Protein Overnight Oats
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With protein overnight oats you can have your oatmeal and get your protein in! This simple breakfast packs 30 grams of protein 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 regular overnight oats recipe and added protein powder to create this protein overnight oats recipe.
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.
- milk – you can use any type of milk, but I prefer almond milk because it’s low in sugar and calories.
- vanilla protein powder – you can use your favorite brand of protein powder. Just note that some protein powders soak up more liquid than others so you may need to adjust the amount of milk.
- 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/or 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. Try my overnight oats with yogurt.
Cottage cheese: Add 1/4 cup cottage cheese to the overnight oats mixture. This will about around 7 grams of protein. Try my cottage cheese overnight oats.
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! Try my peanut butter overnight oats.
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.
Everything You Need to Make Protein Overnight Oats
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, 32-ounce (Pack of 4)
Buy Now →
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Wide Mouth Pint 16-Ounce Glass Mason Jar with Lids
Buy Now →More Overnight Oats Recipes
- Blended Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- Cottage Cheese Overnight Oats
- Low Calorie Overnight Oats
- Overnight Oats with Yogurt
- Kefir Overnight Oats
- Samoas Overnight Oats
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Protein Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- ½ Tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup fresh berries, for topping
- ½ Tablespoon almond butter, for topping
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the toppings in a small container.
- Cover container with a lid and place in the fridge overnight (or at least 1-2 hours).
- 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.
- Top with toppings of your choice and enjoy. I used ½ cup blueberries and ½ Tablespoon almond butter for the nutrition facts on these.
Video
Notes
- Greek yogurt: Add ¼ 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 ¼ 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.
Equipment
- Weck Jar (my favorite for storing overnight oats)
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Sorry- These were awful – I recommend increasing the amount of almond milk and half the scoops of protein powder! Way too chunky and tasted like chalky protein powder
Hi Mandi! I am so sorry this recipe did not turn out for you. What type of protein powder did you use? When or plant based? I recommend using plant based for this recipe (or adding more liquid is using when using whey) because whey protein powder soaks up more liquid.
Can this recipe be made with steel cut oats?
Hi Catherine – Unfortunately steel cut oats won’t soak up as much liquid and the end result won’t be the same. I recommend using rolled oats for best results.
i only had plain oat milk and unflavored protein powder and man was it bland! will try again making as written. I did drizzle almond butter on top and added blackberries but it just didn’t help- couldn’t get them spred evenly.
Hi Tara – Oh so sorry to hear that. You could add a touch of your favorite sweetener and that might help a bit. Let me know if you give these another try!
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?
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!
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! ❤️
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!
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!
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!
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.