Make this easy Protein Overnight Oats recipe for busy workday breakfasts. Simply whip them up the night before, grab a jar and go! Each serving contains 22 grams of protein. Top it with fresh fruit, nuts, and a drizzle of honey.
If you’re all about fast and convenient meals, overnight protein oats is a great way to take in quality protein for the first meal of the day with hardly any effort. Simply prepare this recipe the night before and have breakfast ready the next morning!
I live by the cook once, eat many times mantra, so making big batches of protein oatmeal for weekday breakfasts is my idea of genius use of time!
More great news is overnight oats are cold oats, so preparing the recipe doesn’t even require any cooking. A huge win for those who don’t love to cook!
The main sources of protein in this easy breakfast recipe is Greek yogurt and protein powder. We also throw in some chia seeds for a little protein and omega-3 fatty acids, but the majority of the protein comes from the yogurt and protein powder.
If this is your first time making overnight oats, you’ll be so impressed by how simple it is to prepare this nutritious breakfast and how deliciously it turns out. Simply choose your favorite protein powder and any additional add-ins you know you’ll love for the best results.
For those who mind their macros, overnight oats are the perfect breakfast for hitting some carbs and protein. This versatile recipe is easy to customize depending on your nutritional needs and it comes together in mere minutes.
I love that overnight oats can be made in big batches ahead of time to make breakfast during the week a breeze.
Let’s chat about the simple ingredients for this easy make-ahead breakfast.
Ingredients for Protein Overnight Oats:
Quick Oats or Rolled Oats: The star of the show! We need quick cooking oats, old fashioned oats or rolled oats to make overnight oats.
Quick oats result in a slightly smoother texture than rolled oats, which have a bit more chew.
To make the recipe gluten-free, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats.
Milk of Choice: Pick your favorite milk! Any kind of milk will work. I stick with non-dairy milk like oat milk, coconut milk, or unsweetened almond milk but regular cow’s milk works great too.
Soy milk, hemp milk, and cashew milk are all great options too.
Non-Fat Greek Yogurt: Adding a decent dose of protein, we need some Greek yogurt. I like using unsweetened non-fat yogurt to keep the fat content down, but you can pick your favorite yogurt.
I also love that yogurt brings an infusion of probiotics to promote good gut health.
Do note that the yogurt adds some tangy flavor, so if you don’t like the flavor of yogurt, you may want to replace it with more milk and add some additional protein powder.
Protein Powder: Another dose of protein comes from your favorite protein powder. I use unsweetened, unflavored goat whey protein, but any type of protein powder should work.
Some protein powders are more absorbent than others, so you may need to make slight adjustments to the amount of milk you use. Just be sure to use a flavor and brand you have tried and enjoy.
Vanilla protein powder or chocolate protein powder are my top two recommendations but you can get creative here.
Use vegan protein powder (such as hemp protein or rice protein) and non-dairy milk to make vegan protein oatmeal.
Chia Seeds or Flax Seeds: To bring some omega 3 fatty acids to the meal, we add some chia seeds, hemp seeds, or flax seeds.
If you don’t add chia seeds or flax seeds, stick with 1.5 to 2 cups of milk.
The seeds absorb some of the liquid for a thicker consistency so the absence of them will cause the oats to be less thick.
Pure Maple Syrup: Add your preferred amount of pure maple syrup to sweeten the overnight oatmeal. I keep mine on the less sweet side, but tailor the recipe to your personal taste.
If your protein powder includes sweetener, you may not need as much pure maple syrup. You can also use a sugar-free sweetener to keep the recipe sugar-free if you’d like.
Brown sugar adds extra flavor as well, so consider using it for a sweeter oatmeal.
Pure Vanilla Extract: While pure vanilla extract is optional, I love that it brings a cozy vanilla flavor.
If you enjoy the flavor of almond extract, you can use almond extract in addition to or in lieu of vanilla extract.
Ground Cinnamon and Sea Salt: A touch of cinnamon brings a lovely warm nuance to the cold oatmeal. You can increase the amount if you’d like! The tiniest pinch of salt helps enhance the sweetness and flavors.
Recipe Adaptations:
- You can increase the amount of chia seeds if you’d like. Just note that seeds absorb a decent amount of liquid, so you may need to add more milk depending on how many chia seeds you add.
- Use 2 cups of milk for thicker oats and 3 cups of milk for thinner (soupier) oats. Stick with 3 if you enjoy a lot of liquid with your oats.
- If you’d like, you can mix in any fresh fruit, chopped nuts, or other flavors like cocoa powder or lemon zest. See suggestions below for flavor options.
- Stir in 3 to 4 tablespoons of almond butter, peanut butter, or nut butter or seed butter of choice for some healthy fats.
- Be sure to pick up your favorite toppings for all sorts of flavor adventures.
- If you prefer steel cut oats over old-fashioned oats, make my Overnight Steel Cut Oats.
- Use cottage cheese instead of Greek yogurt as a great protein source.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients for high protein overnight oats, let’s whip it up in only a few minutes!
How to Make Protein Overnight Oats:
Transfer the yogurt, milk, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sea salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk everything together until the wet ingredients are combined and the lumps of yogurt have dissolved.
Add in the oats, protein powder, and chia seeds (dry ingredients) and mix well to combine.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 6 hours). If you’re able to give the oats an occasional stir, this will help the liquid become absorbed evenly and avoid any clumping on the part of the chia seeds.
In the morning, give the oats a good stir and divide the oatmeal into 4 to 6 separate jars or individual containers and seal.
I find breaking the batch into four servings makes the perfect size serving.
Bring one with you on the go, along with any toppings you desire! You can also mix ingredients into the oats to create any flavors you’d like.
I recommend enjoying the oats with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butter (such as peanut butter or almond butter), and a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup.
Fresh berries, banana slices, chocolate chips, and a spoonful of peanut butter is a great combination.
Store in an airtight container (or containers) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also store the overnight oats in one large mason jar as opposed to several smaller jars.
And that’s it! The perfect way to get a dose of protein first thing on busy mornings!
Make different flavors of your oatmeal depending on your mood! Use this base recipe as the foundation and incorporate the ingredients from any of the following recipes to mix up the flavor.
Flavor Options for Overnight Oats:
- Banana Bread Overnight Oatmeal
- Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Overnight Oats
- Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats
- Vanilla Chai Overnight Oats
The best part about this easy meal prep recipe is the macronutrient breakdown is ideal for active individuals. Here is the nutritional information per serving.
Nutrition Facts:
If broken into 4 equal sized servings, each serving of overnight oats contains 22 grams of protein.
Each serving is 362 calories and also includes 6 grams of dietary fiber and 51 grams of carbohydrates.
At 9 grams of fat, which is relatively low, this easy breakfast recipe is ideal for those who prioritize protein and carbs for certain meals.
I like this macro breakdown and protein content for a pre or post workout meal, although I would probably eat extra protein (like another 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese) to make the meal more substantial.
Depending on your macronutrient needs, you can increase the amount of protein. I typically aim for 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal.
The recipe card below has the complete nutritional information breakdown as well.
A great option for those who prioritize whole grains and are looking for a great source of protein, delicious recipes for overnight oats are so convenient for the busy workweek.
Double or triple the recipe to make a big batch for the whole family to enjoy throughout the week.
Grab and go deliciousness! Enjoy all sorts of flavor variations!
Protein Overnight Oats
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 to 3 cups oat milk or milk of choice*
- 4 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 cups quick oats
- 6 Tbsp protein powder
- 2 Tbsp chia seeds or ground flax seed
Instructions
- Transfer the yogurt, milk, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and sea salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk everything together until the wet ingredients are combined and the lumps of yogurt have dissolved.
- Add in the oats, protein powder, and chia seeds (dry ingredients) and mix well to combine.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 6 hours). If you’re able to give the oats an occasional stir, this will help the liquid become absorbed evenly and avoid any clumping on the part of the chia seeds.
- In the morning, give the oats a good stir and divide the oatmeal into 4 to 6 separate jars or individual containers and seal. I find breaking the batch into four servings makes the perfect size serving. Bring one with you on the go, along with any toppings you desire! You can also mix ingredients into the oats to create any flavors you’d like.
- I recommend enjoying the oats with fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, nut butter (such as peanut butter or almond butter), and a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup. Fresh berries, banana slices, chocolate chips, and a spoonful of peanut butter is a great combination.
Notes
Nutrition
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This is so good!
I used plant based Greek yogurt (Silk Vanilla or Siggi’s Vanilla & Cinnamon) and added chopped dates, walnuts and carob chips to my second batch. Will be using this recipe on a regular basis.
That sounds amazing, Margi! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
So easy and delicious! I make this all the time and add various seasonal fruit.
I love that! It’s a versatile breakfast for sure…never gets dull! xo
What can you substitute for yogurt when needing non-dairy?
Curiously, you use non-dairy milk, but full dairy yogurt? Low-dairy is seen as better than high-dairy for you, then.
Thanks : )
Hi Michael! I love Cocoyo’s coconut milk yogurt for a non-dairy version, but there are many other options available. Some of the almond milk based yogurts taste kinda funky to me, so I generally stick with the Cocoyo brand or use oat milk yogurt. The recipe can be made entirely dairy-free, entirely with dairy, or somewhere in between, so there’s lots of options here 🙂 Hope you enjoy!