Purple Sweet Potato Overnight Oats

Enjoy this beautiful Purple Sweet Potato Overnight Oats recipe for breakfast while you are still waking up since you make them the night before! We eat with our eyes first, right? Made with flavorful coconut milk and protein-packed rolled oats, they are also vegan and gluten free.

I think of this recipe as a cross between a Southern sweet potato casserole with the brown sugar and pecans on top and something a little more exotic. The purple color of these sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and toasted coconut makes this a little different overnight oats recipe and oh so yummy!

This is also a dairy-free overnight oats recipe with no yogurt!

You can easily make this purple sweet potato recipe with traditional (orange)sweet potatoes and dairy milk for a make-ahead Thanksgiving or Christmas breakfast recipe or back-to-school healthy breakfast.

What is a purple sweet potato?

Purple sweet potatoes are high in vitamin C and naturally this vibrant purple color, getting the hue from the flavonoid, anthocyanin, which gives you antioxidant benefits! So it's a healthy tuber + gorgeous!

These Stokes purple sweet potatoes are grown in California underground like a Southern orange sweet potato. I bought them at my local Whole Foods.

The purple yam (ube) looks similar but is grown on a vine above ground in the Philippines. It is also dried, ground and sold as ube powder (sometimes called purple sweet potato powder) in Asian markets and online.

If you are loving this beautiful purple tuber, you will want to try my recipe for Purple Sweet Potato Magic Cake. It's a show stopper, for sure! I created a similar cake in my Magic Cakes cookbook using the ube powder.

The typical purple sweet potato season starts in September and goes through the winter in California but I got lucky and bought the last ones my Whole Foods had in June! Ask your grocer if they can order them or when they might be in season for your area.

What are overnight oats?

The most basic overnight oats recipe is simply rolled oats combined with some kind of milk (or water) and refrigerated overnight so the oats can soak up the liquid for a no-cook, make-ahead meal.

Before serving, overnight oats are often topped with fruit, chia seeds, nuts and sometimes more milk is stirred in to thin down the thick mixture. Other types of oats like steel cut oats and even 1-minute oats can be substituted with minimal changes to the recipe. Most milks can be used including dairy, almond, oat and coconut milk.

One of the main differences in oatmeal vs overnight oats is oatmeal is cooked. Overnight oats are raw oats soaked in milk or other liquid.

Ingredients

You can change up the ingredients to make several different versions of this recipe for overnight oats in a jar. Scroll down to see my list of substitutions and variations.

• Purple sweet potatoes or rehydrated Ube powder
• Coconut milk
• Brown sugar, maple syrup or honey
• Pecans, macadamia nuts or peanuts
• Toasted coconut (optional)

How to cook purple sweet potatoes

If you don't have leftover cooked sweet potatoes, here's how to cook one small purple sweet potato to make puree for this recipe:

• Air fryer- Air fry at 375F for 25 minutes or until very soft in the center when tested with a fork. Do not poke holes in the sweet potato before cooking.
• Oven- Bake at 400F on a baking sheet for 35 minutes or until very soft in the center when tested with a fork. Do not poke holes in the sweet potato before cooking.
• Stovetop- Place the sweet potato in a small saucepan. Add water to cover. Boil in a small saucepan for 25 minutes or until very soft in the center when tested with a fork. Drain well.

Remove the skins (or jackets) when cool enough to touch in all methods.

How to make Purple Sweet Potato Overnight Oats

1. Stir together the oats, sweet potato, milk, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and salt bowl, then spoon into two half-pint or pint size fruit jars or a container with a lid.
2. Cover with lid and refrigerate overnight or at least 12 hours.
3. Just before serving, I like to stir in a little more milk to loosen it up.
4. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar, pecans and toasted coconut and enjoy!

That's it! It's that simple.

Check out the substitutions and variations below to change it up and use what you have.

Substitutions and Variations

Oats for overnight oats: It's a matter of opinion whether the best overnight oats recipes are made with old-fashioned rolled oats or steel cut oats. Steel cut oats are cut rather than pressed flat so they will be chewier. Add a little extra milk and extra soak time for these. Quick oats (instant oats) will soak up the liquid faster and be mushier than rolled oats. You have to decide for yourself your preference.

Milks: So many choices here! Dairy milk comes in whole, 2%, 1%, and nonfat. For dairy-free options choose from almond, cashew, oat and of course, coconut. Several of these "milks" are flavored water, so even water or flavored water will work!

Mashed fruit and vegetables: Don't limit yourself to just cooked, mashed sweet potatoes! Other mashed fruits and purees to trade out for sweet overnight oats are peaches, apples, pears, pumpkin, butternut squash, peanut butter, carrots, and blueberries

Other shortcut breakfast recipes

• Sheet Pan Omelette
• Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Casserole
• 2 Ingredient Biscuits

Leave a comment below the printable recipe if you have questions or want to tell me how you liked the recipe. Don't forget to give the recipe a rating of 5 stars if you love it!

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