Since I live an hour away from campus and am always on the run, the last thing I want to do every morning is to make breakfast. However, I know that if I try and skip the most important meal of the day, about an hour later I find myself being a tired, lazy and grumpy human being. Add to that the fact that I'm a vegan – meaning that I can’t simply grab a packet of digestives on the way — and my mornings become a little more complicated. So my solution: Overnight oats.
Between YouTube and Google (and of course, Spoon University), you can find a whole world of recipes telling you how to make overnight oats. The deal is quite simple: soak one part oats with one part of milk, add whatever you’d like to it, stick it in the fridge in the evening and the next morning you have a filling and delicious breakfast. The best thing about it is that you can 100% make it Insta-worthy, by prepping it in that marmalade jar that you once washed and kept, because "it might come in handy one day".
If it's that easy, then what can I offer you? To put it plainly — a guide. I've researched the best ingredients, the best combinations, and the best prices for that extra kick in the morning. Better still, all of these recipes can be mix-and-match to whatever suits your taste.
The base of oats is both quite self-explanatory and cheap — for example Tesco sells a 1kg pack for just 75p, whilst 1kg of organic oats from your local whole foods store (e.g. Planet Organic) is likely to cost just over £2.
And then there's the non-dairy milk choices: we have soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk, cashew milk, rice milk, coconut milk and hazelnut milk. Again, these can be as cheap or as expensive as you’d like them to be, from Tesco’s own brand soy milk priced at just 59p to Plenish cashew milk for £3.75.
#SpoonTip: Of course, you can use dairy milk if you choose but these non-dairy milks are all so delicious that I suggest trying them even if you're not vegan!
Under £3 a week
Soy milk, oats and banana are the most basic ingredients for any overnight oats. The banana gives you sustenance for the whole morning and the oats help you fill you up until lunch. You can't go wrong with this combination!
#SpoonTip: If you're feeling fancy, try adding some dark chocolate chips!
Under £5 a week
Almond milk, oats, peanut butter and crushed Oreos (under £5, but Oreos are often on offer). This is the most scrumptious of the bunch, perfect for those mornings when you know you’re going to have a rough day and you just want to treat yourself!
Under £7 a week
Hazelnut milk, oats, chocolate powder and strawberries (Alpro milk is often on sale). I promise you, this will taste almost like Nutella! Hazelnut milk and chocolate are just made for each other, and strawberries make everything sweeter.
Under £8 a week
Rice milk, oats, chia seeds, turmeric and cinnamon (you can also buy a singular shot of chia seeds for under £1). This is for those days when you feel like you are in need of a pick-me-up, perfect to fight a running nose.
Under £13 a week
Hemp milk, organic oats, maple syrup, cinnamon and blueberries. The hemp milk tends to be less sweet than the others, hence I recommend using maple syrup with it, or any syrup of your choice.
Under £18 a week
Coconut milk, oats, matcha powder (I get mine off Amazon), chocolate chips and coconut flakes. Again, coconut milk and matcha powder are a really good combination. Also, matcha will give you that caffeine we all crave in the morning!
About £20 a week
Cashew milk, oats, maca powder, coconut flakes, goji berries, dates and cocoa nibs. This is a little specialty I learnt working in a healthy vegan restaurant. Cashews make the creamiest milk, maca is used to replace chocolate and the dates add a delicious caramel taste!
Obviously, the prices of all of the ingredients are flexible and remember that the prices calculated above assume that you're buying bags of ingredients, not just the amount that you need — you won't use a whole bag of oats in a week's worth of breakfasts! For the last three options, I introduced organic oats instead of Tesco’s basics in the same way as I opted for more expensive options in terms of plant-based milk, but it's completely okay to mix and match. Don't forget that the more superfoods you add (like chia seeds or matcha powder), the more you will feel fueled for the day!