Last spring, my dad and I drove down to San Diego to visit my grandparents, and during our trip, I learned that Grandpa had lost his appetite for a few medical-related reasons. With Amy’s Healthy Baking as my full-time job (and therefore with food on my mind nearly 24/7!), Grandma asked if I had any ideas to help Grandpa start eating more.
After talking with Grandpa, I figured out that most savory foods tasted funny to him and he preferred softer foods that required minimal chewing. Once he answered a few more of my questions, I scribbled down a grocery list and headed to the store.
A little while later, I returned with plenty of options. We started with a single-serving cup of blueberry Greek yogurt to sneak in extra protein. (Grandpa’s favorite fruit was elderberries, but since no yogurt company offers that flavor, he mentioned that blueberry or blackberry would be the next best thing!)
Grandpa set down his spoon after eating just a few bites, so we moved on to a different sweeter treat. I had bought a bag of big, supremely soft oatmeal raisin cookies, and he slowly nibbled his way through almost an entire one—a huge deal, considering how little he had consumed in the days before! (And I guess I now know where part of my oatmeal cookie love comes from!)
So when I mixed up this jar of Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Protein Overnight Oats last week, I smiled at the memory of Grandma slowly eating both of those foods last spring. But with no added sugar or artificial ingredients, this easy breakfast recipe is much healthier—and it comes with over 16g of protein too!
If you’re unfamiliar with my overnight oat recipes, they’re incredibly easy to make! You simply add the ingredients to a glass jar or tupperware container, stir them together, and pop the jar in the fridge to sit until morning. Then all you have to do in the morning is unscrew the lid and stick in your spoon!
So yes—overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold, straight from the fridge! No need to heat them up. By letting the oats sit in the yogurt and milk mixture overnight, the oats soften as much as if you had cooked them on the stove or in the microwave. How easy is that??
And perfect for meal prepping, too!
So let’s briefly cover the ingredients! You’ll start with either old-fashioned oats or instant oats. Instant oats are also called quick-cooking or one-minute oats, and you can find them in large canisters right next to the old-fashioned oats at the grocery store. Do not substitute steel-cut oats because they don’t soften and will remain somewhat tough and crunchy.
For the big protein boost, you’ll use Greek yogurt (although I’m sure you already guessed that by now!). It contains around 20g of protein per cup, as compared to regular yogurt with around 8g per cup, so it’s a great way to sneak in protein into your morning!
You’ll sweeten your overnight oats with one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and it’s highly concentrated. You just need ¼ teaspoon for this jar! This is the kind I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertastes like with some other stevia products. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, but I always buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Finally, for that classic cookie flavor, you’ll add in cinnamon and raisins. I highly recommend cutting the raisins before you stir them in! This ensures that every bite contains a bit of raisin—and therefore every bite tastes like an oatmeal raisin cookie!
Are you a fan of “dessert” for breakfast, too? ? 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 I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your overnight oats and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Protein Overnight Oats | | Print |
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- generous ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp vanilla crème stevia, or adjusted to taste
- ¼ cup (25g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free, if necessary)
- 1 tbsp (10g) raisins, finely chopped
- Stir everything together until thoroughly combined in a mason jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients, and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine. If you prefer, any sweetener may be substituted for the stevia. You’ll want the equivalent of about 3-4 teaspoons of granulated sugar.
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.
Remember to chop the raisins! I typically cut each raisin into 3-4 pieces. This ensures that every bite of your overnight oats contains a bit of raisin—and therefore every bite tastes like an oatmeal raisin cookie!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie, high protein}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♥ Almond Joy Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Snickerdoodle Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Blueberry Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Peanut Butter Cup Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Apple Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Peach Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥ Pumpkin Pie Protein Overnight Oats
♥ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy protein overnight oats recipes!
This recipe looks so good – I am a big fan of hot oatmeal so am still not sure how I feel about eating them cold!!!
– Izzy
Thanks Izzy! My dad’s coworker felt the same way about eating cold oatmeal, but when my dad let her have some of my overnight oats, she was immediately converted! 🙂
I know how much you love sleep, as do I, so these oats are probably going to make an appearance in my fridge this week! 😉
Oh goodness, with how much you love your oatmeal, I’d be HONORED if these made an appearance in your fridge Marina!! ?
Not sure I could eat cold oatmeal. Flavors seem good though.
Thanks Charlotte! My dad’s coworker felt a little wary about eating cold oatmeal too, but when Dad gave her some of my overnight oats, she was immediately a fan! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe if you decide to try it!
For how long can I keep these in the fridge? this is to know how many I can prepare in advance 🙂
Thanks!
Whoops! I completely forgot to add that information at the top of the recipe box. I just updated it — thanks for catching that Ileana! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!
This is currently sat in my fridge shouting at me to eat them. Can’t wait until tomorrow morning ?
That means so much to me that you’ve already made them Natalie — thank you!! 🙂 I’m excited to hear how they turned out after you eat them for breakfast!
One word sums up my breakfast this morning. WOW!! Absolutely lovely. It’s put me in a difficult spot now. I don’t know which is my favourite, this or your chocolate protein overnight oats. Considering I love chocolate you can see my difficultly. ?
That means SO much to me that you loved these oats Natalie — thank you!! ♡ As a fellow chocoholic, I can definitely relate… Which is why I’d probably end up making these one day and the chocolate one the next. I’m much too indecisive! ?
Great minds think alike. I made the chocolate one for this mornings breakfast ?
That’s too funny! Great minds definitely DO think alike Natalie! 🙂
This looks and sounds wonderful and I really want to try it, but Stevia is very bad for dogs so I don’t have it in the house. What would you suggest for another non stevia/truvia/xylitol sweetener would you suggest? And how much of it? Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Barb! I’ve actually included that information already in the Notes section underneath the Instructions. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!
I completely missed that. Thank you! I’m going shopping tomorrow and will get what I need and let you know.
You’re welcome Barb! I’m excited to hear back from you! 🙂
I accidentally got yogurt covered raisins, which are horrible by the way, so I was delayed in making this. But I finally had everything I needed yesterday so I put it in the refrigerator last night. I’m sad to say that I don’t care for this any more than I care for hot oatmeal. I really hoped I would. I’m sure it’s a good recipe, it just isn’t for me. But I’m glad I tried it. Thank you.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Barb! I’m honored that you’d give it a try. 🙂
The original cold oats breakfast is called Muesli. There is a boxed cereal for that, but it’s easy to make your own recipe, including this one.
I’d like to see nutritional analysis for your recipes.
Thanks.
The Nutrition Information is already included underneath my recipes! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!
Yummy! I can’t wait to try this recipe again!
I’m so glad you loved these oats Jen! 🙂
These look so yummy and most will fit right in with my Weight Watchers plan! Been looking for something easy other than a bar for breakfast. Cant wait to try them! Thank’s so much! Can you tell me what size jars you used?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Janie! I used jars that hold about 1½ cups of liquid. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!
Is it 1/4 tsp of vanilla creme stevia?
Eek — YES! Thanks for catching that Amy! (And I love your name! 😉 ) I can’t wait to hear what you think of these overnight oats!