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Overnight Oats - Spanish Style (with Vegan Alternative)

Overnight oats are a quick to prepare breakfast for your next self catering holiday in Spain. Using little in the way of equipment and easy-to-find ingredients, these are a great stand-by. We've got a basic recipe for you with ideas of how to dress it up using typical Spanish ingredients.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Container or bowl You will need a container or bowl to mix the ingredients. Depending on what equipment you have to hand, you could use this to keep the oats over night and serve from the next day. If you have enough glasses or small bowls, you could spoon the oat mix into these as single servings to keep overnight.

Ingredients
  

Basic Overnight Oats Ingredients

  • 160 gms Rolled oats (copos de avena) Look for "copos de avena suaves" for a softer texture.
  • 500 ml Milk or plant-based alternative (leche / bebida vegetal) Common vegan options include soya (soja), oat (avena), almond (almendra), and rice (arroz) milk.
  • 2 tbsp Optional: Chia seeds (optional) (semillas de chía) Helps thicken the oats. Found in larger supermarkets or health food shops.
  • 2 tbsp Optional : Honey or maple syrup (miel / sirope de arce) This will sweeten the mix, you may not need this depending on your taste and the toppings used. For a vegan option, use sirope de agave or azúcar moreno (brown sugar).

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl or four individual containers (e.g. glasses, jars, or Tupperware), mix the oats, milk, chia seeds, sweetener, vanilla, and salt.
  • Stir well, cover, and refrigerate overnight (or at least 6 hours).
  • In the morning, give it a stir and add your chosen toppings.

Notes

Topping & Flavour Ideas

All ingredients should be easy to find in Spanish supermarkets.

Strawberry & Almond (Fresas y almendras)

  • Handful of fresh strawberries (fresas) – Available year-round, but best in spring.
  • 2 tbsp flaked almonds (almendras laminadas) – Look in the baking or dried fruit/nut section.
  • 1 tsp honey or agave syrup (miel / sirope de agave) – Optional for extra sweetness.
💡 Vegan option: Use agave syrup instead of honey.

Banana & Cinnamon (Plátano y canela)

  • 1 banana, sliced (plátano) – Spanish bananas are often smaller and sweeter than those in the UK.
  • ½ tsp cinnamon (canela en polvo) – Check the spice section.
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter (optional) (crema de cacahuete) – Look for 100% peanuts; avoid those with added sugar.
💡 Vegan option: Already vegan!

Apple & Walnuts (Manzana y nueces)

  • ½ apple, diced per serving (manzana) – Look for crisp varieties like Granny Smith or Reineta.
  • 2 tbsp chopped walnuts (nueces troceadas) – Usually near dried fruit/nuts.
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or brown sugar (sirope de arce / azúcar moreno).
💡 Vegan option: Already vegan!

Chocolate & Hazelnut (Chocolate y avellanas)

  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder (cacao en polvo) – Look for unsweetened varieties.
  • 1 tbsp chopped hazelnuts (avellanas troceadas).
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or agave (sirope de arce / sirope de agave).
💡 Vegan option: Use plant-based milk and check that your cocoa powder is dairy-free.

Chocolate & Hazelnut (Chocolate y avellanas) v2

  • 1 tbsp of hazelnut and chocolate spread - this is widely available, look for Nocella or supermarket own label.

Mango & Coconut (Mango y coco)

  • ½ mango, diced per serving (mango) – Found in most supermarkets, best when ripe.
  • 1 tbsp desiccated coconut (coco rallado).
  • 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt (yogur griego / yogur de coco).
💡 Vegan option: Use coconut or other plant based yoghurt.