Learn to make high protein overnight oats without protein powder! Overnight protien oats (“overnight proats”) are an easy and healthy breakfast idea. These overnight protein oats with Greek yogurt have about 30 grams protein per serving. Get tips on making protein overnight oats that are great for bodybuilding and for weight loss. You’ll love this filling protein overnight oats recipe that is easy to make gluten free and dairy free.
This chocolate protein overnight oats for one recipe is a simple meal prep idea. It automatically works in some portion control, can be made with inexpensive in season fruits, and it’s delicious.
You can use these overnight oats for work or traveling (just keep them refrigerated). Oatmeal provides lots of heart healthy fiber that may help to improve your cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, the added protein in these overnight proats should help keep you full until lunch.
Speaking of protein, there’s more than one way to add protein to overnight oats. While you could make overnight oats with protein powder, you don’t have to make protein powder overnight oats if you don’t want to.
This protein overnight oatmeal recipe uses a combination of Greek yogurt, milk, and hazelnuts to increase protein. I’ve got ideas for lots of other ways to add protein to overnight oats below. Use these tips to make the best overnight proats recipe that fits your individual preferences and needs.
Jump to:
- 📋 Are overnight oats a good source of protein?
- ⭐ How do you add protein to overnight oats?
- 🥘 Protein Overnight Oats Ingredients
- 🍽 Equipment
- 🔪 How to Make Protein Overnight Oats
- ️️🌡️ How long do overnight protein oats last?
- 🥣️ Overnight Protein Oatmeal Toppings and Mix-Ins
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- FAQs
- 👩🏻🍳 More Overnight Oats Recipes
- 🍳 More Protein Recipes
- The Disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
📋 Are overnight oats a good source of protein?
Overnight oats may or may not be a good source of protein depending on the recipe. One serving of these overnight proats has 572 calories, 28.8 grams protein, and 46.4 grams net carbs.
Do oats have protein? Even though oats are part of the grain group, not the protein group, they do contain some protein. Old fashioned rolled oats provide 5 grams of protein per ½ cup dry.
The amount of protein in oats isn’t enough to create a high protein overnight oats recipe. This is because oats are not protein dense (i.e., they don’t contain a lot of protein per calorie). You need to add protein group foods to your oats to make proats.
⭐ How do you add protein to overnight oats?
What protein goes well with oatmeal? There are actually a lot of proteins that go with oats. Here are some suggestions for protein foods to add to overnight oats:
- Protein powder (vegan protein powder or whey protein powder)
- Collagen peptides
- Dry milk powder
- Milk (dairy, soy milk, or a protein-fortified almond milk or oat milk)
- Peanut butter (or other nut butter, such as almond butter)
- Chopped nuts
- Seed butter (such as sunflower seed butter or tahini)
- Seeds (chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.)
- Peanut powder
- Cooked egg whites (for savory oats)
- Chopped hard-boiled eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Greek yogurt (contains more protein than regular yogurt)
- Kefir
- Skyr
I don’t love the taste of protein powder, but if you do, you can use any flavor you wish. Vanilla protein powder is great in most overnight oats recipes. Use chocolate protein powder instead if you’d prefer that flavor.
🥘 Protein Overnight Oats Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make overnight oats with protein added:
- Old fashioned rolled oats (dry)
- Plain Greek yogurt (nonfat)
- Milk (2% milk, 1% milk, or skim milk)
- Cocoa powder
- Mashed ripe banana (this is our sweetener in place of maple syrup or honey)
- Cacao nibs
- Chopped hazelnuts
- Fresh raspberries
Specific quantities of each ingredient are in the recipe card at the end of the article!
Use rolled oats or quick oats for this recipe. Steel cut oats won’t soften enough and instant oats may get too mushy.
You can purchase cacao nibs in health food stores, or you can get them from online retailers if you cannot find them locally.
It’s fine to use other berries here if raspberries are out of season or too expensive. Chopped strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries all work great.
Special diets: Make vegan overnight proats with protein-packed soymilk and soy yogurt. To make gluten-free overnight proats you need to use oatmeal that is certified gluten free. Oats are a high carb food, so this recipe is not low carb or keto diet friendly.
🍽 Equipment
To make protein overnight oatmeal, you need an overnight oats container. I use a pint-sized wide-mouth mason jar with lid and shoulders. The lid keeps dust and food crumbs out of the jar while the oats soak in the fridge.
If you don’t have a glass jar, other food-safe containers can be used. Some examples are Tupperware, other plastic containers, a bowl, or a large mug. Cover the container with plastic wrap if it doesn’t have a lid.
🔪 How to Make Protein Overnight Oats
Let’s talk about how to make overnight proats! This is pretty easy.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the oats, yogurt, milk, cocoa powder, mashed banana, and cacao nibs. Put the half the mixture in a pint jar (or another food-safe container). Layer half the fresh raspberries on top.
Now put the rest of the oat mixture in the jar in an even layer. Finish with the rest of the fresh raspberries and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Put the lid on the jar (or use plastic wrap) and refrigerate overnight.
Your overnight proats can be enjoyed straight from the jar after being refrigerated for at least 8 hours. Protein overnight oats is a no cook meal. Cooking may kill the probiotics (beneficial bacteria) in the yogurt.
️️🌡️ How long do overnight protein oats last?
In general, overnight protein oats will last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. However, since this recipe includes fresh raspberries, it will only last 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Substitute the raspberries for fruits that last longer (such as blueberries) if you want to make several jars ahead.
You can freeze some overnight oats recipes, but I don’t recommend freezing these overnight proats. The fresh raspberries will turn to mush when frozen and then thawed.
🥣️ Overnight Protein Oatmeal Toppings and Mix-Ins
I discussed some protein options for overnight oats above. However, you can use other foods to help change the flavor of overnight oats as well. Here are some of my favorite overnight proats toppings and mix ins:
- Chocolate chips
- Granola
- Coconut flakes
- Fresh fruits
- Frozen fruit
- Dried fruits (raisins, etc.)
- Canned fruit (including canned pumpkin, which is botanically a fruit)
- Spices (cinnamon, pumpkin spice, etc.)
- Vanilla extract
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 2 recipe (transition or weight maintenance). Are protein overnight oats good for you? This protein overnight oats recipe is nutritious, with a balanced macronutrient profile containing protein, carbs, and healthy fat. That said, what is “good for you” hinges on what your individual needs are.
To make protein overnight oats low calorie, cut the amount of hazelnuts in half. Another way to lighten this one up is to substitute skim milk for the 2% milk.
On the other hand, you can add more energy density to this recipe by using whole milk and whole milk yogurt. You may use a sweetened vanilla yogurt instead of the plain yogurt here if you prefer things sweeter, but that will add additional calories and some added sugar.
FAQs
Let’s make protein overnight oats vegan! You can use soy milk, soy yogurt, protein-fortified almond milk or another protein-fortified milk alternative, and/or plant-based protein powder. Soy is one of the few dairy alternatives with protein content naturally comparable to milk. Check to make sure other milk alternatives have protein added.
The best protein powder for overnight oats has the nutritional profile you want and it should fit your dietary preferences. It's also important to like the taste of the protein powder you choose, since it will flavor the oatmeal. I generally recommend choosing protein powders with no added sugar so you can sweeten it as you wish.
Add protein powder to overnight oats before letting the oats soak in the fridge overnight. Make sure you add enough liquid to the oats to fully dissolve the protein powder.
Your body can still use the amino acids from heated protein powder, similar to when other protein foods are heated. That said, this is a non-issue for most overnight oats recipes, since they are served uncooked.
To add an additional 10 grams of protein to this recipe, try adding a little protein powder and more milk to the oat mixture. Alternatively, use any of my other protein mix-in suggestions above, such as peanut powder.
Adding more protein to oats may keep you full longer. Creating more filling meals can help keep you from mindlessly snacking on hundreds of excess calories between meals. For that reason, overnight proats may be a good breakfast choice if you want to lose weight.
👩🏻🍳 More Overnight Oats Recipes
Want more recipes for overnight oats? Here are some ideas:
- Overnight Oats for Weight Gain
- Banana Cinnamon Overnight Oats
- Healthy Overnight Oats Recipe for Weight Loss
🍳 More Protein Recipes
Need other ideas for getting some breakfast protein in? I got you! Check these recipes with added protein out:
You might also enjoy these Kodiak Cake Cookies for a snack with a little protein boost.
Join our community! Subscribe and be kept up-to-date on all of the latest and greatest recipes! You can also follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!
The Disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats no sugar post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Protein Overnight Oats Recipe (Overnight Proats Protein Oatmeal)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup rolled oatmeal, dry
- 5.3 ounces Greek yogurt, non-fat (150 grams; plain, unsweetened)
- ¼ cup milk, 2%
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ½ ripe banana, mashed
- 2 teaspoons cacao nibs
- ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the oats, yogurt, milk, cocoa powder, mashed banana, and cacao nibs. Put the half the mixture in a pint jar (or another food-safe container).
- Layer half the fresh raspberries on top.
- Now put the rest of the oat mixture in the jar in an even layer. Finish with the rest of the fresh raspberries and sprinkle with hazelnuts.
- Put the lid on the jar (or use plastic wrap) and refrigerate overnight.
- Overnight proats can be enjoyed straight from the jar after being refrigerated for at least 8 hours.
Ernesto says
I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but good topic.
I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more.
Thanks for wonderful info I was looking for this information for
my mission.
Summer Yule says
I'm glad you found it helpful! Thank you for visiting!
Vivian says
I notice your recipes are not replacing a lactose intolerance diet, can you please add alternative to your recipes.
Summer Yule says
Hi Vivian! If you have limited lactose intolerance, I recommend choosing lactose-free dairy milk. Fairlife is a brand that makes lactose-free milk in the U.S., and it is readily available in most major U.S. grocery stores. I'm not as familiar with the specific brands available in other countries. Many people with limited lactose tolerance can tolerate Greek yogurt and aged cheeses because these are lower in lactose than milk. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions! Best, Summer