Overnight oats recipe #? (there have been so many). And this one might just be one of the best ones. If you liked my Healthy Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, then you're gonna love this recipe because it is sweet chocolatey, and sesame-forward with a ton of protein, AND it's free of nuts and coconut! Plus: 5 minutes in the kitchen, no cooking required, and by morning (or 8 hrs later) these overnight oats are done. No lie. Plus, they're date-sweetened for those of you like me who can't have refined sugar nor even maple syrup, coconut sugar, or agave. Breakfast is served!
Overnight oats and granola recipes back-to-back?? Now we're talking. I need more b-fast recipes on The Dimpled Date, and I'm liking the trend of plenty of breakfast/brunchy recipes here. How about you?!
So, as you all know from my last post I mentioned that the 100th Dimpled Date post is coming up... that means a special recipe will be posted in honor of 100 posts! I won't divulge too many details, but it will be a cake. A date cake. GASP I've already said too much, so that's the only preview you're gettin'... Stay tuned for the 100th Dimpled Date post to see my cake!
Speaking of cake, I'm starting a cake decorating course next week that will help me learn how to make professional wedding cakes and party cakes!! Check back in on the "Gallery" portion of my website soon for photos of my creations, as I'm not sure yet if I want to post any recipes here. But you can at least see the show-stopping cakes I'm making on the side! If you live locally (you know who you are), then lucky you! You have the opportunity to try some of the cakes and creations I make during my course. Stay tuned...
Back to these overnight oats: they're vegan, gluten-free, date-sweetened, nut-free, and coconut-free, and very delicious. One jar of these oats is packed with fiber, protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, and iron. They are chocolatey, sweet, with a nice tahini flavor, and optional chunks of my vegan Date-Sweetened Dark Chocolate mixed in there. What more could you ask for in a breakfast? But please note: these overnight oats contain sesame in the form of tahini (sesame butter) and whole sesame seeds, so if you have an allergy to sesame, check out the "Substitutions" section of this post, or check out my other Dimpled Date overnight oats recipes (there are a lot!).
Have a recipe you wanna see here on The Dimpled Date? Like this post and drop your suggestion in the comments!
Substitutions
The oats cannot be substituted. I HIGHLY recommend gluten-free rolled (AKA gluten-free old-fashioned) oats, but you can try using GF quick oats or GF plain unsweetened instant oats with mixed results. I DO NOT recommend using steel-cut oats, as steel-cut overnight oats require a whole different recipe (which I've experimented with and am trying to perfect). You may use any kind of unsweetened plant milk, homemade or store-bought. Use nut-free/coconut-free plant milk to keep these oats nut-free and use soy-free plant milk if need be. The chia seeds can be replaced with hempseed or whole flaxseeds. The tahini can be replaced with raw pumpkin seed butter AKA pepita butter OR sunflower butter (AKA sunflower seed butter) OR hemp butter (AKA hempseed butter) OR your seed butter of choice. If nuts are ok, technically you can use any kind of nut butter such as peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, walnut butter, pecan butter, hazelnut butter (for a "Nutella" effect), macadamia nut butter, etc. (raw or roasted, salted or unsalted is fine. Just make sure it's unsweetened). But part of the greatness of these oats relies on the tahini. It's just such a great flavor in this recipe. Softened coconut butter (AKA "coconut manna") would even work here, but keep in mind that the oats will be lower in protein with coconut butter and the oats would then contain coconut.
You can use date paste and/or date sugar (ground dried dates) in this recipe. The date paste can technically be replaced with 1 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup OR agave OR coconut nectar OR honey (if not strictly vegan) OR date syrup OR yacon syrup. Alternatively, you could try using 1 tsp of your granulated or powdered unrefined sugar of choice plus more to taste (using no more than 1 Tbsp). These unrefined sugars could include: coconut sugar, maple sugar, etc. For 100% sugar-free, use a sweetener like 100% pure liquid monk fruit extract, to taste (JUST monk fruit in its concentrated form, NO erythritol or other sweeteners). A few drops of this should suffice. Or, you could just use 1 very ripe banana (up to 1 1/2 very ripe bananas) as the only sweetener in these oats. But note, that they will be less sweet than with the other sweeteners.
The cacao powder can be replaced with cocoa powder OR carob powder (for caffeine-free & cacao-free). The vanilla extract can be replaced with a good pinch of pure ground vanilla beans (the brown/black powder), a tiny bit of the scrapings from a vanilla bean, a pinch of sugar-free vanilla powder (the white kind), a drizzle of sugar-free vanilla syrup, OR 1/8 tsp sugar-free vanilla paste. Instead of vanilla, you can use natural coconut extract (make sure it's sugar-free). Technically, you can omit the vanilla, but I recommend it to balance the chocolate flavor.
The dairy-free dark chocolate chunks are optional to stir into your overnight oats. If you need refined sugar free, make sure you use refined sugar free dairy-free dark chocolate (vegan chocolate sweetened w/ coconut sugar, maple sugar, etc.). Use 100% dark chocolate if you need (use 100% dark chocolate OR stevia-sweetened dark chocolate for 100% sugar-free overnight oats). Or, use my Date-Sweetened Dark Chocolate, chopped, for entirely vegan, paleo, and whole-date-sweetened homemade chocolate. Or you could try unsweetened cacao nibs, but note this will add a crunchy texture to your oats. Add any other add-ins you like, and get creative!
Lastly, the sesame seeds are also optional, but you may use any color, such as white (yellow), black, or red. Instead, try raw sunflower seeds OR raw pepitas for a fun crunch (note that these two seeds are a lot larger and harder than sesame seeds, though).
For serving, I like garnishing with sliced banana, unsweetened cacao nibs, and a drizzle of tahini, but serve however you desire. Some other suggestions: melted dark chocolate, a sprinkling of sesame seeds, additional unsweetened plant milk, a sprinkle of cinnamon, etc.
"Future Recipes Sneak Peek" is Back!
This is a once-every-three-posts sneak preview where I share 3 new recipes coming to The Dimpled Date soon. 3 new recipes heading to a Dimpled Date near you include:
F@%#in' Amazing Vegan/GF Pasta Carbonara (High-Protein, Veggie-Rich, Yeast-Free!) (this is one of the better comfort dinner recipes I've made)
Heart-Shaped Triple Coffee Raw Cheesecake (for Valentine's)
Candida-Friendly Sourdough Cardamom Rolls (oh yeah, that's right!)
...and more! Keep posted for what's just in on The Dimpled Date.
As always,
Enjoy :)
-K.
Double Chocolate Tahini Overnight Oats (Vegan, GF, Date-Sweetened, Nut-Free, Coconut-Free)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Soak/Chill Time: overnight (or at least 8 hours)
Total Time: 5 minutes (active time)
Servings: 1 jar of oats
Ingredients:
-1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats (AKA gluten-free old-fashioned oats)
-3/4 cup unsweetened plant milk of choice (use nut-free/coconut-free as needed)
-1 Tbsp chia seeds
-1 to 2 Tbsp unsweetened tahini (to your liking, but 2 Tbsp is recommended) OR seed butter of choice (can sub nut butter of choice if nuts are ok)
-2 Tbsp date paste (blend together 1 cup tightly packed dates + 1/4 cup water into paste, then measure amt needed) OR 2 Tbsp date sugar (ground dried dates, NOT palm sugar) OR 1 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup
-1 1/2 to 2 tsp cacao powder (to your liking) (can sub cocoa powder)
-1/4 tsp vanilla extract
-(optional): 1 Tbsp my Date-Sweetened Dark Chocolate, chopped OR 1 Tbsp 100% dark chocolate, chopped OR 1 Tbsp vegan mini dark chocolate chips of choice (sugar-free as needed)
-(optional): 2 tsp sesame seeds
For serving (optional):
-unsweetened cacao nibs
-sliced banana
-a drizzle of tahini
-100% chocolate, chopped
-a sprinkling of cinnamon
-a small pinch coarse sea salt
Directions:
1. Make a batch of my Date-Sweetened Dark Chocolate ahead of time (if using). Make sure the date paste is made ahead of time (if using). Chop the dark chocolate (if using). Grab one mason jar with a lid, or a bowl.
2. Add all ingredients to the mason jar/bowl and stir to combine (stir less for swirls of date paste and tahini).
3. After stirring, lightly press down the oats with the backside of a spoon to fully submerge them so they can soak. Make sure all oats are submerged in the plant milk before putting on the lid and placing in the fridge overnight. If using a bowl, cover with plastic wrap well before putting in the fridge.
5. Allow the oats to soak/chill overnight. Soaking the oats in the plant milk overnight softens them to an oatmeal-like consistency, which is why you don't need to cook these oats.
6. The next morning, remove the overnight oats from the fridge, add toppings, if desired, and enjoy!*
Overnight oats are best enjoyed within the first 12-24 hours. Keep refrigerated until enjoying.
NOTES:
*Note: if you want your overnight oats to be warm instead of cold, place your jar of oats in the microwave and heat for several seconds until warm. Also, if your mason jar has a screwable metal lid please remove the lid before putting the jar in the microwave, and/or if the jar has metal hinges, spoon the oats into a microwave-safe bowl before heating it in the microwave.
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