Cranberry Orange Overnight Oats – Rolled oats and chia seeds are soaked in milk, vanilla Greek yogurt, orange zest, and dried cranberries overnight until perfectly tender for a refreshing breakfast the next morning
Ordering room service at a hotel is one of my guilty pleasures. I don’t travel often, but when I do, I looove getting room service. There’s nothing like sleeping in and then eating breakfast in bed, wrapped in a robe. This is my idea of luxury.
On a recent trip with my husband, we ordered a gorgeous room service. He ordered a Croque Madame sandwich, but I was in the mood for something lighter. I ordered their overnight oats and some fruit. Although the presentation was lovely, it most certainly was love at first bite. The creamy oats were loaded with a flavor I’d never had before in oatmeal – orange zest. It was such a pleasant surprise.
I become obsessed with those oats ever since. As soon as I got home, I tried to recreate them. Easily enough, I figured it out on the first try! The main ingredients were easy: orange zest, rolled oats, milk, dried fruit. But I tasted a little extra sweetness that seemed to be coming from a vanilla yogurt. So I used a Greek vanilla yogurt in my version, as well.
Without further ado, I share with you my Cranberry Orange Overnight Oats!
Making the oats
Overnight oats are one of the easiest things you’ll ever make. All the ingredients are added to a bowl the night before you plan to eat them and then chilled overnight. The oats slowly absorb the liquid in the yogurt and milk and plump up.
Main ingredients in overnight oats
You must use whole, rolled oats for overnight oats. If you use quick-cooking oats, they will get mushy when sitting overnight in liquid.
A benefit of making chilled oats is that you can use yogurt in the place of milk, which adds in healthy bacteria and protein. Other ingredient in overnight oats are up to you. You can add in nuts (but only if you want them softened up a little, otherwise, add them in the morning), dried fruit, cinnamon, applesauce, smashed banana, peanut butter, you name it!
Adding fresh fruit
When making overnight oats, the only thing I don’t add to the mix ahead of time is the fresh fruit. The fruit tends to break down and get soggy if sitting in the oats overnight. Therefore, I just place my fruit on top of the oats when serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Rolled Oats. Do not use quick-cooking oats for overnight oats. They will get mushy. Instead, use whole or rolled oats.
- Keep for 24 hours Max. You can make overnight oats the night before eating them but don’t keep for more than 24 hours. They will start to get mushy if kept any longer than that.
- Eat Cold or Hot. Overnight oats are great eaten cold. But you can heat them up, if you prefer. Start by heating at 30 seconds and stir. Cook for 30 more seconds.
Cranberry Orange Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 cup nonfat milk
- ¼ teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- pinch salt
- ¼ cup blueberries
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients, except for the blueberries in a medium bowl with a lid. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and no more than 24 hours.
- After 8 hours, divide oatmeal into three serving bowls. Top with some fresh blueberries. Serve immediately.
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I’m a huge fan of overnight oats recipes and this one is so flavorful with cranberry and orange. Absolutely delicious!
I love overnight oats cold in summer and warm in winter so I first tried this recipe warm. Such a delicious and healthy way to start the day. Loved the orange and cranberry combo. And it was so creamy! Next time I want to eat it cold!
I’ve been on such an oatmeal kick lately and forgot about overnight oats! So easy to make and delicious too…this looks fabulous! Love the cranberry and orange combo!
I love cranberry orange muffins, but never thought to make oatmeal in that flavor! This is brilliant and will definitely be on repeat now!
Orange and cranberry is such a great flavor combo and one of my favorites, especially in sweet dishes in the winter months. This overnight oatmeal was really good and saved me a lot of time in the morning!
These overnight oats are so delicious and I love the citrus twist. They are easy to make and make morning super easy! I’ll be making these all week long!
Cranberry and orange is one of my favourite flavour combos ever, and oatmeal is my go to breakfast. I know that I am just going to devour this! Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Love making different overnight oats for my breakfast. I can’t wait to add cranberries and oranges next. I’m saving this!
I was just talking with a friend the other day about how we always get the ratios wrong on overnight oats but yours looks perfect and the cranberry orange flavor sounds incredible. I’m going to save this recipe as well as send it to my friend now!
I am late to the overnight oat trend party, and this was the first recipe I’ve ever tried, but WOW! I’m amazed! My husband loves it warmed up, but I think this recipe works brilliantly cold! Thanks for the recipe!
These are perfect for making for busy mornings on the go! No more rushing to get breakfast ready, it is ready first thing in the morning!
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you!
I’m a fan of overnight oats but never tried cranberry-orange. Now I have another variety for my breakfast! Thanks!
I love the flavor combination of this overnight oatmeal. It’s so delicious and so creamy too!
I’m not a fan of warm oatmeal so overnight is it for me! This sounds amazing!
Yum! I love overnight oats! This flavour pairing is perfect too!
Cranberry and orange is such a classic flavor combo and I love oatmeal so much. Overnight oats are such a great option – this is a wonderful recipe, thanks!
The flavor combo is amazing! I can’t wait to make these overnight oats.
Cran-orange muffins are my favorite so I know I’m going to love these overnight oats. I can’t wait to try them!
Oh yum, what a tasty flavor. I am excited to give this a try.