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.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
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.
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?
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’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. 🙂
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 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!
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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.
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.
This was my first overnight oat recipe to try and it was a winner! These brownie batter oats were so good! Loved them.