Have your cake AND eat it too? Irresistibly sweet hummingbird cake is turned into overnight oats. Hummingbird Cake Overnight Oats is a healthy, filling, and quick breakfast, with all the flavors of the traditional cake.
I’m a huge fan of banana bread. Banana-bread-inspired desserts and recipes are one of my FAVORITE things. I literally go to the store to buy old bananas. I’ll toss them in the freezer (wrapped tightly) to save for banana baking recipes (they freeze up excellently!).
Being from New England, I wasn’t very familiar with hummingbird cake until recent years. But oh my word.- for someone who LOVES banana bread, hummingbird cake is like an amplified version (IMO) in the best way.
What is Hummingbird Cake?
It’s delicious – that’s what it is.
But really… Hummingbird cake is a southern classic cake that is very moist, tender, and filled with texture and spices. It’s reminiscent of carrot cake and banana bread in the best kind of ways.
Standard ingredients in hummingbird cake include:
- Bananas
- Crushed Pineapple
- Walnuts (or pecans)
- Spices, namely cinnamon.
I mean, can you think of a better way to start the day than by eating this kind of cake in oatmeal form??
What’s in Hummingbird Cake Overnight Oats:
- Oats – Use regular rolled oats. Quick cook will get too mushy, and steel cut will be too hard and chewy.
- Greek Yogurt – A staple for me for any overnight oats recipe. I prefer plain non-fat, but you can use vanilla flavor or a higher fat percentage. If you’re eating dairy-free, you can use a non-dairy yogurt here.
- Milk – I prefer almond milk, but use whatever milk (dairy or non-dairy) you have on hand.
- Crushed Pineapple – This recipe calls for a half a cup of crushed pineapple (from a can). If you prefer to use fresh, i’d recommend chopping it up finely, and even mashing it a bit with the back of a fork so it can incorporate with the other ingredients.
- Banana – Make sure to use a ripe banana. It should be yellow with a few brown spots. I wouldn’t use an overly-ripe banana (i.e., dark brown – save that for a real hummingbird cake or banana bread!) or a super green banana (you won’t get the sweetness we’re going for here).
- Walnuts or Pecans – I like mine toasted and chopped finely.
- Toasted Unsweetened Coconut – Lightly toast unsweetened, shredded coconut or coconut flakes. Phenomenal texture and flavor!
- Vanilla Extract
- Spices – Cinnamon and allspice used here, but feel free to experiment a bit to your taste.
- Sweetener of Choice – Maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, or whatever sugar (or sugar substitute) you prefer. Add more or less to taste.
- Optional – Dried pineapple, dried banana, and protein powder all are wonderful additions!
How to Make Hummingbird Cake Overnight Oats:
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Divide into two containers or jars.
- Allow to sit for at least 3 hour or overnight.
- Enjoy!
- Cold. This cannot be heated because of the yogurt (I’m sure you could, technically).
- Enjoy within 3 days.
- Yes, you CAN freeze this! Allow to defrost in the refrigerator for overnight (it takes about 12 hours from the freezer to refrigerator to defrost).
- Give the mixture a stir before eating so that everything’s incorporated.
- I like to scoop the mixture into a bowl, add a sprinkle of granola, and drizzle with a bit more maple syrup.
If you liked Hummingbird Cake Overnight Oats:
Protein Zucchini Overnight Oats – Zucchini bread turned overnight oats!
Hummingbird Cake Trifle – A sweet treat!
Did you enjoy this recipe, make sure to rate it and comment!
Hummingbird Cake Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup (80 g) rolled oats (not steel cut or quick cooking)
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk of choice
- 1/2 cup (140 g) Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup (112 g) crushed pineapple
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 2-3 tablespoons pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped
- 3 tablespoons shredded coconut, toasted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon sweetener of choice, (maple syrup, honey, agave - add more as needed )
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir all of the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Store in an airtight container and allow to sit for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight. The longer the oats soak, the more tender they become.
- To eat, top your oats with a dollop of Greek yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and more nuts or some granola!
Notes
- Any. milk works well in this recipe: cow milk, soy, oat milk, or almond milk.
- If you prefer, you can toast your nuts prior to mixing them in.
- Topping ideas: toasted coconut, peanut butter, raisins, dried dates, pepitas, and other dried nuts.
- If you want a boost of protein, consider adding half a scoop of vanilla or plain protein powder.
