Here's How Long Your Overnight Oats Will Stay Fresh

The ultimate perk of overnight oats is having breakfast prepared ahead of time so your mornings can start hassle-free. But you may wonder how far ahead you should plan and prepare your overnight oats based on how long they'll stay fresh. Luckily, you have about five days to enjoy your overnight oats. The texture will change the longer the oats sit in your choice of milk but are still edible nonetheless.

The one- to two-day mark will be your best bet for consuming overnight oats at their freshest. They'll have fully absorbed the milk while maintaining a bouncy texture that leaves the oats chewy in your mouth. If you need to make enough portions for four to five days of breakfasts in advance, your oats will still be good to eat, they'll just get soggier and mushier the more time they have to soak in the milk. If you want to eat the overnight oats at their best, consume the portions within the first three days.

Milk is the most popular choice of liquid for overnight oats, as the milk helps cream up the oats and brings richness and sweetness to the cold breakfast mix. However, milk has quite a finite expiration date for spoiling. So if you find the milk you have in the fridge only has a few days left, there are other liquids to turn to for preparing your breakfast treat.

Using water instead of milk can give you more time to enjoy your overnight oats fresh. The water will still plump up your oats properly in the refrigerator overnight, but you'll lose out on a bit of that desirable creamy texture that milk provides. You could even make the oats extra creamy by adding a bit of yogurt to the mixture. You can thin out the yogurt with a bit of water, or just add a spoonful for the ideal consistency. After a few days, just make sure to be on the lookout for any funky smells or discoloration in the yogurt or oats before consuming. Also, don't make the mistake of leaving the oats out for too long, as this could speed up the spoiling process as well.

Milk, yogurt, or water won't be enough to take your overnight oats from bland mush to a delicious breakfast treat. You'll want to add some seasonings and toppings to bring the oats alive. Use a spice blend to make homemade chai spice overnight oats. The oats will marinate in the warm, sweet spices overnight and coat every bite with flavor. Even just a dash of cinnamon goes a long way. And if you need an extra hit of sweetness, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup pairs great with the creamy oats and can be added to soak in overnight as well.

There are other toppings, however, that you should try to add fresh in the morning instead of letting them sit in your portioned oats containers overnight. Chopped nuts are a great overnight oats add-in to bring a crunchy texture to the creamy oats, but could turn mushy if you add them too early. The same goes for adding fruit like berries – add them right before eating for the freshest sweet and tangy burst in each bite. The juices will start to melt into the oats mixture if the fruit is added overnight. This can still be tasty but will turn the berries soft, making it hard to tell if they remain fresh. However you choose to prepare your overnight oats, enjoy them within five days, knowing that the two to three-day mark will have the oats at their freshest.