My first winter in grad school, the professors played a mean joke on us. Our classes started at 8 am three days a week and 7:30 am the other two. With the sun barely above the horizon, the temperatures weren’t much higher, and a thick fog rolled in every night with water droplets so big it almost felt like you took a second shower just by walking outside.
I started to dread my morning alarm clock, so to sleep in as long as possible and prolong the inevitable walk across campus, I began making my breakfast and lunch the night before. With enough papers to grade in the evenings, my meal prep as very basic and usually consisted of fruit and dry cereal, plus veggies and a sandwich, but every once in a while if I had an extra 5 minutes to spare, I mixed up overnight oats.
I usually kept things simple—milk, yogurt, cinnamon—but occasionally I threw in raisins to make them taste like my favorite oatmeal cookies or fresh fruit for a juicy twist. Although I may not have thought of them all with my brain so full of chemistry, the possibilities really were endless!
These Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats were one of my favorites. I just needed 5 standard pantry staples, nothing strange at all. And they’re so full of chocolate that they practically taste like a cross between hot chocolate and brownies!
For those of you who haven’t heard of overnight oats, they’re really easy to make. Simply add all of the ingredients to a jar or container with a lid, stir, cover, and let them chill overnight in the fridge. It’s a way to eat your oatmeal cold, but it still has the same soft texture as when you cook it on the stove. They’re great for the summer or breakfasts on the go!
I generally lean towards old-fashioned oats for these because I love their thick, hearty texture. Quick-cooking (aka minute or instant) oats will also work too, if that’s all you have in your pantry, but since we’re letting them sit for at least 8 hours (get as much beauty sleep as you can!), it isn’t necessary.
To boost the protein in these chocolaty oats, I turned to Greek yogurt. I’m not a fan of protein powder in my smoothies or overnight oats just yet. I haven’t quite gotten past its slightly grainy texture. Maybe someday! But for now, plain nonfat Greek yogurt adds the protein I want, as well as an irresistible creamy richness.
Since the yogurt alone won’t quite soften the oats all by itself, you’ll also add a tiny bit of milk. The mixture may look a little watery at first, but the oats act like little sponges while you sleep and soak up most of the moisture.
All of the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder. You’ll need 2 tablespoons, and if you’re a chocoholic like me, make sure they’re heaping! To balance it out, add a little sweetener, however much you need to make your taste buds happy.
Then in the morning, grab a spoon and enjoy!
| Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats | | Print |
- ¼ c (25g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ c (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ c (60mL) nonfat milk
- 2 tbsp (10g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2-3 tsp (9-14g) Truvia (or other sweetener), to taste
- Add all of the ingredients in the order that they’re listed to a mason jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Stir to combine. Screw on the lid, and refrigerate the oats overnight or at least 8 hours.
Any milk and yogurt will work. However, most yogurts don’t contain the same amount of protein and thick creaminess as Greek yogurt.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein}
More overnight oat recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Flax and Blueberry Vanilla Overnight Oats by Pinch of Yum
♥ Peanut Butter Cup Overnight Oats by French Press
♥ Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats by Crème de la Crumb
♥ Ambrosia Apple Pie Overnight Oats by The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Hey,
I just saw this and I will make it for tomorrow:) but how many calories are there in the whole bowl?
The full nutrition information is actually included directly underneath the recipe! It can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you thought of these overnight oats, Emilie!
Hi, what are specific vitamins in this recipe (if any) ?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Zarin! I’ve included the nutrition information underneath the recipe. I know it can be easy to miss that! If you’d like to know the micronutrients and values of specific vitamins, then I recommend this nutrition calculator. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these overnight oats!
Tasty! I made this and used 4 tsp of maple syrup for the sweetener. I would NOT do heaping tablespoons of cocoa powder next time, just straight 2 tbsp. It was delicious though and came out tasting like a chocolate mousse! I actually ate half of it for dessert tonight and will do the same with the other half tomorrow 🙂 Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these overnight oats, Sarah! 🙂
How many Truvia packets make 2-3 tsp? Also, can you use dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Marie! One Truvia packet should be the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of granulated Truvia, so I’d use 1-2 packets. You can substituted special dark cocoa powder if you prefer (I’ve found its chocolate flavor isn’t quite as strong as regular unsweetened cocoa powder, so keep that in mind!). 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!
Thanks, Amy! Finally tried these 🙂 They were good, but I think the dark chocolate powder was a little too bitter tasting. Next time I will buy the regular chocolate.
I’m glad you enjoyed these overnight oats, Marie! 🙂 Did you happen to scoop the cocoa powder directly from the container with your measuring spoon, by any chance?
Yes, I did.
Okay! That’s why they tasted so bitter. That’s not actually how cocoa powder is supposed to be measured! When measured like that, you can end up with 1.5 times as much cocoa powder as when you lightly spoon and level, and that extra cocoa powder is definitely causing the issues that you’ve experienced! If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring cocoa powder (and flour, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up cocoa powder from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup/spoon to transfer the cocoa powder into it. Once there’s a small mound of cocoa powder extending past the rim of the measuring cup/spoon, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess cocoa powder. Never “pat” the cocoa powder down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less cocoa powder to the oats, so you’ll end up with rich and chocolaty (not bitter!) overnight oats. Does that make sense? 🙂
For this particular recipe, you can also scoop the cocoa powder directly from the container with your measuring spoon — if you just add 1 tablespoon instead! That should give you a little less than 2 tablespoons, so your oats should taste rich and chocolaty that way too! 🙂
Thank you! Yes, that makes sense. I will try again soon with this proper measuring method. 🙂
It’s my pleasure, Marie! I can’t wait to hear how your next bowl of overnight oats turns out! 🙂
Hi Amy,
Can you recommend the best make of cocoa powder to use for this please, I am also a massive chocoholic so I like it really chocolatey!!
Thank you
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Jessica! I always use Hershey’s cocoa powder in my recipes — just the regular kind, not special dark. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!
Yum!!! Tasted just like a dark chocolate brownie! But I have to say I heated them up cause I can’t eat cold oatmeal but a great recipe for breakfast! Thanks Amy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these oats Whitney! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Is there any other substitute to the milk version ? Can I use only almond milk or perhaps mix the almond milk with something else but I do not know what goes well? Many thanks.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Dessy! I’ve actually covered this in the Notes section of the recipe, located directly underneath the Instructions. I know it can be easy to miss! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these overnight oats if you try making them!
How much is considered a bowl?
This recipe yields one bowl, which is one serving. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these overnight oats Britni!