If you’ve never heard of overnight oats before, let me give you a quick little primer. Overnight oats are a no-cook method of making oatmeal. Instead of cooking your oats with liquid on the stove or in the microwave, you mix rolled (AKA: old-fashioned) oats with the liquid and other mix-ins, and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, you have a pudding-like porridge that is perfect for easy grab-and-go breakfasts. It doesn’t have the same texture as hot/stove-top oats. It’s creamier, denser, and in my opinion, so much tastier. I’d take a jar of overnight oats over hot oats any day!

There are a million-and-one recipes and methods for making overnight oats out there, so I’m not planning on reinventing the wheel here. Instead, I’m going to show you how to make eight of my favorite overnight oats recipes. These are the recipes that I come back and use over and over and over again. You can’t go wrong with these!

Before I get started though, I want to talk a little bit about overnight oats equipment. You can easily whip up overnight oats in just a regular bowl or a food storage container with a lid. But you know me, I love a good canning jar!

These recipes are designed to fit in a pint/half-liter size canning jar. It’s a big serving for big appetites, perfect for refueling after a big workout or keeping you full for hours. If your appetite isn’t quite as big as mine, you can definitely get by with dividing these recipes into two. Here are the jars I recommend:

For the Full Batches:

• Weck 742—Half Liter* (pictured) /// I love these jars because there are no disposable parts, and they are just so darn cute, but they are priiiiicceeyyy. If you take care of them though, they’ll last a lifetime (or even more).
• Ball Wide Mouth—Pint* /// These are classic and for good reason. They are affordable, readily available, and great quality. The wide mouth makes it easy to scoop in (and get out!) the oats. They come with the metal two-piece lids, but I recommend getting using the Ball plastic caps* to go with them. You can’t preserve with those caps, but they are great for storage use.

For Half Batches:

• Weck 762 Jelly Jar—1/5 Liter* /// How cute are these guys? They are a touch less than half of the full batch, so you might have a scoop or two leftover, but if you really pack the oats in, you should be just fine!
• Kerr Wide Mouth—Half Pint* /// These can sometimes be hard to track down in stores, but they are a great jar to have around the house. We use these for everything from overnight oats to storing thumbtacks to actual jelly canning. I like them because they have clear sides. In the summer, you should be able to find them at most small-town hardware stores (they always have the BEST selection of canning jars). Again, I recommend the Ball plastic caps* to go with them.

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Okay, now that you have your jars, let’s move onto the actual recipes. Like I said above, each of these recipes makes one very large serving. Great for a big breakfast. If you’re looking for a lighter meal or a snack option, half ’em.

Classic Overnight Oats: Your Base Recipe

First, I’m going to talk you through my overnight oats “base” recipe. This recipe is simple, easy, and delicious on its own. If you’re a vanilla fan, you’ll love it! But this recipe is also good to know because it serves as a base to get imaginative. Mix in whatever fruit or seeds you like. Change up the milk. Leave out the sweetener. Make this recipe your own!

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