Cinnamon-Pear Overnight Oats

These Cinnamon-Pear Overnight Oats are perfect for meal-prep breakfasts to get you out the door fast, yet nourished. Fiber-rich oats are filling, especially when combined with the protein in the strained (Greek-style) yogurt. Chia seeds and pecans add healthy fats and a little crunch that complements the creamy oats. Then there are the pears, infused with warm cinnamon and sweet maple syrup, which make the perfect topping. Keep reading for our expert tips, including why you shouldn’t skip sautéing the pears. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• Taking the extra step to sauté the pears with maple syrup and cinnamon will enhance their natural sweetness and give them a gently spiced finish while taming any vegetal, grainy edge.
• You can swap the Anjou pears for apples, peaches or ripe bananas for a seasonal twist, and substitute the pecans with walnuts or almonds. 
• For this recipe, we used almond milk, but you can substitute it with a different plant-based milk or even whole milk.
• For added flavor, drizzle pecan butter or almond butter into the oat mixture, and add some crunch with hemp seeds.

Nutrition Notes

• Oats are a whole grain that provides cholesterol-lowering fiber. They also help to keep things moving through your gut to prevent constipation, and add some plant protein to help build muscle. Oats are naturally gluten-free, though they may be contaminated with gluten during processing. If you’re following a gluten-free routine, be sure to purchase oats that are specifically labeled as gluten-free.
• Pears add more fiber to these oats and, like oats, have been linked with a healthier heart. The antioxidants in pears may help lower inflammation. And as a low-glycemic fruit, pears won’t spike your blood sugar. 
• Almond milk can be a good swap for cow’s milk for those who can’t do dairy. It’s important to note, however, that unless it’s fortified, almond milk naturally contains very little protein. But it does bring vitamin E to these oats; vitamin E is important for healthy skin and heart, and acts like an antioxidant. 
• Strained (Greek-style) yogurt brings more protein, plus probiotics, those beneficial gut bacteria that help keep you healthy overall. The probiotics in your gut will be nourished by the fiber in the oats, pears, chia seeds and pecans.