No-Cook Cold-Soak Apple Cinnamon Oat Jars with Walnuts
Mix oats, powdered milk, chia, cinnamon, raisins and brown sugar with cold potable water in lidded jars the night before. No stove or fire needed. Let them soak at least 4 hours, then stir in diced apple and walnuts and eat. Active time is about 10 minutes.
These oat jars are for mornings when you don't want to light anything. Oats and chia soak up cold water overnight and turn soft and creamy. Powdered milk gives them body without a cooler.
You mix the jars at dusk and eat at sunrise. Fresh apple and walnuts go in at the last minute so they stay crisp. It works on a hot summer morning, in a windy campsite, or on a trail where fuel is tight.
No-Cook Cold-Soak Apple Cinnamon Oat Jars with Walnuts
- Prep
- 10 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- No heat
- Pack weight
- 2 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler optional
- No stove
- Some water
- One-pan cleanup
- Shelf-stable
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
Gear you'll need
- 4 pint jars or lidded containers
- large mixing bowl or pot
- measuring cups and spoons
- small knife and cutting board
- 4 spoons
Steps
-
Mix the dry base
In a big bowl or pot, stir together the oats, powdered milk, chia, cinnamon, salt, brown sugar and raisins. This is the part you can do at home and bag up.
-
Fill the jars
Divide the dry mix evenly among 4 pint jars or lidded containers. Each gets about 1/2 cup of mix plus the raisins.
-
Add the water
Pour 3/4 cup cold potable water into each jar. Use treated water if your source is untreated.
-
Shake and rest
Seal the lids and shake hard for 15 seconds. Wait 10 minutes, then shake again so the chia doesn't clump.
-
Soak it
Let the jars sit at least 4 hours or overnight. Keep them shaded and out of direct sun. In hot weather, set them in a cooler or in a creek-cooled bag.
-
Check the texture
In the morning, stir each jar. If it's too thick, add a splash of water until it's spoonable.
-
Top and eat
Dice the apple and divide it among the jars with the walnuts. Stir once and eat straight from the jar.
Trail Notes
Mix the dry ingredients at home, minus the apple and walnuts, and pack them in one zip-top bag. At camp you only add water. Keep the walnuts in a separate bag so they stay crunchy.
This version needs no cooler because the milk is powdered. If you swap in fresh milk or yogurt, keep it at 40°F or below. Toss any jar that sits out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
Use dried apple rings or dried cranberries instead of fresh apple for backpacking. Use almond or peanut butter in place of walnuts for extra protein. Add a little more water if you use dried fruit.
Don't dump leftover oat slurry on the ground. It attracts animals. Scrape jars into a trash bag and rinse them with a small amount of water, strained and scattered well away from camp and water sources.
Campers ask
Can you make overnight oats at camp without a cooler?
Yes, if you use powdered milk and water instead of fresh dairy. Keep the jars shaded and eat them within about 12 hours.
How long do oats need to soak with cold water?
At least 4 hours, but overnight gives the creamiest texture. Rolled oats work best because instant oats go mushy and steel-cut oats stay too hard.
Can I cold-soak oats for backpacking?
Yes. Use a lidded wide-mouth plastic jar or a sturdy freezer bag, add water at dusk and eat in the morning. Bring dried fruit instead of fresh apple to save weight.
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