Easy PCOS Overnight Oats: 4 Different Ways!

PCOS Overnight Oats are one of my favorite breakfasts. They’re super quick and easy to make in advance, allowing you to meal prep once and have a healthy breakfast ready to enjoy all week long. 

Why You’ll Love These PCOS Overnight Oats

There’s a ton of reasons why you’ll love these PCOS overnight oats! For starters, they’re not just delicious, but they’re easy and quick to make. 

Spending 5-10 minutes on a Sunday night to meal prep these overnight oats can set your busy mornings up to run much more smoothly. There’s also no prep work that needs to be done the day of, you can just grab and eat.

With a mix of healthy fats, protein, and an impressive 8 grams of fiber, this make-ahead breakfast will keep you feeling full and satisfied all morning. 

The basic overnight oats recipe is incredibly versatile too! You can add different toppings and flavor additions to create endless varieties so that it doesn’t get boring either.

Health Benefits of Oats for PCOS

In addition to being tasty, overnight oats have lots of health benefits for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Insulin resistance is present in approximately 70% of people with PCOS. Left untreated, insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Oats are whole grains and are naturally gluten free. They’re a good source of complex carbohydrates and fiber, both soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber is especially helpful for balancing blood sugar levels, decreasing cholesterol levels, keeping you feeling full, and improving digestive health.

Research actually shows that oats can lower your risk of diabetes by lowering hemoglobin A1c levels, glucose levels, and insulin levels. Oats can also lower your risk of cardiovascular disease because of their ability to lower cholesterol levels, particularly LDL cholesterol (frequently known as the “bad” cholesterol). 

Oats are also a good source of vitamins and minerals such as B vitamins, zinc, manganese, copper, iron, magnesium, and selenium…all of which play a role in PCOS. 

Read more about the health benefits of oats for PCOS here.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You’ll need to make the basic overnight oats recipe first. This is kind of the blank canvas that you can then add various toppings to.

Overnight Oats Base

• Rolled Oats – old-fashioned oats or rolled oats work best for overnight oats. You could use quick oats if you’re especially crunched for time, but it will only need to soak for about 30 minutes and it will have a thinner consistency than traditional overnight oats. I also have used these protein oats for this recipe and it works great! 

• Milk of Choice – I generally use almond milk in my overnight oats, but you can use any type of milk that you prefer. Both dairy and non-dairy milks work well in overnight oats.

• Greek Yogurt – adding Greek yogurt adds a bit more of a thick and creamy texture. It also gives a boost of extra protein to this breakfast.

• Protein Powder – this ingredient will give these overnight oats real staying power to keep you feeling full all morning. I prefer unflavored collagen peptides in my oats but you can use your favorite protein powder or completely omit too. Read more about the best & worst protein powders for PCOS here.

• Chia Seeds – these tiny, mighty seeds are really effective at soaking up a lot of that liquid. Chia seeds are also a great source of healthy fats, particularly omega 3 fatty acids that can help lower inflammation. They also have tons of fiber in them too!

• Maple Syrup – maple syrup adds some sweetness to this breakfast. It does add some added sugar but it’s not too much and makes this breakfast much more enjoyable if you have a sweet tooth. Feel free to substitute with honey or omit this ingredient entirely if you want. 

• Vanilla Extract

Now that you have the ingredients for your base recipe, you can choose from any variation to add a bit more flavor. Here’s a few of my favorites. 

Apple Pie Variation

• Apples
• Pecans
• Cinnamon
• Allspice

Carrot Cake Variation

• Carrot
• Coconut
• Raisins
• Cinnamon

Banana Bread Variation

• Banana
• Walnuts
• Cinnamon
• Flaxseed

Almond Joy Variation

• Coconut
• Almonds
• Chocolate chips
• Maple syrup

How To Make Overnight Oats for PCOS

Make the Basic Overnight Oats Recipe:

In a large bowl, mix all of the base ingredients together: rolled oats, milk of choice, Greek yogurt, protein powder, chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes then give it another good stir to make sure there aren’t any chia seeds clumped together.

Divide evenly into mason jars or another glass container. I love these adorable overnight oats containers that come with a handy spoon!

Add your variations and toppings into each mason jar before refrigerating or you could also just add your toppings the morning of.

Cover each mason jar with a lid and place in the fridge overnight.

On the morning of, just simply pull out of the fridge and enjoy!

How To Serve

Overnight oats are intended to be eaten cold. If you prefer warm oatmeal, you can microwave them, however, I’d skip the Greek yogurt for best results. 

These overnight oats can be enjoyed as is for breakfast or as part of a meal. 

If you wanted to add something to these overnight oats, you could pair them with: 

• Eggs: scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, or these egg bites are a nutritious addition.
• Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• Fruit
• Protein shake
• PCOS friendly smoothie

How To Store Overnight Oats

Overnight oats will stay good in your fridge for up to 5 days as long as you’re using an airtight container. 

Although I’ve never personally tried this, many people report that overnight oats freeze well. If you do try to freeze your overnight oats, I’d recommend only freezing the base recipe and adding your toppings at the time of serving. 

Variations & Substitutions 

• No almond milk? Use traditional milk or a plant-based milk such as soy milk, oat milk, or coconut milk.
• Dairy-free? Omit the Greek yogurt or use a dairy-free yogurt in its place. If you omit the Greek yogurt, add a little more milk.
• Don’t like protein powder? Use unflavored collagen peptides for a protein boost that doesn’t have that typical protein powder taste. Or omit this ingredient entirely.
• If you’re gluten free, look for oats that are certified gluten-free.
• Swap flax seeds or hemp seeds for the chia seeds.
• For different flavors, add your favorite mixture of toppings such as: fresh fruit, chopped nuts, seeds, nut butter like peanut butter, coconut, cacao nibs, or spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.

PCOS Overnight Oats FAQs

Are Overnight Oats Good For Fertility?

Yes, oats have fiber and micronutrients that support healthy ovulation and improve egg quality. Including oats as part of an overall healthy diet can improve your fertility chances.  

Are Overnight Oats Good For Weight Loss?

In addition to a healthy lifestyle, overnight oats can help you reach your weight loss goals! Overnight oats are higher in resistant starches than cooked oats. Resistant starches lead to lower glucose levels and improved insulin sensitivity, which may help you lose weight.

What’s The Best Type Of Oat For PCOS?

There’s several different types of oats and they could all be beneficial for PCOS depending on how you incorporate them into your diet. 

Overall, steel cut oats or old fashioned rolled oats are the best choice for PCOS. These two types of oats have a lower glycemic index, meaning they won’t raise your blood sugar as high as other types of oats.

Instant oats can still be used but I’d recommend steering clear of packaged instant oatmeal that contains high amounts of added sugar. Instead, opt for something like these quick oats by Quaker Oats, which don’t have any added sugar or salt. They’re more of a blank canvas that you can add your own topping into.

More PCOS Friendly Oatmeal Recipes 

Cookies + Cream Overnight Oats

Overnight Oats Without Chia Seeds

Blended Overnight Oats

Quinoa Overnight Oats

If you make these PCOS Overnight Oats, please consider leaving a star rating and review at the end of this blog post. This is incredibly helpful to me, my small business, and to other readers!