Overnight oats for one flavored with grapes and citrus zest. Plus walnuts, for a little extra crunchiness.
Fun Fact: Grape Salad exists. There’s an actual dish made from seedless grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, brown sugar and pecans. And it’s called a salad.
I’ve also seen versions of Grape Salad that involve chopped up Butterfinger candy bars. And it’s still called a salad.
(In fairness, I’ve never tried a Grape Salad. It might be the most amazing thing in the whole universe, and one bite would make me totally re-evaluate my worldview, which has been clouded by vegetable-based salads. You never know.)
Anyway, a few weeks ago I decided to have a little ‘Guess that baked oatmeal!’ competition on Instagram. On a whim, I decided that the first person to correctly guess the mystery baked oatmeal could give me an oatmeal recipe to make, and I’d post the recipe as soon as possible on this blog. Alternatively, the ‘winner’ could opt for a shoutout on Instagram.
This was the first baked oatmeal. Can you guess what it was?
If you said, ‘Snickers Baked Oatmeal’, then you were correct! The first Instagrammer (is that a word yet?) to correctly guess that one opted for a shoutout.
The next baked oatmeal was a bit trickier…
It’s a Cherry Bakewell Baked Oatmeal! If you’re unfamiliar with English desserts/snacks, then you may be thinking Gaz-wah!? All will be explained when I post the recipe.
I was going to have another ‘Guess that baked oatmeal’ competition last weekend, but then realized that I still hadn’t posted the Snickers oatmeal. Or the Cherry Bakewell oatmeal. Or today’s recipe.
Time, slow down already!
The first person to guess Cherry Bakewell Baked Oatmeal gave me a very interesting recipe idea: grape oatmeal. Grapes are a fruit that I’ve almost entirely neglected on this blog. I think I’ve only posted one recipe that involves grapes – it’s an option in Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal (the other option being strawberries). So it was about time I showed grapes some love.
And all of that brings me to this recipe.
As the title suggests, the main stars of these overnight oats are grapes and citrus zest. Plus walnuts, because I adore the combination of grapes and walnuts.
Word to the wise: When it comes to both lemon and orange zests, a Microplane grater/zester is the way to go. If you don’t use a Microplane, then the texture of the zest may seem kind of weird.
Also, if you go for the full two teaspoons orange zest (the recipe calls for 1 – 2 teaspoons), then it will be pretty darn zesty. Which I love, but I don’t know if everyone else is as zesty* as myself. Citrus zest can be a little bitter, so keep that in mind.
*Not a pun. I’m actually someone who would spend all day wearing pajamas if I could.
If you don’t have a Microplane grater/zester (or simply don’t like citrus zest), then you could make these overnight oats sans zest. Just replace the milk in the recipe with orange juice and/or use a citrus-flavored yogurt.
Last but not least, if you’re looking for an extra dose of fruit in the morning – or if you’ve just zested your orange and are staring at the fruit, thinking ‘What the heck do I do with this now!?’ – then roughly chop the orange and throw it into the oats. As well as adding plenty of vitamin C, this will also make the oats sweeter (which helps dial down the bitterness of the zest).
This certainly won’t be the end of my experimenting with grapes! In fact, over the weekend I made some stovetop oatmeal (aka regular oatmeal, aka porridge) with grapes that I’m hoping to share on the blog soon-ish.
Heck, maybe one of these days someone will convince me to try Grape Salad.
- For the overnight oats
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- ⅓ cup vanilla or citrus-flavored yogurt
- ⅓ cup milk of choice
- 1 - 2 teaspoons orange zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup (optional)
- 6 - 8 grapes, halved
For the mix-ins and toppings- 1 tablespoon shredded coconut (optional)
- Chopped walnuts
- Extra grapes
- In a bowl or container, mix together the rolled oats, yogurt, milk, orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla extract and honey (if using). Stir in the halved grapes.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or put the lid on the container) and leave in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, stir the oats well. If the oats are too thick, mix in some yogurt or milk. Stir in the shredded coconut, if using.
- Top the oats with chopped walnuts and some extra grapes. Enjoy!
A Microplane grater/zest is highly recommend for the orange and lemon zest. Please note that, as the oats aren’t cooked, the zest is quite strong (and retains its texture) – so only use 2 teaspoons of orange zest if you know you're a fan.
Zest-Free Version
If you don't have a Microplane grater/zester (or don't like zest), then just leave out the zest. Instead, use a citrus-flavored yogurt and/or use orange juice instead of milk.
Yogurt
Thick or Greek-style yogurts are best. You can use plain yogurt, just make sure you add enough honey/maple syrup to counter the sourness of the yogurt (you can always top the oats with extra honey if they're too sour).
Variation: Grape and Orange Overnight Oats
For an extra dose of fruit, chop up an orange and add it in with the halved grapes in Step 1. This will also make the oats sweeter (which is especially good if you're using plain yogurt).
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