Overnight oats with hemp and chia

What are overnight oats?

In case you’re not familiar with it, we’ll start with a short intro to this dish. As the name implies, hemp seed overnight oats – or any version of the meal – are oats which you prepare overnight. Or, more accurately, oats that prepare themselves overnight! Instead of cooking them, you soak the oats in liquid (usually milk) during the night to soften them up. Come morning, they’re ready to eat with minimal prep time. Which is perfect for those of us who have lots to do first thing or simply enjoy a lie in!

We have a Swiss physician named Dr Maximilian Bircher-Benner to thank for the creation of overnight oats. He came up with the idea in the early 1900s, as simple yet nutritious fare for patients at his sanatorium in Zurich. Rather than using it as a breakfast food, he would serve the meal throughout the day. We’re not sure if he made hemp seed overnight oats specifically, but he did pack the dish with fresh fruit. That’s a tradition that continues to this day – but with people adding plenty of creative twists along the way.

It's this mix of customizability and nutritiousness that we adore about this berry, chia and hemp seed overnight oats recipe. The meal is colourful, delicious, quick to make, and seriously good for you. What more could you want from your breakfast? 

Oats: a humble and wholesome ingredient

The foundation of these berry, chia and hemp seed overnight oats is, of course, the oats. Although people sometimes slate them as bland, the truth is that they’re surprisingly healthy. For starters, oats are rich in fibre – and in particular, a type called beta-glucan that’s bursting with wellness benefits. Studies show that beta-glucan can lower the risk of heart disease by reducing cholesterol in your blood.(1) It may also help to improve blood glucose management and decrease both fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels.(2)

The high fibre content in a meal like berry, chia and hemp seed overnight oats makes it quite filling.(3) Having it for breakfast can promote feelings of satiety and reduce hunger, which may assist with healthy weight management. Interestingly, including oats in your diet might even help to lessen abdominal fat. The fact that oats are full of fibre also means they could aid with digestive issues such as constipation. They act as a prebiotic too, nourishing the good bacteria in your gut. This is just one of the many mechanisms by which oats support the immune system.(4)

Of course, it’s not only fibre you’ll gain from eating berry, chia and hemp seed overnight oats. They’re also full of protein and B vitamins, as well as key minerals including manganese, copper, and zinc. These all have important roles to play in our overall wellbeing.

What’s more, oats contain potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. Among the most interesting of these are a group called avenanthramides. In addition to tackling inflammation and oxidative stress, these can improve blood flow by boosting production of nitric oxide.(4) That’s yet another explanation for why this hemp seed overnight oats recipe could be good for your heart.

The health benefits of hemp seeds

So, that covers why overnight oats are a wholesome breakfast. But why choose to make hemp seed overnight oats in particular? It turns out there are plenty of excellent reasons!

First up, hemp seeds are a phenomenal source of plant-based protein. More specifically, they’re a complete source of protein, which means they contain all the essential amino acids.(6) Those are the ones that our bodies can’t make by themselves, so we need to obtain them from our diet. Protein is important for everything from building muscle mass and strength to tissue repair. As such, this is a major benefit of eating hemp seed overnight oats.

Not only that, making overnight oats with hemp seeds puts lots of key vitamins and minerals in your bowl. These include bone-enhancing vitamin D and skin-loving vitamin E, plus magnesium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. Iron is vital for making haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. Meanwhile, zinc supports the immune system and synthesis of DNA.

Sprinkling hemp seeds in overnight oats also raises your intake of wellness-supporting fatty acids. They’re high in linoleic acid, alpha-linoleic acid and gamma-linoleic acid, all of which have a positive influence on health. For example, gamma-linoleic acid may help to reduce inflammation and lessen the risk of heart disease.(7) The fact that hemp seed overnight oats are rich in the amino acid arginine bolsters this benefit. Like avenanthramides, arginine increases production of nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.(7)

You can get such benefits not only from whole seeds, but also by making hemp heart oatmeal overnight. Alternatively, you have the option of using hemp seed powder, as we have in this recipe.

How chia seeds support wellbeing

The eagle-eyed among you will realise that there’s more than one type of seed in this recipe! These are chia and hemp seed overnight oats, and chia seeds hold their own when it comes to health benefits.

A staple ingredient in the Mayan and Aztec diets, chia seeds are tiny yet mighty. They're rich in potent antioxidants like caffeic acid, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid, which defend our cells against oxidative stress.(8) Similar to the other ingredients in these hemp seed overnight oats, they’re also bursting with protein and fibre. As such, chia seeds can be a useful addition to your diet if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight.(9) And being high in fibre, chia seeds help to nourish your gut microbiome too. That’s good news for everything from digestive health to immunity.

Sprinkling chia in your hemp seed overnight oats could also boost the dish’s benefits for your cardiovascular health. Chia seeds contain heart-friendly alpha-linoleic acid, and studies have found that they can help to lower blood pressure.(10)

And that’s not all. Chia seeds are additionally bursting with minerals that support the health of your bones.(11) These include calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. In fact, 25g of chia seeds contains about 158mg of calcium – far higher than the equivalent amount of cow’s milk.

Using chia seeds in a hemp seed overnight oats recipe could be good for your blood sugar management too. Research suggests that the ingredient helps to reduce the amount that blood glucose rises by after eating.(12) It might also improve insulin sensitivity, although further study is necessary to confirm this.

How to make this hemp seed overnight oats recipe

Time for the fun part: whipping up these berry, chia and hemp seed overnight oats. Begin by adding a cup of rolled oats to a big bowl, then sprinkle in half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Not only does this give your dish a beautiful warm flavour, it aids with blood sugar management.(13) Next, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of honey. Alternatively, you can make these hemp seed overnight oats completely vegan by using agave nectar or maple syrup instead.

Now we add the seeds. Scoop in two teaspoons each of chia seed powder and hemp seed protein powder. After that, drop a dollop of almond butter into the bowl. Of course, you could pick a different nut butter if you prefer – peanut, cashew, and pistachio are all wonderful choices. Next, pour two cups of almond milk into your chia and hemp seed overnight oats. Like the nut butter, feel free to swap this for another plant-based milk depending on what’s in the fridge. You can also adjust the amount you use, to give your hemp seed overnight oats a thicker or thinner texture.

Stir the mixture well until you’ve combined all the ingredients. This will ensure an even texture and taste throughout your berry, chia and hemp seed overnight oats. Once you’ve done that, cover the bowl and refrigerate it (you guessed it!) overnight. This is when the magic happens, and the oats soften and soak up the flavour.

In the morning, add a tablespoon of vibrant mashed berries to your serving bowl. Spoon your chia and hemp seed overnight oats on top, then garnish with more berries and a dash of coconut flakes. And you’re ready to tuck in!

Introducing our seed powders

You have a couple of options for adding hemp and chia seeds to your diet. First, you can use whole seeds. With hemp, there’s also the choice of making hemp hearts overnight oats if you don’t want the crunchy seed shell. Second, you can use our organic chia seed powder or organic hemp seed protein powder. These all have their advantages in dishes like chia and hemp seed overnight oats, so feel free to mix it up. Just be sure to pick top quality products if you want to enjoy the benefits discussed above.

We source our seeds directly from small, sustainable farmers, who use only organic techniques to cultivate their plants. After harvesting the seeds, our team cold-presses them to remove the oils. They do this without chemicals or excessive heat. We grind the remaining solids into fine powders, which are incredibly nutrient-dense ingredients for your hemp seed overnight oats. To keep them fresh, we ship our chia and hemp to you in recyclable, environmentally friendly amber glass jars. You won’t find any additives like artificial flavourings, bulking agents, or preservatives mixed in – just 100% pure seed powder.

If you want to eat more chia or hemp seeds overnight oats are a wonderful choice. However, this recipe is far from the only one you can enjoy these powders in. Their pleasant nutty flavour means they complement a wide range of sweet and savoury recipes. Try mixing a spoonful into a smoothie or breakfast bowl, or stirring some into soups and stews. You could even use a few teaspoonfuls in place of the equivalent amount of flour when baking bread or cookies. Talk about an easy way to bump up the health benefits of your favourite foods!

Customising your hemp seed overnight oats

We mentioned at the beginning of this post that versatility is one reason we love these hemp seed overnight oats. We’ve made this particular version using mashed berries to add a bright pop of colour and delicious tangy sweetness. However, you have so many options open to you if you want to switch things up. Here are just a few possibilities to get you inspired.

One simple change is to use whole blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, or sliced strawberries, rather than a mashed mix. Sliced banana and kiwi are other fabulous fruits to go for here. Likewise, you could make chia and hemp seed overnight oats with whole seeds instead of (or as well as) powdered. After soaking your oats overnight hemp hearts sprinkled on top is another great choice.

To change the flavour profile, you could try adding jam or vanilla extract to your hemp seed overnight oats. Some people also like to sprinkle in a pinch of sea salt or dust the dish with cocoa powder. You might scoop a dollop of yoghurt into the bowl for extra creaminess, or bring some crunch with chopped nuts. We’re a huge fan of using walnuts to get our brains going in the morning.

Ultimately, you could eat hemp seed overnight oats for breakfast every day but still feel like each bowl is brand new. You can tailor the meal to match the season, what you’re doing that day, or who you’re sharing it with. Trust us when we say this is one breakfast option that’s never going to get boring!