Do you feed your baby fruit purees and find that you are left with lots of leftover? Why not make overnight oats with leftover baby food!

Why I love this recipe

Reduce food wastage Since my daughter started eating baby food, I realised that there are a lot of leftovers. I love this recipe as I am able to use up her fruit puree leftovers, and put it into my breakfast!

Quick and easy This recipe is quick and easy to make. You can literally make this in less than 10 minutes!

Make in advance I am not a morning person, so any prep I can get done the night before is great. I love that I can make these overnight oats ahead of time. I would often make a large batch and breakfast will be sorted for most of the week!

Grab-n-go breakfast Overnight oats is such a great grab-n-go breakfast option, perfect for mornings where I have an early morning appointment or when I need something quick and easy to eat while looking after my daughter. I also love that I can eat this overnight oats breakfast cold, as I won’t need to worry about accidentally spilling and burning my daughter.

Delicious, healthy, and filling Another plus to this breakfast option is that it is not only delicious, but also super healthy that keeps me full until lunch!

all the ingredients in two jam jars, prior to mixing

Ingredients you’ll need

Rolled oats The main ingredient in overnight oats. You will want to use plain old-fashioned oats for the best result. I do not recommend swapping this out for another type of oats, like instant oats or steel cut oats. If you would like to make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free rolled oats.

Milk I am using low-fat milk in my overnight oats, but you can use any type of milk you’d like. For creamier overnight oats, use full cream milk. You can also swap out regular cow’s milk with plant-based milk. My favourite plant-based milks to use in overnight oats are coconut milk, almond milk, and oat milk.

Greek yogurt This gives the oats a tangy flavour, and also gives it a thick and creamy texture. To keep this recipe healthy, I used unsweetened low-fat plain Greek yogurt. However, you may use sweetened and or full cream Greek yogurt. You may also swap this out for a plant-based yogurt.

A jar of overnight oats made with leftover baby food

Chia seeds This ingredient is option, but I love adding it into my overnight oats. Chia seeds are packed with lots of nutrients, and will give your overnight oats a pudding-like texture.

Leftover baby food (fruit puree) Any baby food fruit puree will work. In this recipe, I am using my daughter’s leftover banana, peach and apple puree. If you do not have any leftover baby food, use any fruit puree. The fruit puree flavours your overnight oats, and adds a little sweetness to it. However, if you would like your oats to be sweeter, add your preferred sweetener, like honey or maple syrup.

How to make overnight oats with leftover baby food?

You can either make this recipe in one large jar, or two smaller jars. I’m using two jam jars.

Add all the ingredients into your jars, and stir well.

Place the lid on the jars and refrigerate for at least two hours, or as its name suggests, overnight.

Toppings can be added the night before or immediately before serving.

You may eat your overnight oats cold, or warm. To eat it cold, take it out of the fridge and enjoy immediately. However, if you would like to eat your overnight oats cold, warm it up in the microwave for about 2 minutes, and enjoy.

Can I make overnight oats without leftover baby food?

You absolutely can! Simply swap out the baby food with 100 grams of your favourite fruits. All you’ll need to do is mash or blend your fruits up before adding it to your overnight oats mixture. To add more texture, you may choose to cut your fruits up into small pieces instead.

Can I use instant oats instead of rolled oats?

Traditional rolled oats produce the best result for this recipe. Instant oats tend to get too mushy overnight.

a jar of oats with a few apple pieces on the top as garnish

How long do these overnight oats keep?

Store these overnight oats in the fridge, in an airtight container (like a mason jar or jam jar), for up to 5 days. You can store these in individual jars for grab-n-go breakfasts, or in a large jar. If you are storing these in a large jar and plan to scoop it out into a bowl for breakfast, make sure you use a clean spoon to scoop your overnight oats out. You don’t want to contaminate it and shorten the shelf life!