Get out of your oatmeal rut with this bowl of sweet and savory tahini overnight oats

The weather has officially gone from acai to oatmeal season and out with the Quaker box comes fruit, honey, and all the other traditional toppings that sweeten up your morning bowl. But if you want to avoid oatmeal fatigue (and keep your breakfast low-sugar) there’s another way to go: Add in something savory.

If anyone has perfected the oatmeal bowl it’s plant-based chef and nutrition expert, Liora Bels. One of her go-to meals on crisp fall mornings: tahini overnight oats with banana, maca, dates, cinnamon, and vanilla. It’s just one of the standout recipes in her stunning new cookbook, The Mix.

Tahini may be an unconventional breakfast ingredient, but Bels says the digestive benefits of the nutrient-dense paste make it the perfect addition to an otherwise traditional breakfast. “Tahini is a Middle Eastern flavor I truly enjoy,” she says. “It’s [full of] minerals and fiber which work together to boost energy, brain function, aid digestion, and support heart health and the immune system.” says Bels. That’s a heck of a lot of benefits in one bowl.

Bels likes to top off her savory oats with bee pollen, goji berries, and a little shredded coconut for an extra help boost, but if you don’t have those ingredients on hand it’s still just as delish without the topping.

Ready to seriously upgrade your morning? Keep reading for Bels’s tahini overnight oats recipe, below.

Tahini Overnight Oats

Yields 1 serving

Ingredients
1 large, ripe banana, peeled, cut into chunks, and frozen1 cup almond milk1 Medjool date, pitted3-4 Tbsp rolled oats, soaked overnight in filtered water and rinsed well1 Tbsp raw unhulled tahini1 tsp maca powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
pinch of ground vanilla bean powder
pinch of ground cinnamon

ToppingsBee pollen
ground cinnamon
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Goji berriesHemp seeds
Nuts and seeds of your choice

1. Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and process on high speed until creamy and smooth.

2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and garnish with your choice of toppings.

Note: You can add a pinch of freshly ground black pepper to enhance the absorption of turmeric.

Here are even more ways to cook with turmeric. And for more breakfast ideas, check out these—all packed with protein.