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.
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!
Hello I love your recipes! I would love to use this in a roundup on my blog. With your permission ofcourse!
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!
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! 🙂
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. ????
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!
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!
Brownies for breakfast!? Sounds amazing! Love this overnight oats idea, gorgeous photos!
Thank you, Alexandra. 🙂
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. 🙂
I adore healthy treats that masquerade as naughty ones – and these look especially naughty!