy or soy): Per 2/3 cup of 2% dairy milk, there are 5 grams of protein, 15% of daily calcium, and significant amounts of vitamin B2, B12 and K.

 

As you can see, the base recipe of overnight oats is extremely nutrient dense. By adding the toppings (blueberries and walnuts), we increase the nutrient profile even more! They add extra fibre, protein, fats and vitamins. 

If you would like to add an extra boost to the protein content, you can always add in 1-2 tbsp of unflavoured or vanilla protein powder to make protein overnight oats!

 

Dietary considerations for Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats

Here are some ways to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions with this recipe:

• To make this recipe gluten free, make sure you opt for gluten free oats!
• To make it nut free, disregard the chopped walnuts. You could add seeds instead if you still want a crunchy element. For example, pumpkin, sunflower, or flax seeds.
• To make it vegan, choose plant-based yogurt and milk like soy, almond or oat milk instead of dairy milk.

 

How long do overnight oats last for?

As long as you store the overnight oats in an airtight container or jar in the fridge, they can last up to 3-4 days without any changes in the taste or texture.

 

More overnight oats recipes

I hope these Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats are the best start to your day! Please enjoy and don’t forget to check out some of these other overnight oats variations:

• Nutella Overnight Oats
• Banana Chia Overnight Oats
• Raspberry Overnight Oats
• Tiramisu Overnight Oats
• Biscoff Overnight Oats
• Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
• Mango Lime Overnight Oats
• Apple Pie Overnight Oats

I hope you love these Lemon Blueberry Overnight Oats. If you make them, I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!