Breakfast comparisons
Compare cooked porridge with overnight oats. The added ingredients matter more to the nutrition calculation than whether the oats are hot or cold.
| Nutrient | Porridge with milk and berries | Overnight oats with yoghurt and berries |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 274 kcal | 361 kcal |
| Protein | 12.0 g | 14.2 g |
| Fibre | 6.9 g | 6.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 43.8 g | 43.9 g |
| Total sugars | 15.6 g | 15.4 g |
| Fat | 7.1 g | 15.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 2.7 g | 8.4 g |
| Salt | 0.22 g | 0.28 g |
40 g dry porridge oats · 200 ml semi-skimmed milk · 100 g strawberries
Typical preparation: 5–8 minutes. Strawberries used as the berry example.
40 g dry porridge oats · 100 g full-fat greek-style yoghurt · 100 ml semi-skimmed milk · 100 g strawberries
Typical preparation: 5 minutes + overnight chilling. Prepare ahead; keep chilled for transport.
Both examples start with 40 g dry oats and 100 g strawberries. The porridge uses 200 ml semi-skimmed milk. The overnight oats use 100 ml milk and 100 g full-fat Greek-style yoghurt.
This is a comparison of two recipes, not a controlled test of cooking. Different milk and yoghurt quantities explain much of the difference in the displayed totals.
Porridge takes approximately five to eight minutes to cook. Overnight oats take about five minutes to assemble but need overnight chilling. If you carry them to work, keep them chilled.
There is no overall winner from these figures. Portions, preferences and the rest of your diet matter. The tool does not predict appetite or weight loss.
Figures are calculated from the same ingredient records as the interactive tool. Most use UK CoFID 2021 ↗︎; eggs use the site’s shared USDA reference. Milk amounts are approximated as gram weights. Product differences and missing values are explained in the comparison method.