These 4 Tropical Vegan Overnight Oats Recipes are healthy recipes for gluten free overnight oats made with coconut milk and almond milk, and topped with 4 different fruit combinations.
From mango overnight oats to passion fruit overnight oats, these recipes were inspired by Colombian fruit and will immediately transport you to the Caribbean coast!
Jump to:
- Vegan overnight oats inspired by Colombian fruit flavors
- The trick to perfectly creamy vegan oats for breakfast
- The health benefits of oats
- Can overnight oats be gluten free?
- Why you need to try this healthy overnight oats recipe
- My favorite Tropical overnight oatmeal combinations
- INGREDIENTS YOU NEED to make coconut milk overnight oats
- Equipment
- How to make this vegan overnight oatmeal recipe
- Storage
- Top Tips for easy no cook vegan oats
- Overnight Oat Recipes & Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions About Overnight Oats Recipes
- When to serve this almond milk overnight oats recipe:
- What to serve with these overnight oats:
- For more easy breakfast recipes:
- Pin for Later!
- Recipe
Vegan overnight oats inspired by Colombian fruit flavors
From the first moment I saw the street carts overladen with fresh fruits the likes of which I have never seen, I knew I was in heaven.
Despite the shouts of the vendors, the trampled, broken bits of fruit innards everywhere, and the heat of the South American sun, there was nowhere else that I would have rather been than at that market.
Because before me were mounds of fruits I have never seen, let alone tasted, before. And I had the unique privilege of being able to explore all of them.
To those who don’t know me, my husband is a Bogotano - a native of the capital city of Colombia. When I first went with him to visit his native city, I was struck by the myriad of fruits and vegetables that simply don’t exist anywhere else. Though he was worried about my foreigner’s stomach, my husband eventually relented to let me go to the local market with his mom.
It was at the Bogota fruit market there that I tasted orange uchuvas, similar to our ground cherries but also completely different.
It was there that I discovered yellow-skinned pitaya, so like a dragon fruit but also a thousand times sweeter.
It was there that I sampled the different types of mango and manga, the former small and yellow shelled, and the latter giant and green-red of peel.
It was there that I tasted miniature and red-skinned Colombian ananas, a pineapple so sweet that it brought a smile to my face simply from the smell.
It was there that I tried maracuya, one kind of passion fruit - but far from being the only variety.
It was there that I uncovered granadilla, which is similar to a passion fruit in its myriad of seeds, but yellow in exterior and white in interior.
And it was there that I tasted carambola, an orange star fruit so sweet and juicy, everything else paled by comparison.
I knew that when I returned to Canada, I had to try and capture some of these incredible flavors in a unique way.
These 4 overnight oat recipes were developed as an homage to the unique fruits I saw and tasted in Colombia.
The trick to perfectly creamy vegan oats for breakfast
To let the flavors of Colombian tropical fruit shine, I wanted to create a perfectly creamy base - and I knew my trademark coconut milk overnight oats would do just the trick.
Though overnight oats are not a traditional Colombian breakfast (unlike cheese arepas, for example), I was inspired by the flavors of tropical fruit to pair overnight oats with coconut milk.
The subtle sweetness of coconut milk paired beautifully with the tropical fruit, creating the perfect creamy texture and flavor for my vegan oats.
When you combine coconut milk overnight oats with almond milk or oat milk, and add a healthy dose of chia seeds, you will get the absolute PERFECT creamy texture for your overnight oats - without any dairy or gluten.
How to make overnight oats with no yogurt or peanut butter
A lot of overnight oat recipes rely on Greek yogurt and peanut butter or almond butter for the creaminess.
I find that this is not necessary - if you use coconut milk, chia seeds and another, lighter vegan milk like oat milk or almond milk in overnight oats, you will get creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, lightly sweetened overnight oats that are also healthy.
The first time I made this vegan oats recipe, I couldn’t believe there was no yogurt or peanut butter added at all!
You do not need high fat nut butter, or artificial vegan yogurts in your dairy free overnight oats recipe. All you need are good, healthy ingredients and a bit of ingenuity, and you will be AMAZED by the texture and taste of these creamy overnight oats without yogurt or peanut butter!
For more vegan recipes:
The health benefits of oats
If you’ve never tried overnight oats, I truly think you are missing out! Overnight oats are one of the best ways to preserve all the nutrients and vitamins in oats, because there is NO COOKING INVOLVED.
The health benefits of no cook overnight oats include:
- Whole grain
- Lowers cholesterol
- Provides antioxidants
- Improves digestion and aids with constipation
- Good for the skin
- Improves gut flora and healthy bacteria
- Healthy overnight oats recipe for weight loss
Can overnight oats be gluten free?
I am gluten intolerant, and therefore it took me a while to fall for overnight oats. What changed things for me was discovering gluten free oats.
Oats themselves have no gluten - but they are often processed in facilities that process other grains, which contain gluten. Therefore, most commercial oats come in contact with gluten through cross contamination at the processing plant.
However, certified gluten free oats are 100% gluten free - as they are processed in a designated gluten free facility.
To make overnight oats gluten free, all you need to do is buy oats that are designated as 100% gluten free oats.
But a word of caution - because gluten free certification is not heavily regulated, try a small serving of your oats first. Once you find a gluten free oats brand that you trust, you can go back to it over and over again!
Why you need to try this healthy overnight oats recipe
You are in for a real TREAT with this healthy overnight oats recipe! With 4 unique tropical fruit toppings, and an extraordinarily creamy, healthy, vegan and gluten free overnight oats recipe, I love this recipe because it is:
- Unique - in all my searches, I never tried another overnight oats recipe with coconut milk.
- Showcase of unusual tropical fruit - you’d be hard pressed to come up with these original overnight oats toppings combinations!
- Healthy - vegan, dairy free gluten free and with only optional added sweeteners, this breakfast overnight oats recipe is truly healthy!
- Easy to make - it literally takes 3 minutes to make and has only 5 base ingredients!
- Made in advance - this entire dish is made in advance, and you can cut the fruit every 2 days to avoid even that part of the work.
- Portable
- Keeps well without losing its shape
- Makes meal prep into a breeze - you can make your breakfast in advance for several days in a row with this recipe
- Quick
- No cook recipe
- 5 basic ingredients
- Vegan and dairy free
- Gluten-free
- Subtle in its sweetness
- Kid-friendly
- High in nutrients
My favorite Tropical overnight oatmeal combinations
Beyond my unique, vegan overnight oats recipe, this recipe also stands out for its tropical fruit toppings. My favorite Colombian-style fruit combinations for overnight oats include:
- Mango + passion fruit (maracuya)
- Pineapple (ananas) + coconut shavings (coco rayado)
- Star fruit (carambola) + granadilla
- Dragon fruit (pitaya) + ground cherries (uchuvas)
I invite you to try one, or all 4 of these healthy overnight oatmeal oat toppings. They all go beautifully with my coconut milk overnight oats recipe.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED to make coconut milk overnight oats
You need the following ingredients to make my gluten free overnight oats with coconut milk:
- gluten-free certified old fashioned rolled oats - if you are gluten intolerant or celiac, ensure your oats are labelled gluten free. Otherwise, you can also use regular rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats).
- chia seeds - these help act as a binder and add protein to our protein overnight oats recipe.
- coconut milk - use regular full-fat coconut milk with no additives for the best results and the creamiest texture.
- oat or almond milk - I LOVE making oat milk overnight oats, but they are just as good with almond milk. You need a lighter milk to balance out the coconut milk and make your overnight oats more creamy, rather than a brick. I usually use unsweetened oat or almond milk.
- grated panela (optional) - If I am sweetening my overnight oatmeal recipe, I love to use panela, the traditional Colombian cane sugar. This sugar has been extracted from sugar canes with machetes, and then cooked down over a low and slow fire, resulting in sweetener that has actually had little-to-none artificial processing. You can buy Colombian panela in the form of brown bricks which you have to grate, or in the form of sugar cubes. If you cannot find panela, feel free to use maple syrup or agave syrup - or omit it altogether.
Exotic fruit you need for topping these no cook overnight oats:
Then, depending on which fruit flavor combination you like, you will need:
- For Mango overnight oats: Mango + Passion fruit (maracuya) - you can use any mango you like, but I like to use yellow skinned medium-sized mangoes. For passion fruit, Colombian maracuya is yellow fleshed with yellow seeds; it is grown in the rainforests and can be hard to find in North America. Instead, feel free to use purple-skinned passion fruit - which gets sweeter then more wrinkly it gets.
- For pineapple overnight oats: Pineapple (ananas) + coconut shavings (coco rayado) - to choose ripe pineapple, opt for a mature pineapple whose color has deepend from green to yellow, but whose leaves remain green. There should also be some give when you press or squeeze on the skin (underripe pineapple is very firm). You can use shredded or desiccated coconut - but try to choose unsweetened coconut shavings for the best results.
- For yellow vegan overnight oats: Star fruit (carambola) + Granadilla - Colombian star fruit, also called carambola, is orange-skinned and fleshed fruit that resembles a five-pointed star. You can eat the peel and the flesh, and it’s a favorite among children. It has a fresh and slightly zesty flavor. In Colombia, carambola is much more flavorful and fragrant than the one you green-yellow skinned variety you usually find in North America - but I love and recommend using any star fruit you can find. Granadilla is another unique North American fruit from the passion fruit family. It has a hard orange shell, and you eat the seeds which are black, and the flesh, which looks a bit like gel. Granadilla has a subtle sweetness and the juice inside tastes somewhat floral.
- For overnight oats with Dragon fruit (pitaya) + ground cherries (uchuvas) - Colombian pitaya is different than the Asian dragon fruit many of us know (those with the bright pink skin). To buy Colombian dragon fruit, choose fruit that is yellow in skin and has a white flesh with small black seeds. This will be especially sweet. If you can only find pink-fleshed and pink-exteriored dragon fruit, it will be delicious as well, though markedly less sweet. Ground cherries are another specialty fruit that actually does well in North American climates - you can find local ground cherries in many places, including Montreal. Yet Colombian uchuvas (known in Peru as "fruits of love" due to their heart shaped wrapping) are somehow sweeter and juicier than their North American counterpart. For this recipe, you can use any ground cherries you can find.
See recipe card for exact quantities
Equipment
- Bowl
- Mason jars
How to make this vegan overnight oatmeal recipe
Making overnight oats couldn’t be simpler.
To make vegan gluten free overnight oats with coconut milk:
In a large bowl, mix gluten-free certified oats with chia seeds, coconut milk, oat or almond milk, and panela or your choice of sweetener.
To make mango overnight oats:
Top with ½ of a cut up mango, and the insides of 1 passion fruit, seeds included.
To make pineapple overnight oats:
Top with ½ cup of diced fresh pineapple, and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut shavings.
To make yellow overnight oats:
Top with a few slices of star fruit, skin-on, and the insides of ½ a granadilla, seeds included. Top with optional mint leaves.
To make overnight oats with dragon fruit:
Top with the cubed flesh of ½ a dragon fruit, and ¼ cup of peeled and halved ground cherries.
Storage
Once mixed, this gluten free overnight oatmeal recipe will keep in the fridge for 5 days.
If topped with fruit, each overnight oats portion will keep for 2 days.
Top Tips for easy no cook vegan oats
- Make a big batch of vegan oatmeal, and store it in a large mason jar or a well sealed container in the fridge.
- Top with new, freshly diced fruit ever 1-2 days. The fruit will start to dry up after 2 days, so don’t wait longer.
- Play around with the toppings and see what combinations you like better!
- Switch oat or almond milk for another plant-based milk of your choice.
Overnight Oat Recipes & Variations
Here are some variations you can do to this basic vegan oats recipe:
- Add 1 scoop of vegan protein powder to the mix of overnight oats for protein overnight oats.
- Try oat milk overnight oats, almond milk overnight oats, or macadamia milk overnight oats.
- Play around with the fruit toppings. Many Colombian fruit go very well together, and I encourage you to go beyond the proposed overnight oats toppings and come up with your own recipes.
- Banana overnight oats - add 1 mashed banana to your oatmeal mix, and increase the almond milk by 2-4 tablespoons. Top the prepared oats with sliced bananas.
- Peanut butter overnight oats - if you want to add more protein, you can also add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter to the vegan oats batter.
- Blueberry overnight oats - top your vegan overnight oatmeal with ¼ cup blueberries.
Frequently Asked Questions About Overnight Oats Recipes
Today, we are lucky to have access to a world of fresh, imported exotic fruit! All the fruits I listed here are available in my local supermarket in Canada, which means you can likely find them near you (at the very least, mango and pineapple should be widely available in the frozen section!).
You can find fresh Colombian fruit in Latin American supermarkets, in Asian supermarkets, or in the exotic fruit section of a well-stocked supermarket.
In Canada, many of these fruits are available in Metro, IGA, and Loblaws.
Absolutely! A lot of Colombian fruit is sold frozen. Just don’t buy the pulp, and opt instead for the frozen fruit. The pulp alone will not work in this recipe.
Though overnight oats themselves are not low in calories or carbs, the fact that they are whole grain means that they take longer to break down in the body, not resulting in extreme blood sugar spikes and helping you feel fuller for longer. Thus, this healthy overnight oats recipe for weight loss will aid you in your journey towards better health.
Yes! Ensure your oats are marked gluten free to avoid any cross contamination.
If you are not gluten sensitive, you can use regular rolled oats.
Yes, you can make this into an Instant oats overnight oats recipe. However, I do not recommend leaving it for more than 1 day as it will get too soggy and lose its shape and texture.
To make overnight oats with steel cut oats, you must leave to soak overnight the steel cut oats in 2 cups of boiling water, then heat them up with ½ cup of coconut milk in the morning. Unfortunately, just soaking steel cut oats will not work in this recipe.
The whole point of overnight oats is to make them in advance! I recommend to make the base no cook overnight oats recipe every 5 days, and to cut up the fruit every two days.
It sure is - it is made with no dairy products whatsoever.
Yes! Just warm them up for 30 seconds in the microwave in the morning. This is especially nice in winter, when you want a warm breakfast.
When to serve this almond milk overnight oats recipe:
I like to serve almond milk overnight oats for breakfast.
My favorite way to eat overnight oats is in a to-go jar whenever I need a portable, quick breakfast on the go.
Creamy healthy overnight oats mean I don’t have to worry about making breakfast in the morning - it’s already made from the night before!
And what’s more - my kids LOVE them!
If you want another no-cook breakfast recipe, try my overnight chia pudding. i also like to serve these overnight dairy free oats with this dairy free breakfast casserole.
For more Colombian recipes:
What to serve with these overnight oats:
- Middle Eastern cardamom rose latte
- Stewed strawberry rhubarb compote with chia coconut pudding (V, GF, Paleo)
- Protein waffles
- The perfect cup of Maui Estate Coffee
For more easy breakfast recipes:
For more gluten free recipes:
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Recipe
Gluten free and vegan overnight oats with tropical fruit
Ingredients
For gluten free overnight oats with coconut milk:
- 2 cups certified gluten-free oats
- ¼ cup chia seeds (4 tablespoons)
- 2 cups can coconut milk (400 ml) shaken well
- 1 cup unsweetened oat milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon grated panela or 2 cubes panela Colombian sugar or 2 teaspoons maple syrup
For Mango overnight oats (2 servings):
- 1 mango peeled and cubed
- 2 passion fruits insides scooped out, seeds included
For pineapple overnight oats (2 servings):
- 1 cup fresh pineapple peeled and diced finely
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened coconut shavings
For yellow vegan overnight oats (2 servings):
- 1 star fruit skin-on, sliced into ½ inch slices
- 1 granadilla insides scooped out, seeds included.
- Mint leaves optional
For overnight oats with Dragon fruit (pitaya) + ground cherries (uchuvas) (2 servings):
- 1 dragon fruit peeled and diced finely
- ½ cup ground cherries peeled and halved
Instructions
To make vegan gluten free overnight oats with coconut milk:
- In a large bowl, mix gluten-free certified oats with chia seeds, coconut milk, oat or almond milk, and panela or your choice of sweetener.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.
To make mango overnight oats:
- Transfer 1 cup of overnight oats to a jar. Top with ½ of a cut up mango, and the insides of 1 passion fruit, seeds included.
To make pineapple overnight oats:
- Transfer 1 cup of overnight oats to a jar. Top with ½ cup of diced fresh pineapple, and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut shavings.
To make yellow overnight oats:
- Transfer 1 cup of overnight oats to a jar. Top with a few slices of star fruit, skin-on, and the insides of ½ a granadilla, seeds included. Top with optional mint leaves.
To make overnight oats with dragon fruit:
- Transfer 1 cup of overnight oats to a jar. Top with the cubed flesh of ½ a dragon fruit, and ¼ cup of peeled and halved ground cherries.
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