Exact Answer: Up to 5 days
The shelf life of overnight oats would be around 5 days. The overnight oats can stay for around 5 days if they are provided with favorable conditions. The ingredients present in the overnight oats would make a huge impact on the shelf life of the overnight oats.
After 4 to 5 days, the oats would start smelling unpleasant with a change in texture. The color of the oats may get affected if they are about to expire. Nobody should put any extra decorating ingredients in the overnight oats if they want to store them for a few days.
As the dry fruits or additional ingredients can make the overnight oats go bad very early. The overnight oats should be stored at extremely cold temperature places to hold their texture.
How Long Do Overnight Oats Last?
| Overnight Oats | Time |
| In days | 5 days |
| In Hours | 120 hours |
The shelf life of the overnight oats would get affected by their storage, preparation, and ingredients. Sometimes, the overnight oats would not stay fresh if they are not stored at a cool temperature. The heat can destroy the quality of the overnight oats.
The risk of bacteria growth would be higher when the overnight oats are stored in a hot place. People should avoid storing the overnight oats in a wet place as they can cause bacterial growth. Moisture exposure is a big reason why the bacteria can grow in the overnight oats.
The milk present in the oats can go bad in a few hours if not stored in the fridge. People can also store overnight oats in the freezer for a long time. Inside the freezer, the bacteria won’t be able to spoil the ingredient in the overnight oats.
Everyone should avoid storing the overnight oats in the doors of the fridge. The temperature change in the doors of the fridge would cause the oats to go bad within 2 to 3 days. The overnight oats require constant cool temperature for maintaining the quality of oats.
Overnight oats are best if eaten in the morning as they are soaked overnight in milk. People can thaw the overnight oats at room temperature to eat them.
Nobody should store the overnight oats in the freezer after heating them in the microwave. People should use glass or plastic containers to store the overnight oats perfectly.
Why Do Overnight Oats Last This Long?
The shelf life of the overnight oats would get affected if anybody stores them facing directly towards the sunlight. The overnight oats mainly contain dairy or dairy-free milk oats. These ingredients when combined together can’t stay fresh outside the fridge.
The quality of oats also predicts the shelf life of the oats. Some oats would not stay fresh if they are not of top quality. The gluten-free overnight oats may not stay fresh for a long time as the dairy-free milk would not have a shelf life of more than 5 to 7 days.
People should follow the exact proportion of milk and oats required for making overnight oats. If the person used steel-cut or rolled oats, then the shelf life would be around 5 to 7 days. Both types of oats in dry form would last for around 24 months.
The overnight oats can stay fresh for around 7 days or more inside the freezer. As the temperature inside the freezer would be extremely cold, which would prevent the spoilage of milk and oats. The cooking method and preparation of the overnight oats would cause spoilage signs in the overnight oats.
In-room temperature, the overnight oats would not stay fresh for more than 2 hours. Nobody should store the overnight oats along with other fruits which would release ethylene gas. This gas can degrade the quality of the overnight oats.
Conclusion
The carbohydrate present in the overnight oats would have some repercussions on people. The sleep cycle may get disturbed by eating carbohydrate-rich food in many humans. Improper sleep cycle would also bring other health problems such as bloating or inflammation.
People should follow all the safety storage techniques to avoid the overnight oats to host-virus, bacteria, and pathogens. Nobody should use expired milk or oats in the recipes. As expired ingredients would cause foodborne illness and other symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea.
References
- https://www.yumi-organics.ca/blogs/recipes/brain-boosting-oats
- https://academic.oup.com/jn/article-abstract/151/2/341/6029140
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