Brownie Batter Overnight Oats
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Published May 16, 2016, Updated Aug 22, 2023
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Treat yourself to these chocolate brownie batter overnight oats. They taste like brownies and are topped with walnuts, chocolate chips and a peanut butter drizzle.
What if I told you that you could eat chocolate for breakfast and keep it healthy? Would you think that I was joking or that you were in some sort of dreamland? Well, today my friend your dreams are becoming a reality because I’m making it happen with these brownie batter overnight oats.
If you’ve been reading EBF for awhile you’ll know that throughout the summer months I’m all about overnight oats. They’re cool, creamy and so easy. I love that I can whip up a batch before bed and wake up to a healthy and delicious breakfast without having to cook anything.
I’ve shared a bunch of dessert inspired overnight oat combos (like peanut butter cup overnight oats and chocolate banana overnight oats), but I think this brownie batter version is the most decadent.
Seriously, if you’re a brownie lover get excited because this combo is delicious and it was made for you!
Ingredients Needed for Brownie Overnight Oats
- old fashioned rolled oats – rolled oats are the best for overnight oats. Instant/quick oats and steel cut oats don’t work the same because they don’t absorb liquid like rolled oats do.
- almond milk – I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any type of milk will work
- protein powder – I use a plant-based chocolate protein powder that is sweetened with stevia, but you can use your favorite protein powder
- cocoa powder – this gives the oats their rich chocolate flavor and dark color
- maple syrup – pure maple syrup is the perfect natural sweetener to use because it’s liquid so it blends in nicely with the oat mixture and I personally love the flavor. Honey or another natural liquid sweetener will work here. If you want to reduce the sugar in this recipe, feel free to use a sugar alternative like stevia or monk fruit
- vanilla
- sea salt – a pinch of sea salt is the perfect flavor enhancer and brings out the nutty flavor of the oats
- chocolate chips – I like using Lily’s dark chocolate chips because they’re sugar-free and low in carbs
- chopped walnuts – brownies are so good topped with walnuts and I love the crunch they add to these overnight oats
- peanut butter – I love peanut butter on these oats, but any nut butter that you enjoy would work for this recipe
How Long Do Overnight Oats Need to Soak?
Given the name, you’d assume overnight oats need to soak overnight, but you can actually make them in 2-4 hours if you’re in a rush. While it does take some time for the oats to absorb the liquid, they don’t necessarily have to be soaked overnight. I recommend at least 8 hours for true overnight oats, but there have been mornings where I decide I want overnight oats for breakfast even though I didn’t prep them the night before. When this happens I’ll make them the morning of and let the oats soak for just 2-4 hours. With this quick soak, they’re not as soft as overnight oats that have soaked longer and they’re a bit more liquidy, but they’re still delicious.
Can You Eat Overnight Oats Hot?
Short answer, yes! You can definitely warm up overnight oats, but the whole point of overnight oats is to eat them cold like muesli. Even if you think cold oats sound strange, I recommend giving it shot before you write them off. Of course, if you simply can’t do the cold oats you can always heat them up. Just pop the overnights oats in your microwave, cooking in 30 second increments until the oats are warm throughout and enjoy.
After letting your overnight oats soak overnight (or at least a few hours), take the oats out of the fridge and top with banana slices and cacao nibs.
While enjoying these you’ll feel like you’re being naughty by eating chocolate for breakfast (and you kind of are because there are chocolate chips involved) BUT the healthy stuff totally outweighs the chocolate. Plus chocolate does have some health benefits of its own. <– I’m all about the antioxidants… especially those from chocolate and wine. 🙂
More Oatmeal Recipes to Try:
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Berry Baked Oatmeal Bars
- Easy Protein Balls
- Baked Oatmeal Recipes
- Protein Oatmeal
- 3 Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
If you make these brownie batter overnight oats please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for the EBF team and other readers who are thinking about making the recipe.
Brownie Batter Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 scoops (50 grams) protein powder, vanilla or chocolate
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate chips, I use Lily’s dark chocolate chips
- 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter, optional
Instructions
- Add oats, protein powder, almond milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt into a bowl or jar. Stir well to combine, until all the protein powder has dissolved. Seal container with a lid and place in the fridge overnight.
- Take the container out of the fridge the next morning and stir the mixture. You'll notice that the oats soak up a lot of the liquid so you may want to add a little more almond milk before serving.
- Portion overnight oats into two containers, top each with chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and peanut butter, if using. Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- If you want to keep this recipe gluten-free and vegan, be sure to get gluten-free oats, vegan protein powder and vegan chocolate chips.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We are on the same wavelength today!!! I’ll definitely have to give these overnight oats a try because clearly I’m on the brownie batter train, too! 🙂
I love it!! Brownie batter for the win. 🙂
hi! I absolutely love these!!!!! do you add your individual protein powder protein number on top of the nutritional calculations??
Hi Briana – You’ll have to adjust the protein calculations depending on how many grams of protein your powder has. Glad to hear you’re loving these. Hope that helps answer your question.
These look absolutely delish! Yum! I love overnight oats so much, they just never get old when you can do so many things with them!
Does the nutrition info include the peanut butter? Thanks.
Yes, it does! 🙂
Yum! This looks amazing!
Chocolate for breakfast? Sign me up!
I use a chocolate protein powder. Should I still add the cocoa? Too much chocolate? I guess that isn’t a bad thing. LOL
Too much chocolate is NEVER a bad thing! 😉 That said, I think it depends on how chocolatey your protein powder is. I doubt you’ll need the full 2 Tablespoons though. You could always try it without any cocoa powder and then add a teaspoon or so if you think it needs more chocolate flavor. Let me know how it turns out.
Delicious! I’ve been craving overnight oats lately and this is the perfect way to satisfy
Looks delicious! Do you think it would work without the protein powder?
Totally! I’d probably use less almond milk if you’re totally skipping the protein powder. Maybe use 1 1/2 cups instead of 2. If you still want to add a little extra protein you can do Greek yogurt, hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseed or something similar. 🙂
Dear Brittany, this takes oatmeal to a whole new level! What a treat…chocolate in the morning is something I can get behind. xo, Catherine
Pretty sure even my husband who hates mornings, would happily wake up for these 🙂
haha. I bet so too!!
I adore healthy treats that masquerade as naughty ones – and these look especially naughty!
I am not usually a big fan of oatmeal, but this looks amazing!
Thanks Marye. I think this recipe could convent even those who aren’t big oatmeal fans. 🙂
Brownies for breakfast!? Sounds amazing! Love this overnight oats idea, gorgeous photos!
Thank you, Alexandra. 🙂
I’ve been looking for something delicious I can just grab in the mornings to take to work, since using the blender for smoothies wakes my fiancé up. This sounds like just the thing for me to try next week – chocolate for breakfast on Monday!
Sounds so delicious! I love PB so i mayyyyy have to add a little more 😀 I also have PB powder so not sure whether to use that or cottage cheese or greek yogurt.. I enjoy them all just as much so I’m debating which to use! they all sound so delish!
Hi Mia. I’m a PB lover as well so I’m all for adding more! And feel free to play around with using cottage cheese, Greek yogurt or peanut butter powder. I’m sure you’ll find a combo that you love. You really can’t go wrong with any of those things!
OMG!!!We love overnight oats and smoothie bowls and smoothies for breakfast and yesterday we picked up our groceries so we wouldn’t need to go on the weekend BUT I am so going to make a run for cocoa powder as I can hardly wait until tomorrow morning!????
We enjoy so many of your recipes and ideas and appreciate all the time and effort you put into this. Bless you and Happy Healthy 2017. ????
Hi, do you microwave this in the morning (or could you), or do you eat it cold right out of the fridge? Thanks 🙂
I think most people eat overnight oats cold straight from the fridge in the morning, but you could certainly microwave them if you don’t enjoy them cold! 🙂
My new favorite breakfast! So easy to throw together the night before and sooooo delicious!
Yay!! I’m so glad you like this recipe, Michelle. It’s one of my favorites too!
Hello I love your recipes! I would love to use this in a roundup on my blog. With your permission ofcourse!
Would it be crazy to throw this all in the blender and drink as a smoothie? I’m typically not a fan of the texture of oatmeal, but I really want to try this!
This was my first overnight oat recipe to try and it was a winner! These brownie batter oats were so good! Loved them.
Hey, just a question about the calories- is the 435 for the entire preparation or for after your divide it into two servings? Thanks!
Hi Jen. The nutrition data is for one serving and there are two servings in the recipe.
How many weight watchers points would one serving be?
Hi Betty. I’m not very familiar with Weight Watcher’s points system so I’m actually not sure! Sorry about that.
How could you incorporate a banana?.please and thank you
Check out this recipe for banana chocolate overnight oats (https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/chocolate-banana-overnight-oats/). It shows exactly how to add banana to the mix. 🙂
Would this recipe work the same way if you sub the almond milk with Skim milk? Thanks
Definitely. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
I normally hate overnight oats. Something about them and their texture makes me want to gag- but these WOW! Absolutely delicious. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about them! These will be a staple on my busy mornings
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear, Bailey. 🙂 I’m so glad you loved these overnight oats. Thanks so much for making them and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
Thank you so much for posting the calories for this! I’m in the middle of trying to lose a few pounds and I’m in the counting calories part of that. It’s nice to know there are delicious things out there I can eat! 😀
I’m interested to know what cocoa powder you use?
I have cacao powder at home, if I use that instead will it make it too bitter?
Same goes for all the recipes you use cocoa powder in….
You can use cacao! It’ll work the same as using cocoa powder. 🙂
Once you leave the mixture in the refrigerator and take it out the next day, is the mixture supposed to be liquidity? Or is it supposed to be thickened? Mine came out liquidity.
Hey Tara – It’s supposed to thicken up overnight and shouldn’t be too liquidy. Did you change anything about the recipe?
I tried to make these and they came out liquid. I didn’t change anything at all either. I even added another half cup of oats trying to thicken it. I made it in a big bowl, does that matter?
That shouldn’t matter. How long did you let the oats sit for and did you use rolled oats?
I let them sit from 6pm to 9am the next day, and I used regular rolled oats not instant.
Mmm, interesting! They shouldn’t have been liquidy. What milk did you end up using?
I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
Absolutely love the flavor of this but agree on something being off with proportions. I’ve made this twice using unsweetened almond milk and had oatmeal soup both times. I even added a little more protein powder the second time thinking maybe I measured wrong the first time. I will cut the milk in half and try again because the flavor is awesome.
Hi Christie – 2 questions for you. What type of oats are you using? And how many grams of protein is in a scoop of your protein powder? I am wondering if maybe the proportions are off a bit. So sorry these are giving you some trouble. Hopefully I can help you out!
I just had the same issue so came down here to find out. I used whole milk instead of almond but all other ingredients same. I wonder if the different brands of protein powder thicken differently? I used a Coles brand plant based protein.
Hi Tania – Thanks for sharing your feedback, for this recipe you want 2 scoops (50 grams). I used Nuzest and it is important to note that some protein powders do soak up more liquid than others too so that could be a factor. What type of protein powder did you use?
Hi thanks for this brown oats , i am going to try this , your website is inspiration
Let me know how they turn out 🙂
Is this recipe one or two servings
The recipe serves two!
I unfortunately also had oatmeal soup the next morning. I *love* your recipes and this is the only one that hasn’t been a hit for me. I think the ratio must be off… 1:2 oats to milk is weird, right?
Anyway, for posterity: I halved the recipe, I used unsweetened almond milk, and I used Gold Standard whey protein, chocolate flavour. I left out the maple syrup since the protein is already sweet.
The flavour was good so apart from the fact that it was cold oatmeal soup, the taste is on point. I think with a 1:1 oat to milk ratio it would be the way it’s supposed to be?
Oh no!! So sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you. Did you change anything about the recipe? The protein powder and cocoa powder soak up a good amount of liquid as well as the oats so it should be the right liquid ratio.
After reading the comments, I increased the rolled oats to two cups. I used Silk nut milk and Bulletproof protein powder. It was SO good! Thank you!
So glad this recipe turned out for you, Brenda! Thanks for trying them and for the review. I appreciate it!
very chocolately and doesn’t want to eat dessert for breakfast.
Delicious!! It really does taste like brownie batter!! This will be a regular at my house!!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved these overnight oats, Amy! Thanks so much for making it and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would. I cannot get over how much I love these oats! I was skeptical of them actually tasting like brownie batter but I was wrong and they hit all the right notes and flavors for me. I’ll definitely make these a regular part of my breakfast rotation!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Jessica. So pumped you loved this recipe. Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
These were so good! They had just the right balance of sweetness and really tasted like brownie batter. Added a little bit of peanut butter on top!
So glad you loved these, Nicole! Thanks for making them and for the review. I so appreciate it!
I added in chocolate and vanilla protein powder and I always add in granola and a drizzle of honey on top! Love these recipes!
Woo!! I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying these overnight oats, Cherise! Thanks for the review 🙂
Brownie Batter Overnight oats was delicious today for breakfast. I❤️Your recipes- they are always so very tasty & easy to make.
Ahh yay, that makes me so happy to hear. So glad you loved this recipe, Michelle. Thanks for the review!
This recipe seems so indulgent with the chocolate chips. So yummy
I just mixed this for morning, and even though the oats are still hard, I licked the spoon, and YUM!! I’m so excited for morning!!!:)
Woo!! Enjoy, Tara! Thanks for the review 🙂
Thank you for sharing your creative overnight oat recipes! I’m so happy I stumbled across them. I just started a new job that starts early, and am a dog walker on the side. Making breakfast at 5am is hard to do.I am so glad I can make it ahead and not skip a good morning fuel up.
Ah yay! I’m so glad these overnight oats have a been a hit, Amy! They are so perfect for those early morning work days. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
OMG! This was more dessert than breakfast. Another winning recipe. This was so rich and chocolaty that my hubby said it was too rich. I thought it was perfect! Thanks for another great recipe!
Ah yay!! So glad you enjoyed these overnight oats, AJ! Thanks for the review and star rating. I really appreciate it!
What protein oowder do you like to use? I dont want it to take over the flavours or feel gritty.
I’ve been loving Nuzest! I have a code (eatingbirdfood) if you want to try it for 15% off. 🙂
I want to make this tonight for the morning. Can you tell me if the nutrition is for 1 servings or 2?
The recipe makes 2 servings and the nutrition facts are for 1 serving. Hope you enjoy!!
I made this and it was incredibly soupy. I’m wondering if it should be 1 cup of milk to 1 cup of oats (2X for two servings)
Oh no! So sorry to hear that. Did you change anything about the recipe? How long did you let the oats sit for? I’ve made this many times and haven’t had an issue with it being too liquidy.
Do you have to use the protein powder?
How long do they stay good for in fridge?
They should last about 4-5 days in the fridge!
Yumm! This recipe has so much flavor, the entire family loved it! My husband said to add it to our list of favorite recipes 🙂 Thank you!
So glad this recipe was a hit, Cristina! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
These are delicious!!! Used chocolate vegan protein powder, and topped with a scoop of almond butter and vanilla Greek yogurt. Excellent!!!
Hi April – Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and rating! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
So good!!! Very nice recipe. I tried it the first time 2 days ago, but I messed up the measurements and put too much of some ingredients. It still turned out very good, but more sweet and now I made it again, with the right amount of everything haha. If you’re making this, don’t skip the peanut butter, it makes a change.
Thank you so much for your recipe!
AH YAY! I am so happy that you are enjoying this recipe, Denisa. Yes, the peanut butter adds a special touch for sure. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
I just had these for breakfast this morning! They are so delicious! Can’t wait to make them again for tomorrow. The pb, walnuts and mini chips add just the right texture!
YUM! One of my favorite ways to start the day is with these overnight oats. I am so glad you are enjoying them as well, Melissa. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
I have made many of your overnight oats and these are my favorite! They smell and taste exactly like a brownie! I’ve never been so excited to eat breakfast!
YUMM! These are so good and I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Brennan! Thanks so much for your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Can I use this recipe with the exact same measurements but blend these? If so do the measurements change?
Yes! Ingredients + measurements should stay the same, if it seems too thick, you might want to add some more liquid. Hope you enjoy this recipe!