These healthy overnight oats are gluten-free and vegan (and there are no substitute foods involved). For something a little fancier, layer your oats in glasses!

Believe it or not, I came up with the idea for these oats on January 1 of this year. My (very early) morning pretty much when like this:

12.00: Fireworks! Happy New Year!

12.01: Received an awkward hug from a drunk English woman.

12.30: Oooh, I know what I want for breakfast tomorrow: Pumpkin and chocolate overnight oats! Layered in a glass!

12.35: Measuring ingredients for the oats. My cousin is very confused about why I’m making breakfast before 1am.

So yes, I’ve been waiting eleven months to share this breakfast with you. Sort of – this recipe has gone through a few changes since I first made it while half-asleep.

As you may know, pumpkin is my new favorite butter alternative in waffles, brownies and cakes. But did you know that pumpkin can also replace the creaminess of yogurt (in some recipes)? It’s magic, I tell you!

While I love yogurt in overnight oats, I’ve been meaning to make a few more yogurt-free recipes for all the yogurt-haters and/or dairy-free-ers out there. Plus, there are those days when you’re plum out of yogurt.

So I tried making overnight oats with applesauce, mashed banana and extra chia seeds in an attempt to replicate the creamy texture of yogurt. But nothing worked. It just tasted like cold oatmeal – and that’s not what overnight oats should taste like!

Then, by George, I found a way! Healthy, delicious pumpkin was the answer. The result of that discovery was Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Overnight Oats. Why I haven’t posted more overnight-oats-sans-yogurt recipes is the real mystery here (I blame the time monster).

As well as pumpkin, these overnight oats also have chocolate. CHOCOLATE! I don’t think I need to explain why…

I hope everyone celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday has a wonderful day! And even if you’re not celebrating Thanksgiving, have a great Thursday. Maybe have a slice of pie, just because.

Fun Fact: Canadian Thanksgiving was in the second week of October. Unlike American Thanksgiving, the Canadian version has nothing to do with pilgrims. But the basic idea (i.e. being thankful for things) is the same.



