Indian Spiced Savory Overnight Oats

8 min read

Change up your overnight oats game with these Spiced chili Oil Overnight Oats inspired by South Indian Curd rice!! This raita dip oats with shredded veggies finished with curry leaf spiced oil!

Table of Contents

This is an overnight oats version of curd rice or yogurt rice, which is a popular South Indian rice dish where cooked rice is mixed with yogurt and finished with spiced chili oil that is tempered with whole spices, like mustard seeds, curry leaves, and chilies. Curd rice is a popular dish served as is with some chutneys or pickles or as a side with South Indian dishes. It is a simple but super flavorful side dish that is perfect for hot days. I took that concept to make this veggie-full creamy savory spicy overnight oats version.

These Indian spiced overnight oats are a great for a change in breakfast or snack if you want some savory oats instead of sweet. You can serve these as breakfast or snack with papadums or chips or a side with with Indian spiced veggie curry; cooked beans, chickpeas, and lentil dal or curry; or split pea stew – sambar or as a side a South Indian meal. 

close-up of savory yogurt overnight oats in a jar

I know it’s kind of out there for a lot of you to make savory oats, and especially savory overnight oats. But, believe me, these are so refreshing and amazing. Think Indian raita dip with oats!

I have lots of baked oats which are sweet (banana bread oats, apple pie baked oats, snickers oatmeal, PbJ oats!), and then there are the savory versions, like my pizza baked oats and veggie baked oats(which are kind of a veggie fritters).
For these savory oats, we use plenty of crunchy veggies, some non-dairy yogurt as the base and level it up with indian spiced oil spiced with mustard seeds, green chili and curry leaves! Look at that gorgeousness!

close-up of the tempering on top of the oats

Why You’ll Love Indian Spiced Savory Oats

  • creamy oats with crunchy veggies
  • Indian-spiced chili oil brings tons of flavor!
  • easy to make in 25 minutes
  • gluten-free, options for nut-free, and soy-free
savory overnight oats topped with Indian spiced tempering in a glass jar, after stirring the tempering in a little bit

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savory overnight oats topped with Indian spiced tempering in a glass jar

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Indian Spiced Yogurt Overnight Oats

Change up your overnight oats game with these Spiced chili Oil Overnight Oats inspired by South Indian Curd rice! This raita dip oats with shredded veggies finished with curry leaf spiced oil!. Gluten-free options for Nutfree Soyfree

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time5 minutes

Total Time25 minutes

Course: Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian, South Indian

Keyword: savory oats recipe indian

Servings: 2

Calories: 282kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the oats:

  • 1 cup (81.08 g) old fashioned oats or quick cooking oats
  • 2 teaspoons chia seeds
  • ½ cup (118.29 ml) hot non-dairy milk
  • ⅓ to ½ cup nondairy yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cucumber
  • 2 tablespoons shredded carrots
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar or maple syrup

For the Spiced oil( Tempering Tadka)

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 6 curry leaves fresh, frozen or dried
  • ½ teaspoon grated ginger
  • ½ green chili chopped, such as Serrano or jalapeño

For topping:

  • crushed roasted peanuts or seeds of choice, like sesame seeds

Instructions

Make the oats:

  • In a bowl, add the oats, chia seeds, and the hot non-dairy milk and mix. Let it sit for the oats to rehydrate, at least 10 minutes, then fold in the rest of the ingredients under oats. Set this aside while you make your tempering.

Make the tempering/ spiced oil

  • Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Test that the oil is hot with a few mustard seeds. When the seeds rapidly move and then pop, then the oil is ready. If they pop immediately, then the oil is a bit too hot, so reduce the heat a bit.

  • When the oil is hot, mix in the rest of the mustard seeds and let them sizzle rapidly for a few seconds. If they’re not sizzling rapidly, continue to cook them until they do start sizzling rapidly.

  • Switch off the heat, and mix in the curry leaves, grated ginger, and green chili and cook for a few seconds.

  • Drizzle this spiced oil all this over your oat mixture. You can fold in some of the spiced oil and keep some aside to top. Serve this in a bowl or move the mixed oats to your jars, then add the tempering to the oats and just mix it lightly. Let the jar sit for at least an hour, so that the oats can soak in the flavors and liquid so that they don’t taste too raw. Serve chilled or warm.

  • You can serve these as breakfast or snack with papadums or chips or a side with curries

Notes

You can also warm this up to serve. Just heat it up in a microwave or on a skillet.
This recipe is gluten-free with certified gluten free oats.
It’s nut free, with nut-free nondairy yogurt and nondairy milk.
It’s soy-free if you use soy-free yogurt and milk.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Indian Spiced Yogurt Overnight Oats

Amount Per Serving

Calories 282
Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 625mg27%

Potassium 266mg8%

Carbohydrates 42g14%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 2755IU55%

Vitamin C 68mg82%

Calcium 203mg20%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe?Please do leave a comment and rating below.. Tag me on Instagram @veganricha
oats, nondairy yogurt, and other Indian savory overnight oats ingredients in bowls on a kitchen counter

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • oats – Use old fashioned or quick cooking oats.
  • chia seeds – For extra protein and crunch.
  • hot nondairy milk – To hydrate the oats. Use soy-free and/or nut-free, as needed.
  • veggies – Fresh carrots and cucumber add a nice, veggie crunch!
  • sugar and salt – A touch of salt and the tiniest touch of sweetness brings out the flavors in the veggies and contrasts with the tempering.
  • tempering /Spiced oil- Mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, and green chili crisped in a little bit of oil bring South Indian flavors to these savory oats. You can find fresh curry leaves in an Indian store, or dried curry leaves online.
  • topping – For extra protein and crunch, sprinkle crushed roasted peanuts or hemp seeds or sesame seeds on top before serving.

Tips

  • While the oats and chia seeds soak in the hot, non-dairy milk, prep the veggies. This will save on overall prep time!
  • It’s important to get the oil to the proper temperature when you make the tempering, so throw a few mustard seeds in the pan of hot oil. They should sizzle and then pop. If they’re not sizzling, let the oil heat for a bit longer. If they pop instantly, then bump the heat down a bit before testing the oil temperature again.

How to Make Indian Savory Oats

In a bowl, add the oats, chia seeds, and the hot nondairy milk and mix.

chia seeds and rolled oats in a glass bowl
adding milk to the oats and chia seeds
mixing the chia seeds with the oats and milk

Let it sit for the oats to rehydrate, at least 10 minutes, then fold in the rest of the ingredients and veggies under oats.

adding yogurt, carrots, and cucumber to the soaked oats and chia seeds

Set this aside while you make your tempering. 

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Test that the oil is hot with a few mustard seeds. When the seeds rapidly move and then pop, then the oil is ready. If they pop immediately, then the oil is a bit too hot, so reduce the heat slightly.

When the oil is hot, mix in the rest of the mustard seeds and let them sizzle rapidly for a few seconds. If they’re not sizzling rapidly, continue to cook them until they do start sizzling rapidly. 

toasting the mustard seeds in a hot pan of oil

Switch off the heat, and mix in the curry leaves, grated ginger, and green chili and cook for a few seconds.

adding curry leaves, ginger, and green chili to the toasted mustard seeds

Drizzle the tempering all this over your oat mixture. You can fold in some of the tempering and keep some aside to top. Serve this in a bowl or move the mixed oats to your jars, then add the tempering to the oats and just mix it lightly.

adding the tempering to the savory overnight oats
Indian spiced yogurt overnight oats topped with the tempering

Let the jar sit for at least an hour, so that the oats can cook- that is they can soak in the flavors and liquid so that they don’t taste too raw. Then serve as is or with papadums or chips or as a side with a South Indian meal.
Store refrigerated for upto 4 days.

spoon taking a bite of Indian spiced overnight oats

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need to refrigerate overnight oats?

Yes! After mixing and letting them soak for a bit, store these in the refrigerator for upto 4 days, until ready to serve. You can serve them cold, at room temperature, or heat them up.

Do you eat overnight oats warm or cold?

You can do either! Eat these straight from the fridge or warm them up in the microwave or in a skillet until heated to your liking.

Is this recipe allergy friendly?

This recipe is gluten-free with certified gluten free oats. It’s nut free, with nut-free nondairy yogurt and nondairy milk. It’s soy-free if you use soy-free yogurt and milk.

How to serve these oats?

Think of these as a cooling dip type dish. You can serve these as breakfast or snack with papadums or chips or a side with veggie curry; cooked beans, chickpeas curry, or lentil dal or curry; or as a side a South Indian meal. 

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