Healthy Overnight Oats Recipe with Immune-Boosting Elderberry

Updated August 10, 2020

Start your morning right with this healthy overnight oats recipe that’s supercharged with the power of elderberry! If you need breakfast to be quick but still packed with nutrition, this easy overnight oats recipe has you covered!

THIS HEALTHY OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPE WILL BECOME YOUR NEW FAVORITE BREAKFAST HACK

For the last six months or so I’ve been steeped in the long history of elderberry’s uses as a medicinal plant as I researched my new book, Everything Elderberry, available for preorder now. I can’t tell you how many concoctions I’ve made with elderberries and elderflowers in that time, and there have been some definite winners. This overnight oats recipe is one of them!

I’ve turned to elderberry as part of my wellness strategy for years now, and adding it to my favorite nutrient-packed overnight oats recipe not only makes it just about the best thing your immune system ever got in the morning, it makes breakfast delicious.

Elderberry’s health benefits go way beyond their impressive ability to combat flu, by the way. Packed with anti-inflammatory antioxidants, they’re good for reducing inflammation and have benefits for metabolic health and your circulatory system as well. Here’s more on the health benefits of elderberries and some delicious other ways to get them.

To learn more about elderberry’s long history of medicinal use, what the latest research tells us about its effect on health, as well as more than 60 delicious recipes for using elderflowers and elderberries, be sure to check out Everything Elderberry. It involved months of research, dozens of interviews, and a ton of kitchen experiments. It contains information on elderberries and elderflowers you can’t find anywhere else.

The other ingredients in this overnight oats recipe are also targeted to help feed your immune system what it needs to battle all those viruses going around at this time of year. These elderberry overnight oats are also a great way to get some immune-boosting nutrients into your kiddos before they rush off to school.

SO WHAT ARE OVERNIGHT OATS?

If you haven’t tried overnight oats before, you’re in for a treat. Mixing oats with liquid and spices and other yummy add-ins and letting them soak in the fridge overnight does two amazing things:

1) You don’t need to cook the oats. The soaking process makes them tender and yummy.

2) Soaking breaks down the phytic acid in the oats and seeds, which makes the nutrients more available and the oats more digestible.

WHAT MAKES THIS OVERNIGHT OATS RECIPE SO GOOD FOR YOU?

Elderberry syrup: An antioxidant-packed little berry, elderberry is especially prized for its ability to shield your body from attack by viruses. You can make homemade elderberry syrup and include other antiviral and inflammation-reducing spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

Chia seeds: One of my all-time favorite superfoods, these little seeds are packed with nutrition. They’re a great source of vegan protein, magnesium, and omega-3 fats, the kinds most of us don’t get enough of. They’re also awesome in chia pudding.

Yogurt: Full of protein, calcium, and most importantly, gut-health promoting probiotics, yogurt is a great ingredient for stoking your immune system. Make your own yogurt for an easy way to save money on a breakfast staple and cut down on plastic waste.

Sunflower seeds: My go-to when I think I’m fighting a cold, sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E and copper, nutrients it’s easy to fall short on that are important for immune function. They also have substantial amounts of other important nutrients like magnesium, B1, and B6. When you soak them in overnight oats, they somehow get crunchier and make a great substitute for nuts, good for those avoiding nuts, and also less expensive.

Flax meal: I throw flax in everything. Besides its lovely nutty flavor, it adds more healthy fats as well as fiber and an antioxidant called lignans. Here’s more on the health benefits of flax.

Oats: Besides being chewy and yummy, oats contain manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and antioxidants and as well as plenty of a soluble fiber, which is great for gut health also. Oats are naturally gluten-free but sometimes get contaminated with small amounts of gluten during processing. If you’re avoiding gluten, look for certified gluten-free oats. This recipe works best with old-fashioned oats. I’m partial to a kind called thick rolled oats that I get in the bulk bins at my co-op.

Looking for other ways to use elderberries? Here are 20 uses for elderberry to try using fresh, dried, or frozen berries.

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SHOULD OVERNIGHT OATS BE HOT OR COLD?

Most people eat them cold, which is especially nice when the weather is warm. In winter, you can warm them up for a cozy and nourishing breakfast or snack.

A lot of overnight oats recipes call for milk, but because the oats form their own milk when soaked in water, you can just use water if you like. It works well, and saves money and packaging. Though if you make your own almond or coconut milk, I imagine that would be rich and delicious!

Elderberry syrups vary a lot in flavor and concentration. My homemade syrup is on the thin side and full of healthy and delicious immune-boosting herbs that add flavor to these overnight oats. You should taste your oats after a couple tablespoons of syrup and add more if you want more flavor.

I recommend buying most of these ingredients in small quantities from the bulk bins at a natural foods store. Bring your own refillable jars, and you’ll save so much packaging (and probably money as well) while modeling trend-setting zero waste habits for everyone else in the store. But if you can’t do that, I’ve linked a number of the ingredients you can find on Amazon. Only the chia seeds cost less than what I can buy in the bulk aisle.

If you’re into foraging (or even if you aren’t yet), fresh elderberries are easy to find. Here’s what to know about elderberry identification. Foraged mulberries would also be great on top of these delicious overnight oats.

Love experimenting with elderberries and other ways to get super healthy food into your daily diet? You might like these recipes as well!

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