Lemon Cheesecake Overnight Oats

Lemon cheesecake overnight oats for breakfast? Say no more. Picture a buttery biscuit base, creamy protein-packed cheesecake-flavoured oats, and a bright, citrusy lemon curd topping.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: cheesecake for breakfast might be the best idea since sliced bread. Or better, honestly. Because who would choose toast over these lemon cheesecake overnight oats (unless it’s blueberry toast, in which case, there’s competition!).

Overnight oats have got a bit of an unfair reputation as “grandma food.” I’ll admit that even I was biased against them. But then I actually tried oats and realised how fantastic they are.

Seriously. Overnight oats are the perfect quick, easy breakfast: the jars are sitting right there in the fridge, ready for you to grab and tuck into. They’re full of protein, fibre, and healthy fats, making them one of the more balanced breakfast options. And best of all, you can add so many fun flavours.

A few of my best-loved flavours include Biscoff overnight oats, blueberry cheesecake overnight oats, banana chocolate overnight oats.

But today, it’s time for lemon cheesecake overnight oats to shine.

My goodness, they are good — creamy, rich, sweet, lemony — jam-packed with the bright, tart, buttery notes of sunny lemon curd, mellowed out with cream cheese, and layered just like a traditional cheesecake.

🍋 Ingredients Notes

You’ll need less than 10 ingredients to make these lemon cheesecake overnight oats — and the best thing is, most of the ingredients are staples that you’ll already have in house!

Here’s the building blocks that’ll transform boring oats into an incredible dessert:

• Rolled oats (whole or flakes) are loaded with fibre and protein. They’re also an affordable breakfast option on-par with cereal (but less processed). Please don’t use steel-cut or instant oats for this recipe.
• Cream cheese makes these overnight oats really taste like cheesecake.
• Yoghurt is a must in all my overnight oats recipes, since it adds creaminess, protein, and a pleasant tang (especially great for cheesecake flavoured oats!).
• Honey is a natural sweetener with a fabulously floral flavour. I list vegan alternatives below.
• Chia seeds are an easy way to increase the nutrition of your overnight oats. They’re tasteless, but add a ton of fibre and protein, and help thicken the oats to a lovely texture.
• Vanilla extract adds complex notes that echo a traditional cheesecake.
• Whole milk (full fat) thins out our overnight oats mixture and makes it extra creamy.
• Lemon curd is my top choice for adding lemony deliciousness. You can use store-bought as a shortcut or make your own in about 10 minutes (recipe included). It’s rich, citrusy, and oh-so-good.
• Digestive biscuits are the traditional choice for a cheesecake base here in the U.K. However, they can be substituted for shortbread biscuits, graham crackers, or another cookie of your choice.

Adapting to Allergies and Dietary Requirements

These lemon cheesecake overnight oats are nut-free and soy-free.

🡺 To make the oats gluten-free, you’ll need to use certified gluten-free oats. While oats are gluten-free by nature, they’re processed, packaged, and shipped alongside products like wheat and barley, making them unsuitable for people with celiac disease.

Luckily, it’s easy to find certified gluten-free oats; look in the free-from section of U.K. supermarkets, or order them online (I like Quaker Gluten Free porridge oats from Amazon).

Don’t forget to use gluten-free biscuits/cookies too.

🡺 To make vegan lemon cheesecake overnight oats, use non-dairy milk and yoghurt (oat is best for a neutral flavour), plus vegan cream cheese (Violife cream cheese is great).

Since lemon curd contains egg and butter, switch it out for a vegan brand; it’s often labelled “lemon spread,” such as this jar from Janda, which is available on Amazon.

Finally, honey isn’t considered vegan by most standards. Swap it for agave nectar, maple syrup, date syrup, or even sugar (whatever you have in the cupboard, really!).

🍓 Fun Flavour Variations

• Add more protein by stirring in a spoonful of whey-based protein powder. Use a neutral or complementary flavour, like vanilla, so it doesn’t overpower the lemon curd.
• Fruits are fun and add a pop of colour. I ADORE serving the lemon cheesecake overnight oats with berries (fresh or frozen), bananas, peaches, or mangoes.
• Chocolate lovers can get their fix by stirring white chocolate chips into the overnight oat mixture. If you’ve ever had a lemon and white chocolate cheesecake, you know how ridiculously, earth-shatteringly good this combination is. It’s divine.
• Coconut and lemon are another excellent pairing. Use coconut milk in the overnight oats, sprinkle desiccated coconut, or top your jars with toasted coconut flakes (my favourite option).

And yes — great minds think alike — you can also make this recipe with other fruit curds. I can’t imagine how scrumptious lime curd or raspberry curd would be!

🧑‍🍳 How to Make Lemon Cheesecake Overnight Oats

It takes less than 5 minutes to prep these overnight oats. I do it as a quick, easy task right after I finish dinner.

If you’re buying lemon curd, this is a completely no-cook recipe. If you make homemade lemon curd, prepare to add an extra 10 minutes to your prep time (which still keeps lemon cheesecake overnight oats firmly in the 30-minute-or-under recipes category!).

I’ve taken step-by-step photos of every stage of the process, so you can easily follow along from your own kitchen:

Note: If you prefer less washing up, you can make the overnight oats mixture directly in the jars. This method requires you to use crushed biscuits to top the breakfast jars, rather than layering them at the bottom.

🫙 Storing Lemon Cheesecake Overnight Oats

🡺 Fridge: Lemon cheesecake overnight oats will last for up to four days if stored in an airtight jar or container.

You don’t need to worry about the cheesecake base at the bottom going soggy — much like an actual cheesecake, it doesn’t suffer for it!

In fact, the flavours get better with time, which is one of the reasons these lemon cheesecake overnight oats are one of my favourite breakfasts for easy and affective meal-prepping.

🡺 Freezer: Surprisingly, most overnight oats recipes (including my Biscoff overnight oats and overnight oats with mango) freeze exceptionally well.

Let the oats soak up all the lovely flavours in the fridge overnight, then transfer to freezer-safe containers, label with the date, and pop in the freezer for up to 3 months. It can be frozen with the lemon curd on top or stirred in.

Thaw overnight — you may need to give it a quick stir — then serve.

🍪 Serving Suggestions

Most people eat overnight oats straight from the fridge, cold. It doesn’t sound that appetising, but trust me, it’s utterly delectable.

Trust me when I say overnight oats are a very filling breakfast that will likely keep you satisfied until lunch (due to all that lovely fibre from the chia seeds and oats)!

With that in mind, there’s no need to serve anything with the oats. A bowl of fresh fruit could be nice, and sometimes, to really hammer home the “dessert for breakfast” idea, I keep a few extra cookies to hand … crumbling them into the oats or using them as a spoon is completely decadent, but also delicious.