Over the summer, I became pretty attached to my morning acai bowl. When I began working again, I realized I had forgotten how to make the breakfast I'd made every morning for about four years prior to the acai bowl: oatmeal. Making oatmeal felt strangely foreign to me and I had to struggle to remember how to do what used to be second nature. In the morning, I have about three minutes to make breakfast and pour coffee in my to-go cup. Since the time it was taking me to figure out how much almond milk I was supposed to add to the oats was taking up most of that three minutes, I needed to come up with a better solution.
I decided that I should check out this whole "overnight oats" that everyone was raving about. I love the thickness the oatmeal gets from soaking in milk overnight, so I decided to play around with different flavors. It all began to come back to me. Soon, I was preparing 5 jars of oats and spices every Sunday. All I would have to do is add milk and fruit each night so I would have breakfast in the morning.
I started adding pumpkin to the mix and though it was fantastic, it was still missing something. Then my CSA sent persimmons. Persimmons are by far, my favorite fall fruit and that Sunday night, when I was adding pumpkin and milk to my jar of oats, the persimmon went in too.
The next morning, after my three minute whirlwind of microwaving and coffee pouring, I grabbed my pumpkin persimmon oatmeal and headed out the door. The bright, sweet, juicy bits of persimmon mixed with the rich, cinnamon-scented pumpkin was just what I was looking for. It felt like an indulgence, a Thanksgiving-type dessert almost, disguised as a healthy breakfast. The fact that it's almost effortless to prepare makes it even better. It's like autumn in a jar. Warm, delicious, pumpkiny autumn in a jar.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup rolled oats (certified gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 tablespoon buckwheat groats
- 1/2 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 packet of powdered stevia
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- couple dashes of nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup of almond milk, or other vegan milk
- 1 persimmon, diced
- 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
Instructions
- Add all dry ingredients to a jar or container with an airtight lid. Put the lid on and shake to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients, reapply the lid and shake to combine again. Refrigerate overnight, or at least an hour. You can eat it cold, or heat it in the microwave (I do 1 minute and 30 seconds, stir, then heat for 1 more minute). Top with chopped nuts (I like pecans), cacao nibs, coconut, or whatever topping you’re into. Serve hot and enjoy!
Photography by Chris Miller
Gabby @ the veggie nook
It's funny, I have never been a fan of persimmons, but I bet they go so well in this oatmeal! I was on a green smoothie kick this summer, but have switched back to oatmeal too 🙂 Just so comforting!
By the way, your new picture is lovely 🙂 You're so beautiful!
keepinitkind
Oatmeal just seems to be a must this time of year. 🙂 And thank you so much- you are so sweet!
Somer
I love overnight oats! The persimmon and pumpkin would make this so decadent Kristy. I like the 5 day prep idea too!
keepinitkind
Thank you- my brain just doesn't work that well that early in the morning, so the 5-day prep is perfect. 🙂
Melissa
I have yet to try this overnight oats thing, but you make it sound so easy! I just may have to test it out. 🙂 Yours looks delicious!
keepinitkind
It's so easy and delicious- you totally need to try it! 🙂
Courtney Jones
I have actually never tried a persimmon before. I think I better get on that and buy some and make this asap 🙂
keepinitkind
Fuyu persimmons are fantastic. The Hachiya persimmons are good too, but you have to let them get really soft before eating them or they're super sour. I hope you like them! 🙂
adogwithfleas
This sounds so delicious and easy to make. And will give me my first taste of persimmon as I have never had it before. Can't wait to try.
keepinitkind
Thank you- I sooo hope you like it! 🙂
erinwyso
What a great idea! Persimmons are overflowing right now in Chinatown, but I don't ever buy them because I don't know what to do with them—however, I now need to go get a few so I can try this out! Thanks for a great recipe/method.
keepinitkind
Thanks Erin- persimmons are so yummy this time of year! 🙂
Susan
You can just eat the persimmons like a piece of fruit!
Richa`
i love persimmons. cant say the same about oatmeal:) but i love this idea of having breakfast ready for the week!.even when i went to work(seems like a loong loong time ago) we always made time for breakfast between the 2 of us. those jars look so cute!
keepinitkind
If I worked closer, I would definitely sit down and have breakfast, but I usually have to be out the door by 7:45am at the latest, so I need something super fast. It does make me cherish the weekends even more when we can sit down and enjoy breakfast together. 🙂
Susan
You can just eat the persimmons like a piece of fruit!
Caitlin
this is the epitome of power breakfast to go! it's to healthy and hearty, and not to mention looks delicious.
keepinitkind
Thank you, Caitlin! 🙂
Cadry
Please don't take away my vegan blogger badge, but I still haven't made overnight oats or oats in a jar (using the leftover peanut butter jar). I like it that you set yourself up for the whole week and just have to add the wet ingredients the night before. I'm sure it makes the mornings go so much more smoothly! As a fellow persimmon lover, this sounds fabulous!
keepinitkind
This does make the mornings go much more smoothly (I'm not good at thinking or being coordinated first thing in the morning). And trust me, there are many things I could have my blogger badge taken away for. For example, I've yet to try kohlrabi! Shhh, don't tell. It's on my list of things to do. 🙂
Heather
What a great idea, I have yet to try this method for oatmeal, I love anything that i can make ahea of time and grab n go in the morning - today was teh first time I have ever tasted a persimmon - OH MY WORD it was amazing, nothing at all what I expected - so sweet and juicy, i am totally addicted!
keepinitkind
The grab n go aspect of this recipe is just the most convenient thing ever. Adding persimmons is just icing on the cake. I was given a persimmon sample at the farmer's market several years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. 🙂
gina
can you use normal milk?
keepinitkind
I think dairy-based milk would work here as well, if that is what you choose to use.
Wendy
I was excited about this recipe, but I'm very sorry to say that I found it almost inedible. I still think it's a great idea, but the proportions seemed to be way off. I found that the spices were completely overpowering and that there was too much milk and not enough oats, resulting in a very watery oatmeal. The other overnight oats recipes I've tried were from Lauren at http://www.theoatmealartist.com. Hers call for 1/3 cup milk and 1/2 cup oats, which seems like a much better ratio.
keepinitkind
Hi Wendy, thanks for your feedback. I think the ratio of wet to dry is based on personal preference. When I use too little liquid, I find that the oatmeal is too thick- almost cloying. But I understand some people prefer a very thick, sticky oatmeal. Perhaps decreasing the liquid and seasoning would suit your tastes better than mine. 🙂
Wendy
Yeah, I still have some pumpkin and persimmons so I think I'll play around with it a bit. Thanks for the suggestion of putting those two together!
Wendy @ The Nomadic Vegan
Hi again Kristy, I thought you might like to know that after some tweeking this has now become one of my all-time favourite oatmeal recipes! I just had it again today and it was fab. I used 1/2 cup oats, 1/3 cup milk, cut way down on the spices and the molasses, and I also substituted pearly barley for the buckwheat groats as I didn't have any of those. The barley added a nice chewy texture; I'm curious about what the buckwheat would do. Anyway, thanks again for this recipe! I hope I didn't come across as rude in my first comment.
Theresa
Same here. It was way too runny! Tastes good though. Amount of spices were a bit much
Madre
Hi there, can I use pint canning jars for this? I'm trying to think of another jar I might have enough stashed for to use for this experiment. I just finished eating a fuyu persimmon like an apple. By far my favorite fruit. I really need to try this recipe!
keepinitkind
Thanks! I think pint jars should be fine. Good luck!
Susie
Hi What is the nutrition value for this recipe?? TX A Million Susie
keepinitkind
Sorry, I don't have nutrition info for my recipes.
Edwina at Induction Cooking
I'm really intrigued by the persimmon in with the oats. I've never thought of that before. It sounds good. I'll have to try it. Great idea.
Mary
I use 2/3 cup oats, 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1 cup N/F milk, 2 T Chia seeds (no more runny oats) 2 T ground flax seeds, and 1 T hemp hearts, 1 OVER ripe banana (for sweetness) 2 t vanilla, 1/4 to 1/2 cup pecans, then almost any fruit so far I have tried blueberries, strawberries, cherries, so good and so healthy. I never snack when I start the day with this.
Alison Jackson
Can steel cut oats be used for this recipe?
keepinitkind
I haven't tried it w/steel cut oats so I can't say.
ETHER
Hi I'm always looking for a healthy and delicious breakfast, I appreciate your recipe, I can even take it for work