Porridge / Overnight Oats Recipes

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Assistant Manager and volunteer at Get Loose Foods, Justine, discusses the recipe, cost and nutritional breakdown of her favourite breakfast. The majority of items can be purchased without packaging at Get Loose. She also blogs as Little Green Duckie on a wide range of sustainability issues. This post has been adapted from her site.


Porridge is my go to breakfast all year round. I mix it up with seasonal fruit, have it hot, or cold, depending on the weather and what I am doing.

My basic mix ideas

  • Jumbo oats

  • Dried fruit: sultanas, sour cherries, cranberries

  • Seeds: pumpkin, chia, sesame, linseeds

  • Nuts: walnuts, cashews, pecan

  • Honey

  • Liquid: I use water, dairy milk, or plant milk if I have any.

  • Fruit: in winter I stew cooking apples or rhubarb in a batch (keeps in the fridge in a tub) and add a couple of spoonfuls per day. In summer I chop up seasonal berries. 

  • Nut butter: for a bit of extra decadence I sometimes add a spoonful of nut butter.

Porridge ingrediants.jpg

For hot porridge 

  • Mix ingredients together (except honey and any fruit), cover with water, or milk, and leave for 30 mins or more. 

  • I normally mix the dry ingredients together the night before so the seed nutrients are more available. But this isn’t essential if you forget!

  • Put in microwave on full power for 1 min, mix, put on again full power for 1 minute.

  • Add a teaspoon of honey. If available, seasonal fresh or stewed fruit.

porridge in bowl.jpg

For cold porridge (also called overnight oats)

  • Mix ingredients together, in an airtight container, with liquid (water or milk), honey and fruit of your choice. 

  • I find the Klean Kanteen steel containers are a good size and leak proof.

  • I do this the night before so I can grab my container straight from the fridge on the way out the door. 

  • If using water, or plant milk, I don’t need to worry about keeping it cold. 

Porridge in container.jpg

Nutritional information of basic mix 

Data taken from the Carbs & Cals app.

Note: specific amounts measured due to working out nutritional information, normally I just spoon or tip!

  • Jumbo oats 50g

  • Sultanas 1 teaspoon 5g

  • Sour cherries 1 teaspoon 6g

  • Pumpkin 1 teaspoon 5g

  • Chia 1 teaspoon 4g

  • Walnuts 10g

  • Cashew 5 whole nuts (9g)

  • Honey 1 teaspoon 

  • Oat milk if used 150ml 

  • Dairy milk if used 150ml 

Totals with oat milk

Totals with oat milk

Totals with water

Totals with water

Totals with whole milk

Totals with whole milk

Cost of basic mix using above quantities

All items are organic unless stated

Prices correct as of November 2023

  • Jumbo oats £2.40 per kg = 12p

  • Sultanas £5.50 per kg = 3p

  • Pumpkin £14.70 per kg = 7p

  • Linseeds £5 per kg = 3p

  • Chia £12 per kg = 6p

  • Walnuts £18.90 per kg = 19p

  • Cashew £16.55 per kg = 17p

  • Honey (Fairtrade not organic) £9.99 500g pot = 20p 

  • Oat milk £2.20 per litre = 33p

  • Dairy milk £2.05 per 500ml = 61p

  • Totals: Oat £1.20, Dairy £1.48, Water 87p

    Items sourced from Get Loose

Nutritional information for optional extras

  • Stewed apples (no sugar) approx 50g = 5g carbs & 22 cals, 1/2 portion of 5 a day

  • Stewed rhubarb (with sugar) approx 50g = 6 carbs & 24 cals, 1/2 portion of 5 a day

  • Peanut butter 1tsp 15g = 2 carbs & 91 cals

  • Almond butter 1tsp 15g = 3g carbs & 96 cals 

  • Hazelnut butter 1tsp 15g = 3g carbs & 103 cals 

  • Strawberries approx 50g - 3g carbs & 15 cals, 1/2 portion of 5 a day

  • Raspberries approx 30g - 1g carbs & 8 cals

Strawberries in bowl.jpg

How do you like your porridge? Share your favourite variations in the comments below.