Learn how to make zoats! Zoats are oatmeal made with zucchini. This chocolate zucchini oats recipe is a great way to use excess garden zucchini. It packs in the nutrition with veggies, protein from egg whites, and a fiber-rich raspberry chia jam drizzle. Though chocolate zoat tastes like dessert, this healthy breakfast has no sugar added! Get tips on making baked zoats, overnight zoats, vegan zoats, and more!
I've introduced you to proats (protein oatmeal) in a previous recipe. Now I'd like you to meet zoats, zucchini oats. This is a great recipe to have on hand when you have too much garden zucchini.
I know that adding zucchini to oatmeal may sound strange. However, if you like chocolate zucchini bread, why not try zucchini oats? I think you'll find that the combination of whole grains, veggies, and chocolate flavor is delicious!
Jump to:
🤔 What are zoats?
“Zoats” are simply another name for zucchini oats (AKA courgette oats in the UK). There are many ways to flavor zoats recipes to make them delicious. Here, we’re making chocolate zucchini oatmeal.
I’m not the one who invented adding summer squash to oatmeal. One of the earliest media mentions I’ve found of zoats is a 2015 article in Philadelphia Magazine. Adding shredded zucchini to oats is a concept that's been around for a while.
⭐ Zoats Benefits
Why do people put zucchini in oats? Here are some reasons you’ll want to try this healthy zucchini oats recipe:
- Low Calorie: With zoatmeal, it’s easy to make a high volume low calorie meal that supports weight loss. Zucchini is a low cal food that will bulk up the oats to be more filling. The protein in this oats recipe will also help fill you up.
- Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal: The zucchini adds vitamins and minerals to breakfast that you don’t get in plain oatmeal. This includes the antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin A. Both zucchini and oatmeal provide small amounts of B complex vitamins, including folate.
- No Added Sugar: This zoats recipe has no sugar added. In place of the added sugar, I'm using a homemade Medjool date paste. It's an excellent way to get a little extra fruit into this dish, in addition to some sweetness.
- Easy: The basic zoats recipe has only 6 ingredients (plus water), and takes only 5-10 minutes to cook. It’s good for the people who aren’t morning people!
- Special diets: Though oatmeal isn’t low carb or keto, it’s easy to make this recipe fit other special diets. I have tips on making it dairy free and vegan in the FAQs below. These are gluten free zoats if you use oatmeal that is certified gluten free.
- Delicious: These are the best chocolate zoats because they’re so tasty and easy. You can’t even tell there’s zucchini in there!
🥣 Zoats Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this chocolate zucchini oatmeal recipe. Here's what you need for zucchini oatmeal:
- Rolled oats
- Zucchini
- Milk
- Egg whites (I love using an egg white separator for these)
- Dark cocoa powder
- Medjool date puree
Specific quantities of ingredients are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
We’re also going to add a delicious raspberry chia jam drizzle plus other toppings like nuts, seeds, and cacao nibs. You don't have to add toppings, but they add a nice texture to the dish, additional fiber, and healthy fats.
If you feel apprehensive about putting zucchini in oatmeal, I have a few tips to make it "disappear." For one, peel your zucchini if you don't want to see green. Sometimes I use unpeeled zucchini because I don't mind the green, and it doesn't impact the taste.
Second, after shredding or grating the zucchini, you can chop the pieces even finer in a food processor. According to my son, shredded zucchini adds a "hairy" texture to the oatmeal (yuck lol). Break the zucchini down in a food processor before mixing it into your recipe to get rid of the hairiness.
I like dark cocoa powder for the extra chocolate flavor that it provides. Feel free to substitute a regular cocoa powder in your chocolate zoats if you'd prefer.
Here is the kitchen equipment needed for zoats:
- Grater
- Mini Chopper
- Pot (2 pots if making the zoats topping)
- Knife
You’ll also need a Y-peeler if you’ll be peeling the zucchini and an egg separator if separating egg whites. (Using egg whites from a carton will save you a little work.)
🥒 How to Make Zoats
How do you make zoats? Here are the step-by-step directions:
- Pit and chop the dates and cover with ¼ cup boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- When the time is up, put the dates and water into a mini chopper and blend into a smooth date paste. Set the date paste aside.
- Put the "zoats topping" ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat and mash when the raspberries have thawed. Let the jam cool and thicken while you make the zoats.
- Peel the zucchini (if desired) and grate it. To make it really undetectable, finely chop your shredded zucchini in a food processor after grating. Another option is to chop it smaller with a knife.
- Put the zucchini, oats, milk, cocoa powder, and date paste in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring frequently for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the egg whites to the oat mixture. Stir constantly an additional 2 minutes until the eggs are cooked.
- To serve, divide the chocolate zoats into two bowls. Top with the raspberry chia jam zoats topping and any optional toppings that you are using.
🌡️ How to Store Zucchini Oatmeal
Stovetop zoats are best made fresh. Though you can refrigerate leftovers for up to 3-4 days, they may deteriorate in texture. If it becomes too thick, stir some additional milk into the leftover zoats while reheating.
🍓 Zoats Toppings
The right toppings make zucchini protein oats look lovely. It's difficult to make a bowl of oats look enticing, but I think using the right oatmeal toppings can do the trick!
The last time I made zoats, I added pepitas (pumpkin seeds), cacao nibs, and frozen raspberries to my bowl. Here are some other toppings for zoats you can try:
- Almond butter
- Peanut butter
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Pomegranate arils
- Pistachios
- Sliced almonds
- Chopped walnuts
- Flaxseeds
- Chia seeds
- Coconut flakes
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin spice
- Raisins or dried cranberries
- Fresh raspberries
- Sliced bananas
- Fresh or frozen strawberries
- Fresh or frozen blueberries
One final idea is to make savory zoats topped with a fried egg and wilted spinach. Please keep in mind that any additions will change the nutrition information for the zoats recipe.
📋 Zoats Calories, Net Carbs, Protein
How many calories in zoats? One serving of zoats has 461 calories, 76.4 grams net carbohydrates, and 19.4 grams protein. This is for a serving of zoats with the raspberry topping, with no other toppings included.
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). Are zoats good for you? What’s healthy for you always depends on your personal needs and health goals. That said, this oats zucchini recipe offers a lot of benefits that makes them a good choice in general.
First, oats cannot replace vegetables nutritionally. Grains and veggies contain different essential nutrients, so it’s best to include both in the diet. Veggies can fill some nutritional gaps in oats (such as their lack of vitamin C).
Second, zucchini adds more low calorie fluid volume to oats, helping volume eaters stay full. Oats and other grains (even whole grains) are fairly energy dense, packing a lot of calories into a small volume.
Nutrient-dense veggies and fruits help make meals bigger without adding a lot of calories. This can be beneficial if you are trying to maintain the calorie deficit needed for losing weight.
The result is a pretty solid breakfast if you have a weight loss goal. You've got high-quality protein from milk and eggs, fiber-rich whole grains and fruits, plus some veggies.
Make sure to use real dairy milk if possible (lactose-free milk is fine). Plant-based "milks" often have added sugars and may lack the protein, calcium, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and other nutrients in real milk! If you’re making vegan zoats, try to find "milk” that’s fortified with protein and calcium at the very least.
The nutrition information for this recipe includes the chocolate zoats and raspberry chia jam only. Add more toppings if you need a higher energy meal. Nuts and seeds (including nut butters) are helpful to make zoats high calorie.
FAQs
You should not taste zucchini in oats if you use the right mix-ins. I recommend trying this chocolate zucchini oatmeal recipe. The cocoa powder does a nice job covering up the taste of the zucchini.
To make baked zoats, try my Baked Protein Oatmeal with Meat recipe. Vegetarians may be more interested in this Air Fryer Baked Oatmeal that also includes oven directions. Both of these recipes include grated zucchini.
To make zucchini oats in the microwave, make sure to use a very large microwave-safe bowl. Stir the milk, cocoa powder, and oats together and microwave 1-2 minutes. Then stir in the zucchini and date paste and microwave 2-4 minutes more. Finally, whisk in the egg white and microwave 1-2 more minutes.
To make zoats vegan, you need to substitute for the milk and egg white. You can use your favorite plant based milk (e.g., soy milk, oat milk, coconut milk, almond milk) in place of dairy. Use vegan protein powder thinned with water in place of the egg whites.
You can add zucchini to any of your favorite overnights oats recipe where you think it would taste good. I think this Protein Overnight Oats Recipe could be good with a little shredded zucchini squash mixed in.
With almost 20 grams of protein per serving, this is a protein zoats recipe. Cooked egg whites and milk are good ways to add protein to zoats. Some other options to add more protein include protein powder and nuts or seeds.
👩🏻🍳 Other Recipes with Zucchini
Need some other ways to use zucchini? Don’t miss these zucchini recipes:
Join our community! Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter to 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
Zoats Recipe (Chocolate Zucchini Oats)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini, shredded about 1 medium zucchini (peel it if you don't want to see green in your oats)
- 1 cup rolled oatmeal, dry
- 6 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped (fresh dates, not the ones in the baking aisle)
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 cup milk, 2%
- 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder
- ½ cup egg whites (from 3-4 large eggs)
- pepitas, raspberries, cacao nibs (optional, for topping)
For the zoats topping:
- ½ cup frozen raspberries
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Pit and chop the dates and cover with the boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes. When the time is up, put the dates and water into a mini chopper and blend into a smooth date paste. Set the date paste aside.
- Put the "zoats topping" ingredients in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat and mash (with a fork or potato masher) when the raspberries have thawed. Let the jam cool and thicken while you make the zoats.
- Peel the zucchini (if desired) and grate it. To make it really undetectable, finely chop your shredded zucchini in a food processor after grating. Another option is to chop it smaller with a knife.
- Put the zucchini, oats, milk, cocoa powder, and date paste in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring frequently for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the egg whites to the oat mixture. Stir constantly an additional 2 minutes until the eggs are cooked.
- To serve, divide the chocolate zoats into two bowls. Top with the raspberry chia jam zoats topping and any optional toppings that you are using.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Dennis Yannakos says
Thank you for a healthy recipe!
Summer Yule says
And thank you for visiting! 🙂
Terrified Amateur says
Well, Summer, to long for a zoats recipe I would've had to have heard of them before. I hadn't, but now that you've educated me suitably, the longing part has followed quickly. Fortunately, your entry satisfies both the thirst for knowledge and for creativity.
Once again, what you're able to accomplish without sugar, corn syrup, etc. amazes. Just goes to show how much we (or, rather, I) depend on them when they're really not necessary. You've inspired some pondering,
All this zucchini is a good "difficulty" to overcome. So many uses for a veg I disliked seriously as a child, but which I savor now. The situation also reminds me of the first cookbook I recall, something my mother had (and still does) titled, "Too Many Tomatoes." She acquired it not long into the marriage. I'll have to borrow it to find an entry for some future August.
Of course, you've got zucchini covered already.
Summer Yule says
Oh, tomatoes is another one many end up with too much of! I thought I was going to be one of the lucky ones with an overabundance but the wildlife here had other plans. I get a handful of grape tomatoes each time I check on the garden but not enough to make sauce.
I'd love to see what you end up creating from the book. I am guessing it will be a few Augusts away, knowing how much planning ahead you do!
Terrified Amateur says
Indeed, Summer, still years away at this point. Flattered you remembered.
I'm not even sure what I'll find, as it's been years since I pulled "Too Many Tomatoes" it from the shelf. I seem to remember lots of stuff about canning, but I think there are general recipes too.
So, the rabbits have been after your tomatoes? When this year's vine output sustained quite a ding, I figured it was deer and raccoons. Never thought of Wascally Wabbits, though. Makes sense.
Summer Yule says
I wouldn’t have known it was rabbits until I saw one. With my bird nets, I’ve managed to keep out most animals. The rabbits are tricky!