The endurance of overnight Weet-Bix: Is this viral make-ahead breakfast worth the hype?

Breakfast cereal wheat biscuits are an oddly divisive thing: you either love their simplicity, or think they taste like cardboard. As someone firmly in the latter camp, I’ve been fascinated by the overnight Weet-Bix hype for some time.

It blew up on social media back in 2022, exploding into flavour variations from berry to banoffee and vying with overnight oats and chia pots for a make-ahead, protein-packed breakfast pin-up. Sanitarium, maker of the iconic Weet-Bix, even harnessed the trend with its own recipes, along with celebrity wellness voices, including Sam Wood.

Several years down the track, it’s still as trendy as ever, both with meal-preppers and protein-chasers, for good reason.

“I’m a bit of a connoisseur of overnight Weet-Bix,” says dietitian Lyndi Cohen aka The Nude Nutritionist. “As a busy mum, it makes so much sense. It’s a convenient, ready-to-go option you can whip out of the fridge. The key is mixing it with the right ingredients so that it’s a healthy breakfast and not a dessert.”

Search “overnight Weet-Bix” and TikTok alone spits out a flood of recipes for flavours including fairy bread and Caramello.

What is it?

The process begins with a simple, almost paradoxical premise: take two cereal wheat biscuits (such as Weet-Bix or Vita Brits), crush them into flakes, and stir in your choice of milk until they form a thick paste. It is a texture most cereal lovers spend their lives trying to avoid, yet here, that intentional “sogginess” becomes the foundation.

This mush is sweetened (think honey or maple syrup), and a layer of yoghurt is added. The top is scattered with anything from fruit to crushed biscuits, then it’s overnighted in the fridge.

The result is a moist cake-like base that has absorbed the milk and yoghurt, providing the perfect canvas for an exciting topping. It can look very pretty. It can also look like, well, soggy cereal.

What does it taste like?

Flavour comes down to your choice of extras. Early versions incorporated lemon juice and maple syrup for a tangy “cheesecake” effect, and my family test subjects didn’t hate it. The current trend, though, is to add protein-pimped yoghurts for that extra health-buzz hit, and decadent toppings such as nut butters (more protein) and crushed biscuits.

Verdict? It still tastes like soft Weet-Bix and yoghurt, albeit with some deliciously interesting toppings. While the base won’t be winning any awards as a cheesecake substitute, the way the biscuits absorb the liquid – creating a set texture rather than a sloshy mess – makes it a convenient grab-and-go option.

Is it actually good for you?

“It’s nutritionally balanced if you’re adding the right ingredients,” says Cohen. “It’s what I call a ‘trifecta’ – you’re getting the fat, the protein, the carbs, all in one nice, delicious package.”

Here’s the caveat: watch the toppings.

Piling on biscuits, peanut butter and honey will drive up the energy content. While we need energy in the morning, getting that energy from crumbled Oreos isn’t ideal.

“But if you’re crumbling one biscuit over a really healthy breakfast and it helps you get the nutrients in, I don’t think that’s a bad choice. Just don’t use half a packet.”

High-protein, low-sugar yoghurt, on the other hand, gets a tick. “You’re mixing that with the Weet-Bix, so you’ve got a really healthy mix of protein, fibre and carbohydrates, as well as that fat source.”

Cohen also suggests reaching for sultanas or fresh fruit instead of biscuits. This provides a more wholesome source of sweetness while boosting your morning intake of antioxidants and fibre.

Mango overnight Weet-Bix – made with Weet-Bix, milk, fresh or frozen mango and high-protein vanilla yoghurt – is ideal for this time of year, she says. “It’s great for meal prep, and it’s so simple.”

The real question is, how do you feel about the texture?

Jane’s choc-raspberry-ripe overnight Weet-Bix

As someone who doesn’t love Weet-Bix, this overnight version is actually a delicious raspberry-choc explosion, with enough tang to keep it interesting. The cocoa powder in the base is the real game-changer.

You can boost the protein by replacing the cocoa with protein-enriched yoghurt or chocolate protein powder.

INGREDIENTS

Weet-Bix base

• 2 Weet-Bix
• ½ cup milk of choice
• ½ tbsp maple syrup
• ½-1 tbsp cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder

Yoghurt-berry layer

• ½ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup low-sugar high-protein vanilla yoghurt

Better-for-you chocolate crack topping (optional)

• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp desiccated or shredded unsweetened coconut (toasted, if you like)

METHOD

1. Crumble the Weet-Bix into a lidded container and mix in the cocoa powder, milk and maple syrup to make a paste. Spread it out evenly over the base of the container.
2. Reserve some raspberries for the topping and mash the rest in a small bowl with a fork to release juices and make a pulp. Spread it evenly over the Weet-Bix base.
3. Spread the yoghurt over the berries in an even layer.
4. Mix the coconut oil with the cocoa powder, maple syrup and toasted coconut (reserve a pinch of coconut for the topping), and spread the chocolate mix over the yoghurt to create a thin chocolate layer. Cover with a lid and place in the fridge overnight.
5. To serve, scatter with reserved raspberries and coconut and crack into the chocolate layer.

Serves 1

Note: You can skip the chocolate-coconut topping and dust the top with cocoa powder and toasted coconut if preferred.