Take a trip to the tropics every morning with these delicious tropical overnight oats! The tropical flavors of mango, pineapple, banana, and coconut are the most refreshing way to start any day. The best part? You won’t need to turn on the stove at all!
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Tropical Overnight Oats Recipe
There are lots of overnight oats recipes on the blog and for good reason! As a Registered Dietitian, I’m all about helping people find healthy, nutritious recipes that fit into their busy lifestyles. Overnight oats are the perfect solution, as they’re loaded with fiber to keep you full for hours.
These tropical fruit overnight oats are a wonderful option as the fruits add such a bright, refreshing flavor, and the protein powder will give you an extra boost of energy on those busy mornings!
Plus, you can easily whip a batch together the night before and grab them on your way out the door the next morning!
Looking for more healthy breakfast recipes you can grab and go? Try these 6 different Vanilla Protein Overnight Oats recipes for easy (and delicious) meal prep!
Why These Overnight Oats are Dietitian-Approved
- High in fiber: Oats are a fantastic source of a special type of fiber called beta-glucan, which has some outstanding benefits. For example, just a small daily serving of 3g of beta-glucan fiber can reduce the risk of heart disease, blood cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. Plus, the chia seeds can help keep you full for longer, slow down digestion, and help regulate your blood sugar.
- So easy to make: Once you blend the fruits together with the non-dairy milk and protein powder, you’re almost done! It’s even faster to use frozen fruits because you can just pour them into the blender without cutting or peeling a thing!
- Great for meal prep: There’s something so incredibly satisfying about knowing breakfast is waiting for you in the fridge. No thinking, no cutting, no cooking…just grab a jar and go!
Ingredient Notes
- Tropical fruits: Feel free to use frozen or fresh mango and pineapple chunks. It’s best to use a fresh, fully ripe banana.
- Unsweetened almond milk: Or another dairy-free milk, like coconut milk.
- Coconut extract: For a pop of coconut flavor.
- Vanilla protein powder: This is optional but a great way to add protein to your tropical breakfast!
- Rolled oats: These are also called traditional oats. Don’t use quick oats or steel cut oats.
- Chia seeds: For fiber and essentially fatty acids.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes: For topping.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a blender, add 1/4 cup diced mango, 1/4 cup diced pineapple, the whole banana, milk, protein powder (if using) and coconut extract. Process until smooth.
- Add oats and chia seeds to a large bowl. Pour the blended mixture into the oatmeal and stir to combine. Fold the diced mango and diced pineapple into the oatmeal (you can also do this right before serving). Allow mixture to sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
- Stir and divide between 3 bowls or glass jars.
- Top with additional diced pineapple and mango and a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut, if desired.
- Enjoy chilled or warm (place jar in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes).
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- If you don’t add the vanilla protein powder, you may wish to add a bit of honey or maple syrup for extra sweeteness.
- I prefer to mix in the diced mango and pineapple right before serving since the texture doesn’t break down as much. Or, you can mix in half of the diced fruit to the overnight oats mixture before allowing it to sit and reserve the other half to add as a topping right before serving.
- It’s recommended that you don’t use regular milk in these overnight oats since pineapple has an enzyme known as bromelain which may cause the milk to curdle and taste bitter.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, although there are a few things to know first! Have you ever eaten so much fresh pineapple that it starts to burn your mouth? That’s the enzyme bromelain. It’s very strong and can actually cause regular dairy milk to curdle.
If you want to make overnight oats with pineapple, it’s best to use non-dairy milk and only make enough for the servings you can eat the next day. The longer the oatmeal sits, the longer it will break down.
Yes and no. Although it is nice to have a fridge full of mason jars ready to go, the enzymes from the tropical fruits will cause the oat mixture to break down more than normal. It’s best to make this recipe the night before serving. That being said, I have eaten these oats a couple of days after preparing them and still enjoyed the flavor and texture, so it is a personal preference.
Nope! But it can be hard to get a potent coconut flavor and scent without it. Another option is to use coconut milk to infuse the oats with that coconut flavor.
Storage Guidelines
Eat within 12 hours for the best flavor. If you want to meal prep for several days ahead of time, it’s best to make the overnight oats without the mango and pineapple and stir those in right before serving.
How to Serve
This tropical coconut overnight oats can certainly be enjoyed exactly as it is, but there are a few ways to take them over the top!
- Serve extra fruit on top
- Drizzle with a little honey
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
- Add coconut yogurt or Greek yogurt
- Drizzle a little melted almond, peanut or cashew butter
Recipe Variations
- Add vanilla: The floral flavor of pure vanilla extract would pair perfectly with the tropical fruits! You can even scrape an entire vanilla bean into the oat mixture for those little black specks.
- Change up the fruit: To make it tropical, be sure to keep at least 2 of the fruits, but you play around with other options. Try a pineapple, raspberry, banana version or bring in some papaya or acai.
- Make it extra creamy: Add a little full fat coconut milk for a decadently creamy texture.
More Overnight Oats Recipes
- Chocolate Cherry Overnight Oats
- Birthday Cake Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
- Pumpkin Protein Overnight Oats
- Peach Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Tropical Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup diced fresh or frozen mango, divided
- 3/4 cup diced fresh or frozen pineapple, divided
- 1 medium ripe banana, cut into chunks
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
- 3 tablespoons vanilla protein powder (optional)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- Top with sprinkle of unsweetened coconut
Instructions
- In a blender, add 1/4 cup diced mango, 1/4 cup diced pineapple, the whole banana, milk, protein powder (if using), and coconut extract. Process until smooth.
- Add oats and chia seeds to a large bowl. Pour the blended mixture into the oatmeal and stir to combine. Fold the diced mango and diced pineapple into the oatmeal (you can also add it in right before serving). Allow mixture to sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours.
- Stir and divide between 3 bowls or glass jars.
- Top with additional diced pineapple and mango and a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut, if desired.
- Enjoy chilled or warm (place jar in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes).
Notes
- If you don’t add the vanilla protein powder, you may wish to add a bit of honey or maple syrup for extra sweeteness.
- I prefer to mix in the diced mango and pineapple right before serving since the texture doesn’t break down as much. Or, you can mix in half of the diced fruit to the overnight oats mixture before allowing it to sit and reserve the other half to add as a topping right before serving.
- It’s recommended that you don’t use regular milk in these overnight oats since pineapple has an enzyme known as bromelain which may cause the milk to curdle and taste bitter.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted in June 2015. The ingredients and recipe were updated, tips were added and new photos were taken to make the post more helpful.
YES this is a fantastic idea! love these flavors!
Thanks Kristina! It’s like summer in a jar ;)