Peach Pie Protein Overnight Oats

 
Numerous days each summer, my mom pulls out a faded, yellowing index card from a small blue photo album she converted to a recipe card holder sometime during my childhood. Although she nearly knows its entire contents by heart, she still glances at it occasionally, double checking the neat cursive scrawled across its front, while measuring ingredients and adding them to different mixing bowls.  

About 45 minutes later, although usually much less than that if I’m visiting their house and grab a paring knife or measuring spoons to help her, she begins pressing rich, buttery dough across the bottom and up the sides of her standard glass 9” pie plate, pours in a plethora of sweet, juicy sliced peaches coated in cinnamon and a hint of almond extract, and sprinkles a generous amount of that same buttery dough, mixed with a little extra sugar, for the final streusel topping.
 

 
When the timer rings, she and I both peer through the glass window of the oven door before sliding out the oven rack to check on Grandma’s famous peach pie. When we deem it done, she sets it on top of the stove to cool while Dad lights the coals to cook a healthy meal of veggie shish kebabs, grilled chicken, and Cajun-spiced salmon on the barbeque.

By the time we finish eating dinner, the peach pie is fully cool with its juices thickened and set, just waiting for someone to slice a knife through its fruity contents to serve the first pieces. Nobody ever pretends to be polite and simply take a sliver; we always cut extra big slices, which seem to magically disappear in a matter of seconds from our plates, before we head back for seconds.
 

 
Regardless of how many people are at the house, whether it’s simply the four of us or additional company as well, Grandma’s peach pie never lasts more than 24 hours. With it sitting on the counter, a reminder of last night’s dessert and practically begging us to eat a little more, we almost always sneak a sliver after breakfast (it contains fruit!)… a small slice after lunch… a nibble or two as a snack… and if there’s any left by the time dinner rolls around the following evening, we polish off every last crumb from the pie plate after that meal.

Grandma’s peach pie is just that good!

Because I’m still trying to create a healthier version (her recipe includes so much butter!), and because I know I’ll be tempted to eat a slice for breakfast the next time we bake it, I planned ahead and created this wholesome recipe for…
 

 
Peach Pie Protein Overnight Oats! These oats have the same irresistible sweet, summery flavor of Grandma’s famous pie but much fewer calories and absolutely no butter, refined flour or sugar. Even better, they require just 6 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to whip up—which makes my lazy side, my taste buds, and my waistline very happy!

Like I mentioned, overnight oats are extremely easy to make! You simply mix together the ingredients in a mason jar or tupperware container, seal the lid on tight, and place that in the refrigerator until morning. When you wake up the next day, your healthy breakfast will be ready and waiting—all that’s left to add is your spoon!

So yes, overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold, straight from the fridge! No need to heat them up. Letting the oats sit in that mixture of Greek yogurt and milk allows them to soften as much as if you had cooked them on the stove or in the microwave. That’s part of their charm—there’s almost no prep work involved!
 

 
Both old-fashioned oats and instant oats will work in this recipe. Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or one-minute oats, and they’re sold in large canisters near the regular old-fashioned oats. (They aren’t the same thing as those flavored individual brown paper packets!) However, do not use steel-cut oats because those do not soften and will remain hard and crunchy, no matter how long you leave the jar in the fridge.

To make these oats thick and creamy, you’ll use one of my favorite ingredients (I’m sure you know what it is!): Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt contains around 21g of protein per cup, compared to regular yogurt with around 10g, so it gives these oats a huge protein boost. It’s a great way to sneak in extra protein and keep your tummy feeling full all morning long!
 

 
To give these oats a little extra sweetness, you’ll use another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s very concentrated. A little goes a long way! You’ll only need ¼ teaspoon for the entire bowl of oats. This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t detect any strange aftertastes the way I sometimes do with other stevia products. 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!)

And of course, we can’t forget the pie flavors! Those come from diced peaches and cinnamon. Cinnamon was my grandma’s secret trick to making her pie filling so irresistible, so I always add it to all of my peach recipes, too! As for the peaches, I highly recommend using fresh if they’re in season, but peaches that have been canned in 100% juice and thoroughly drained will work as well.

Then mix everything together, pop it in the fridge, go to sleep, and…
 

 
Breakfast is served! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees that I’ll see the notification from you! ?) I’d love to see your overnight oats and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!

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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥   Apple Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥   Blueberry Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥   Cherry Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥   Pumpkin Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥   Snickerdoodle Protein Overnight Oats
♥   …and the rest of her many “Protein Overnight Oats” recipes too!