Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (Easy and High Protein)

Name: Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (Easy and High Protein)
Prep time: 4 h 5 min
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats; 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (see Note 2); Tiny Pinch of Salt; 2 Tablespoons Powdered Peanut Butter, Optional (see Note 3); 3/4 Cup Soy Milk (or any non-dairy milk); 2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter (see Note 5); 1-2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (more or less to taste); Optional Toppings such as fresh berries, sliced banana, chocolate chips, etc.

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Peanut Butter Overnight Oats are an incredibly simple and delicious breakfast with over 25 grams of protein and are perfect for meal prep. This healthy breakfast is loaded with peanut butter flavor and will be your new favorite overnight oats recipe!

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Hey Internet, do you need a new easy make-ahead breakfast? These peanut butter overnight oats are a game changer!

You probably already know we love overnight oats. We make them 4 days a week (which coincides with Liz's school schedule!) when we need a super fast breakfast that's meal prep friendly.

Our favorite overnight oats recipes so far include our Cookie Dough Overnight Oats, Protein Overnight Oats, Matcha Overnight Oats, and Coffee Overnight Oats. Liz also has a Blueberry Pie Overnight Oats recipe as well as a Chocolate Cherry Overnight Oats recipe.

But today we're here to talk about these amazing peanut butter oats that are loaded with flavor, fiber, protein, and tons of other good stuff. This is not a protein powder recipe, however this recipe has 25 grams of protein! You could definitely add more protein by adding in some of your favorite plant based protein powder.

Overnight oats are such a game changer, honestly. We love hot oatmeal (and continue to make it on easy days like the weekend, unless we're making a special breakfast like S'mores Vegan Stuffed French Toast or Plant Based Pancakes. And baked oatmeal like our Banana Bread Vegan Baked Oats and our Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal is also delicious...

But overnight oats are FAST (they usually take just a few minutes to prepare) and they're portable which makes them ideal for a grab and go breakfast. Just mix everything up in a small mason jar, refrigerate (overnight for best results), then add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

One of my favorite things about making my own overnight oats is I can customize what goes in it. Add whatever you like such as protein powder, chocolate chips (and/or cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder for a peanut butter cup vibe!), fresh fruit, etc. Use any non-dairy milk you like, any nut butter, etc. You could also throw in a splash of vanilla extract if you'd like. For sweeteners, I just recommend something liquid such as maple syrup, agave, simple syrup, or your favorite flavored syrup (think like a coffee syrup!) so you don't get any grittiness (although something very fine like powdered sugar or stevia should work well too).

Anyway, if you're as ready as we are for an easy breakfast perfect for busy mornings, keep reading.

Why You'll Love Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Simple Ingredients: You only need a handful of simple ingredients (yay pantry staples!) that you probably already have in the house!
Wholesome Breakfast: This family friendly breakfast is a great option for busy mornings. This overnight oats recipe is loaded with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs to keep your family going all morning. Plus this recipe uses no refined sugar!
Cheap Grab and Go: Stop buying breakfast out; you'll save so much money making these easy overnight oats. We buy our old-fashioned oats, chia seeds, and creamy peanut butter (we love their natural peanut butter!) from Costco and save a ton of money that way!

Ingredients

Pick up these simple ingredients for this overnight oat recipe the next time you're at a grocery store. See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredients, instructions, and accurate nutrition information (to the best of my ability; please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or healthcare professional if you have specific dietary needs or need to meet a certain daily value of any nutrient). I give substitutions for the ingredients in the section below this one, so most people can still make this recipe!

½ Cup Rolled Oats: AKA old-fashioned oats. We love these sprouted rolled oats (but use what you have. Make sure to buy certified gluten-free oats if you can't have gluten.
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds: This helps thicken the oats and makes the texture better. Plus it adds a boost of nutrients like Omega 3 fatty acids!
Tiny Pinch of Salt: This brings out the flavor in the oats.
2 Tablespoons Powdered Peanut Butter, Optional: This is an optional ingredient you might not have. We added it for a couple reasons: it adds more protein without adding more fat (peanut butter powder is defatted peanut butter) and it adds a lot more peanut flavor without have to use more peanut butter. If you don't have it, no worries.
¾ Cup Soy Milk: We like to use this shelf stable soy milk because it's high protein and super creamy which makes it a delicious addition to most recipes. Any non-dairy milk will work but your recipe will have slightly less protein if that matters to you.
2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter: You want it to be runny so it mixes in well. If yours is not, simply the tablespoon of it to a microwave safe bowl and heat for 20-30 seconds until pourable.
1-2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup: More or less to taste... we used about 1 + ½ tablespoons.
Optional Toppings: We kept it simple and topped our oats with fresh berries and a drizzle of peanut butter (the berries give it an awesome PB&J vibe), but you could use anything you want! Try some chocolate chips, banana slices, chopped peanuts, shredded coconut, non-dairy greek yogurt or other non-dairy yogurt, etc.

Substitutions

Chia Seeds: Add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed if you don't have chia on hand.
Soy Milk: While soy milk is higher in protein, there are many other great plant-based milk options that can easily used instead. Almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, and cashew milk are just a few of the replacements you can use! Use any type of milk you have on hand, though we do love how creamy and high protein soy milk is!
Peanut Butter: Crunchy peanut butter will also work, I just would wait to add it until after you've mixed in the other wet ingredients so that the rest of it mixes well. Most other nut butters will work in this, like almond butter and cashew butter. You could also use sunflower butter or another seed butter, if you need a nut-free meal.
Maple Syrup: You need a liquid sweetener to properly dissolve into the oats mix. Agave is a great alternative, as are flavored coffee syrups. You could also make a quick simple syrup if you old have granulated sugar.

Directions

Mix the Dry Ingredients: Add the oats, chia seeds, pinch of salt, and powdered peanut butter (if using) to your container and mix. I like to use a fork for this. For containers, you can use fancy breakfast jars, a small (but not too small) mason jar (our jar was 12 ounces, for reference) or even just an airtight container (we prefer mason jars with airtight lids but anything should work).
Add the Wet Ingredients: Add the soy milk, runny peanut butter (if yours is not runny, microwave it in a separate bowl until runny, about 20-30 seconds), and maple syrup. Give it a really good stir (make sure to look around the outside of the container to make sure all the dry ingredients got incorporated into the oat mixture) and taste some of the liquid. If it's not sweet enough, now is the best time to add more sweetener.
Refrigerate to Set: Place the lid on the container and set on a flat surface in the fridge to set for at least 2-4 hours but overnight is best for the best texture in our opinion.
Serve the next morning and enjoy! We love this with a side of fresh berries, an extra drizzle of runny peanut butter, and a nice smooth iced matcha smoothie or protein coffee shake on the side to help us wake up in the morning. A perfect flavor combination!
Store: These can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days, though we find the texture is best when eaten within 2-3 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Meal Prep These?

For best results, I recommend making a few jars of just the mixed up dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients to one jar the night before you want the oats. This makes the BEST texture. However, if you don't mind the texture after a couple days, you can just as easily make up to 4 or 5 servings at a time and refrigerate for barely any extra work.

Can I Use Steel Cut Oats or Quick Oats?

We think steel-cut oats take too long to absorb the liquids and end up not soft. You can try boiling these oats in the milk to make them more palatable. We still recommend using rolled oats for this recipe. Quick oats (AKA instant oats) have the opposite problem and absorb too quickly and can be a little soggy, though some people seem to think it tastes like cake. You'll have to eat the quick-cooking oats version within a day before they become too soggy.

How Can I Make the Protein Content Higher?

If you want a higher protein content, it's easy to add protein through the use of a plant-based protein powder. You can use any you like, but just consider the flavor combination of your protein powder is flavored. I'm sure vanilla would taste good, as would chocolate protein powder! More unique flavors might depend on your individual taste preferences. Now if you are adding protein powder, you might need an extra splash of almond milk or soy milk to get the consistency you're looking for.

Can I Blend the Mixture?

Yup, some people like to blend their overnight oats. Make sure you use the chia or flax seeds or it won't thicken much in the fridge.

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