We have these gorgeous mornings up here in Maine where it’s slightly foggy and damp, but the sun is just trying to come out. Everything is painted in fiery oranges and buttery yellows, and you just know it’s going to be a good day. The dairy-free overnight oats with flax and honey I’m about to show you are the perfect accompaniment to this type of morning. They’re creamy, comforting, slightly sweet, and packed with all kinds of wholesome ingredients. Oh, and they can easily be made totally vegan!

To be honest with you guys, I can’t really take credit for this recipe. Ryan is the true mastermind and oatmeal lover behind it. This all started when we became vegan. We heard about all these great ways to make overnight oats, and they typically involved using yogurt of some sort. He tried and tested just about every dairy-free milk and yogurt alternative before settling on this recipe. It’s one that we revisit often and dress up in different ways depending on what’s in the fridge.

Why are these vegan overnight oats with flax and honey special?

First, let’s talk about vegan yogurt:

When we were newly vegan, there were very limited dairy-free yogurt options out there. I don’t want to call out any specific brands here, but most of them were thickened with all kinds of weird gums. To top that off, they also were high in sugar and flavored to taste like tangy yogurt instead of actually using cultures to create that flavor. Therefore, you were not only eating a highly processed food, but you were losing out on all those super-healthy probiotics that make yogurt so amazing in the first place!

However, the situation improved over time, and brands like Kite Hill and Forager started to create dairy-free versions of cultured favorites like cheese and yogurt using real, active cultures. Yay for probiotic benefits! And gradually, these brands have become less expensive and more available in grocery stores everywhere!

We use unsweetened, plain Forager cashew yogurt for our overnight oats. It has the right levels of creaminess, tang, and nuttiness to help create the best flavor. Kite Hill also makes a wonderful plain almond yogurt, but it can be more difficult to find in standard grocery stores and it has more sugar than Forager. There are other dairy-free options out there too, though not all of them are cultured. If you want to achieve the most health benefits from this recipe, be sure your yogurt alternative uses live and active cultures. However, this is not still totally necessary just to make delicious overnight oats, so work with what you can find.

Now let’s talk about the dairy free milk.

We decided to use unsweetened hemp milk for its myriad health benefits. You might remember me using it in our Good Energy Chocolate Banana Smoothies, too! It’s high in omegas and protein, and in our opinion is the best balance of sustainability and nutrition for us. Plus, I love the flavor!

However, you can use whatever dairy-free milk is your favorite. I’m so happy to see that there are so many options out there now. I’ve tried a bunch of them, and I honestly can’t say that I’ve met a bad alternative. They’re all pretty dang delicious.

And how about the other stuff?

Most people prefer to add a little sweetness to their overnight oats. We simply use honey for our version, and only a little bit at that! If you are strictly vegan, you can easily sub agave syrup or maple syrup for the honey.

The bottom line? You don’t want to overwhelm the delicious toppings that you’ll eventually add. We love using strawberries, bananas, walnuts, or whatever fruits we have on hand. If you don’t have any fresh fruit, you can also use raisins, brown sugar, and sunflower seeds. These oats have a super subtle flavor, so any topping will go well with them.

Alternatively, you can omit the honey and make savory oats. We love topping savory oats with kimchi and a jammy, soft-boiled egg.

Finally, we add flaxseed meal for a little extra dose of omegas and dietary fiber! You can also use whole flax seeds or chia seeds.

And there you have it! Easy, nutritious, and delicious dairy-free overnight oats with flax and honey to start out your day! Check out Ryan’s how-to tutorial video, or see the recipe below. We’d love to know if you made this recipe and what kinds of toppings you used!

Until next time,

Ryan, LM, and Karl <3