Our Best Overnight Grains for Breakfast to Make Your Mornings Easier

Why wait until after dinner to satisfy your sweet tooth when you can wake up and start your day with these overnight oats, an easy twist on classic carrot cake. Maple syrup and cinnamon serve as sweeteners, while shredded carrots and walnuts add crunch.

Related: How to Make Overnight Oats

Make your breakfast ahead of time so you can savor your morning instead. Simply add your steel cut oats to a slow cooker with water and a little salt, then cook on low heat for up to 6 hours (or on high for 3-3.5 hours) until tender and delicious.

Buy It: Crock-Pot Slow Cooker ($25, Target)

Instead of picking up a box of cereal bars at the store, make your own with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry, like rolled oats, crisp rice cereal, almond butter, and dried blueberries. Toasting the oats ahead of time adds an extra layer of toasty flavor to these bars.

Related: Pressure Cooker Breakfast Recipes

This overnight grains recipe made with simple ingredients like rolled oats, milk, apple juice, and honey makes four jars, which means it’s easy to whip up a healthy breakfast for your whole family. Top with yogurt, nuts, and your favorite fruit right before serving to keep them fresh.

Buy It: Ball 8-Ounce Jars ($11, Bed Bath & Beyond)

With only about 15 minutes of prep time, you can have a healthy breakfast ready to go for a few days. Portion out the oats mixture into muffin cups, freeze them overnight, then pop one in the microwave when you need a fast breakfast. They will keep in the freezer up to six months.

Related: Delicious Whole Grain Breakfast Recipes

Sweet-tart cherries and rich toasted hazelnuts make this overnight cereal made with bulgur feel fancy. With just a hint of coffee flavor thanks to ½ teaspoon of instant espresso powder, it will pair perfectly with your morning cup of joe.

Love coffee? Infuse that enticing flavor into these overnight oats made with protein-rich Greek yogurt by adding a little espresso powder, plus brown sugar for a hint of sweetness. Try adding chopped hazelnuts for a crunch that pairs perfectly with sweet cherries.

Related: Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas 

This no-cook orange and honey overnight grains recipe tastes restaurant-quality when topped with strawberry preserves, coconut, orange zest, and fresh thyme. Feel free to substitute coconut milk for the regular milk in these overnight oats.

Sweet meets salty in this Elvis-inspired breakfast recipe, which has earned rave reviews from our readers. To make these addicting overnight grains, simply combine Greek yogurt with rolled oats, milk, sliced banana, honey, chia seeds, and peanut butter, then top with crispy bacon.

Everyone will love these delicious and filling cookies for breakfast. Peanut butter, oats, and bananas star in the breakfast treats. Customize the breakfast by adding your favorite mix-ins, like cranberries or raisins.

 Related: Healthy Cookie Recipes

This no-cook overnight cereal recipe made in a jar features fresh blackberries, toasted almonds, and crystallized ginger, making it certifiably delicious. You can also use whatever berries you have on hand for a change-up to this morning meal.

Related: Blackberry-Ginger Refrigerator Oatmeal

Roll out of bed to this comforting, hot overnight steel-cut oats recipe that does all the work for you in your slow cooker. Before serving, top with pecans, chopped apples, and honey for a bowl of crunchy, gooey goodness.

Make this crunchy, fiber-filled granola the night before so it's ready to grab in the morning. Tossed with protein-rich peanut butter and sweetened with honey, this versatile treat is great on its own, sprinkled onto oatmeal, or layered with yogurt as a parfait.

Steel-cut Irish oats made in the slow cooker are a time-saving breakfast for a crowd. Dried cranberries, golden raisins, and dried apricots add fiber, while chopped and toasted walnuts or pecans add a toasty taste. For easy cleanup, use a liner in your slow cooker.

 Related: Slow Cooker Breakfast Recipes