Making your dairy free overnight oats with a pumpkin twist is the best way to use up that can of pumpkin puree! All you need is 7 simple ingredients that are likely in your pantry right now. Enjoy this healthy breakfast recipe all week long.
Breakfast is definitely one of my favorite meals of the day. If I'm not eating handfuls of granola or indulging with Gluten Free Apple Cider Donuts, I'm usually found with a jar of overnight oats in hand. They're extremely convenient for a busy mom of 3 like me, but still filling enough to satisfy me until lunch.
Once you give these oats a try, you'll believe the hype too!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick to make. If breakfast is the meal that constantly stresses you out, prep these overnight oats once on Sunday night and sleep well knowing everyone is taken care of and will be off to work and school with a hearty breakfast.
- Can be eaten warm or cold. Overnight oats is most often eaten chilled straight from the jar, but feel free to stick your oats in the microwave and enjoy them hot.
- Easy to customize. Almost every aspect of this recipe can be adjusted to your taste and pantry. Below I've listed a few of my favorite swaps you can make to the base recipe to give you inspiration.
- Naturally vegan and gluten free. These oats are made without dairy and gluten-free certified oats. Suitable for plant-based diets!
Tools You'll Need
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons and cups
- Glass mason jars
Ingredients
These simple ingredients are where all the flavor in these pumpkin overnight oats comes from! Oat milk is my personal favorite choice for a dairy free milk because it is most similar in creaminess to cow's milk.
Gluten-free oats. The best oats to use when making overnight oats is rolled oats. They are hearty enough to maintain their texture, but still be creamy and easy to eat after soaking overnight.
Toasted pecans. Adds both healthy fats and protein to the oats and the buttery richness compliments the pumpkin very well.
When mixed together, it may seem like there is too much liquid, but overnight, the oats will absorb a majority of the liquid and be perfectly creamy!
Substitutions
- Pecan substitutions: Chopped almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts or pumpkin seeds would all make for good alternatives. You could even top with mini chocolate chips for a more dessert-like twist.
- Almond butter substitutions: Another neutral nut butter like cashew butter or pumpkin seed butter would work well to make these oats creamy without overpowering the flavor. You can opt for peanut butter, but the peanut flavor will be pronounced.
- Pumpkin puree substitutions. Sweet potato puree or butternut squash puree are very similar options and can typically be found sold in a can just like pumpkin puree or learn how to roast a pumpkin and do it yourself!
- Maple syrup substitutions. Another liquid sweetener such as agave nectar, honey, or brown rice syrup can easily be swapped 1:1.
How to Make Dairy Free Overnight Oats
- Toast the pecans. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 2-4 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until fragrant. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
- Prepare the pumpkin overnight oats. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and almond butter. Add the milk, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and whisk again to combine. Stir in the oats until well combined.
- Divide amongst jars. Using a ladle or spoon, fill your mason jars. I typically like to use 6-8 ounce mason jars but you can also use 12 or 16 ounce jars and make larger servings.
- Choose the right jar for you. I typically like to use 6-8 ounce mason jars but you can also use 12 ounce jars and make 4 larger servings.
- Top with pecans and refrigerate overnight. The next day, remove the dairy free oats from the refrigerator and enjoy chilled.
Prep Ahead Options
- Make your oats in advance. Overnight oats is the epitome of the perfect prep ahead recipe. Make the full recipe early in the week and eat all week long for the easiest grab-and-go filling breakfast.
- Toast the pecans ahead of time! If you love pecans as much as I do, toast a large batch of them on Sunday nights and add them quickly to several meals throughout the week, including these pumpkin oats and my Fall Quinoa and Chickpea Salad. Once roasted, these pecans will keep best in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
These pumpkin overnight oats are made with a healthy combination of carbs, fats, protein and fiber and is perfectly fine to eat as a complete meal. If you'd like to bulk your morning oats up even more, add a sliced banana, cinnamon apples, blueberries, shredded coconut, hemp seeds, or chia seeds. You may be able to add a small scoop of protein powder, too!
Recipe FAQs
Using rolled oats for overnight oats is the most popular choice, but instant oats can be used, too! They provide the same nutrition, the only difference being instant oats will make a softer, less textured oatmeal. Please don't use steel cut oats, however. They won't soften enough overnight.
Soaked overnight oats will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, given they are stored properly in an an airtight container like a glass mason jar. It is important to note that food stored in glass will generally last longer than food stored in plastic, so if you need your leftovers to last as long as possible, invest in some good glass jars. You can even use them to make easy homemade salad dressings and cocktails.
Technically yes, but I'd only do so as an absolute last resort. Milk, dairy or nondairy makes overnights oats creamy and flavorful. Without it, the flavor could fall flat and be rather one dimensional.
If you are out of milk, try a can of lite coconut milk or blend ½ cup of raw, unsalted cashews with 2 cups of water in a high-speed blender until creamy and frothy. Use immediately in your overnight oats. Cashews blend so smoothly into the milk there is no need to strain!
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Use natural almond butter. When shopping for an almond butter, the only ingredients should be almonds and maybe salt. If there are additional added ingredients or added sugar, this is going to change the flavor of your oats and potentially make them too sweet.
- Check that your oats are gluten-free certified. Oats on their own are technically gluten-free, but cross contamination is a serious concern. If you are celiac or gluten-intolerant, only purchase gluten-free certified oats.
More Recipes You'll Enjoy
Dairy Free Overnight Oats with Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- 2 cups unsweetened oat milk or other non-dairy milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 2 cups certified gluten free rolled oats
- ½ cup toasted chopped pecans
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree and almond butter. Add the maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, and whisk until combined. Stir in the oats until well combined. Divide evenly among 4-12 ounce mason jars or 6-8 ounce mason jars (or container of your choice). Top with pecans, and let sit overnight.
- The next day, remove the oats from the refrigerator and enjoy chilled. You can also remove from the refrigerator and let sit for 1-2 hours, and enjoy room temperature, or you can microwave on high for about 60-90 seconds and enjoy warm!
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