Did you get your oats today? These PB and J overnight oats have become an easy, no-cook, low FODMAP breakfast staple in my house. They're my new favourite way to get my oats. If you usually feel a bit “meh”, about eating porridge then this recipe is perfect for you.
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If you’ve watched my videos for a while you’ll have heard me say that I’m not the biggest fan of porridge. Something about the texture does me in and makes it difficult for me to eat my fill without feeling a little queasy. Enter these creamy, decadent, PB and J overnight oats. Believe me when I say there’s no other way I’d rather eat them.
Because I’ve never really had a big love for them, I was late to the overnight oats trend. I didn’t see how they would differ from porridge, and cold porridge at that, bleeeurgh!
If you’ve never tried overnight oats it might be hard to imagine how they seem so much more like dessert than porridge. They’re creamier, lighter, easier to digest and much more flavourful due to mingling with those flavours all night long. Although they’re ideal for warmer times I eat these all year round, they’re just that good.
The only thing I’d be a real stickler for in this recipe is the rolled oats. See the FAQs below for why rolled oats are my go-to variety. Soaking the oats overnight in a mixture that includes yoghurt, rather than just milk, is the key to getting that creamy texture. All the rest, the milk, fruit and flavourings, you could pretty much swap out to suit your tastes and tolerances.
If you’d like to see how this recipe has evolved into my personalised phase then watch the breakfast portion of this ‘What I ate in a day, spring edition’ video.
What are you waiting for, get yer oats!
Recipe FAQ’s
People are often surprised that you can eat oats on a low FODMAP diet. This is because low FODMAP is not the same as a gluten-free diet and allows small safe-servings of wheat-containing ingredients. Although oats are naturally gluten-free they are often contaminated with wheat during the harvesting process. You may need to choose gluten-free oats if you need them to be certified as wheat-free.
Most types of oats have safe low FODMAP servings but it changes depending on the variety. As oats can be a bit of a confusing topic keep reading to the specific FODMAP notes section for more details.
The two main things to consider when choosing the type of oats you use for overnight oats are;
1. The texture that you prefer
2. The amount of FODMAPs per portion.
Quick oats and oat flakes will need the least amount of soaking and give a silky texture, closer to a thick smoothie. Steel-cut oats and oat groats need the longest soaking time and result in a firm, chewy texture with much more bite. My preference for these overnight oats is regular rolled oats which in my opinion give the creamiest result whilst retaining a subtle texture.
Your appetite or the number of oats you like to eat might also affect which oats you choose. Quick oats have the smallest low FODMAP serving size of ¼ cup whilst rolled oats have a larger safe serving of up to ½ cup.
As with most dried goods in the Monash app, the servings are calculated on their dry weight, unless otherwise specified as cooked. So a safe serving of rolled oats is ½ cup of dry oats. This gives a pretty decent portion once cooked, which is why I prefer to split this recipe into two smaller portions.
This is a great recipe for using up bruised, overripe fresh fruit as you’ll be squishing it up anyway.
Out of season I often use frozen strawberries that I’ve allowed to defrost. If using defrosted berries I prefer the texture of them when they’ve been blitzed smooth in a blender rather than mashed with a fork.
See the recipe variations for more ideas of swaps you could make.
Absolutely, I prefer the texture after they’ve soaked for a few days. If you’re making enough of this for several days you may need to add a splash of extra milk or yoghurt every day. This helps to loosen it back up to a spoonable consistency.
To avoid getting a bit bored of it after a few days, simply add some water or plant milk to one serving and blitz it up into a smoothie.
If FODMAPs are not an issue or you tolerate fructose and fructans then I recommend throwing in a frozen ripe banana too to make a creamy, frozen breakfast smoothie.
Recipe Variations
Depending on which phase you’re in, you could play around with these flavours to create enough recipes to keep you going all spring and summer long. Just keep the basic measurements of oats to liquid to the same and allow them to soak for a minimum of 12 hours.
Just before you dive in, some of these combinations are not suitable for the elimination phase. Always double-check the latest FODMAP guidelines in the Monash app. Once you reach your personalised phase then flavours to experiment with include:
- Chocolate orange: Tinned mandarins and chocolate milk
- Black forest: Cherries, mixed berries and chocolate milk
- Pina colada: Crushed pineapple and coconut milk
- Carrot cake: Orange juice, grated carrots and walnuts
- Pumpkin pie: Canned pumpkin, mixed spice, pecans and vanilla
- Banana bread: Mashed banana, flaxseed, pecans and vanilla
- Mochaccino: A shot of espresso and chocolate milk
Cooks Notes
Whenever I need peanut butter to be whisked up into a liquid, such as in this recipe or in dressings, I prefer to use powdered peanut butter. Powdered peanut butter is generally more expensive but lasts longer and contains much less fat than regular peanut butter.
I find it much easier to get the perfect consistency when mixing the peanut butter up from powder into a liquid dressing. If using regular peanut butter add a splash of liquid at a time and whisk it really well before adding more. This helps to avoid adding too much liquid and making it too runny.
FODMAP Notes
This recipe was originally FODMAP safe as one complete serving. Since the reduction in 2022 to the low FODMAP serving of strawberries I now recommend this is eaten in 2 servings. If you've previously been enjoying larger servings of strawberries without issue and you’re a big fan of oats, tolerate them well or have a large appetite then you may prefer to eat this as a single serving.
FODMAP servings
As written, including the optional toppings this PB and J overnight oats recipe is FODMAP safe at 2 servings.
A single serving of this recipe contains approx.
- 1+½ Fructan serving = 26g oats = ½ serving + ½ tablespoon chia seeds = ¼ serving
- ½ GOS serving = 26g oats = ½ serving
- 0 Mannitol
- 0 Sorbitol
- 1+½ Fructose serving = 65g strawberries = 1 serving + 1 tablespoon peanut butter = ½ serving**
- 0 Lactose - All my recipes are vegan and therefore free from dairy and lactose. Yay!
* This recipe was updated in April 2022 to reflect the changes to the low FODMAP serving size of strawberries. Always refer to the Monash app for current safe serves and FODMAP categorisations.
FODMAP Ingredient Notes
Cacao powder
Low FODMAP serving of 8g/2 heaped tsps. In very large servings of 200g/approx 50 heaped tsps, it becomes high for fructans and GOS. As this ingredient is usually used in recipes in such small quantities I personally don’t count it towards the fructan or GOS content of a meal. If you’re very sensitive to fructans or GOS then for the purposes of FODMAP stacking you may wish to count it towards your intake.
I prefer to use raw cacao rather than cocoa powder. In addition to the differences in nutrients, cacao has a much higher FODMAP threshold than cocoa. Although the safe serves are the same, cocoa becomes high for fructans and GOS at 20g or 5 tsps compared to 200g or 50 heaped tsps for cacao. The different preparation methods may account for these differences.
Oats
Oats are one of those ingredients that can seem confusing on a low FODMAP diet. Depending on which type you choose, rolled, coarse, groats or flakes, and even country of origin, the safe portion sizes differ so it’s best to double-check the latest advice on the Monash app. All oats used in my recipes are regular rolled oats which have a safe serving of 52g - ½ cup. Servings of 78g - ¾ cup become high for fructans and GOS. Please note that this is their dried weight, before cooking.
Regular oats are considered FODMAP safe but those with a gluten or wheat allergy will need to choose gluten-free varieties. Unfortunately, gluten-free oats specifically are not listed in the Monash app so you’ll need to decide for yourself if you’re happy to assume their safe serving is the same as for regular oats.
**Peanut butter
Listed in the Monash app as low FODMAP at 50g and containing fructose. However, U.S. versions are listed as low FODMAP at 32g and contain fructans and GOS. As I am based in the U.K I class my peanut butter as containing fructose. If you are in the U.S. you may wish to omit the chia seeds and portion this recipe into two servings. This will help to avoid stacking the fructans and GOS in the oats with the peanut butter.
Plant milk
I recommended almond, macadamia or soy protein in the elimination phase as these are the ones that are FODMAP safe at 250ml - 1 Cup. My personal plant milk preference is for oat milk due to its creamier flavour and lower carbon footprint. Unfortunately, according to Monash, oat milk here in the UK has a very small low FODMAP serving of 30ml or ⅛th cup. Generic oat milk is listed in the Monash app as safe at 125ml or ½ cup.
In the elimination phase, I personally would not recommend combining oat milk with whole oats unless you have a very high tolerance for fructans and GOS.
Strawberries
In early 2022 the low FODMAP serving of strawberries was reduced to 65g or roughly 5 medium berries after they were found to contain moderate levels of fructose. This is a significant decrease from their previous listing of being FODMAP free and could be eaten freely.
Strawberries have now been retested and found to contain high levels of fructose in servings of 100g or more.
If you've been eating larger amounts of strawberries without symptoms then there's no need to reduce your intake based on these new findings. If you have experienced symptoms or are new to the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet then stick to the new serving size as stated in the current version Monash app.
Strawberry jam
Low FODMAP serving of 2 Tbsp. Ensure it's a simple, FODMAP safe variety. Sometimes cheapest brands are best, you're looking for a basic combination of strawberries, sugar, lemon juice or citric acid. Avoid mixed fruit jams, high fructose corn syrup, fructose-glucose syrup, fructose, agave syrup and of course honey if you’re vegan. See the shopping tips below for my recommendation.
Most jam contains pectins. Pectins are not FODMAPs but are fermentable fibres and can cause gut symptoms if eaten in large amounts. Take a look at this post by Monash which explains the difference between fermentable fibre and FODMAPs.
Shopping Tips
- Daylesford organic strawberry jam (227g). This small-batch jam is a nice, simple recipe containing only strawberries, sugar and lemon juice concentrate. It has a high fruit content and uses 70g of strawberries per 100g of product.
- The Coconut Collaborative - coconut dairy-free yoghurt (350g). Monash doesn’t specify the ingredients in the low FODMAP coconut yoghurt listed in the app. This version also contains coconut water. Some brands of coconut yoghurt are a mixture of coconut milk and soya. If you're unsure as to how you'll react to your chosen brand then start by testing a small amount to see how you go.
- Mad Millie Coconut Yoghurt Culture Kit. If you develop a taste for this recipe and want to eat it regularly then this kit might be for you. It makes up to 8kg of homemade, dairy-free, coconut yoghurt, (but the coconut milk needs to be purchased separately).
- Food Thoughts organic cacao powder (125g). This brand is reasonably priced and made from single-origin, fairtrade beans.
* We use affiliate links here to help support our work. Purchasing through these links does not affect your consumer rights or the price you pay but may result in The Irritable Vegan receiving a small commission payment. We thank you for supporting us in this way whilst you shop.
Free From
- Celery free
- Garlic free
- Gluten free, (if using GF oats)
- Mustard free
- Nightshade free
- Oil free
- Onion free
- Sesame free
- Soy free
- Wheat free, (if using GF oats)
- Mannitol free
- Sorbitol free
- Lactose free
Please always double-check your ingredients to ensure your products, brands and version is “free from” where required. Where we list free from FODMAPs please be aware we are referring to free from excess FODMAPs as defined by low/high FODMAP limits in the Monash app and not a true allergy-safe definition of “free from”. Most plant foods will still contain some level of FODMAPs but in amounts that are considered to be tolerable for most people on the low FODMAP diet.
Recipe
PB and J Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 130 g strawberries
- 2 tablespoon strawberry jam
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 52 g rolled oats - Gluten-free if required.
- 125 g coconut yoghurt
- Optional 1 tablespoon rice protein powder
- 85 ml almond milk
- 2 tablespoon peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon water or milk to thin out the peanut butter
- Optional 1 teaspoon cacao powder
- Optional ¼ teaspoon mixed spice
Instructions
- You’ll need to gather 3 small bowls and a mason jar. My jar is 350ml/12oz in size. We’ll start by mixing up the individual elements before bringing them all together to sit in the fridge overnight.
- Place the strawberries in a bowl and squash them using a fork or pestle. I like to do this very roughly, leaving some bits chunky while smooshing other bits to almost liquid. Stir in the jam and chia seeds until everything is well mixed. The chia seeds will absorb quite a bit of liquid so depending on how juicy your strawberries are you may want to add a splash of water. Set aside whilst you prepare the oats.
- In a second bowl, stir together the oats, yoghurt, milk and optional protein powder if using. Set aside whilst you prepare the peanut butter.
- In the last bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon at a time of water or milk into the peanut butter. Add just enough to create a thick drizzle. You can also add the optional cacao powder and mixed spice if you like things chocolatey.
- Starting with ⅓ of the oats, then ⅓ of the peanut drizzle, and finally ⅓ of the crushed strawberries, layer each ingredient in the mason jar. For an Insta worthy looking breakfast I like to alternate the layers in a glass jar, usually getting 3 layers of each until it’s full. Honestly, you’ll be mixing it all up together when you eat it anyway so feel free to just chuck it all in now. It might not look half as pretty but it’ll still taste delicious.
- Close the lid tightly and leave it overnight in the fridge. In my opinion the longer you leave it, the better it gets. After a few days, it tastes like a rich, creamy dessert so I often double this quantity, making enough to last me several days.
Recipe Video
Notes
Recipe Video
Skip to 02:18 for the PB and J overnight oats recipe
Looking for more low FODMAP breakfast ideas? Try these...
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Margiebowles says
I have made this many times using a homemade berry coulis in place of the jam and find it to be such an easy go-to breakfast that transports well ie road trips and camping. Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes with everyone!!!
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Thanks Margaretha, I sometimes make this with coulis too, I love the tartness. Eagerly awaiting the return of warmer weather so I can add this back into my breakfast routine soon.
Shane says
I've made this for brekkie at work tomorrow but the serving size seems quite small. well for me anyway. Will it get any bigger overnight?
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
The dried oats in overnight oats do expand as they soak and absorb the liquid but not as much as when they're cooked. If you're not following a low FODMAP diet feel free to increase the oats to suit your appetite and/or eat this as a single serving. If you are eating low FODMAP then unfortunately it's not as simple as just increasing according to appetite and there are a few things to be aware of. As mentioned in the FODMAP notes section of the blog post, last year Monash retested strawberries and found them to be high in fructose in portions of 100g. Based on the quantity of strawberries in this recipe it needs to be split into two portions to remain low FODMAP. In the interest of keeping the recipe balanced, and to avoid stacking the fructans in the oats with the fructans in the chia seeds, I kept the portion of oats at 52g. I personally find this serves me two adequate portions once soaked overnight. However, 52g of dried oats is a single low FODMAP portion of oats so it can be eaten in one sitting if you prefer. If you do decide to eat this recipe as a single serving you would need to reduce the strawberries to a 65g serving to keep it low FODMAP. This will result in a creamier flavour with less fruit, jamminess and sweetness than intended in the original recipe. Alternatively, you could eat half at breakfast, allow a 3 hour window (to reduce the risk of FODMAP stacking) and then eat the other half as a snack. All this being said if you tolerate fructose and have been eating larger portions of strawberries without issues, prior to the update, then leave the recipe as is and enjoy it as a single portion. I hope this helps? Please let me know what you decide and how it worked out for you.
Shane says
Wow. Thank you for the in depth reply. I am on the low fodmap and I had no strawberries so used half and half blueberries and raspberries. I checked the Monash app to make sure these were ok and it said they were. I added a small portion of cornflakes as well as I saw that they are also low fodmap and it was pretty filling to be honest. I will try a few variations as well It didn't quite look as good as your one though lol
Michelle @ The Irritable Vegan says
Great to hear that you found a way to make it more filling for you.