Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk

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This recipe for Overnight Oats with Coconut Milk is a perfect way to start your day. It's an on-the-go breakfast packed with coconut flavor, plus it'll keep you full all morning long.

A bowl of overnight oats with coconut milk topped with shredded coconut, berries and maple syrup.

Mornings are always hectic in our house. We're rushing to get the kids awake and ready for school, plus we're making lunches, walking the dog and trying our best to get ourselves that first cup of coffee. So that's why I love make-ahead breakfasts, like our Cinnamon Overnight Oats, Chocolate Baked Oatmeal or our Peanut Butter Granola. Recipes like these help relieve some of that morning pressure, plus they are great for meal prep!

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Ingredients that Matter
Instructions
Substitutions
Topping Suggestions
Equipment
Storage
FAQ
More Breakfast Ideas
Dinner Ideas
Recipe

Ingredients that Matter

This recipe mostly relies on pantry staples. You can add toppings to your hearts' content, but here are the ingredients you'll need for the overnight oats:

Ingredients for overnight oats with coconut milk on a dark table.

Rolled Oats. Use old fashioned rolled oats for overnight oats. If you are gluten-free, be sure to use oats labeled gluten-free (not all oats are gluten-free!).
Coconut Milk. You can use full-fat canned coconut milk or even coconut milk beverage. But I like to use canned lite coconut milk as it has a good amount of coconut flavor without the fat level of regular canned coconut milk. Be sure it give it good stir after opening the can.
Flaxseed Meal or Chia Seeds. Use ground flaxseeds or chia seeds for extra protein, fiber and omega 3 fatty acids. Either works fine (I use flaxseeds because I just don't like chia seeds) but be sure to grind the flaxseeds or use meal for better absorption in the body.
Maple Syrup. Overnight oats definitely benefit from a little sweetener, and in this case I like to use maple syrup. It helps balance out the flavors. Use a bit extra syrup as a topping, to taste.
Vanilla. A bit of vanilla extract adds lots of flavor. You only need a small splash, so be sure not to overdo it.
Yogurt or Plant-Based Yogurt. I like to add to my overnight oats a bit of plaint full-fat yogurt for the added protein, vitamins and minerals. If you are making this dairy-free, use a plant-based yogurt. Or, if you want to leave out the yogurt all together, cut back the oats by ¼ cup or add a bit more non-dairy milk (more coconut milk, almond or oat milk).
Shredded Coconut. A little unsweetened shredded coconut mixed into the oats adds texture and more coconut flavor. I like to serve more shredded coconut on top as a garnish.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Making overnight oats couldn't be easier. Simply stir the ingredients together and store in the refrigerator overnight. Here is how the recipe comes together:

Overnight oats with coconut milk getting stirred together in a glass container.

To an airtight container add the oats, coconut milk, yogurt (or plant-based yogurt), shredded coconut, ground flaxseeds, maple syrup and vanilla.

Stir together until well combined then cover with a lid and store in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 4 hours. To serve, scoop some of the oats into a bowl and top with fresh fruit, shredded coconut, milk coconut milk (or another plant-based milk) and maple syrup, to taste.

A bowl of overnight oats made with coconut milk in a blue bowl topped with shredded coconut, berries and banana slices.

Hint: Overnight oats are delicious cold out of the refrigerator, room temperature or warmed in the microwave. Try pulling out the oats and leaving on the counter while you get ready in the morning, then add your favorite toppings and you have a quick and easy breakfast.

Substitutions

It's really easy to alter these overnight oats based on your dietary needs or taste. Here are some suggestions:

Gluten-Free - Make this recipe gluten-free by simply using gluten-free oats. Be sure the label of the package explicitly says gluten-free!
Vegan - Use a plant-based yogurt to make this recipe vegan and dairy-free.
Lite Version - I make my coconut overnight oats with lite coconut milk as it has less fat than regular canned coconut. If you are watching your fat intake, opt for a lite coconut milk.

A serving of coconut overnight oats in a blue bowl topped with strawberries, shredded coconut and bananas.

Topping Suggestions

The sky is the limits when it comes to toppings. I suggest a splash more non-dairy milk for each serving, along with these suggestions:

Fresh Berries, like sliced strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
Coconut Flakes. Yes, there's a difference between shredded coconut and coconut flakes. Coconut flakes are, as the name implies, flakes of fresh coconut that are then dried. They are quite bigger and crunchier than shredded coconut.
Banana slices
Dried fruit like raisins, cranberries or apricots
More sweetener like maple syrup, honey or even coconut sugar
Granola

Equipment

You need an airtight container to make this recipe. We have this Snapware Total Solution 24-Pc Glass Food Storage Container Set and it gets a ton of use around our house. It's also a good idea to have a spice grinder to grind whole flaxseeds into meal. I like to use a Coffee Grinder (labaled "For Spices Only" so our coffee doesn't taste funky) to grind my spices, including black pepper.

Storage

This recipe makes about 3 ½ cups of coconut overnight oats. That is typically enough for me to get 4-5 servings. I like to store the servings in one container and scoop as I go, instead of dividing among multiple containers (just because there's less to clean!).

Leftovers will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. This recipe is easy to double if you are making this for the whole family and you want to get more than one breakfast out of it.

A spoonful of coconut overnight oats above a bowl of the oats with strawberries, bananas and shredded coconut.

FAQ

What kind of oats are best for overnight oats?

Use old fashioned rolled oats for overnight oats. You can also use quick-cooking oats, though they may be a little mushier compared to rolled oats.

Are overnight oats healthy?

Yes! They are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber.

What's the coconut milk to use for overnight oats?

You can use coconut milk beverage (the kind you'd use to substitute regular milk), canned full-fat coconut milk or canned lite coconut milk.

More Breakfast Ideas

Looking for other breakfast recipes like this? Try these:

Dinner Ideas

Need inspiration for dinner? Try these recipes:

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