Overnight Oats

Michael Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

Classic overnight oats with low-FODMAP swaps for the milk, sweetener, and fruit.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 1

Gluten-freeVegan-option

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (52 g) rolled oats (not steel-cut)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) lactose-free milk or unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• Low-FODMAP fruit for topping (see Tips)

Instructions

Assemble the Jar

1. Add the rolled oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt to a pint-size jar or sealed container.
2. Pour in the milk and water. Add the maple syrup if using.
3. Stir well, making sure no dry oats are stuck to the sides.

Chill Overnight

1. Cap the jar and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight.
2. In the morning, stir once to loosen. If the texture is thicker than you want, splash in another tablespoon of milk.

Serve

1. Eat cold straight from the jar, or warm it for 30 to 60 seconds in the microwave.
2. Top with low-FODMAP fruit and any extras just before eating.

Tips & Substitutions

• Peanut-butter banana. Stir 1 tablespoon of pure peanut butter into the base before chilling. Top with a firm-yellow (unripe) banana, up to 1 medium / 100 g. Skip this variation if the banana is spotted or soft.
• Berry. Top with 20 blueberries (~40 g) or 10 medium strawberries (~150 g, sliced) in the morning. Frozen berries can go in with the base, but expect a looser texture.
• Maple-pecan. Use the full teaspoon of maple syrup in the base and top with 10 pecan halves and a pinch of extra cinnamon. No fruit needed.
• Pick a safe milk. Lactose-free cow's milk, unsweetened almond milk (up to 1 cup / 250 ml), macadamia, hemp, or rice milk (up to 3/4 cup / 187 ml). Oat milk varies a lot by brand and serve size; use it only if the carton is Monash-certified.
• Check plant-milk labels. Skip anything with inulin, chicory root fiber, FOS, honey, or apple or pear juice concentrate.
• Sweeten with maple or table sugar. Honey and agave are out during elimination. Stevia, erythritol, and sucralose also work for most people, though some with IBS react to sugar alcohols.
• Going gluten-free. Rolled oats are naturally gluten-free but are often cross-contaminated with wheat. If you have celiac disease, buy certified gluten-free oats or swap in rice flakes.

Why This Works

Oats serve size. Monash tests rolled oats as low-FODMAP at 1/2 cup uncooked (52 g). Larger serves stack up on fructans and GOS, so keep to one jar per sitting.

Milk matrix. Lactose-free dairy and most nut milks are low-FODMAP at 1 cup or more. Oat milk is the odd one out: it varies heavily by brand and is only low-FODMAP in small serves, so use a Monash-tested product if you want it.

Sweetener rule. Pure maple syrup is low-FODMAP at 2 tablespoons. Honey and agave are high-fructose at any real serve and should stay out of the jar.

Fruit stacking. Individual fruit serves are low, but stacking two or three in one bowl can tip you over. Pick one topping and keep it within its Monash serve: 20 blueberries (~40 g), 10 medium strawberries (~150 g), 30 raspberries (~60 g), 1 firm-yellow banana (~100 g), or 1 gold kiwi.

Storage

Assembled jars keep in the fridge for up to 4 days at 40°F (4°C) or below. Make the base without toppings and add fruit the morning you eat it, or double the batch and portion into jars for the week. Frozen berries can go in with the base; fresh fruit is best added last.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.