These simple applesauce overnight oats for babies are easy to make ahead of time with just a few ingredients. With no added sugar and healthy ingredients, you'll feel good about giving your little one a nutritious breakfast. They are also great for baby led weaning and toddlers!
As a busy mom, overnight oats are one my favorite ways to simplify my mornings. But they don't have to be just for adults! Baby can enjoy the simple nourishment of overnight oats, too. These applesauce overnight oats are made just for baby - but you can make extra and enjoy them yourself.
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Why You'll Love These Overnight Oats
If you've never made overnight oats, it's essentially oatmeal that you don't cook. You let the oatmeal mixture sit in the refrigerator overnight while the oats soak up the liquid and soften up. Then in the morning, just stir and eat. It's my favorite morning time-saver. These overnight oats are healthy and delicious with no added sugar and a nice cinnamon flavor. With only a few simple ingredients, they are easy to whip up so breakfast is ready for baby first thing in the morning!
I love the thicker texture of these oats for baby led weaning because they stay on a spoon a little better and allow for scooping up with a fist, but you can easily adjust the texture with the kind of oat you use and the amount of milk for little ones at various stages of eating.
What You'll Need
- Oats - rolled or quick oats, depending on your baby's stage. Rolled oats will give you the thickest oatmeal with more texture, while quick oats will become more mushy and have less texture. For spoon fed babies, grinding rolled oats in the food processor will give you the smoothest results.
- Unsweetened applesauce - homemade or store bought
- Milk - You can use regular milk, nondairy, or breastmilk
- Chia seeds - for a little extra fiber and healthy fat
- Cinnamon & nutmeg - because babies like interesting flavors, too!
How To Make Them
- If you are using rolled oats and want a thinner, smoother texture (for example, you have a baby in an earlier stage that you are spoon feeding) you'll first grind up your oats. If you use quick or instant oats, this is not really necessary. Otherwise, skip this step.
- In a jar or other container with a lid, stir together all of the ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.
- In the morning, give it a stir. Add more milk to thin it out, if needed.
Storage
Store overnight oats in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
How To Serve Them for Baby Led Weaning
For baby led weaning, use either rolled oats for the best texture. A thicker texture helps baby get more into his mouth rather than on the floor, his shirt, his high chair, etc. You can offer oatmeal in a suctioned bowl or plate with a rim and allow him to scoop it up with his hands, or preload a soft spoon and place it on his tray or hand it directly to him. (Yes, it's messy. That's okay!)
Note: These oats are topped with Cinnamon Sautéd Apples, which are also make-ahead and BLW friendly!
How To Modify For Spoon Fed Babies
If you're spoon feeding, you will likely want a thinner, smoother texture, unless your little one is at a later stage or on chunky purees. To make overnight oats smoother, grind the oats in a food processor or blender until you almost have a powder before mixing the overnight oats. You will probably also need a little extra milk, which you can add in the morning to reach the desired consistency. Quick oats are somewhere in between rolled outs and ground up oats and will give you a mushy texture but not completely smooth.
You may also choose to omit the chia seeds for spoon fed babies in the earliest stages.
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Applesauce Overnight Oats for Baby
These simple applesauce overnight oats for babies are easy to make ahead of time with just a few ingredients. With no added sugar and healthy ingredients, you'll feel good about giving your little one a nutritious breakfast. They are also great for baby led weaning and toddlers!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Overnight Soaking: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 6 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: about ¾ cup 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Method: no-cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce, store bought or homemade
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup quick oats or rolled oats (see notes)
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a jar or other container with a lid. Stir until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours.
- In the morning, give oats a stir and thin with more milk before serving if needed.
Notes
- Oats: For traditionally fed babies who are not ready for the texture of rolled oats or quick oats, use a food processor or blender to blend rolled oats until they are finely ground before mixing everything together. This will give you a smoother, thinner texture in your overnight oats. BLW babies and toddlers should be able to handle both quick and rolled oats just fine without any additional preparation.
- Milk: If you have spare breastmilk, feel free to use it in this recipe. You can also use nondairy milk for allergies.
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