Enjoy a delicious and nutritious start to your day with PB&J overnight oats with chia seeds! Packed with creamy peanut butter, chia seeds, and crunchy freeze-dried strawberries, this easy make-ahead breakfast is perfect for busy mornings.
I’m in my overnight oat era at the moment. My toddlers wake up hungry (arguably hangry), and getting breakfast on the table fast is paramount for everyone’s happiness. I love that I can make overnight oats the night before, and breakfast is ready to get up as soon as we get up. I love that they’re full of nutrition and keep everyone going for hours. And I love that you can customize the recipe based on what in-season, and available on any given day. Most of all, I love that my toddlers love them and will happily shovel spoonfuls of overnight oats into their mouths as they point out birds, trees, and planes from their high chairs.
Are overnight oats healthy/ good for you?
Yes, overnight oats are good for you! Despite the chatter about anti-nutrients and glyphosate in oats (largely among un-credentialed health influencers), there’s a whole lot of literature to suggest that oats offer a variety of health benefits.
In observational studies, eating oats have been linked with [1]:
- Better cholesterol levels
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduced body weight and lower risk of obesity
In randomized controlled trials – the gold standard for nutrition research – eating oats has been shown to [1,2]:
- Lower blood sugar levels after a meal in non-diabetic and diabetic people
- Lower blood pressure in pre-hypertensive people
- Improve body weight and body fat measurements in overweight people
- Reduce levels of inflammation in people with one or more metabolic risk factors
Oats are a rich source of fiber and beta-glucan – a type of soluble fiber with especially strong cholesterol- and blood sugar-lowering effects [1,3]. Put all that together with nutrient-dense ingredients like peanut butter, freeze-dried strawberries, chia seeds, and whole milk (aka PB&J overnight oats) – and you’ve got yourself a protein and fiber-loaded breakfast that delivers a nutrition punch.
Oats and glyphosate: Should You Be Worried?
Glyphosate in oat products first became a controversy back in 2018 when the Environmental Working Group (EWG) published a report on glyphosate levels in various popular oat products. Glyphosate is a herbicide used in weed killers such as Roundup and is toxic to humans. Oats are often sprayed with glyphosate to dry out the crops, and some claim that glyphosate exposure from oat products is dangerous to human health.
Before you swear off oats forever, there are a couple of things to keep in mind about glyphosate in oats and the 2018 EWG report:
- The EPA sets limits on glyphosate in food and animal products. These limits range from 0.1-400ppm depending on the product to ensure our food supply is safe for consumption.
- The EWG standard for glyphosate is 0.16ppm, which is significantly lower than the EPA standard for many food and animal products.
- In 2023, the EWG retested several oat products and found that levels of glyphosate had dropped compared to 2018.
- There is no evidence to suggest that eating oats in normal quantities results in glyphosate toxicity or ill effects providing that your exposure is less than the limits by the EPA.
In short, oats contain trace amounts of glyphosate, and this level of exposure is unlikely to lead to adverse health outcomes. If you’re concerned about glyphosate, eating organic, glyphosate-free oats can help reduce your food-related exposure.
Do Oats Contain Anti-Nutrients?
Oats contain phytic acid, which is often coined an ‘anti-nutrient’ and may inhibit the absorption of minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium [4]. The good news is that soaking oats helps break down phytic acid and liberate these minerals.
For those of us with a diverse, omnivorous diet, phytic acid isn’t a major obstacle for getting adequate iron, zinc, and calcium. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan who relies on plant-based foods for trace minerals, choosing soaked, sprouted, or fermented grains can be helpful.
How long do overnight oats last?
That covers the health stuff. Now, we can talk a little more about the recipe – PB&J Overnight Oats. Overnight Oats need at least 4 hours in the fridge to soak up the milk and other ingredients. After that, overnight oats last five days in the fridge. I prefer to eat overnight oats within three days, but that is more about taste and texture rather than food safety.
PB & J Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds Ingredient Substitutions
One of the best things about overnight oats recipes like this one is that it can be modified to suit several dietary restrictions including gluten-free, dairy free, and vegan.
- Old-fashioned oats: To make this recipe gluten-free substitute regular oats for gluten-free oats.
- Whole milk: Whole milk can be substituted for full-fat lactose-free or plant-based milk if you prefer to make this recipe dairy-free/vegan.
- Freeze-dried strawberries: Freeze-dried blueberries and raspberries also work well in this recipe and maintain that classic PB&J flavor.
That’s it from me today. Do yourself a favor and make this PB&J overnight oats with chia seeds recipe before you go to bed tonight. Your future self will thank you! 🍓
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PB&J Overnight Oats
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 4
- Total Time: 9 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Made with a combination of peanut butter, freeze-dried strawberries, old-fashioned oats, chia seeds, and whole milk, this delightful PB&J overnight oat recipe will keep you fueled for hours.
Ingredients
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1.5 cups whole milk or full-fat alternative milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1–2 tbsp peanut butter
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Drizzle with peanut butter to serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 517
- Sugar: 35.4 g
- Sodium: 119.1 mg
- Fat: 12.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 79.1 g
- Fiber: 12.8 g
- Protein: 16.2 g
References
[1] Mathews, R., & Chu, Y. (2024). An encompassing review of meta-analyses and systematic reviews of the effect of oats on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular risk, diabetes risk, body weight/adiposity and gut health. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 1–22. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2024.2382352
[2] Cortijo-Alfonso, M. E., Romero, M. P., Macià, A., Yuste, S., Moralejo, M., Rubió-Piqué, L., & Piñol-Felis, C. (2024). Effect of Barley and Oat Consumption on Immune System, Inflammation and Gut Microbiota: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Current nutrition reports, 13(3), 582–597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-024-00543-x
[3] Zurbau, A., Noronha, J. C., Khan, T. A., Sievenpiper, J. L., & Wolever, T. M. S. (2021). The effect of oat β-glucan on postprandial blood glucose and insulin responses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European journal of clinical nutrition, 75(11), 1540–1554. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00875-9
[4] Petroski, W., & Minich, D. M. (2020). Is There Such a Thing as “Anti-Nutrients”? A Narrative Review of Perceived Problematic Plant Compounds. Nutrients, 12(10), 2929. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12102929
