Nourishing Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

Dessert for breakfast, anyone? This nutritious overnight oat recipe is inspired by the quintessential cozy fall dessert, pumpkin pie.

It’s packed with pumpkin purée (a whole half cup!💃) and pumpkin pie spice for truly authentic flavour. When mixed with fibre-rich oats, protein-packed Greek yoghurt and heart-healthy fats from almond butter (the latter, our ‘pie crust’ stand in), it’s a brekkie to launch you into the AM with vigour!

Overnight oats, like this recipe, are an epic make-ahead breakfasts for busy mornings. With endless scope for flavour variation (case in point, pb and jelly overnight oats), they’re a great addition to the weekly breakfast rotation.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Pumpkin purée, homemade or canned. DIY by blending boiled pumpkin until smooth (a great way to use up a chunk of leftover pumpkin lonely in the chiller!). If using canned pumpkin – common for USA dwellers, not us Kiwis – opt for pure pumpkin without added flavours.
• Rolled oats. The pick of the oat family. Quick oats turn into mush, steel cut oats don’t soften enough. Rolled oats are the goldilocks oat…just right.
• Greek yoghurt. For a protein bump and creamy consistency. Go for plain unsweetened yoghurt, otherwise a flavoured vanilla would be lovely (you might not need as much maple syrup due to the added sugars).
• Maple syrup. The unofficial sweetener of fall. I reckon 1 Tbsp is the perfect amount to balance the flavours, but you could do more or less to taste.
• Milk. Almond or oat work great here, but use whatever’s handy or your dietary preference.
• Chia seeds. A nutritious and functional ingredient. Like oats, the fibre-rich content of chia seeds helps soak up liquid, firming the mixture.
• Almond butter. For pie crust vibes and a subtle savoury, nutty undertone.
• Pumpkin pie spice. I make my own using this epic recipe from Live Well Bake Often – it takes less than five minutes to make a big batch (overnight oats all month!) and is delish.
• Salt. Just a teeny pinch to help the flavours come alive.

Kitchen Tips

• Prep the night before. Overnight oats don’t requite cooking or heating. Instead, they need time to soak over an extended period (like overnight) to form a thick porridge-like consistency.
• Use pumpkin purée, not mash. It’s heavier in weight, meaning more pumpkin, meaning more flavour.
• Overnight oats are usually served chilled, direct from the fridge, making them ideal to eat in warm months – but you can absolutely enjoy them year-round!

I like my overnight oats super creamy and thick. If this mix is a bit too stiff for you, simply loosen with a splash of milk.

Serving Suggestions

If there was a single piece of overnight oat wisdom to pass over, it’s this: prep your overnight oats in the container you intend to serve in.

You’re left with little clean up and you can take your oats on-the-go direct from the fridge come AM! A jar or tupperware container works well.

Thanks for reading! After more pumpkin recipes? Try these healthy spiced pumpkin pecan muffins🎃.