Cherry Overnight Oats with Almonds & Cacao

This healthy cherry overnight oats recipe is a delicious way to start your day.  It comes with the added flavour and goodness of almonds and cacao. The cherries are briefly cooked to release more flavour and sweetness and combined with the oats just before serving.

These cherry overnight oats are bursting with flavour and nutritious ingredients.  They are creamy, with a bit of fruity tang and a little nutty crunch.  Use frozen or fresh fruit and enjoy these delicious oats any time of the year.

Overnight oats are such an easy and delicious way to enjoy a wholesome breakfast no matter how busy you are.  And they are really quite different from cooked oats, i.e. porridge.  I do love a bowl of hot, comforting porridge when it’s cold and gloomy outside.  But in the summer my preferred oaty breakfast are definitely overnight oats.

How to make cherry overnight oats with cacao

In this recipe I first prepared the oats mixture by combining the oats with the milk, ricotta, almond flakes and cacao. Ricotta adds creaminess and the almond flakes give a bit of crunch.

Then I cooked the cherries (for only about 4 minutes) with the maple syrup and vanilla bean paste. Once cooled, I refrigerated this mixture to add to my oats in the morning.  The cherries released a good amount of juice in the cooking which, with a drizzle of maple syrup, added lots of delicious syrupy sweetness to my oats.

I recommend adding the cherry mixture in the morning so the flavour stays intensely sweet.

(I’ve used a similar method of preparing the fruit in my raspberry flavoured yogurt recipe).

The cherry mixture goes so well with the cacao in these overnight oats!  I used cacao in this recipe but it’s perfectly fine to use cocoa instead.

Can I swap the ricotta for another ingredient

Yes, you can! Ricotta makes these overnight oats creamier but you could use yogurt to achieve a similar result.  Use either Greek yogurt, skyr or fromage frais.  Keep in mind, however, that these alternatives will add a little acidity into the oats mixture.

More overnight oats recipes

Not only do overnight oats suit the summer weather (so are perfect to make now!), they are also infused with flavour.  See, for example, this Peanut Butter Strawberry Overnight Oats recipe I made a while ago.  Check out also Maple Pecan Overnight Oats with Sweet Potato as well as Poppy Seed Overnight Oats. 

Every little oat flake in these recipes has had plenty of time to absorb all the other delicious flavours added into the mixture.  As a result, every spoonful of your overnight oats will be bursting with flavour!

Cherries breakfast recipes

If you are love cherries for breakfast check out this cherry crumble recipe with almonds and quinoa I made not long ago.  Try also this nutritious beet smoothie with cherries and kefir.

Check out also this collection of 27 everyday healthy cacao recipes!

You might also like these 18 healthy, easy vegetable breakfast recipes.

Print Recipe

Cherry Overnight Oats with Almonds & Cacao

This healthy Cherry Overnight Oats recipe is a delicious way to start your day. It comes with the added flavour and goodness of almonds and cacao. The cherries are briefly cooked to release more flavour and sweetness and combined with the oats just before serving.

Prep Time2 mins

Cook Time4 mins

Total Time6 mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: International

Keyword: cherry, overnight oats

Servings: 2 people

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats not instant
• 1/2 cup semi-skimmed milk
• 1.5 tbsp ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp cacao/cocoa powder
• 20 cherries, pitted fresh or frozen
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/3 cup almond flakes plus more for serving (optional)

Instructions

• In a bowl/jar combine the oats with the ricotta, milk, almond flakes and cacao/cocoa. Stir thoroughly, cover and refrigerate. 
• In a saucepan heat up the cherries with the maple syrup and vanilla bean paste, bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes squashing the fruit with the back of the spoon. If you are using frozen cherries add another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In the morning combine the 2 mixtures by creating layers of oats and cherry mixtures, so that some of the cherries are inside the oats mixture, not just on top. Enjoy!

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RECIPE LINK PARTIES

I am bringing this easy cherry almond overnight oats recipe to #CookBlogShare, which I have the pleasure of hosting this week.

Also sharing with Recipe ReDux.  This month’s challenge is to come up with a healthy seasonal recipe using stone fruit.  Hop over and check out all the other healthy, delicious fruit recipes linked up by other bloggers.  I am sure you’ll find something you like.