Healthy Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats {Vegan & Gluten Free}

Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats are a healthy way to start the day!  This recipe contains a secret ingredient that really takes these oats over the top!  No more bland, boring oatmeal packets for breakfast.  This easy and tasty Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats recipe will brighten your whole day.  Vegan & gluten free!

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Note: This post was originally published on my food blog, A Bite of Inspiration (read more about it in this post here.)  It’s been slightly edited and modified to make the content even more inspiring and the recipe even more delicious! Enjoy! 

Whenever people ask me what my favorite hobby is, my answer is always the same: hiking.  Hands down, no questions asked.  I love to hike.  I was pretty much raised on hiking.  It’s one of our favorite activities to do as a family and we went almost every other weekend when I was growing up.

My mom has the lofty goal of hiking every National Park in the United States during her lifetime.  There are a total of 59 National Parks and we’ve done 24 of them, so almost halfway there! We keep track of all the National Parks we’ve been to on this awesome poster that I got my mom as a present a few years ago.  It’s basically a giant map with all the National Parks marked and you put a sticker on each one that you’ve been to.  This map is one of our favorite family possessions and is proudly displayed in our living room.  It’s a great conversation piece.  We always end up pulling out all of our trip photos when people come over and ask about the map.  If you’re interested in keeping track of your family’s National Park adventures, you can get the same exact map that we have right here.

Another cool thing that we use to keep track of our National Parks visits is the “Passport to Your National Parks”.  As you can see from the picture below, we have more than one copy of this little book (we actually have 3 copies because we filled up the first two).  Every time we visit one of the 417 units in the National Parks System (this could be a National Park, a National Monument, etc) we get a cancellation stamp with the name of the park, its location, and the date we visited.  They’re a really fun souvenir for both kids and adults (I first started when I was kid) and a great way to keep track of your travels.  You can get one of these passports in the Gift Shop at any National Park Service owned location or right here on Amazon. After that, you can get the cancellations stamps at each place you visit in the Visitor Center.

While hiking all 59 National Parks in a lifetime definitely won’t be an easy feat, my mom is pretty determined, so I have faith that it will happen for her.  Whenever we go hiking, we always need a filling, healthy breakfast that has a good balance of carbohydrates and protein.  Our go-to for the perfect hiking breakfast is Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats.  This vegan overnight oats recipe is so easy because you can make it the night before, store it in the fridge or a cooler, and then add the toppings in the morning.  This is particularly helpful when we’re staying at the Park overnight.  I just pack the prepared oats in a well-insulated thermos (I recommend this one) and pack the toppings in a small cooler.  The next morning, I open the thermos, add the toppings, eat my breakfast, and then I’m ready to hike!

If you’re not hiking, you can just make these Healthy Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats at home in a bowl and stick them in the fridge overnight.  It’s perfect for a quick, nutritious breakfast before work.  They’re so easy and delicious!

My version of blueberry overnight oats is vegan and gluten free.  It’s made with dairy free milk and gluten free oats.  I also considered naming this recipe Blueberry Maple Overnight Oats because it has a touch of maple syrup for sweetness.  But, in the end, I settled on the name Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats because I wanted to highlight the nutritional boost that these little power seeds add (read more about it here) to your breakfast.  These overnight oats also have PROTEIN!  13 grams to be exact, but if you want to add an extra protein boost to your overnight oats you add your favorite vegan protein powder (see recipe notes).

Now, onto the secret ingredient!  What makes this version of vegan Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats different from all the other recipes out there?  BASIL!  Yup– that’s right.  If you’ve tried my Strawberry Basil Smoothie recipe, you know that I love the combination of fruit and herbs.  Basil is such a natural herb to pair with fruit because it has an inherent sweetness to it.  I’ve topped this version of overnight oats with blueberries, torn basil leaves, and some slivered almonds.  It might sound simple, but the flavors are lovely together and the basil adds a nice complexity, while still complementing the other ingredients.  You can also use this vegan overnight oats recipe as a base and add whatever toppings you want.  It’s super versatile.  Get creative!

Whether you need a filling and healthy breakfast before a hike, a run, work, school, shopping, playing with the kids, or whatever else your day has in store for you, these Healthy Blueberry Chia Overnight Oats are the perfect way to start your morning!  These tasty protein overnight oats will keep you full for hours– guaranteed.  Enjoy! 

If you enjoyed this recipe, you will also love:

Strawberry Basil Smoothie -another healthy & creative breakfast with chia seeds and basil!
Dairy-Free Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (GF + Olive Garden Copycat) – my most popular recipe! it’s SO good!!
Naturally Pink Protein Snacks (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free) – a great protein snack for hiking!
Chocolate Cherry Waffle Cake (GF option)
Buttery Crab Bake Casserole
Balsamic Roasted Asparagus and Carrots
Green Juice Bubble Tea

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