Vegan Overnight Steel Cut Oats (no cook!)

Jun 16, 2021 (Last updated Mar 18, 2024) by Hannah Sunderani

Vegan Overnight Steel Cut Oats (no cook!)

If you were wondering whether you can make overnight oats with steel cut oats, you’ll be happy to hear that you CAN! In fact, overnight steel cut oats are just as easy to make as traditional overnight oats.

They’re wholesome, sweet, and a comforting breakfast with a delicious chewy and nutty texture. You can enjoy all the pleasures of steel cut oats without having to turn on the stove!

So, let me tell you exactly how to make this recipe, so that you can enjoy it pronto!

Overnight Steel Cut Oats

These overnight steel cut oats are:

• easy to make
• made with wholesome ingredients
• sweet and comforting
• nutty and pleasantly chewy
• customizable by adding different toppings
• a healthy breakfast (or snack) recipe

We absolutely love these overnight oats! They are so wholesome and comforting, and make a really nice change from classic overnight oats. The steel cut oats provide a lovely chewy texture and nutty taste in comparison to regular oats. It’s delicious!

From now on, we’ll be making these steel cut overnight oats on repeat.

What are overnight oats?

Now, if you’ve never heard of overnight oats before, you might be wondering what I’m talking about in regards to overnight oats vs. overnight steel cut oats!

So, let me break it down for you…

Overnight oats is oatmeal prepared the night before. It’s made by combining all the ingredients in a bowl or a jar (usually a mixture of oats, milk, chia, and sweetener of choice). Instead of cooking the mixture on the stove top, you put it in the fridge to soak and thicken. After a few hours (i.e. by morning) you’ve got a delicious bowl of oatmeal.

Overnight oats is a refreshing breakfast or snack to enjoy during the summertime, when we often prefer eating cold foods over hot ones! Overnight oats are a popular recipe because we can enjoy our favourite winter oatmeals summer-style!

See my blog post for how to make traditional overnight oats.

Usually, we use old-fashioned rolled oats or quick cooking oats to make overnight oats. But as you know, this recipe proves that you can use steel cut oats too!

Can you use steel cut oats for overnight oats?

Steel cut oats, also known as Irish oats, are a popular type of oat variety to use when making oatmeal, because it’s less processed. They are produced by chopping groats (oats in their purest form) into into smaller pieces with large steel blades.

Steel cut oats have a chewier texture and nuttier flavour than rolled oats or quick cooking oats. They’ve become really popular over the years for their taste, texture and minimal processing. We really love them too. You can read more about the difference between oat varieties here, and I’ll also be making a blog post to compare oat varieties and how to use them, as it’s a question I get asked often!

Typically, we don’t think of steel cut oats for overnight oats because they’re known to have a longer cooking time, about 15 to 30 minutes. But you can absolutely use them to make oatmeal using steel cut oats with my method!

So, let me tell you how to make steel cut oatmeal without turning on the stove!

How to make overnight steel cut oats

Making overnight steel cut oats is so easy, and just as effortless as making traditional overnight oats (using rolled oats or quick cooking oats). Plus the texture is pleasantly chewy and nutty! It’s a delicious swap for the original that my husband and I love.

The trick to making this recipe is to combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, THEN pop in the microwave for 1 minute to warm. Stir again and then chill in the fridge overnight. Come morning you’ve got delicious overnight steel cut oats ready to be devoured!

Watch the how-to video

Topping ideas:

For this recipe, I’ve topped with banana, blackberries, peanut butter and coconut flakes. It’s a delicious combo! But you really can’t go wrong with toppings. So feel free to choose your favourites!

Here are some topping ideas that I like:

• Banana and peanut butter
• Apple and almond butter
• Blueberry and chocolate chips
• Strawberries and coconut flakes
• Other topping options: cacao nibs, nuts, hemp hearts tahini, cashew butter, goji berries, chopped dates, your favourite fresh fruits

You will never get bored of overnight oats switching up the toppings. Every day is a different version ready to be devoured.

Other recipes you might like:

If you’re digging this recipe, you might also like these easy breakfast/snack recipes:

• How to make overnight oats (traditional recipe)
• Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates with Peanut Butter
• Chocolate Oatmeal
• PB&J with Fried Banana Oatmeal
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• No Bake Oat Bars

So there we have it, a delicious recipe for how to make overnight steel cut oats. They are sweet, comforting, wholesome and pleasantly chewy. This is a great recipe to make during the summer time when we don’t want to turn on the stove. Add your favourite toppings and enjoy.

If you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have. And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.

See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!