Chocolate Overnight Oats are simply the best breakfast! Easy to make with only a few ingredients, these healthy chocolate oats are delicious!
If you love chocolate but also want a healthy breakfast, these Chocolate Overnight Oats are for you!
Packed with over 13g of protein, these chocolate oats are the ultimate way to start your day.
Unlike other breakfasts that are mostly carbs, these overnight oats are made with Greek yogurt and whole milk to help keep you full all morning long.
Easy to make with only a few basic pantry staples, these oats are the perfect easy breakfast!
If you love oatmeal as much as we do, check out these 30+ Healthy Oatmeal Recipes!
Reasons to Make Chocolate Overnight Oats
These Chocolate Oats are one of our favorite quick and easy breakfasts. Here’s why we know you’ll love them too:
- Easy to make – This chocolate oatmeal can be made in under 10 minutes. Just add the ingredients to a jar or container, shake, and store in the fridge overnight!
- Simple Ingredients – You probably have everything you need to make this recipe right in your pantry!
- High Protein – These oats have 14g of protein per serving. Regular oatmeal is usually just carbs, but we’ve added yogurt and whole milk to increase the protein so you stay fuller for longer.
What Are Overnight Oats?
Overnight oats are a form of preparing oatmeal where the oats are soaked overnight in the refrigerator rather than cooking on the stove. The oats absorb the liquid overnight and are ready to eat in the morning!
Ingredients for the best overnight oats
For this chocolate overnight oats recipe you’ll need:
- old fashioned rolled oats – you can’t use steel cut oats or quick cook oats
- nonfat greek yogurt – this helps make them creamy and also adds protein
- milk – regular or nondairy will work
- cocoa powder
- mini chocolate chips
- maple syrup – you can add more or less to your taste
These overnight oat mugs are our favorite containers for overnight oats! These pretty mugs are really easy to eat out of because of the handle and I love the lids!
SUBSTITUTIONS
Rolled Oats: I have not tried this recipe with quick cook oats. I think it would work but they might get soggier quicker so I wouldn’t recommend it. Irish/Steel Cut Oats will not work in this recipe. If you need a Steel Cut Oats recipe, we love this Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal!
Milk: You can sub almond milk for any kind of milk (dairy, Walnut Milk, oat, rice, etc). Any kind will work!
Sweetener: If you’d like to substitute honey for maple syrup you can.
Chocolate: You can use any chocolate in this recipe. Chopped chocolate bars, regular chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips all work!
Vegan: You can use a dairy free yogurt to make these overnight oats vegan
Protein: If you want to add protein powder, try these Protein Berry Overnight Oats! You can add in 1/2 scoop of protein powder but make sure to really stir it in well and add an extra splash of milk or water!
Mix-In Ideas
These oats are perfect on their own, but there are lots of things you can mix into them too!
- Strawberries are delicious and taste like a chocolate covered strawberry
- Peanut butter or powdered peanut butter
- Coconut flakes (we like the unsweetened ones)
- Chopped cashews or walnuts
How to Make Chocolate Overnight Oats
- Add dry ingredients to a mason jar.
- Add greek yogurt, maple syrup, and milk on top.
- Shake/stir until all ingredients are mixed. Place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
- When ready to eat, stir again, and enjoy hot or cold. If enjoying warm, simply microwave until hot (we don’t recommend cooking on the stove).
What to Eat with Overnight Oatmeal
Overnight oats are a complete meal as is, but you can also pair them with these recipes for a yummy breakfast:
- spinach egg muffin cups or sausage egg muffins if you want a balanced on-the-go meal
- sausage egg casserole or potato crust quiche
Do you eat overnight oats cold or warm? We like overnight oats cold right out of the refrigerator, but you can also microwave them and enjoy them warm!
How to Store Chocolate Oats
Refrigerator: We recommend prepping/storing these overnight oats for no more than 4 days in the fridge.
As the days go on, the oats will get softer. For best results, prep 24 hours in advance!
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing overnight oats. They unfortunately don’t freeze well. If you need a freezer friendly recipe, you can try our Baked Oatmeal which freezes great!
Chocolate Oatmeal FAQ
Yes! Dutch cocoa has a more chocolatey flavor and many people find it less-bitter than other cocoa powder.
Not all oatmeal is gluten free. Many oats are processed on the same equipment as gluten. It’s important to buy certified gluten free oats if you have a gluten allergy. As long as you buy gluten free oatmeal, all the other ingredients in chocolate overnight oats are gluten free!
Overnight oats can last up to 4 days in the fridge. As the days go on, the oats will get softer. For best results, prep 24 hours in advance!
more healthy overnight oat recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these Healthy Breakfast Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy breakfast cookbook.
Easy Chocolate Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients in a mason jar or sealable container. We love these overnight oat jars. Shake/stir until all ingredients are mixed.
- Place the oats in the refrigerator to chill overnight. When ready to eat, stir again, and enjoy hot or cold. If enjoying warm, simply microwave until hot (we don’t recommend cooking on the stove)
- Note: I prefer my breakfasts to be lower in sugar, so this might not be sweet enough for your tastes. You can add more maple syrup or fruit to taste!
Starlyn Baxter says
I would like to know WW points for recipe.
Elizabeth Marino says
You can put it in your app to see the points. We unfortunately just can’t keep up with WW because they’re constantly changing their points values!
Elise Kesten says
Do you blend your oats before you add them? They look delicious! But the picture looks like they are blended. Thanks!
Elizabeth Marino says
No, they’re not blended! If you want to blend the oats you can try this Blended Baked Oats