Easy Overnight Oats with yogurt and milk are a healthy, quick breakfast that can be meal prepped ahead. Delicious and packed with protein.
This is one of my FAVORITE healthy summer breakfasts as soon as berries are in season, along with it's dark and handsome cousin, Chocolate Overnight Oats.
Easy Overnight Oats
This is a recipe for healthy overnight oats with protein powder, yogurt, milk of choice (nut milk or dairy) vanilla, and sweetener of choice. You can easily make them dairy free, vegan and gluten free with the substitutions I list later in the post.
The awesome thing about overnight oats is that you can prepare a lot of servings and customize the flavors for breakfast (or a healthy dessert) the whole week! I usually prepare 4-6 servings so my husband and kids can have them a few times during the week. It's a great to go breakfast, just like my Lemon Coconut Protein Balls.
These easy overnight oats can be made gluten free by ensuring you gluten free oats and protein powder.
How do I make overnight oats?
So here's the thing. There are a lot of recipes for healthy overnight oats. I like crunchy bits for texture, greek yogurt for creaminess and a little protein powder for a boost.
It's as easy as mixing all of the ingredients at once into an airtight container that can be refrigerated and leaving overnight (or at least 2 hours).
That's it! Simple as that. They are SO EASY to customize too. Let's talk about toppings.
Overnight Oat Toppings:
Here are some overnight oat topping ideas-
- Fruit - fresh, dried, frozen, or even freeze dried. My favorites are blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, bananas, peaches, and pineapple. Those are some common ones, feel free to get adventurous!
- Nuts/Seeds - pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts, and peanuts are a few common ones.
- Nut/Seed Butters
- Chocolate - Sometimes I put some chocolate chips on top if I need a little happiness.
- Coconut shavings/pieces, flax seeds, chia seeds, or hemp hearts.
Do you cook overnight oats?
Nope! They're meant to be eaten cold and delicious. However, you can warm them up if you wish. I prefer to eat them cold during the summer. I think of it almost like a parfait that's been mixed together. You may be wondering if it is safe to eat raw oats. Luckily, it is.
Can you eat raw oats?
Yes, it is safe to eat the traditional raw oats you find in the grocery store, which have been heated and steamed during processing, destroying harmful bacteria. The processing ensures safety for raw consumption. That being said, eating large portions can cause some bloating or uncomfortable digestion.
Are overnight oats healthy?
Oh boy, YES. There are so many health benefits to overnight oats!
Overnight oats are a very nutrient dense meal; it helps you feel full longer and is PACKED with protein, and good complex carbohydrates which help you feel full longer. It's good to be aware that the more toppings you add, the more calories you add. It would be very easy to add too many.
The toppings and type of milk/yogurt and protein powder you use will determine the amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, and other nutritional values.
Overnight Oats Substitutions:
- Milk - I like to use dairy or almond milk. You could use any nut or oat milk as well, or even water but I don't recommend this as the milk tastes MUCH better.
- Vanilla Protein Powder - you can reduce or leave this out completely if you wish, I like the added protein boost. You could also use a different flavor of protein powder. You can use a plant or dairy based protein powder, your choice.
- Plain Greek Yogurt - I add this for creaminess and flavor, if you have dairy allergies I recommend just replacing it with the milk of your choice.
- Sweetener - I prefer to use agave nectar or honey because of their mild flavors, but you could use pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, brown sugar, or a different sweetener.
More easy prepare ahead breakfasts:
Queen of not fancy at breakfast over here! I like my breakfasts quick, easy, and readily transportable. Here are a few of our favorites!
Easy Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- ½ cup milk of choice
- ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon sweetener of choice (honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut sugar)
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a sealable jar or container, mix together oats, protein powder, milk, yogurt, vanilla, sweetener of choice, and salt.
- Top with optional toppings, cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
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