These dairy-free gingerbread overnight oats with licorice-like molasses are a quick way to pack your mornings with holiday spice. Topped with crunchy pecans, it’s just like a gingerbread house for breakfast.
Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Overnight Oats
If you’re a fan of recipes that practically cook themselves, these slow cooker gingerbread overnight oats will be your new favorite breakfast for the holidays.
- Great for busy mornings. Scoop them into a bowl or glass jars for an on-the-go bite.
- Perfect for the holiday season. Nothing screams Christmas quite like the taste of cozy gingerbread with a homemade spice mix.
- Effortless. You just need to set the slow cooker and wake up to a freshly-made breakfast the next morning.
- Versatile. Mix in fluffy quinoa, add vanilla protein powder, or turn it into a fall-and-winter breakfast with velvety pumpkin purée.
What You’ll Need
Fruity coconut sugar and smokey molasses create the perfect sweet base for warm spices to shine through. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
For the Oats
- Gluten-free oats – Feel free to use regular oats too.
- Coconut sugar – Light brown or dark brown sugar are good swaps.
- Mild molasses – The more concentrated the molasses, the smokier the flavor.
- Spices – You need ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg.
- Water – Go for unsweetened almond milk or your favorite dairy milk if you prefer.
Topping Ideas
- Dried fruits – Try it with raisins, golden raisins, chopped dates, or cranberries.
- Nuts and tree nuts – I love walnuts, pecans, almonds, peanuts, macadamias, or cashews.
- Almond milk – Feel free to use heavy cream.
- Nut butter – Go for peanut, almond, or sunflower seed butter.
- Chia seeds – Flaxseeds add a similar amount of crunch.
- Crushed Biscoff cookies – Your favorite gingerbread cookies or vanilla wafers are great too.
What Oats Are Best For Overnight Oats?
Steel-cut oats and old-fashioned oats are the best kind for making overnight oats. They’re larger in size and less processed, allowing them to soak up more moisture and soften without turning into a slushy-like texture. Avoid quick/instant oats. These tend to turn into a lumpy batter when mixed with liquids to make overnight oats.
Tips & Variations
These holiday vibe-packed gingerbread overnight oats can also be enjoyed cold if you let them chill overnight.
- Make it creamier. Stir 1/2-1 cup unsweetened plain Greek yogurt into the cooked oats for a creamier bite. Regular yogurt works too.
- Add protein. Mix 1 scoop vanilla protein powder into the oats and stir as usual. You may have to adjust the consistency by mixing in 1/2 tablespoon extra water or almond milk at a time.
- Mix in grains. Prepare 1-2 cups plain cream of wheat or quinoa according to package instructions. Mix them with the oatmeal for a heartier breakfast.
- Use the fridge. Add all of the ingredients to a large Ziploc bag. Seal and shake well to combine. Divide the mixture among serving glasses or jars. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy it cold the next morning.
- Make pumpkin-gingerbread oats. Whisk 1/4-1/2 cup pumpkin purée into the ingredients for a fall-and-winter flavor combination.
- Add fruit. Fold 1/3 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries, or pitted black cherries into the overnight oats for some fruitiness.
Serving Suggestions
These spiced gingerbread overnight oats are a hearty breakfast on their own. I love pairing them with my Iced Coffee or Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. If I’m not feeling like caffeine, then my Golden Maca Latte and Maca Latte are perfect. If you just want to have overnight oats for something sweet on the side, serve them with Strawberry Mascarpone Mint Toast as your main meal.
How To Store Overnight Oats
Refrigerate your overnight oats in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Storing them in jars in smaller portions makes them a great grab-and-go breakfast too. Over time, the oat mixture will thicken but all you need to do is stir in 1/2 tablespoon almond milk at a time until you’ve reached the desired consistency again.
More Overnight Oat Recipes
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Pecan Pie Overnight Oats
- Apple Crisp Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Pie Overnight Oats
Gingerbread Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free steel-cut oats
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup mild molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 cups water
Toppings:
- Raisins
- Chopped walnuts
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
Instructions
- In a slower cooker add oats, coconut sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and water.
- Cover and let cook for 8 to 9 hours.
- Stir and remove to serving bowls. This method works best if started before you go to bed. This way your oatmeal will be finished by morning.
- Top with raisins, chopped walnuts and a drizzle of unsweetened almond milk.
Hi! This looks amazing, does it save well? I mean could you have left overs the following morning?
Hi Amy, I have a large quantity of quick cooking steel cut oats. (cooks in 5 to 7 minutes). Would these work instead of the regular steel cut oats? Thank you for the yummy sounding recipe.
Hi Cheryl. The would work in a quick recipe, but I am afraid if you used them for overnight they would be completely mushy, though the taste should be the same.
YES! I have everything to make this right now! I eat oatmeal every morning.. and this is a good way to stick to what I like, but spice up the flavor!
You will love it Beth, it is so good.
I would love to wake up to a bowl of this oatmeal!
Thanks Jessica.
Perfect for the cold weather! Warm oatmeal always makes the morning better!
Thanks leva.
Amy, this is GENIUS!!! I would want to jump out of bed with the smell of this gingerbread oatmeal fillign my house. Looks fabulous!!
Thanks Kristen. Your whole house will smell amazing!