Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Overnight oats work because raw rolled oats soften in cold liquid the same way they do in a hot pan, just more slowly. Eight hours in the refrigerator is enough to turn them creamy without a stove, which makes this the recipe for mornings that do not have ten minutes in them.

An overripe banana is the ideal ingredient here rather than a lesser one. The spotted bananas on the markdown rack are sweeter than firm ones, mash into the oats without any lumps, and usually cost a fraction of the price. The peanut butter does the same job it does in hot oatmeal, adding the fat and protein that keep the bowl from wearing off by ten.

The ratio is one to one, oats to liquid, and everything else is negotiable. Half a cup of each fills a standard jar. Once that is memorized the variations stop needing a recipe: cocoa powder and a spoonful of jam, grated apple and cinnamon, or leftover coffee standing in for some of the milk.

Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Rolled oats, mashed banana and peanut butter stirred together in a jar and left in the fridge to soften overnight — five minutes of work the night before and breakfast is already done.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Chilling Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 ripe banana mashed
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup optional
• 1 tablespoon chopped peanuts optional

Instructions

 

• Mash the banana in the bottom of a jar or any container with a lid until mostly smooth.
• Add the peanut butter and stir it into the banana first, while there is little else in the jar. Mixing it in at this stage is the only way to avoid a clump of peanut butter at the bottom.
• Add the oats, milk, cinnamon, salt and the honey or maple syrup if using.
• Stir until everything is combined and no dry oats remain at the edges.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• In the morning, stir once. Add a splash of milk if you want it thinner, and top with chopped peanuts or sliced banana.

Notes

Bananas are often the least expensive fruit in the store, and overripe ones are perfect for this. Buy them on the markdown rack on purpose.

Freeze spotted bananas whole, peeled, in a bag. They thaw in a few minutes on the counter and mash even more easily than fresh.

Any lidded container works. A clean jam jar, a deli container, a plastic tub with a lid: no special jar is needed.

Make four or five jars at once. They keep in the refrigerator for up to five days, and the texture is best on days two and three.

Old-fashioned rolled oats are required. Instant oats turn to sludge overnight and steel-cut never soften.

Water works in place of milk in a pinch, though the result is noticeably thinner. A few tablespoons of yogurt stirred in adds body and more protein.

Keyword make-ahead breakfast, no-cook breakfast, overnight oats, peanut butter