Halva Overnight Oats
Halva is a delicious, dense Middle Eastern dessert made mainly of Tahini (sesame paste) and sugar, sometimes with the addition of pistachios. I vividly remember the taste and the flakey, crumbly texture of halva, but don’t remember eating it that often. In fact, I don’t think we would have had it at home so I must have eaten it at a relative’s house but I honestly can’t remember!
I have had it since moving to the UK, you can find tubs of halva in Asian/Indian shops. You can even find them now in health food shops like Holland & Barrett made of only 2 ingredients – tahini and honey!
I’m a major tahini fan and love basically anything that has tahini – sweet or savoury! It’s such a versatile ingredient with a wealth of nutritional benefits. One tablespoon contains 2.5g protein (including all the essential amino acids), a fair amount of some B vitamins as well as calcium, copper, iron, zinc, omega 3 & 6. So it’s a great addition to anyone’s diet, especially a vegan diet that may lack some of those key nutrients.
I usually add tahini to my porridge in the morning, and it really adds a ‘halva’ feel to it which I love. I thought I would take it to the next level and make halva overnight oats with the addition of date syrup and pistachios to make it more authentic.
This recipe is great for people who struggle to find time for breakfast in the morning and just want to grab something quick on their way out of the door. Make this halva overnight oats the night before, store it in the fridge and have it ready for you to grab in the morning and enjoy on your way to your destination or even as a mid-morning snack.
It’s gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan and tastes just like a dessert. There is absolutely no reason for you not to try it!
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Want more Overnight Oats flavour combinations?
- Banana Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (Video)
- Nutella Overnight Oats
- Nectarine Overnight Oats with Coconut and Goji Berries
- Maple Vanilla & Pecan Overnight Oats – by The Foodie Couple Blog
- Overnight Oats with Raisins, Apple and Pumpkin Seeds – by Tin and Thyme
- Almond & Apple Overnight Oats with Hint of Coconut – by Coffee and Vanilla
- Chocolate And Almond Butter Overnight Oats – by From Plate to Pen
I’ve never had halva, but you know I’m a huge tahini fan (and a pistachio fun!) I think this oatmeal has got to happen! And when you drizzle it all with chocolate syrup… 😉
You NEED to try halva!! It’s so good!! Basically a tahini lover’s heaven 😀 I know you’ll love this recipe 🙂
Omg Nadia I just prepared it to have tomorrow and I just had a taste while pouring in the jar and I was in heaven ?? I can imagine how delicious is gonna be tomorrow and can’t wait ?
And the halva omg it’s my favourite dessert also I have in a wrap with green olives it’s to die for and I am trying to make it my self using organic ingredients ??
Thanks for sharing
I absolutely adore Halva so I am seriously all over thee overnight oats. Simple yet brilliant.
Thank you Bintu 🙂
Wowzers! That’s one blitzed out jar of oats 😛 I looooove halva, oats, and anything with pistachios. Beauty!
Haha it was definitely a treat. Thanks Audrey 🙂
I grew up with halva – still buy it every time I visit my folks in Greece. This looks absolutely scrummy & healthy too. Win win! Pinned 🙂
Ooo I wonder if the Greek version is different to the one I grew up with. I know some versions add flour.
This looks incredible, and such a unique overnight oats recipe. Definitely not one that I have seen before.
I actually only found out the other day that halva was made mainly from tahini. I am not sure what I thought it was made of haha.
Well when I was younger I didn’t know what it was made of either. I just ate and didn’t ask questions haha 😛
Wow do these overnight oats look delicious! I love the thick and creamy texture! I’ve never actually heard of halva before, but now I can’t wait to try it out. What a perfect breakfast!
You need to try halva Gayle, it’s such a decadent treat 🙂 especially if you like tahini 🙂
I grew up in Russia and we had halva there occasionally for dessert, it’s really tasty! I’ve seen halva sold in the US in ethnic supermarkets. Waking up to these halva overnight oats would be so exciting – what a delicious way to start the day!
Was the halva in Russia made of mainly tahini and sugar as well? It seems to be popular in more countries than I thought! Waking up to this jar of overnight oats was definitely a treat I was looking forward to 🙂
In Russia and Eastern Europe there are two main types of halva: sunflower seed and ground peanut halva. Both delicious and very popular.
Ooo I haven’t tried either one of those! Are they basically a mixture of nut/seed butter and sugar or do they also use some sort of flour?
This looks incredible! I love overnight oats, and make them all the time to take to work in the morning, but I have never tried date syrup, I imagine that it’s amazing!
Overnight oats bowls are so convenient, aren’t they? 😀 Mornings are so much easier because of them and they taste so good 😀
Oh my goodness, I have to try this! I adore tahini in just about anything (including halva, yum!) but have never used it in anything breakfasty before. Pinning for later 🙂
Tahini usually makes an appearance in my breakfast. I either add it to my porridge, overnight oats or even spread it on bread with some honey or date syrup. It’s so good I just have to have it everyday 😀
I seriously thought this was a dessert when it loaded on my screen. Looks wonderful!
Thank you Jemma 🙂 It really did taste like a dessert 😀
Drool! I love pistachios! I used to work in a health food shop and used to buy myself halva all the time too – nice to see a recipe for it xx
Wow, not only does that sound delish, it looks bleddy gorgeous!
Janie x
Thank you Janie 🙂
I’ve been resisting overnight oats for too long. I hate the texture of cold porridge and couldn’t see how I will ever get over that…until I saw this. It looks SO appetising I think I might just have to give it a go…
You could try blending the oats into a flour and use that instead. The texture will be a lot smoother, like a thick pudding 🙂 I hope you do give it a try.
Wowwww this is such an incredible overnight oats recipe Nadia! I love how decadent it looks! The styling is beautiful! Such a great idea to add tahini too, I’ve never tried that with oats before. I definitely need to make this recipe! <3
Thank you Harriet 🙂 I always add tahini to my oats, makes them so rich and creamy!
I have never had halva but i could totally go for this oat recipe! I have never seen a recipe like this and I totally need to try it 🙂
Thank you Rachel 🙂 You really need to try it 😀
Thanks for this delicious recipe.. I was a bit skeptical at first as I had never tried tahini with porridge. But the combination between dates, tahini, honey (and banana, which I added because I have a VERY sweet tooth) was delicious and so original. Gnammy! Ciao from Elena (Florence, Italy)
Thank you Elena 😀 so glad you enjoyed it! In the Middle East Tahini is used mostly in sweet recipes, just like peanut butter is used here in the west 😉
Oh my goodness! I love oats and halva. I can’t wait to make this. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe, Nadia.
This sounds amazing. I’ve tried there oatmeal/chia seed breakfasts in a jar before, but I wasn’t a fan. Being Middle Eastern, you got me with the addition of tahini and dates. Just threw some together, and I’m excitedly waiting for breakfast tomorrow morning!