Rolled oats, chia seeds, and oat milk yield thick overnight oats that are topped with delicious macerated lemon basil blueberries. This vegan and gluten free breakfast recipe doesn’t require any cooking and comes together with less than 10 ingredients!
The summer heat has arrived and with it a general apathetic mood when it comes to cooking in the kitchen. I’ve reached the point where I only want to eat things that don’t require adding extra heat to the house from the oven and stove. But I also don’t want to sacrifice flavor for the sake of keeping cool as a cucumber. Luckily, these overnight oats with macerated lemon basil blueberries are anything but boring and flavorless! The great thing is that there is minimal prep involved and absolutely NO COOKING! They’re pretty much all I want to eat for breakfast these days.
Why You Should Make These Overnight Oats
- You don’t have to turn on your oven or stove!
- There’s minimal effort involved as most of the magic happens overnight in the fridge.
- The macerated lemon basil blueberries taste like a dreamy summer dessert.
The Recipe Components
OVERNIGHT OATS – rolled oats, chia seeds, sea salt, and oat milk are stirred together then parked in the fridge overnight. This allows the chia seeds to gel and the oats to absorb the milk which yields a thick porridge. Before serving, you’ll stir in some unsweetened yogurt to make the oats creamy and dreamy.
MACERATED LEMON BASIL BLUEBERRIES – blueberries, lemon zest and juice, sugar, and lemon basil (or regular basil) get cozy together for a rest in the fridge overnight. The sugar draws out the juices of the berries, yielding a flavorful sauce. Lemon and basil flavor the blueberries, making them taste like a dreamy summer dessert.
How to Make Macerated Lemon Basil Blueberries
When it comes to fruit, maceration is the process of softening it and drawing out its juices. In this recipe, we’re doing this with a small amount of sugar! You’ll add your blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to a bowl. Using a fork, you’ll mash up about a third of the berries until you begin to see them releasing juice. The key to achieving the best macerated blueberries is to not skip the mashing part! Mashing up some of the berries ensures they get nice and juicy.
After you’ve mashed some of the blueberries, add the basil. Stir everything together, then let the mixture sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, making sure to stir it every 10 minutes. After this, you’ll put your berries in a container in the fridge to rest and macerate overnight.
Looking for More No-Cook Summer Recipes?
Summer is hot so why add more heat to the equation with your stove or oven?! Try these delicious no-cook summer recipes instead:
- My Favorite Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Carrot Cucumber Salad with Crushed Peanuts & Mint
- Melon Agua Fresca with Mint & Lime
Overnight Oats with Macerated Lemon Basil Blueberries (vegan)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Rolled oats, chia seeds, and oat milk yield thick overnight oats that are topped with delicious macerated lemon basil blueberries. This vegan and gluten free breakfast recipe doesn’t require any cooking and comes together with less than 10 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup oat milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoons lemon basil, minced (regular basil works great, too!)
- 4–6 tablespoons plain vegan yogurt, for serving
Instructions
The night before you’d like to enjoy your oats, stir together the rolled oats, chia seeds, salt, and oat milk in a bowl or a pint jar. Cover this mixture and set it in the fridge to thicken overnight.
Put the blueberries in a bowl along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Mash up about a third or a half of the berries with a fork until you begin to see some blueberry juices, then stir in the basil. Allow the blueberry mixture to sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, making sure to stir every 10 minutes. Cover the blueberry mixture and place it in the fridge to rest overnight.
When you’re ready to serve your oats, stir in the plain vegan yogurt, then top it with some of the macerated lemon basil blueberries and enjoy!
This makes 2-3 servings. Make sure to enjoy your oats and blueberries within 3-4 days.
Notes
- You can use regular sweet basil instead of lemon basil. I used lemon basil since I have a lot of it in my garden!
- Feel free to use any non dairy milk you like here. I tend to prefer oat milk or cashew milk.
- Make sure to factor in the time to allow everything to rest in the fridge overnight!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Category: breakfast
