Mango Overnight Oats with Banana and Coconut

These mango overnight oats with banana and coconut are an easy make-ahead breakfast, packed with nutritious ingredients and full of tropical flavor.

You (all, like, five of you who read this blog. Hi, mom!) might have noticed I've been quiet for the last six weeks or so. I've been in a funk, of sorts.

First, I have all these great recipes to share, so I started sharing them... Then I started to worry too much about SEO and "proper" blog post formats and a bunch of other bullshit that took the fun out of blogging.

Second, well... this part is more complex than just saying, "fuck you!" to the so-called rules of blogging.

Like, way more complex. But probably really familiar to some of you.

I don't even know where to start with this, but I'll give it a try.

Last night, I was writing in my journal to try to work through figuring out what I need to do to make my own projects (like this blog) a priority in the same way I make my food photography clients' shoots a priority. I have plenty of time every week. The work I do fills me with joy and I have tons of ideas I'd like to make a reality.

So I paused and asked, "What's stopping me?"

A bunch of fucked up thoughts started pouring out of me onto my notebook. Basically, it boiled down to this. Can being a food blogger and food photographer really align with my "need" to lose weight?

In 2017, I had a hysterectomy. I was TERRIFIED I was going to gain weight because of menopause, so I went on my 5,000th diet to try to prevent it. This time it was vegan keto. That is a whole other post right there, but I'll just say I started this ridiculous, unnecessary diet weighing 133 pounds (I'm 5'5"), and very quickly gained 30 pounds, thanks to diet-induced binge eating. That was the heaviest I had ever been and I felt miserable.

Then I went back to carbs. My darling, wonderful carbs. Oh, and fasting. I got really good at not eating. I'm still really good at not eating. That got my weight down to 144, and I've been hovering around there for about a year.

In the last month or so, I started restricting even more. It's my way of having control over something when everything around me seems chaotic and uncertain. Pushing "breakfast" to 3pm... maybe even 5pm. Running 8-10 miles in the morning and eating nothing but a big ass salad that day. No more coconut milk in my coffee because surely that's why I'm not losing weight.

Obsessing over food. Resistance. Control. Restriction. Deprivation. Urgency. Anxiety.

THIS. SHIT. IS. EXHAUSTING.

My eating habits are disordered and obsessive, for sure. They've been that way for decades. How do I fix it? How do I eat like a normal person?

How do I feel my feelings instead of using food to avoid them? How do I learn to love my body, no matter what? How do I get my fucking life back and stop being so obsessed with food and losing weight?

Hopefully I'll find some answers as I work through this. If I have any epiphanies, I'll be sure to share. But for now, I'm going to slow down and make some time to play around in the kitchen, which I'm very excited about.

I just want to create delicious recipes and take pretty pictures of them and share that with the world. And sometimes, like today, I want to use this blog to tell a damn story or talk about my damn feelings. So that's what you're gonna get. There will always be the"jump to recipe" button at the top of the post if you don't want to read my bullshit, but I hope you'll stick around.

If you've ever struggled with emotional eating, yo-yo dieting, or obsessive thoughts about food and weight loss, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. If you're still struggling, maybe we can work through this together. Or, if you've figured out how to live life without the diet/weight obsession, please share some things that helped you. Books, podcasts, anything. I'm looking forward to connecting with you!

Human connection is everything and I'm happy you're here, reading this. ❤️

So, here we are. I'm excited to work on being less obsessed with food in a restrictive way and more excited about food in a recipe creation and food photography way. And I'm really fucking excited to eat these mango overnight oats.

Things You'll Love About This Recipe

• This mango overnight oats recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and whole food plant based.
• If you're into meal prep, overnight oats will be your new breakfast BFF. One batch makes two or three servings (depending on your appetite). Double the recipe by hitting the "2x" button on the recipe card below and you'll have a ready-to-eat breakfast for most of the week!
• Banana, coconut, and mango give this oatmeal a tropical vibe. Pretend you're eating it at the beach for maximum enjoyment.

Ingredients and Substitutions

The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, but here's a quick look at the ingredients you'll need to make mango overnight oats.

• oats, obviously (I like old fashioned rolled oats for this)
• banana
• mango (fresh or frozen)
• almond milk or your favorite plant milk (or use water for a less creamy oatmeal)
• canned coconut milk (or more plant milk)
• hemp hearts (optional, but good fiber and protein)
• ground flax seeds (or chia seeds)
• vanilla extract
• salt (oats are weird and bland without a pinch of salt!)
• unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted for extra yumminess

Recipe Steps

First, mash your banana.

Next, add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl (except for the toppings) and mix it all together.

Pour the mixture into two or three jars. Cover and refrigerate overnight. I got these super cute jars at the Dollar Tree for $1 each and they're perfect overnight oat jars.

The next morning, grab a jar, add more mango and some toasted coconut, and dig in. That's it! Enjoy your nourishing tropical breakfast! 🥭🍌🥥

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a rating and comment below, and share a picture on Instagram.

Mango Overnight Oats with Banana and Coconut

Amber Asakura

These mango overnight oats are an easy make-ahead breakfast, packed with nutritious ingredients and full of tropical flavor.

5 from 25 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 5 mins

Refrigerating Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 5 mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Diet gluten-free, oil-free, vegan, wfpb

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients

 

.5x1x2x

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup (112 g) old fashioned rolled oats, use certified gf oats if necessary
• 1 cup (240 g) unsweetened plant milk
• ¾ cup (140 g) diced mango, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen, see notes for quick thawing tip)
• ¼ cup (54 g) canned coconut milk, can sub more plant milk for lower fat option
• 3 Tablespoons (30 g) hemp hearts, optional
• 2 Tablespoons (14 g) ground flax seeds, can sub chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Topping

• ¼ cup (47 g) diced mango, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
• 3 tablespoon (15 g) unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted (see notes for instructions)

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, mash the banana until no large chunks remain.
• Add the oats, plant milk, mango, coconut milk, hemp seeds (if using), flax, vanilla, and salt and stir until combined.
• Divide equally into two or three jars (I used lidded jars from Dollar Tree that hold about 13oz). Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• The next morning, add the toasted coconut and additional mango to serve. No need to warm it up. It's delicious eaten cold.

Notes

If I’m using frozen mango chunks, I like to dice large pieces into smaller (½”) chunks while the mango is still frozen. To thaw, I measure out the amount needed for both parts of the recipe and place it in a wire mesh strainer. Run hot water over the mango pieces for 15-20 seconds. Ta da! Thawed mango!

To toast shredded coconut: Toast the coconut in a small skillet over medium-low heat for around 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's lightly browned and fragrant. Immediately pour it into a heat-safe bowl to cool. Store any unused coconut in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 14gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 234mgPotassium: 561mgFiber: 8gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 866IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 161mgIron: 5mg

*Nutrition Disclaimer*

Nutrition information is an estimate. If you are concerned about the accuracy of nutrition information, I encourage you to weigh your ingredients and use a tracking app like Cronometer for more accurate nutritional data.

Keywords banana, breakfast, coconut, mango, oatmeal, oats, overnight oats, tropical

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating to let me know what you think!