These Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats are a healthy and simple make-ahead breakfast. Packed with chocolate flavor, they’re made without yogurt and are vegan by default.
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Peanut butter overnight oats are a meal prepper’s dream. They are so good, can keep for a few days in the fridge, and take less than 5 minutes to throw together.
Even better, they’re filling and it tastes like you’re eating dessert for breakfast. And your kids can make their own! Win. Freaking. Win.
Peanut Butter Overnight Oats Ingredients & Variations
This recipe is rocking:
- Old-fashioned, AKA rolled oats
- No-sugar-added peanut butter
- Cocoa powder
- Maple syrup
- Chia seeds
- Milk – dairy or non-dairy will work great here
- Vanilla extra – try homemade
Ingredient Variations
- The oats I use are old-fashioned. You can use quick-cooking oats if that is what you have on hand, but the texture may be a little mushier than old-fashioned oats.
- In terms of the peanut butter, any nut butter will do here. Almond butter, cashew butter, sunseed butter, etc. You can even use powdered peanut butter like PB2.
- Sweetener – honey or your favorite liquid sweetener will work great.
- If you want to use steel-cut oats, you’ll need to increase the milk by 1/4 to 1/3 cup.
- When I say maple syrup, I mean the good stuff. The pure syrup that came from a tree, and NOT the pancake fake syrup. Don’t do it!
- If you need to up the protein for an even more filling breakfast, stir in your favorite protein powder or collagen. Or think about adding 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt.
- Mix in a smashed ripe banana and an additional 1/4 cup of milk for chocolate peanut butter banana overnight oats!
How Many Days Will Overnight Oats Last in the Fridge?
I’ve experimented with this and it seems like 6-7 days are about the max time the overnight oats can chill in the fridge.
When making peanut butter overnight oats I mix everything in a pint wide-mouth canning jar. It makes two servings and it is ready to go in its own carrying case. If you need to split this up amongst multiple people, mix in a bowl and then transfer to two 8 oz jam jars.
Can You Make Overnight Oats With Just Milk?
Yes, of course, you can but it is just going to taste like plain ol’ oatmeal. But maybe that is your thing and how you love it. More power to you.
Can You Put Overnight Oats in the Microwave?
Yes! Some people want to take the chill off of the oats and popping them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds will accomplish that.
Can You Freeze Overnight Oats?
You sure can! I like to freeze them in individual portions so that they become a true grab-and-go kind of breakfast. You can freeze in wide-mouth 8 or 16 oz canning jars, or the 1-cup Souper Cubes.
MORE AWESOME BREAKFAST RECIPES
Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 2 tsp peanut butter {or almond butter or your favorite nut butter}
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp chia seeds
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup milk {use your favorite. Non-dairy works great}
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine maple syrup, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and chia seeds in a canning jar or bowl. Mix to form a paste and to get the chunks out of the nut butter.2 tsp peanut butter, 1 tsp cocoa powder, 2 tsp pure maple syrup, 1/2 tsp chia seeds
- Add the milk and oats and stir!1 cup old-fashioned oats, 1 cup milk
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours. Enjoy cold or hot.
Notes
- Adjust the maple syrup to taste. 2 tsp is the middle ground for sweetness.
- The oats I use are old-fashioned. You can use quick-cooking oats if that is what you have on hand, but the texture may be a little mushier than old-fashioned oats.
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I never understood what all the rage was about overnight oats until I tried this recipe. This like a dessert. Normally something that tastes so good is not good for you but this is good for you and delicious! I did tweak the recipe and used homemade yogurt instead of milk and I used honey. It’s the best part of going to work bright and early knowing I have this to eat for breakfast but also seems like a treat.
Leigh, I’m honored to be part of your morning routine!
And yes, I agree with you on the hype around overnight oats. I was always a bit creeped out by them until I found the right flavor combo for me.
Love this I added a smashed up banana. Soooo good!
Great addition! Did you add it right before serving or when you mixed everything up initially?
These are so simple but sooo good! I haven’t found a chocolate overnight oats recipe I liked until this one and I think it’s because it uses less cocoa powder than most so it’s more balanced. The ingredient ratios are perfect!
Molly, I’m thrilled to hear you have enjoyed them so much! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Eating mine right now. Tastes like a low sugar no bake cookie. Love it!
So glad you are enjoying it Kaite! I love your description of the taste; it’s spot on.
Made these as spiced oatmeal instead of chocolate and it needed a little more cinnamon but was pretty good over all.
What other spices did you use beside cinnamon? Cause I want to try it! 🙂
I’m making these again – perfect for “not quite in the routine of getting out soooo early for school” mornings!
Mornings are rough. Physically impossible sometimes even!
So easy and delicious — able to use PB2 to save a few calories and still got great flavor.
So glad you enjoyed it Deb! I made a batch last night with PB2 thanks to your great idea and am excited to try it out!
I made mine with almond butter and subbed honey for the maple. It tasted great! My favorite fridge oats flavor so far.
Sounds so good Lindsey!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE overnight oats but have since found out thru an elimination diet that’s oats & my digestive system are not friends, even GF oats are no bueno. So I made this tonight for the hubs breakfast tomorrow. I will report back how much he loved it!
Our friend who did a Whole30 also found that oats were one of her issues. I’m sorry to hear that is the case for you too.
Can’t wait to hear his thoughts on them!
So my hubs loved this! He said it tasted like chocolate peanut butter pudding. It’s a keeper. Oh & tell your friend. I made myself an overnight oat recipe using buckwheat groats & while it certainly isn’t the same, it wasn’t terrible. She might want to give it a try.
Who-hoo!!! Glad it was a hit with the hubs, and I love the idea of using groats.
I love my overnight oats. Went thru a chocolate PB phase. Then frozen blueberries. Now I’m stuck on mochachino version that is mostly healthy. Add frozen strawberries at night and a little dark Hershey’s syrup in the am. Oh. Mylanta. I make sure I make faces so everyone thinks it’s gross, lol.
I use every muffin tin I have and set them in a row. Then I put Walmart’s square snack bag in each muffin hole. I start with the oats and put all my ingredients in each bag. As soon as I finish my breakfast I clean my jar, make tomorrows batch and throw in fridge. I store my little used baggies (looks like a druggie bag, lol) and reuse the next batch. Beats getting out all my dry ingredients every week.
Now my nieces know where the oat bags are and try to steal them.
You will have to experiment and give us more ideas. I love flax seed in mine also w the chia
Poop and or drug baggies. HA!
Making some as soon as I get out of this chair! I’ve been tempted to try overnight oats, but I was too lazy to Google it. I think I even have all the ingredients.
Have you tried any other flavors?
You can do it Tina! I haven’t tried other flavors. Yet. Simply because this one is so yummy and I can’t get enough.
Took a couple of days, but I finally have a jar in the fridge!
I’m thinking your cooked apples would be good in oatmeal (Apple cinnamon oatmeal has always been my favorite).
Ohhh that’s a great idea Tina! Can’t wait to hear tomorrow what you think of them.