A South African Christmas means trifle on the table — layers of custard, jelly, sponge and cream in a big glass bowl. This overnight oats jar borrows that whole idea and turns it into a no-bake breakfast: creamy vanilla custard oats, a bright berry layer, a crush of tennis biscuit, and a swirl of yoghurt on top. All the festive nostalgia, none of the afternoon sugar crash.
It is built to be assembled the night before and layered right in the jar, so Christmas morning (or any hot December day) starts with something that looks like a treat but is really just oats, milk, custard and fruit. Kids love it, and it photographs beautifully for the table.
360Calories
12gProtein
58gCarbs
6gFibre
Ingredients
1/2 cupJungle Oats rolled oats
1/3 cupMilk of choice
1/3 cupPrepared vanilla custard (Ultramel)
1/4 cupPlain Greek yoghurt
1 tbspChia seeds
1/2 tspVanilla essence
1/3 cupChopped strawberries or raspberries
2Tennis biscuits, crushed
ToppingYoghurt, fresh berries & a few sprinkles
Method, tonight
1
Stir the oats, milk, custard, yoghurt, chia and vanilla together in a jar until smooth. This is your custard layer.
2
Spoon half the oat mixture into a clean glass jar. Add the chopped berries in a layer, then most of the crushed tennis biscuit.
3
Spoon the rest of the oat mixture on top so you have neat trifle-style layers. Seal and refrigerate overnight, or at least six hours.
4
In the morning, top with a swirl of yoghurt, fresh berries, the last of the biscuit crumb and a few festive sprinkles.
SA kitchen tip
Ultramel or Clover custard from the long-life aisle gives the truest trifle flavour with zero effort. Bakers Tennis biscuits are the classic SA trifle base — boudoir (finger) biscuits work too. Keep the top layer of biscuit and sprinkles separate until morning so they stay crunchy, exactly like the meal-prep rule.
SA supermarket shopping guide
Why it works
All the trifle, half the sugar.
A traditional trifle is mostly cream, jelly, custard and sponge — delicious, but a dessert. This version keeps the flavours everyone recognises and rebuilds them on a base of wholegrain oats, chia and yoghurt, so a jar carries real fibre and protein instead of being pure sugar. The custard is the shortcut that makes it taste authentically festive without a long ingredient list.
Layering is not just for looks. Keeping the berry and biscuit layers distinct means each spoon pulls a bit of everything, the way a good trifle should, and the overnight soak lets the oats drink up the custard so the texture turns properly creamy by morning.
Common questions
Christmas trifle overnight oats, answered.
How do you make Christmas trifle overnight oats?
Stir oats, milk, vanilla custard, yoghurt, chia and vanilla into a smooth base. Layer half in a jar, add chopped berries and crushed tennis biscuit, then the rest of the oats. Refrigerate overnight and top with yoghurt, fresh berries and sprinkles in the morning.
Can I make it the night before Christmas?
That is exactly how it is meant to be made. Assemble the jars the night before — or a batch for the whole family — and keep the biscuit and sprinkle topping separate so it stays crunchy. See our
meal prep guide for scaling up.
Can I use jelly like a real trifle?
You can add a thin layer of set jelly cubes for extra nostalgia, but fresh berries give the same bright, fruity contrast with more fibre and less sugar. Both work — it is your trifle.
Is it kid-friendly?
Very. The custard, biscuit and sprinkles make it feel like a treat, so it is an easy way to get oats, fruit and yoghurt into children on a busy festive morning.
Keep exploring
More festive-season flavours.
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