Over their holiday break from graduate school, my brother and his best friend decided to rewatch the original Star Wars movies to prepare for seeing the latest one in the theater. They put on Episode 4, the very first Star Wars film, a few days after Christmas, and once my parents returned from visiting our other grandparents in San Diego, the boys planned to play Episode 5 this past weekend.
On Saturday evening, they baked a kale, sweet potato, and butternut squash pizza with plenty of Parmesan cheese (Trader Joe’s sells some of the most interesting gourmet pizzas! Did you see it on my @AmyBakesHealthy Snapchat?), and after loading plates with big slices, we settled in front of the TV and pressed play. Since all three of us had last watched the trilogy in junior high or early high school, we had forgotten many of the scenes!
Partway through the movie, I headed into the kitchen for a glass of water. As I sipped, I spotted one of those oversized plastic candy canes on the counter filled with mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, which the boys had snagged on a 50% off post-Christmas sale earlier in the day. After politely asking my brother, I grabbed one of the candies and sat back down to watch the rest of the film.
The next morning, the big candy cane still lay on the kitchen, albeit with quite a few more peanut butter cups missing from inside… And as tempted as I was to nibble on another one (they’re one of my all-time favorite candies!), I left them alone and cooked my usual bowl of cinnamon-spiced oatmeal instead. However, after craving Reese’s all day long…
I compromised and made a batch of these Peanut Butter Cup Protein Overnight Oats to eat the following morning! These oats have the same sweet peanut butter and rich chocolate flavors as those Reese’s but no added sugar and none of the guilt—and just wait until you see how much protein is in them!
For those of you unfamiliar with overnight oats, it’s just a different make-ahead method of preparing oatmeal. You simply mix together the oats with some liquid ingredients, then set them in the refrigerator overnight. This softens the oats as much as if you had cooked them on the stove or in the microwave. And to make things even easier, the overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold—so breakfast is ready as soon as you wake up!
To start, you’ll need—you guessed it!—oats. For overnight oats, I tend to use old-fashioned oats, but instant (aka quick-cooking or one-minute) oats will work as well. Do not substitute steel-cut oats because they do not soften without cooking them, so your overnight oats would taste really tough and dry.
Next comes the protein source. If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you probably already know what it is… Greek yogurt! Plain nonfat Greek yogurt contains around 20g of protein per serving, compared to around 8g of protein in regular nonfat yogurt, so it’s a great way to sneak in extra protein in the mornings. I like to buy the big tubs of Greek yogurt instead of the single-serving cups and simply scoop out what I need. (It’s much cheaper that way!)
And now for the most important parts… The chocolate and peanut butter! All of the rich chocolate flavor comes from unsweetened cocoa powder. Regular unsweetened cocoa powder works just fine, and I prefer it compared to Dutched or special dark cocoa powder in this recipe. The latter two are a little too strong and mask some of the peanut taste.
To shave off lots of calories, you’ll use peanut flour instead of peanut butter. Peanut flour is made from finely ground, partially defatted peanuts. I love Protein Plus, which I buy from Amazon, because the only ingredient is—that’s right!—peanuts. Some peanut flours, such as PB2, also contain sugar, which we’re trying to avoid in this clean eating recipe, but they’ll still work in a pinch.
Finally, these overnight oats are sweetened with vanilla crème stevia. It’s my new favorite sweetener! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s very concentrated, so a little goes a long way! I usually buy SweetLeaf, which is sold in a small bottle with an eyedropper. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Now all that’s left to do is mix everything together, pop it in the fridge, and wait until morning…
When you basically get to eat candy as a healthy breakfast. Dreams do come true!
| Peanut Butter Cup Protein Overnight Oats | | Print |
- ¼ cup (25g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- 1 tbsp (7g) peanut flour (I recommend Protein Plus)
- 1 tbsp (5g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 16 drops vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
- Add all of the ingredients to a glass jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid, and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, before eating.
Instant oats (aka quick-cooking or one-minute oats) may be substituted for the old-fashioned oats. Do not substitute steel-cut oats; they do not soften enough.
To keep the oats clean eating friendly, the only ingredients in the peanut flour should be peanuts and salt (optional). Protein Plus is my favorite peanut flour. JIF peanut powder is also clean eating friendly, but PB2 is not since it contains sugar. PB2 will still work as a substitute.
Any sweetener may be substituted for the stevia. You’ll want the equivalent of about 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein, sugar-free}
Will vanilla stevia work if you have it in the powder form? And if so, how much will you need? It’s worked for some of your other recipes, but since it’s a dropper measurement and not a tablespoon or something… thanks so much! Can’t wait to try them!
Yes! I’d recommend about ½ teaspoon, or slightly less. It mostly depends on your tastes and how dark chocolaty you like your oats! 😉 (And this is the stevia conversion calculator that I use, in case you need it for the future!) I can’t wait to hear what you think of the oats Madeleine!
I just don’t get it. This wasn’t even close to being edible. The only flavors mine had were the tanginess of the yogurt and the bitterness of the chocolate. No other flavors came through. None!
Oh goodness, that sounds really disappointing Lauren! That’s not how the oats are supposed to taste. Did you use vanilla crème stevia and adjust the amount to taste as directed in the Ingredients?
Yes, I ordered the vanilla creme stevia and used 16 drops. I’m not sure that more would have balanced out the other harsh flavors. Perhaps I’ll give it another go. Maybe with agave syrup or honey?
Agave or honey would both work Lauren! When first trying the vanilla creme stevia, it does take a little bit to get used to, and it may be that you need more than 16 drops to make it suit your tastebuds. Take a little taste at night before you pop the jar in the fridge, and adjust then! The flavors won’t change overnight; only the texture of the oats does. 🙂
How long will these last after making? Could I make a bunch sunday for the entire week or would they get mushy?
I answer that in the text right below the recipe’s title Candace! 🙂 But yes, you could make a big batch for the week on Sunday. I’d love to hear what you think of the oats!
I love your overnight recipes! They are so tasteful and easy to make. I live in Denmark, we don’t have peanut powder here (or, I at least have never seen it). Could I make this my self? Perhaps put some unsalted peanuts in the blender and pulse until it is very fine?
Love to hear what you think!
Thank you!
Marleen
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Marleen! Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to make peanut flour at home. It goes through a special defattening process that we aren’t able to achieve in our homes with typical kitchen appliances. 😉 I buy mine online at the link I’ve provided. I’m not sure if that’s an option in Denmark… Maybe see if Amazon can ship something similar to you for a reasonable price? Or perhaps check health-oriented grocery stores? 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try these oats!
I’m intrigued by the concept, but I can’t imagine eating the oatmeal cold. Would it be okay to microwave it for a few minutes?? Thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Teresa! You’re welcome to try heating them up. Just be careful because of the yogurt. When heated too much or too long, it can curdle, which doesn’t taste all that great! 😉 I’d love to hear what you think of these overnight oats if you decide to try making this recipe!
Can peanut butter be substituted for the peanut flour?
You should be able to substitute peanut butter for the peanut flour. It’ll take a bit more effort to get it mixed in with the other ingredients, but that’s the only thing I can think of. (It’ll also add more calories and fat to the nutrition information, if that’s important to you!) I’d recommend 2-3 teaspoons, depending on how strong of a peanut flavor you’d like. 🙂
I’m so sorry I’m just now responding. I had some family things I needed to take care of, but if you do end up making these overnight oats, I’d love to hear what you think of them Lori!
Can peanut butter be substituted for the peanut flour? If so, how much?
You should be able to substitute peanut butter for the peanut flour. It’ll take a bit more effort to get it mixed in with the other ingredients, but that’s the only thing I can think of. (It’ll also add more calories and fat to the nutrition information, if that’s important to you!) I’d recommend 2-3 teaspoons, depending on how strong of a peanut flavor you’d like. 🙂
I’m so sorry I’m just now responding. I had some family things I needed to take care of, but if you do end up making these overnight oats, I’d love to hear what you think of them Lori!
I’ve tried the pumpkin protein oats and it’s delicious. But peanut butter would be more to my liking. I don’t have the powder, how much peanut butter could be substituted. To keep the fat and calories reasonable, I’m thinking 2 Tbsp. and will have to stir, stir, stir. Maybe, add to the yogurt, milk and liquid stevia, mixing well before adding dry ingredients?
I’m so glad you enjoyed my pumpkin protein oats Bonnie! If you’d like to use regular creamy peanut butter instead of the powdered peanut butter, then that’s exactly how I’d recommend adding it. You’re right that it’ll take more stirring, but it’ll still taste delicious!
If you use 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, that will contain around 180 calories and 15g of fat. For the brand that I use and recommend, 1 tablespoon of peanut flour is 28 calories and 1g of fat. Just something to keep in mind! 🙂
I’m so sorry I’m just now responding too. I had some family things I needed to take care of, but if you decide to try making these overnight oats, I’d love to hear what you think of them!
Oh my goodness, what a difference in fat and calories between powdered peanut butter and creamy peanut butter. I had no idea! I will definitely buy powdered and try it. Thanks Amy.
It’s my pleasure Bonnie! I’m happy to help. 🙂
I was wondering what brand of unsweetened cocoa to use? I have hersey from holiday baking but wasn’t sure if I should use that or if there is a better brand to buy.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Kim! Hershey’s regular unsweetened cocoa powder (not special dark) is the one I use in practically all of my recipes that call for unsweetened cocoa powder, including these overnight oats, since it’s one of the easiest to find in stores. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these overnight oats if you end up making them!