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Breakfast

Athlete overnight oats

Best pre-workout breakfast. Make it the night before, eat it 1-2 hours before training. Slow-release carbs from rolled oats plus protein keep energy steady through practice.

Servings
1
Total
5 min
Skill
Easy

What you need

Ingredients

Making for

1 serving

  • Rolled oats0.5 cup
  • Milk0.5 cup
  • Plain Greek yogurt0.25 cup
  • Chia seeds1 tbsp
  • Honey1 tbsp
  • Bananas0.5 each
  • Frozen mixed berries0.25 cup

Quantities scale linearly with servings. Round to the nearest practical amount when shopping.

Steps

  1. 1

    Combine in a jar

    Add 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup milk (cow, almond, or oat), 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1 teaspoon honey to a mason jar. Stir well.

  2. 2

    Add fruit and seal

    Top with 1/2 sliced banana and a handful of berries. Seal the jar.

  3. 3

    Refrigerate overnight

    Stash in the fridge for at least 6 hours. The oats hydrate, the chia seeds gel, the flavors meld.

    360:00

  4. 4

    Eat 1-2 hours before training

    Pull it out cold or stir in 2 tablespoons hot water to warm it. Eat 60-120 minutes before practice for steady energy without GI distress.

Coach's notes

  • For athletes 13+ who want more protein, stir in 1 scoop whey or plant protein after the oats hydrate. Adds ~25g protein.
  • Avoid steel-cut for pre-workout. They take 25+ minutes to cook and don't soften enough overnight to digest cleanly.
  • Beta-glucan in rolled oats is the slow-release fiber that fuels sustained exercise. Per the Tosh & Bordenave review in Nutrition Reviews, it slows gastric emptying so energy releases over 1-2 hours instead of spiking.
  • Banana is the right fruit pairing pre-workout: the potassium offsets electrolyte loss from sweat, and the simple sugars top off liver glycogen.