Protein Overnight Oats
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Published May 14, 2021, Updated Mar 05, 2024
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With protein overnight oats you can have your oatmeal and get your protein in! This simple breakfast packs over 20 grams per serving.
Lately I’ve been focusing on my protein intake and looking for easy ways to increase the amount of protein I’m eating each day.
I eat oatmeal for breakfast almost daily and love it, but on it’s own it’s not super protein-rich. So recently I took my basic overnight oats recipe and added protein powder to create this protein overnight oats recipe.
Why Overnight Oats?
During the summer months, when it’s too hot for warm oatmeal, overnight oats are the perfect way to satisfy your oatmeal craving! You still get to chow down on a bowl of oats, but they’re cool and refreshing.
Added bonus: they’re so easy to make and you can prep everything the night before.
Why Add Protein?
I am a huge proponent of making protein oatmeal (aka proats)!
If you have ever eaten oatmeal and been hungry an hour later, it’s likely because you didn’t add any protein to your oats!
Adding protein to overnight oats ensures that breakfast will keep me full for hours and the vanilla protein powder I use adds extra flavor (and sweetness) as well.
Protein Overnight Oats Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these protein-packed overnight oats:
- old fashioned oats – make sure you’re using old fashioned oats and not quick/instant oats.
- unsweetened vanilla almond milk – you can use any type of milk, but I prefer almond milk because it’s low in sugar and calories.
- vanilla protein powder – my favorite protein powder is Nuzest. Use code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order!
- chia seeds – for added fiber, protein and healthy fats. Chia seeds also absorb some liquid, making the end result a little thicker.
- vanilla extract – a staple ingredient for overnight oats!
- cinnamon – I love adding a hint of cinnamon to bring the flavors together.
- optional toppings – berries, sliced almonds and almond butter.
Other Protein Options
If you don’t have protein powder on hand or simply don’t want to use it, here are some other ways to add protein to your overnight oats!
Greek yogurt: Add 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt to the overnight oats mixture. This will add about 4 grams of protein, depending on what brand you use.
Cottage cheese: Add 1/4 cup cottage cheese to the overnight oats mixture. This will about around 7 grams of protein.
Nuts and nut butter: Chopped nuts and/or nut butter are a great way to add a little bit of extra protein to your overnight oats. They also add healthy fats, which will make the oats even more filling!
Do You Have to Soak the Oats Overnight?
You actually don’t! I know the name is “overnight oats” but you actually just need to soak oats for a few hours.
When I am on top of my meal prep I prefer to soak the oats overnight. But if I forget to prep them, I just make the oats in the morning and let them soak for about 2-3 hours. The longer you soak the oats, the softer they will be. When I only soak for a few hours, the oats are a little chewier, but I don’t mind!
How to Eat Protein Overnight Oats
This is a great “base” recipe for protein overnight oats. It’s designed to eat cold, but if you would rather eat them warm you can heat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds after the oats soak.
You can enjoy the overnight oats plain, but I recommend adding some toppings for extra flavor! I love adding fresh berries, sliced bananas, drizzled nut butter and/or sliced nuts.
How Long do Overnight Oats Last?
One of the best parts about overnight oats is that they can be prepped in advance! After prepping your oats, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can make a double or triple batch and enjoy for multiple days! The longer you store overnight oats, the more liquid they will absorb so you may need to add an extra splash of milk before serving.
More Protein Packed Recipes
- Protein Balls
- Protein Pancakes
- Protein Mug Cake
- How to Make a Protein Shake
- Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Protein Cookies
- Protein Waffles
- Protein Baked Oatmeal
- PB&J Protein Yogurt Bowl
Popular Overnight Oats Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats
- Blended Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- Banana Bread Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats
- Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
- Low Calorie Overnight Oats
- Cookies and Cream Overnight Oats
Be sure to check out all of my overnight oats recipes as well as all of the protein recipes here on EBF!
Protein Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, not instant
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 – 2 scoops vanilla protein powder, (25g total)
- 1/2 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- toppings: berries, sliced almonds, almond butter (for topping)
Instructions
- Prep oats: Combine all ingredients except the toppings in a small container.
- Soak: Cover container with a lid and place in the fridge overnight (or at least 1-2 hours).
- Stir: Bring out of the fridge in the morning and stir. You’ll notice that the protein powder, oats and chia seeds soak up a lot of the liquid so you may want to add a little more almond milk or water before serving.
- Add toppings and enjoy: Top with toppings of your choice and enjoy. I love berries and sliced almonds or almond butter.
Video
Notes
- Greek yogurt: Add 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt to the overnight oats mixture. This will add about 4 grams of protein, depending on what brand you use.
- Cottage cheese: Add 1/4 cup cottage cheese to the overnight oats mixture. This will about around 7 grams of protein.
- Nuts and nut butter: Chopped nuts and/or nut butter are a great way to add a little bit of extra protein to your overnight oats. They also add healthy fats, which will make the oats even more filling!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think I might have to try this oatmeal thing! 🙂
I love how you try out new programs and post about them. I’m often curious about nutrition/fitness books I see, and it’s fun to live vicariously through someone else and hear her opinion on it first! I also think it brings up a great opportunity for you to talk about how you make “mainstream” programs fit into your lifestyle without radically changing your already-healthy eating preferences. Best of luck to you!
I always judge my soreness the next day on whether or not the workout is working too! I recently found your blog and keep coming back. Thanks for the workout reports and food ideas. Have a nice weekend!
I love adding protein powder to my oats and recently, I’ve been adding it to my cereal bowls. It’s just as good and as the same effect.
I like adding it to cereal as well. My favorite combo is kashi go lean cereal with chocolate protein powder and sliced strawberries and bananas. It’s like a banana split.
Can’t wait to hear about your BFL experience!
I’ve always wanted to read body for life! Good luck on this journey! Im really excited to read about it!
I love the overnight oats mix. So simple and delicious looking!! Have fun at your recipe demo. Sounds fun 🙂
Awaiting your BFL reviews too!
I like to add greek yogurt or cottage cheese to amp up the protein in my oats; thankfully I can handle dairy.
What is BFL?
Body For Life. It’s a strength training program I tried out years ago. 🙂
love how simple those overnight oats are. sometimes, i get in a habit of adding WAY too much stuff and have to make myself just do a simple bowl again.
Does the book mention any specifics on the HIIT workouts if you don’t have a treadmill/machine to work out on? That’s the only thing I wasn’t sure about – we don’t have any machines at home, and there isn’t a gym convenient (or affordable) around here.
Ever since Fitbloggin’, I’ve been doing a lot of HIIT myself! I did 20 minutes on Wednesday power walking at 4.5mph, followed by 45 seconds at 9.0 mph, repeat. It was INSANE but felt like such a great workout and it was over so quick!
I think I am going to try out the walking HIIT today… I’m in the mood for a not too crazy workout today. I usually think of HIIT as being some crazy running or elliptical workout; I never even considered how great of a workout it could be if you include lots of hills. I’ll let you know hoe it goes!
I haven’t tried overnight oats yet because I like my oats hot – so I’ve been doing instant oats since finally trying oatmeal last month! I definitely need to give them a chance!
Thanks so much for the WALKING workout! running isn’t the best for my body, and walking is so gentle, yet still a great workout. I can’t wait to try it! 🙂
If you do, definitely let me know what you think.
I love overnight oats and eat them several times a week. So easy and so good!
I couldn’t agree more!
i love how much water chia seeds soak up! they make my oats huge! i still haven’t tried adding protein powder to my oats, but i may have to jump on the bandwagon – adding protein w/out being a huge fan of meat is proving to be difficult! 🙂
I think BFL is such a good program. I know you will do great with it!
I used to add protein powder to all my oats. Then I ran out of it and haven’t bought more (dang budget LOL). It really does help up the fill factor and make it easy to get some extra protein in.
Hi, I’m a new reader via #fitbloggin! The oats look delish – I’m not a fan of protein powder, but I might have to get some and try this recipe out 🙂 An online friend and I just started BFL a week ago as well. It will be interesting to follow your progress too. Good luck!
I love overnight oats!! they are terrific since i get up at 4 every morning and im not about to wake up even earlier to make breakfast!!!
I can only do intervals on the treadmill or i get bored!! I walk at a 4 with the incline all the way up for a minute and then i run at an 11 with the incline flat for a minute and switch off. Its super intense so i only do 10-15 minutes and i’m done:) If you do it, push the button to lower the incline after 30 seconds so its back down by the time you are running. Running at an 11 with the incline up is not fun haha!
Just stumbled upon your blog and may be up all night browsing! I know this is an older post, but I am really excited to try it. Do you just warm up the oats in the morning?
I tried the HIIT treadmill workout today and boy did that kick my booty! This has become one of my new favorite workouts. Thanks for sharing. I LOVE your blog!
Can those be warmed up? Or do you have to eat them cold because of the protein powder?
They can be warmed up!
I love the overnight oats. Sometimes too hot to eat cooked oatmeal in the summer and this is just perfect. Thanks!
I tried the recipe as is & it turned out great! Will be making again for sure! I might add a spoonful of peanut butter or cut up some bananas..
Hi can this last more than one day. Can you leave in frig and eat it the next day
Yes! You can definteily prep it ahead of time. It should actually last 2-3 days in the fridge.
I’m a fan of the ingredients, so I thought these would taste great. I followed the recipe to a T and yet 24 hours later, the (steel cut) oats are barely edible and there is way too much liquid (almond milk).
I would look for a different recipe next time.
Hey Carly – I’m so sorry to hear that these oats didn’t work for you, but the recipe called for rolled oats, not steel cut oats. That is probably what went wrong. Next time, I would make this recipe with rolled oats, but if you want to try making overnight oats with steel cut oats here is a good recipe.
Can you make a weeks worth of overnight oats with protein powder or does the protein powder loose its potency?
Hey Joanne! You can definitely make a weeks worth of protein overnight oats. No need to worry about the powder loosing its potency as long as it isn’t already expired. 🙂
This is my go-to overnight oats recipe. I know there are alot of recipes out there but this one is perfect every.single.time. It’s the perfect proportion of every ingredient and then you can top it with whatever fruit you like! Highly recommend.
What is the substitute for protein powder.
Hey Thanaa – I would just use my basic overnight oats recipe, which has Greek yogurt if you’re looking for a little protein in your overnight oats. 🙂 You can also skip the yogurt and just use more liquid instead.
Love this recipe! Wondering if instead of powdered protein we can use a protein shake?
I’m sure that would work just fine!
I have a question about protein powder. I’ve tried a couple kinds and find they leave have a grainy texture. does your protein powder do this? I just haven’t found one I like it.
I’ve found Nuzest to be one of the best protein powders texture and taste wise! You can use the code eatingbirdfood for 15% off if you want to try it. 🙂
I made this using one scoop of PB2 with dutch cocoa instead of the protein powder and omitted the cinnamon. It was soooo delicious! I topped it with sliced almonds and unsweetened coconut. As soon as I started eating, I feared that the bowl would disappear too quickly and that I would want more. It was satisfying to the last bite, and just the right amount. Thanks for such a great recipe! This is my first attempt at overnight oats, and I am sold.
Woo! I love hearing this, Windee! I’m so glad these overnight oats were such a hit! Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
This is my first foray into oats for breakfast, and this one is smashing.
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Jackie. So pumped you loved your first oatmeal recipe!! Thanks for making it and for the review.
Looks super yummy! I’m just confused on the protein powder portion. It says just two spoons of a 20gram per serving powder. So is that still the 20grams or just the two spoonfuls that would be less than 20. sorry this is so long omg
Hey Koryna – Sorry for the confusion. It should be 1-2 scoops of protein powder (25g total).
It looks very yummy! Oats are a very practical and healthy breakfast, and the addition of protein powder, chia seeds and condiments make it more filling and tasty.
Sarah
http://www.dietofcommonsense.com
I followed the recipe exactly and they came out super watery/soupy with a consistency that is inedible 😞.
Hi Erica! I’m so sorry to hear this! What kind of oats did you use?
Where is all the sodium coming from? I’m on a very low sodium diet due to health conditions and know the non-dairy milks ( I typically used oatmilk) will have some, but not that much? My protein powder has 15 mg of sodium per scoop with 22 grams of protein and my oats have none… I can’t figure it out. I will try the recipe as I’m looking to add protein to my overnight oats but think the sodium projection is way off, in a good way though 🙂
Hi Beth – Thank you for pointing this out. I looked into this a bit and notices that the protein powered I used for this recipe is higher in sodium. The sodium numbers for this recipe, depends on the type of protein power that you use so it will vary. Hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy!
Unsure about the macros quoted here. 1 scoop of protein powder will usually be 20/25gs of protein yet the above states the whole meal has 22g protein?
Hey Dominic – Sorry about the confusion. The macros originally were based on 1 scoop of Nuzest protein powder, which I use regularly. 1 scoop is only 12.5 grams of protein powder, which is why the protein seemed off. I just updated the macros to be the full 25 grams of protein powder, which brought the protein up to 28 grams for the recipe. Thanks for noticing that and apologies again!
Brittany, Happy New Year 🎉. How are you and your family? My family and I are very fine ☺️. I made protein overnight oats. I added chopped strawberries 🍓and blueberries 🫐 and drizzled peanut butter 🥜 on top. It tested very delicious 😋, mouthwatering, nutritious, and heavenly 😇. I loved it 😍.
WOO! I am so excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Ana. Thank you so much for your review & star rating, I appreciate it
How does steel cut oats change the recipe?
Ty!
Hi Michelle – I don’t recommend using steel cut oats for this recipe, they will not properly absorb the liquid and remain hard and inedible, plus the liquid won’t absorb correctly. I would recommend using rolled oats for this recipe. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
What size mason jar do you use for the overnight oats?
Hi Terra – I use a 16 oz mason jar, so there is enough room for all the toppings etc. Enjoy!
I followed this recipe to a tee and the oats came out as a hard lump with very little moisture. Even after adding more almond milk, there was no change. I used old fashioned rolled oats. Not sure if the protein powder makes it too thick but I did not enjoy this recipe at all.
I am so sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out as you had hoped. How much protein powder did you add? Each protein powder is different for how many scoops = 25 grams. It sounds like there just was not enough liquid.
If I add cottage cheese instead of powder how do I account for this based on provided nutrition listed for original recipe
Hi Sarah – If you are making this recipe without the protein powder, you are going to want to subtract the amount of protein that the protein powder would provide (I use Nuzest which has 20g of protein per serving), so subtract 20g from 27g in the recipe that leaves you with 7. Add in however much 1/4 cup of your cottage cheese has (mine has 7g) and the total amount is about 14g of protein per serving. Hope this helps. Enjoy.
Love your ideas and recipes if eating clean. Have tried a few and they are perfect. THANKYOU
Aw yay. This means so much, Marcia. Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
Delicious!
Just FYI for the recipe multiplier, the 2x and 3x still say 25g total of protein powder, although the number of scoops is different. I did the double recipe my first go but weighed it instead of using scoops, so accidentally put half the recommended amount! Still good though!
Oh thanks for catching that, Cathy. Thank you for letting me know. Glad you enjoyed this recipe and it turned out great for you!
Hey Brittany,
This is my go to recipe when wanting overnight oats!
What kinds of jars do you use that are good for overnight oats and taking on the go?
Thanks!
Leanne
Hi Leanne – I am so glad you are loving this recipe. I recommend these 16 oz mason jars and these lids. Hope that helps! Enjoy!
LOVE LOVE LOVE! The ratios are perfect in this recipe – thank you! 👌❤️
I have two questions, Brittany:
1. Do you have a preference for white vs black chia seeds?
2. Where do you get your gorgeous gold spoons? (I feel so silly asking this, but I always love your food presentation! 🙈)
Hi Veronica! I am so glad you are loving this recipe! I do not have a preference on white vs black, I just always seem to have black on hand. My silverware set is from West Elm.
Thank you so much – I really appreciate it! ❤️
Sounds delish! Definitely going to try them this week. Just a suggestion, tho…I like to make batches of “shelf stable” overnight oats variations. I simply measure out the dry ingredients into a baggie, label them, and store them in the pantry. At night, just dump them into a jar, measure out the wet ingredients, stir, then into the fridge overnight. (I keep an index card with the full recipe in the shoe box container with the bagged oats–so handy when meal prep day comes around.) I make up 24 baggies of 6 variations and hubby and I enjoy the different flavors over about 4 wks.
Hi Gayle! hope you enjoy this recipe and it turns out great for you. Love that you are making the shelf stable oatmeals, I have some of those in my cookbook and they are always a hit!
This tasted delicious! However, i have to microwave it as it stays very liquidy. Is this normal?
Hi Pepper! Hmm what type of oats are you using? How long are you letting these sit in the fridge?