Throughout high school, I brought a brown bag lunch to school every day because I wanted to enjoy every minute of our half-hour lunch break instead of impatiently waiting in the long line snaking its way around the picnic tables to buy a hot meal, then gobbling up the food in the remaining four minutes before dashing off to class.
To ensure my brother and I always packed healthy lunches, Mom purchased plenty of fresh fruit at the grocery store every weekend. Some combination of apples, grapes, oranges, pears, strawberries, and bananas always appeared in the produce drawer or on the counter before Monday morning rolled around.
At the start of my senior year, my brother and I tucked apple slices or grapes into our paper bags every day the week before, and we completely forgot about the big bunch of bananas sitting in the corner of the kitchen. Mom pointed them out after returning from her weekend grocery trip, so I pulled our old red cookbook off of the shelf to find something to use them in.
I settled on a classic banana bread recipe and began pulling out the measuring cups and mixing bowls. Four bananas and one hour later, tempting aromas wafted through the entire house while the loaf cooled on the counter.
We each cut a small slice for dessert after dinner that night, and throughout all of my classes the following day, all I could think about was nibbling on another piece for my afternoon snack. After sitting in the fridge covered in plastic wrap overnight, the loaf had developed that soft, thin, almost sugary film on top (do you know what I’m talking about??), and since that’s my all-time favorite part, I felt obligated to carve off an extra big slice to get as much of that sweet top layer as I could.
That loaf barely lasted two days.
Because my whole family loved that banana bread, I baked another loaf the week after… And the week after that… And the week after that… I must’ve made banana bread every week for the first two months of the school year!
Even now, I still crave banana bread quite often, but it’s hard to justify baking that many loaves without as many people around to help me eat them. Instead, I compromise with these Banana Bread Protein Overnight Oats! They have the same sweet fruity flavor but yield just one serving… Which is the perfect built-in portion control for me!
For those of you who haven’t tried any of my overnight oats recipes before, they’re incredibly simple to make! Just mix together the ingredients in a glass jar or tupperware container at night, pop them in the fridge, and your breakfast will be ready as soon as you wake up. Easy peasy!
And yes, they are meant to be eaten cold! Letting the oats soak overnight in the other ingredients softens them as much as if you had cooked them on the stove or in the microwave. So just grab a spoon and dig in when you get hungry for breakfast!
Both old-fashioned oats and instant oats will work in this recipe, so use whatever you normally keep on hand. Instant oats are also called quick-cook or one-minute oats, and you can find them in canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store. However, do not substitute steel-cut oats; those will not soften enough overnight and will still taste dry in the morning.
The two “liquid” ingredients that soften the oats are mashed banana and Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt provides the big protein boost in this healthy recipe! It contains around 20g of protein per serving, whereas regular yogurt only has about 8g. I prefer to buy the big tubs and scoop out what I need—that’s much cheaper than buying lots of individual serving cups!
These overnight oats are sweetened with my new favorite ingredient: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly. It’s really concentrated, so a little goes a long way! You’ll only need a few drops for this recipe, and I love this brand because it has a warm vanilla flavor and no funky aftertaste. 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 who’s ready for breakfast?
| Banana Bread Protein Overnight Oats | | Print |
- ¼ cup (25g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (65g) mashed banana (about 1 rather small banana)
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- 12 drops vanilla crème stevia, or to taste
- Add all of the ingredients to a glass jar or tupperware with a tight-fitting lid, and stir until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
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.
Any sweetener may be substituted for the stevia.
If left for longer than 24 hours, the mashed banana will start to turn brown. That’s perfectly fine! It won’t affect the flavor or texture of your oats. The oats should keep for at least 4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein, lower sugar}
All your overnight oats looks amazing. I have to give them a try
Thank you
Thanks Cecilia! I’m excited to hear what you think of them!
Have you ever tried (or heard of anyone trying) this with coconut milk yogurt? (Due to allergies )
Coconut-based yogurt should work just fine! I’d love to hear what you think of the oats Janelle! 🙂
First of all, I love your protein Overnight Oats! I have one every morning for breakfast.
Is it ok to use regular Stevia instead of Vanilla Creme Stevia? If so, what would the substitution be?
I’m so touched that you eat one of my overnight oat recipes every day Melinda — that means a lot to me! Thank you! 🙂 Yes, you can definitely substitute regular stevia! It depends on the brand that you use, but I’ve generally found that many brands say that 1/8 teaspoon of stevia is the equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. If that’s the case with yours, then try about 1/8 teaspoon or slightly more. If not, then just adjust to taste — this recipe is very forgiving when it comes to the stevia sweetener! I’m excited to hear what you think of these oats too!
Thanks Amy! I will make it tonight!
My pleasure Melinda! 🙂 What did you think of the oats?
I finally made it for this morning. It was delicious! I have a hard time deciding which one to make each evening. 🙂 Thank you for all of your recipes!
I’m really glad you enjoyed it Melinda! That sounds like a difficult decision to make… I’m one of the most indecisive people in the world, so I’d have the same struggle! 😉
I have loved all the recipes I have tried in the past of yours!
But today am straying from cookies and cakes and am looking forward to trying these fabulous looking overnight oats…. just wondering
can i use multigrain muesli instead of the oats ?
it has = oats – spelt – rice flakes – mild golden flaxseeds
Thanks for your kind words about my recipes Emily! Your muesli should work in this recipe. 🙂 I’d love to hear how that turns out!
These are simply amazing. I like the cinnamon flavor, so I did add a bit more cinnamon; a bit less than 1/4 teaspoon. It added that ‘punch’ I was looking for. I’ve tried almost all of the overnight oats recipes; my favorite is the blueberry muffin recipe. I make a different batch of these oats every weekend so I can eat them throughout the week at work. Thanks so much Amy, for all your hard work. Kudos to you!
Carole
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the overnight oats Carole! That means so much to me that you’ve tried almost all of them and that you make a different batch every weekend — I’m truly touched. Thank you so much for sharing that with me! 🙂
Can protein powder be added?
Yes, if you’d like! You may need to add a small amount of milk to compensate for the additional dry ingredient. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the oats Linda!
Honestly, I was very sceptical when I mixed all of it together last night but damn, these are heavenly! They taste very much like banana-Fruchtzwerge (a German kid’s yogurt). I used regular Greek yogurt and a teaspoon of honey for sweetening. 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the overnight oats Elina! That means so much to me that you called them heavenly. I haven’t been to Germany in over 10 years, but that children’s yogurt sounds delicious! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next!
I’ve been looking for a good overnight oats recipe to try and was so excited to find this one as I love both banana bread and oatmeal! As a first year law student, I love how this recipe consists of manageable and affordable ingredients and takes less than 5 minutes to make! Plus it tastes AMAZING and keeps me full well into the afternoon, which is much appreciated with my busy schedule! I look forward to trying more of your overnight oats recipes and hope you will continue to publish new ones as well! Thank you!!!
That means SO much to me Ashley — I’m really glad you’re loving these overnight oats! I’ve made quite a few recipes since I published this one, and you can find all of my overnight oat recipes here. (Just in case you want a quick link or bookmark! 😉 ) During my senior year of college, my apartment shared a landing with 3 first year law students, and they were up at ALL hours studying and going to classes. I can imagine your schedule is exactly the same, so I really hope you get enough sleep and relaxation time! 🙂
Enjoyed your recipes..Thank you.I’m gonna try the overnight oats.
I’m honored that you’re enjoying my recipes Tuffy! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats! 🙂
I made this recipe as written. I really enjoyed the texture and the taste, but I think my favorite overnight oats recipe of yours (that I’ve tried so far) is the apple pie protein overnight oats. If I make this again, I might add a little more sweetener and a little more cinnamon.
You’ve been making so many of my oatmeal recipes Diana — I’m honored! 🙂