Pumpkin overnight oats taste like pumpkin pie filling you can eat for breakfast on a Tuesday. You stir canned pumpkin, rolled oats, Greek yogurt, milk and pumpkin pie spice together in a jar, leave it in the fridge overnight, and wake up to a thick, spiced breakfast with about 20 grams of protein. It takes five minutes, and you don’t cook anything.
The recipe is right below. After it come a pumpkin pie version, a dairy-free swap, and a few ways to use up the rest of the can.
Pumpkin Overnight Oats Recipe
Makes: 1 jar · Prep: 5 minutes · Chill: 6 hours or overnight · Per jar: about 324 calories, 20 g protein, 7 g fiber
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (40 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup (80 g) canned pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
- 1/3 cup (80 g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup (120 g) 2% milk
- 2 teaspoons (13 g) maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mix the pumpkin base. In a jar that holds at least 2 cups, whisk the pumpkin, yogurt, milk, maple syrup, spice, vanilla and salt until smooth and evenly orange.
- Stir in the oats. Make sure every flake is coated and none are stuck dry at the bottom.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours. Overnight is best, because the spice flavor gets deeper as it sits.
- Stir and serve. Give it a stir in the morning, loosen with a splash of milk if needed, and add toppings: toasted pecans, a few pepitas, or a spoon of yogurt on top.
No pumpkin pie spice? Use 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon plus a small pinch each of ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
Why This Version Works
A lot of pumpkin overnight oats recipes use just two tablespoons of pumpkin. That’s barely enough to taste it. This one uses a full third of a cup, so the jar is actually pumpkin-flavored, and it costs you very little: canned pumpkin has just 34 calories per 100 g in USDA data, so 80 g adds about 27 calories and over 2 g of fiber.
Canned pumpkin is also very rich in vitamin A. USDA lists 778 µg RAE per 100 g, which works out to about 620 µg in this jar.
Pumpkin is wet, so this recipe uses less milk than a plain jar. The Greek yogurt does two jobs: it makes the texture creamy, almost like custard, and it supplies most of the protein. If you like the yogurt approach, our overnight oats with yogurt recipe uses the same idea year-round.
Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats
Want it to taste more like dessert? Make these changes to the base recipe:
- Raise the maple syrup to 1 tablespoon (20 g total).
- Raise the vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon.
- In the morning, top with 1 tablespoon (7 g) chopped toasted pecans and a spoon of Greek yogurt, which plays the part of whipped cream.
- If you have one, crumble a graham cracker over the top for a “crust.” It’s optional, and it does add calories.
Without the graham cracker, that comes to about 390 calories and 20 g protein per jar. Adding the pecans in the morning instead of the night before keeps them crunchy.
More Ways to Make It: Chia and Dairy-Free
With chia seeds: Add 1 tablespoon (12 g) chia seeds and an extra 2 tablespoons (30 g) milk. The jar gets thicker and more like pudding, and fiber goes up to almost 11 g. For the full chia method, see our overnight oats with chia seeds guide.
Dairy-free: Skip the yogurt and milk. Use 2/3 cup (160 g) unsweetened soy milk plus 1 tablespoon chia seeds to thicken. Soy milk has the most protein of the common plant milks (2.86 g per 100 g in USDA data). This version is still creamy, but it has less protein, about 14 g.
| Version (per jar) | Calories | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic pumpkin (recipe above) | 324 | 20 g | 6.6 g |
| Pumpkin pie (more maple + pecans) | 390 | 20 g | 7.2 g |
| With chia seeds | 397 | 23 g | 10.7 g |
| Dairy-free (soy milk + chia) | 328 | 14 g | 10.7 g |
Can You Meal Prep Pumpkin Overnight Oats?
Yes. One 15-ounce can of pumpkin makes about five jars at 1/3 cup each, so a single can covers your weekday breakfasts. Since the jars are mixed with milk and yogurt, eat them within 3 to 4 days. That’s the window FoodSafety.gov’s cold food storage chart gives for prepared foods kept at 40°F (4°C) or below. The chart doesn’t have a line for overnight oats.
The easy fix is to split the work. Mix three jars on Sunday. Put the oats and spice for the last two in dry jars, then add the wet ingredients on Wednesday night. Our overnight oats meal prep plan walks through that schedule step by step.
Best Toppings for Pumpkin Overnight Oats
- Toasted pecans or walnuts for crunch
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to double down on pumpkin
- Diced apple or pear, added in the morning so it doesn’t brown
- A spoon of Greek yogurt on top, sprinkled with cinnamon
- A few dark chocolate chips on a weekend morning
- Granola, added right before eating
Mistakes to Avoid
- Using pumpkin pie filling. It’s already sweetened and spiced. If that’s all you have, leave out the maple syrup and spice and taste in the morning.
- Too much milk. Pumpkin adds moisture. Start with 1/2 cup; you can always add more in the morning.
- Quick or steel-cut oats. Quick oats turn mushy, and steel-cut oats stay hard. Use old-fashioned rolled oats.
- Skipping the salt. A pinch makes the spices taste stronger and the pumpkin less flat.
FAQ
Do you need to cook canned pumpkin before adding it to overnight oats?
No. Canned pumpkin puree is already cooked, so you can stir it straight from the can into the jar.
What can I do with the leftover canned pumpkin?
Once you open the can, move what’s left into a covered container and keep it in the fridge. The simplest plan is to make all five jars from one can. You can also stir the extra into yogurt, a smoothie or soup, or freeze it in 1/3-cup portions for future jars. Planning a party this month? Our healthy Halloween snacks have more ways to use pumpkin.
Eating oats most mornings this fall? Here’s what happens when you eat oatmeal every day.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, Pumpkin, canned, without salt, FDC ID 168450, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Oats, FDC ID 169705, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat, FDC ID 170894, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Milk, reduced fat, 2%, FDC ID 171267, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Syrups, maple, FDC ID 169661, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Pecans, FDC ID 170182, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Chia seeds, dried, FDC ID 170554, via getfoodfacts.com
- USDA FoodData Central, Soymilk, unsweetened, FDC ID 175215, via getfoodfacts.com
- FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Charts
