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White bowl with chia oats, blueberries, and raspberries.

The Best Overnight Chia Oats

Yield: 3 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Base Recipe:

  • 1 cup (105 g) old-fashioned rolled oats or sprouted rolled oats
  • ¼ cup (45 g) chia seeds, basil seeds or a combination
  • Pinch salt (a bit less than 1/8 teaspoon)
  • 2 to 2 ¼ cups (500 to 525 g) unsweetened milk (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon (22 g) pure maple syrup

Optional Add-Ins:

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, more or less, to taste
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (see note)

Optional Ingredients For Serving:

  • Greek yogurt
  • Fresh berries, like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, etc.
  • Chopped nuts, like almonds, pecans or walnuts

Instructions 

  • In a container with a lid, toss together the oats, chia/basil seeds, and salt. Add additional add-ins, if using, like cinnamon and/or protein powder.
  • Add the milk and maple syrup. Mix well, scraping up seeds from the bottom.
  • Cover the container and refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours.
  • Scoop out desired portion. Serve with Greek yogurt, fresh or frozen berries, chopped nuts, and additional milk, if desired.

Notes

Oats: I use and love the sprouted rolled oats from Costco (One Degree brand). Regular old-fashioned rolled oats work great, as well.
Chia Seeds/Basil Seeds: I originally made this recipe with half chia seeds and half basil seeds, however, more often than not, I use all basil seeds (they have double the fiber of chia seeds and don't have a taste).
Milk: I always use unsweetened almond milk, because I like the flavor and creaminess. Many different types of dairy or non-dairy milk could be used here. If using all chia seeds, reduce the amount of milk to 2 cups. Basil seeds tend to absorb more liquid overall than chia seeds. 
The exact consistency of the oats will depend largely on what type of milk and what variety of seeds (chia vs basil) are used.  
Protein Powder: The brand of protein powder is important here, because the flavor will really come through after the oats have chilled. Use a brand you like the taste (and after taste) of. I have made this recipe with Clean Simple Eats and Orgain brands and didn't love the result (strong, artificial after tastes and a bit of grittiness - although we love these brands in other things like smoothies). My favorite protein powder to use in these overnight oats is Ballerina Farms - it has the best creamy texture and flavor of all the ones I've tried. I don't always use protein powder. The oats are fantastic without it.
Nutrition Facts: The nutrition facts calculated on this recipe only includes chia seeds (basil seeds aren't in the database for the app I use). The fiber and protein will be nearly doubled using basil seeds. It also doesn't include protein powder or any add-ins.