Vanilla Chai Overnight Oats made dairy-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free and warmly spiced to perfection. A delicious, healthy breakfast recipe!
This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. All thoughts, feelings, and opinions are my own, and I thank you for supporting the brands that help make this site possible.
Do you remember when chai was a major thing circa 2000?
It was everything.
It was the new hot chocolate, paved the road for matcha, the means to get your buzz on sans coffee.
Truthfully, I’m not altogether sure the chai craze ever dissipated – it was and is just that good.
If you went to my high school and got caught ordering a soy chai at a local coffee shop, your cool status shot through the roof. Guaranteed to get a prom date at that point.
And for a good reason: Chai’s on fleek.
Forever and always.
Keep calm and chai on.
Do you remember when overnight oats were a thing? Circa 2012 – Present? To summarize: they’re everything, super on fleek, forever and always, keep calm and overnight oat on.
For the longest time, Banana Bread Overnight Oatmeal was my favorite grab-and-go breakfast.
Just think about the ease in which it all comes together. Stir up some ingredients in a jar, stick it in the refer, and pop it open for a nice cold brekkie? Brilliance, I say!
I fancy making big batches of overnight oats, dividing it between individual jars, and eating on it throughout the week.
My favorite way of enjoying oatmeal is chai-style: warmly-spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, etc. To really ramp it up, I love using a real vanilla bean for added depth of flavor.
If you’ve never used a vanilla bean, it’s easy!
You simply cut a slit down the length of the bean with a sharp paring knife, then open the slit to scrape out the small vanilla beans. The effort is well-worth it given how much flavor you get!
Using full-fat canned coconut milk, this oatmeal turns out super rich and filling. To cut down on the fat content, you can use any non-dairy milk of choice.
Pure maple syrup is my sweetener of choice, but you can also use honey, agave, coconut sugar, or brown sugar. Serve with cacao nibs, or dark chocolate chips for a real treat!
I also generally eat my oatmeal with sliced banana and blueberries – you can add any in-season fruit to your liking.
Keeping this a gluten-free breakfast, I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. I’ve also been known to use Bob’s quick oats and steel cut oats for overnight oatmeal, but find the old fashioned to be my all-time favorite.
All things added together, we end up with a flavorful, satisfying, and healthful breakfast that can be made for your busy work week or shared with friends and family.
Note: you can also prepare this exact recipe and serve it warm by cooking it on the stove top. The versatility is real here.
Also try my Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats, Carrot Cake Overnight Oats, and my Strawberry Overnight Oats.
Keeping calm and Vanilla Chai Overnight Oat-ing on since 2016.

Vanilla Chai Overnight Oatmeal
Vanilla Chai Overnight Oatmeal is a warmly-spiced infusion of deliciousness perfect for the fall and winter months!
Ingredients
- 1 (14-ounce) full-fat canned coconut milk*, or non-dairy milk of choice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pinch allspice, less than 1/8 tsp
- 1 pinch ground cardamom, less than 1/8 tsp
- Pinch sea salt
- ½ large vanilla bean, scraped
- 3 to 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 1 ½ cups Gluten-Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients for the overnight oats to a large jar. Stir, seal, and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2 hours). When ready to serve, stir well and taste for flavor. Add more pure maple syrup, and/or cinnamon to taste.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1 of 3Amount Per Serving Calories 237Total Fat 6gUnsaturated Fat 0gCarbohydrates 43gFiber 6gSugar 16gProtein 6g
Laurie
Sunday 6th of February 2022
Would this work with steel cut oats cooked in a slow cooker overnight?
Julia
Monday 7th of February 2022
Hi Laurie!
That's a great question! I'm really not sure, as I've never tried it myself. I'm betting it would require much more liquid for steel cut oats, so it may be worth googling how much liquid you'd need in a crock pot steel cut oats recipe. Let me know if you try it!
Samantha
Friday 3rd of April 2020
would this be too much for a 14 oz jar?
Connie
Tuesday 5th of March 2019
Julia, I just found this and had to make it right away! What great flavors! It's a perfect substantial breakfast, even though I used almond milk instead of the coconut milk and I forgot the cacao nibs... Thank you.
Julia
Thursday 7th of March 2019
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Connie! Thanks so much for the feedback! xo
Kennita
Wednesday 5th of October 2016
Most amazing overnight oats recipe I've tasted. Creamy, thick and decadent,. Perfect for early autumn mornings. It took me 10 minutes to prep 3 bowls!!!!! That's amazing and a time saver in the morning.
Thanks for such an awesome recipe.
MARIANNE BYNUM
Saturday 16th of April 2016
so so so many ads on your blog page! Makes it so hard to read an enjoy your posts. :(((