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Quick and easy lemon poppy seed overnight oats are hearty, rich, and my new favorite way to get a daily dose of Vitamin C. Gluten-free, Vegan, Oil-free.
These Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats are bright, tangy, and made with creamy coconut milk to make a flavorful, rich breakfast that will wow your taste buds. Take just 5 extra minutes in the kitchen to prep this recipe the night before and your future self will thank you.
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Weekday Mornings Just Got Better
If you’re not a morning person, overnight oats are the perfect breakfast for you. They’re quick to make with simple ingredients, easy to prep for the entire week in one sitting, and one of those breakfast recipes you just never get sick of eating.
Although I’ve now amassed quite the collection of overnight oats recipes, one of my favorite flavor combinations was missing: Lemon Poppy Seed. The final result is the perfect balance of fresh lemon, creamy coconut, and crunchy poppy seeds and makes an oat recipe that rivals my Lemon Poppy Seed Steel Cut Oats.
To all of my overnight oat lovers, I can’t wait for you to try this one!
Ingredients for Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats
You’ll need just 9 basic ingredients to making this healthy breakfast. Here are a few of the must-have ingredients:
- Oats: In all of my overnight recipes I recommend using either old-fashioned rolled oats or quick oats. Steel cut oats are too chewy and won’t make the best overnight oats.
- Lemon: For the best lemony flavor, you need both fresh lemon juice and the zest of 1 full lemon (don’t skimp!).
- Coconut milk: Most of my easy overnight oats recipes are made with plant milk and vegan yogurt, but for the best rich and creamy flavor, full-fat coconut milk works best here.
- Pure maple syrup: A bit of added sugar is needed to sweeten the oat and balance the creamy flavor. I typically use maple syrup, but another liquid natural sweetener would work, too.
- Chia seeds + poppy seeds: Chia seeds help thicken the oatmeal recipe into the perfect creamy consistency while the poppy seeds add texture and a mildly nutty crunch.
How to Make Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats
- Add the coconut milk, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl.
- Mix in the oats, chia seeds, and poppy seeds until the wet ingredients and dry ingredients are well combined.
- Transfer the overnight oats to individual jars or other meal prep containers, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Serve cold or warm, as desired.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Mix really, really well. The most common cause of thin, watery overnight oats is not mixing the ingredients together well enough before refrigerating. In order to achieve the best, creamy lemon poppyseed oats it’s important to mix the ingredients together until well combined. I like to mix it together once, allow it to sit 5 minutes, then mix it together once more. This ensures all of the flavor combinations have melded together and will become thick and creamy overnight.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This is not optional. In order for overnight oats to “cook,” it’s important to let them sit for long enough. There’s a reason they’re called overnight oats, after all!
Serving Suggestions
Cold oats are the perfect breakfast to prep the night before a busy week. I typically serve these creamy oats on their own, but that’s not to say you can’t add additional toppings or easy breakfast sides.
Try toppings like a drizzle of cashew butter, fresh berries, shredded coconut, chopped almonds, and/or a dollop of creamy yogurt with a healthy sprinkle of fresh lemon zest.
If you’re looking for more vegan lemon poppy seed recipes, you’ll also love these Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake, Lemon Poppy Seed Energy Bites, and this Warm Creamy Lemon Poppyseed Oatmeal.
How to Store Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats
These overnight oats will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. If you don’t have individual-sized jars like a mason jar, you can store the oats in a large, airtight container and scoop individual servings into bowls in the morning.
I’ve also never tested freezing my overnight oats, but it would likely work. With that being said, overnight oats are so easy to make fresh, I don’t think freezing them ahead of time would save you much meal prep time.
Substitutions and Variations
- Milk substitutions: Using full-fat coconut milk is highly recommended, but if needed you can substitute another non-dairy milk like oat milk or almond milk, plus 1/2 cup of vegan yogurt to mimic the creaminess.
- Add protein powder: If you’d like to add a protein boost to your oats, addd 1 scoop of your favorite neutral tasting protein powder to the wet ingredients, plus an additional 2 tablespoons of plant milk to balance out the added dry ingredients. Additionally, if the protein powder contains sweetener, omit or reduce the maple syrup to taste.
- Chia seeds substitution: Replace with an equal amount of ground flaxseeds or hemp seeds. Hemp seeds are less absorbent, but will work in a pinch!
Recipe FAQs
Technically you can make overnight oats with water, but it won’t be very delicious. Using ingredients like plant milk and/or vegan yogurt adds creaminess, healthy fats, and most importantly, FLAVOR. With just water, your oats are going to be pretty bland.
No, unlike when cooking with rice, rinsing oats before using is not necessary. Simply add them to the bowl once the wet ingredients are whisked together.
This will vary per person, but overnight oats can be quite filling and are hearty enough to enjoy as a main breakfast dish. If you typically have a bigger appetite, pair the overnight oats with something simple like fresh fruit, add protein powder to the oats, or serve yourself a larger serving size.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Lemon Poppy Seed Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus more to taste (about 1 lemon)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons grade A maple syrup plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups quick-cooking or rolled oats*
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds or ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- Topping suggestions: fresh blueberries vegan yogurt, nut butter, etc.
Instructions
- Wet Ingredients: Add the coconut milk, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk well, until evenly incorporated.
- Mix: Add the oats, chia seeds, and poppy seeds to the bowl and mix well. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, to allow the oats and chia seeds to absorb some of the liquid. Then, mix again to incorporate the extra liquid sitting on top.
- Store & Serve: Transfer the oatmeal to jars or other containers, then store in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Top as desired and enjoy cold or warm; leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Non-dairy Milk: I highly recommend using full-fat coconut milk for the best texture. If you are substituting with another non-dairy milk that’s lower in fat, I would also add ½ cup of vegan yogurt to the oats to add more creaminess.
- Stovetop Instructions: Make my stovetop Lemon Poppyseed Oatmeal instead!
- Protein Powder: For a protein boost, add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder in with the dry ingredients. Add an additional 2 tablespoons of water or plant milk and reduce or omit the sweetener if your powder is sweetened
This overnight oats recipe changed my mind about overnight oats, and was the first of Caitlin’s overnight oats recipes I’ve made. I love them all. I think it is the attention given to how to thicken it including chia seeds, and sweeten it. Either way this oats recipe magically tastes like the perfect lemon poppyseed muffin- just one note, I don’t reccommned heating it up as some of that subtle lemon flavor that is emphasized with the cold goes away when warmed.
So happy you love it, Savannah!
Hi! I was just wondering if I can use coconut yogurt instead of coconut milk? Would it change the taste/texture? Thank you and lots of love from Poland! -Agnieszka (eng. Agnes) 🙂
Hi Agnes! This could work if the coconut yogurt had the same consistency as coconut milk. I’d probably thin it out with some water or non-dairy milk to get the right viscosity.
Super delicious and easy!
Delicious! Even for non lemon loves like my hubby. It was creamy and fulfilling.
Thank you, Katie!
I love making this recipe. The tartness of the lemon makes this an energizing treat in the morning. I pair it with fresh berries.
I’m glad you love it, Brandee!
For the Lemon Poppyseed Overnight Oats in the Recipe Notes under Protein Powder you have “add 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder to the strawberry milk ingredients.” Shouldn’t this be for the Lemon Poppyseed mixture?
You’re correct, it’s an error. Thank you!