Cold Brew Overnight Oats Recipe

If you are looking for a little bit of coffee in your overnight oats, check out this fun recipe! Easy recipe for a grab and go breakfast!

I am not a morning person. I have never been a morning person, and three kids and a packed schedule have not changed that fact one bit. What has changed is my ability to walk out the door without breakfast — which I can’t do anymore, because I’ve learned the hard way that skipping it makes me useless by 10am.

Cold brew overnight oats solved this. I get my coffee and my breakfast in the same jar, I prep it the night before in about five minutes, and morning Nellie just has to open the fridge. That’s it. That’s the whole ask.

The cold brew blends into the oats overnight and gives you this smooth, slightly bitter, lightly sweet coffee flavor that pairs perfectly with maple syrup and vanilla. It’s not a coffee milkshake — it’s a real breakfast that happens to taste like your morning cup. And if you’re anything like me, combining the two means one less thing to juggle before 8am.

What ingredients do you need for this cold brew overnight oats?

INGREDIENT NOTES

Rolled oats — Use old-fashioned rolled oats, not quick oats and not steel-cut. Quick oats get mushy by morning. Steel-cut don’t soften enough overnight and stay chewy in an unpleasant way. Rolled oats hit the right texture — soft but with some body.

Cold brew coffee (2 tablespoons, ready-to-drink) — See the note above. Two tablespoons gives a mild coffee flavor. Bump to ¼ cup for a stronger result, reducing milk accordingly to keep the total liquid at ½ cup.

Milk (½ cup, any kind) — The recipe works with dairy milk, oat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or soy milk. Oat milk leans into the oat flavor. Coconut milk adds richness and a slight sweetness. Full-fat dairy gives the creamiest result.

Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) — Don’t skip this. Vanilla rounds out the coffee bitterness and pulls the maple syrup into a more cohesive flavor. It’s doing more work than it seems.

Maple syrup (2 teaspoons) — Adjust to taste. If your cold brew is slightly sweet already, start with 1 teaspoon and add more after they’ve set overnight.

Flaxseed (1 teaspoon) — Ground flaxseed blends in seamlessly and adds fiber and omega-3s. Whole flaxseed passes through without being absorbed, so grind it or buy pre-ground. You can substitute chia seeds (same amount) if that’s what you have — chia seeds will make the oats slightly thicker and more pudding-like.

Dash of sea salt — Don’t skip this either. A small pinch of salt amplifies the sweet and coffee notes and keeps the oats from tasting flat.

How To Make These Overnight Oats

This takes about five minutes the night before. That’s it.

Grab your mason jar or any lidded container. Add the rolled oats, cold brew, and milk first and give it a stir — you want the liquid distributed through the oats before adding anything else.

Add the vanilla extract and maple syrup and stir again. Then add the flaxseed and the pinch of salt, give it one final stir to incorporate everything, and put the lid on.

Into the fridge it goes. The oats need at least 6 hours to absorb the liquid and soften fully — overnight (8 hours) is ideal. Don’t rush this with a shorter chill time or your oats will still be grainy in the center.

In the morning, pull the jar out and stir before eating. The layers will have settled overnight and the top can look dry. A good stir brings everything back together. If the texture is thicker than you’d like, add a splash of milk and stir again.

Add your toppings and eat it straight from the jar.

TOPPING IDEAS

Cold brew overnight oats are neutral enough that toppings can go in a lot of directions:

Classic coffee shop: A drizzle of cold brew concentrate on top, a sprinkle of cocoa powder, and a few dark chocolate chips.

Banana coffee: Sliced banana, a drizzle of almond butter, and a pinch of cinnamon.

Mocha: Cocoa nibs, mini chocolate chips, and a tiny drizzle of honey.

Granola crunch: Any granola on top right before eating so it stays crunchy. Don’t add it the night before or it’ll go soft.

Simple: Just a drizzle of extra maple syrup and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Sometimes that’s all it needs.

TIPS

Prep multiple jars at once. The recipe scales perfectly — double or triple it and prep 3–4 jars on Sunday. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Grab a different jar each morning for the whole work week.

Stir before eating, always. The oats settle overnight. The top layer can look dry or separated. One good stir brings the whole jar back together.

Too thick? Add liquid. If the oats absorbed more than expected and the texture is too dense, stir in a tablespoon or two of milk in the morning until you reach the consistency you want.

Too thin? Add more oats or chia seeds. If your oats are soupy, either your liquid ratio was off or your jar is larger than expected. Stir in a teaspoon of chia seeds and let them sit for 10 more minutes — they’ll thicken it up fast.

Don’t use hot coffee. Hot liquid will partially cook the oats and give you a strange mushy texture. Cold brew or chilled coffee only.

VARIATIONS

More coffee, less milk. Increase cold brew to ¼ cup and reduce milk to ¼ cup for a stronger coffee flavor while keeping the total liquid the same.

Mocha overnight oats. Add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder to the base mixture. Top with chocolate chips in the morning.

Cold brew protein oats. Add a scoop of vanilla or coffee-flavored protein powder. Increase liquid by 2–3 tablespoons to compensate for the powder.

Espresso overnight oats. Replace cold brew with 1–2 shots of cooled espresso (about 2–4 tablespoons). Increase milk slightly to keep the liquid ratio right. Much more intense coffee flavor.

Dairy-free mocha. Use oat milk, add cocoa powder, top with coconut whipped cream and cocoa nibs. Fully plant-based and very good.

FAQs

Cold brew overnight oats are one of those things that sound fancier than they are. Five minutes the night before, one jar, and you have breakfast and coffee handled before the alarm goes off. I’ve been making some version of this on repeat and it genuinely makes mornings easier.

If you try it, leave a comment and let me know what toppings you went with — I’m always curious what people add to theirs. And tag me on Instagram @glamnellie so I can see your jar.

For more overnight oats ideas, check out the Birthday Cake Overnight Oats, Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Chip, or the Apple Cinnamon version — all linked below.

Here are some more amazing overnight oats recipes to check out: