Two weekends ago, after a roller coaster of a week where I called my mom nearly every night, she decided that I needed a change of scenery, to get out of the house, and relax. So bright and early Saturday morning, basically before the birds had rubbed the sleep out of their eyes at 7:30 am, she hopped in her car and drove an hour north to pick me up, then kept cruising up the highway until we reached the mountains.
Last summer, after 11+ years of dreaming, Mom finally bought a cabin in the woods, aka our day-trip destination. Because of a few too many commitments last year, I still hadn’t visited her home-away-from-home, so I spent the afternoon becoming very well acquainted with it…
Well, at least the front porch. And the lounge chair. And the trees up above, with the sun shining down through the branches, making me sleepy. And the clean mountain air, which cleared my head and let me nap… And then made me hungry.
Like the smart and loving lady that she is, Mom planned ahead and stopped by the grocery store on our way through town and bought all kinds of fruit to snack on. Because I hadn’t enjoyed any since last summer, I grabbed a handful of cherries from the big bag to slowly savor in the sunshine.
After finishing off that batch a little too quickly, I snagged another bag of cherries from the supermarket back at home the following week. Before those pulled a disappearing act on me as well, I whipped up these Cherry Pie Protein Overnight Oats for breakfast in honor of our relaxing mini-vacation to the mountains.
For those of you who haven’t heard of overnight oats before, they’re as straightforward to make as they sound. Add some oats to a jar, stir in your liquids and toppings, leave in the fridge overnight, and voila—breakfast is served the next morning!
Unlike regular hot oatmeal, overnight oats are meant to be served cold. No reheating necessary! By allowing the jar to sit in the fridge for 8+ hours, the liquids soak into the oats and soften them as much as if you had cooked them in a pot on the stove.
In other words, they’re perfect for busy mornings or hot summer days!
My cherry pie version requires just 5 ingredients (plus a 6th optional one—I can’t bake fruit pies without it!). These oats get their big protein boost from Greek yogurt. It has a whopping 21 grams of protein per cup! Greek yogurt is one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking, and because it’s so versatile, I always store a big carton or two of plain in the fridge.
Both fresh and frozen cherries work just fine in this recipe. If using frozen, I recommend thawing them first to make them easier to dice. I chopped my cherries fairly finely because I like to get a small bit in every bite, but… That’s entirely up to you. If you’re feeling lazy or short on time, leave them whole and break them apart with your spoon the next morning!
Mmmm, pie for breakfast… I foresee eating lots of these oats on that cabin porch this summer!
| Cherry Pie Protein Overnight Oats | Print |
- ¼ cup (25g) old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- ¼ cup (35g) cherries, diced (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 2 tsp Truvia (or other sweetener, to taste)
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- Add all of the ingredients to a mason jar or Tupperware container, and stir until combined. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours or overnight.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein}
More overnight oat recipes from other food bloggers…
♥ Overnight Muesli Oats by A Nutritionist Eats
♥ Green Smoothie Swirled Overnight Oats by The Sweet {Tooth} Life
♥ Peanut Butter and Banana Overnight Oats by Domesticate ME!
♥ Dark Chocolate & Almond Overnight Oats by Something Swanky
Amy – It’s been a while since I’ve made overnight oats. Your recipe has inspired me to start up again. I love the cherries in this version. 😀
Thanks Erin! I usually make more overnight oats when the weather gets warmer and hot oatmeal doesn’t sound so great in the mornings. 😉
This looks amazing, I love your overnight oats recipes!
Thanks Eve!
It sounds like you had a good mini-break. Hope everything gets better for you!
Thank you so much Shelby!!
Cabin in the woods!?!?! We must go…I’ll bring the popcorn. I need to give overnight oats another try, it’s been years.
YES! I’m requiring that we go — you would LOVE it Brittany!! So many amazing hiking trails nearby. It’d be like a mountain paradise for you! 🙂
That is so great that your mom has a mini destination to get away from the hustle and bustle! It’s also great that you get to go there! These overnight oats look so amazing. I love it when breakfast takes no work at all. 😉 Pinned!
Thanks for your sweet comment and pin Justine! I feel really fortunate to have my mom so close and willing to take care of me. She’s truly a blessing!
More like a yogurt parfait with some oats tossed in. It’s in the fridge now. Can’t wait to try for breakfast tomorrow.
I hope you enjoy the overnight oats Beth!
I was really excited to view this recipe; however, having to scroll through a very long story, I quickly changed my mind. Sorry, I just wanted a recipe. Will look elsewhere.
Can I use steel cut oats?
No, I don’t recommend steel cut oats. They won’t soften enough and will remain fairly tough and crunchy. I’d love to hear what you think if you try the recipe Chris! 🙂
Can I use soy or almond milk?
I’ve actually answered this already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions! It can be easy to miss. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats Amanda!