Protein Overnight Oats

Name: Protein Overnight Oats
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: Protein
Ingredients: 25 Grams Plant-Based Protein Powder (About 1/4 cup); 1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk (or plant milk of choice, see note 3); 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats (certified gluten-free if needed); 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (or sub ground flaxseed); 1-2 Tablespoons Agave, as needed (see note 5); Pinch of Salt, Optional; Espresso powder, Optional (see note 6)

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Protein Overnight Oats are the easiest way to get in your plant-based protein. With 5 simple ingredients, you can meal prep your breakfast an easy breakfast in just 5 minutes! Try it with chocolate protein powder or any other flavor.

Hey Internet, we've got another great overnight oats recipe for you today. Our previous overnight oat recipes were about waking you up in the morning, like our Coffee Overnight Oats and our Matcha Overnight Oats but we never thought about putting protein powder in overnight oats.

We've been both focusing more on strength training lately and we've been looking for new ways to get in extra protein for our recovery, so these overnight oats with protein powder are perfect. Plus we want to make some more oatmeal recipes for the site!

And while it makes a lot of sense to eat overnight protein oats in the morning for breakfast, you could eat them any time of day, making them perfect for a post-workout recovery treat! But oats are also a great source of carbohydrates, so you could use them as your pre-workout meal if you prefer!

There are lots of ways to get protein as a vegan, and our website is just full of recipes for them. But, we needed a quicker breakfast so we could just get up and get going. We tried adding some vegan protein powder to a jar of oats, milk, and other ingredients and put them in the fridge the night before. The next morning we had an amazing fast breakfast with 29 grams of protein! The magical powers of high protein overnight oats are now ours... and yours too!

We love the chewy texture of classic overnight oats and it's so easy to make any overnight oats high protein with the addition of your favorite protein powder. The best thing is that the base recipe is so simple that there are so many different ways to enjoy it.

Speaking of which, the best part is that this overnight protein oats recipe is super customizable. We really love chocolate so chocolate protein overnight oats was our first choice.

But if you're not a huge chocolate fan or just want to try something different, it's super easy to do so! Just switch the chocolate protein powder with some vanilla protein powder or any other flavor you want! We're about to try these with a cereal flavor powder that already tastes great in our shakes and this ice cream we've been making with tofu!

Alright, let's make the perfect make-ahead breakfast!

Why You'll Love These Protein Oats

5 Minutes of Prep: Not only is it as easy as pour, mix and store, you can make a bunch of these protein powder overnight oats at once to meal prep your breakfasts for the week. It's a great way to make breakfast easy and great for busy mornings!
29 Grams of Protein: This overnight oats with protein powder recipe is a great option if you're looking to bulk up or stay full for much of the day! It's an easy way to get in a boost your protein intake first thing in the morning without spiking your blood sugar.
Customization: Don't like chocolate? There are as many ways to get a great flavor to your overnight oats as there are protein powders out there.

Ingredients

Pick up these simple ingredients the next time you're at your local 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 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!

25 Grams Plant-Based Protein Powder (About ¼ cup): Obviously the amount of protein will differ based on what protein powder (and how much) you're using. You can adjust to your needs!
1 Cup Unsweetened Soy Milk
½ Cup Rolled Oats (AKA old-fashioned oats): Use certified gluten-free oats if you cannot have gluten.
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds: These provide essential fatty acids and healthy fats to our protein overnight oats recipe but they also serve an important purpose: they help thicken the overnight oats!
1-2 Tablespoons Agave: You may want to adjust this according to your personal brand of protein powder. The amount of sweetness you need to add may vary according to how sweet your protein powder is.
Pinch of Salt, Optional: This will bring out some of the flavors in the oats, but it's optional (check the label of your protein powder to see how much sodium it has if you are watching your intake).
Espresso powder, Optional: (a pinch of this will enhance the chocolate flavor if you are using chocolate protein powder!)

Substitutions and Toppings

Soy Milk: Almost any non-dairy milk should work in the soy's place. The soy milk, however, does add more protein to the recipe and replacing it may affect the amount of protein that is in your particular version of this recipe. We also really like to buy a particular brand of shelf stable soy milk because it has more protein and it's creamier! Unsweetened almond milk and oat milk are great choices. Coconut milk can also be used, though it will be significantly richer, but you might like that!
Agave: Another liquid sweetener, such as maple syrup or date syrup, will work in place of the agave. If you choose to add cocoa powder or cacao to your choc protein overnight oats (to boost the chocolate flavor), you may want to add more sweetener.
Chia Seeds: Ground flaxseed is always a good substitute for chia seeds.
Toppings: Fresh fruit is always a great choice, like banana slices or fresh berries. You could also go for chocolate chips, creamy peanut butter, almond butter, vegan yogurt, brown sugar or coconut sugar, coconut flakes and so much more.

How to Make High Protein Overnight Oats

Note on Batch Making: Instead of mixing everything in the individual containers, you can start with the liquid and powder ingredients in a blender and then add it to your containers to save time and effort! However, if you are sensitive to the texture of overnight oats and hate when they start to get a little too soft, you may not want to batch prep them.
Combine the Liquids and Powders First: Add the protein powder, the soy milk, the agave to your airtight container and then mix thoroughly. Depending on the quality of your protein powder, you may need to sift it with a flour sifter (or a small fine mesh strainer) to make sure it doesn't clump, though we've had great results with an electric whisk. Higher quality protein powders tend to dissolve better.
Add the Oats and Chia Seeds: Add the chia seeds and oats and then stir them together. Make sure to give it a really good stir.
Refrigerate: Add the container to your fridge and wait at least 4 hours or overnight for it to solidify.
Serve: Add any of your favorite toppings such as berries or a tablespoon of peanut butter and enjoy!

Storage Instructions

Since you need a resealable container to make these overnight oats with protein, you're all set to keep them in the fridge. They should last about 5 days in there, though the texture will get softer over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What containers did you use?

We have this small jar that has a suction lid that we used for the photos. We've also used a mason jar with a lid to make this recipe.

Can I use granulated sugar instead of agave?

Yes and no. In its solid form it will not mix in well to the oat mixture. You can make a simple syrup before hand with the sugar, if you're willing to put in the extra work.

Do I need added sugar?

Depending on your protein powder, it might already sweet enough. Taste the mixture before adding any sweetener.

Can I use other types of oats?

Not really. Quick oats (AKA instant oats) will absorb too much liquid and turn out too mushy (although some people think it tastes like cake, so if you want to try it, just use more oats or less liquid and it will be an experiment). Steel cut oats won't absorb enough liquid to work, but you could parboil them beforehand to get them to work. We think rolled oats will get the best results.

Any other way I can get even more protein in this recipe?

If you want to pack in more protein OR you want to make protein overnight oats without protein powder, you could replace half the oats in this recipe with textured vegetable protein, otherwise know as TVP. While it is normally used as a vegan meat replacement, it takes on the flavor of pretty much anything. You could also add in some vegan greek yogurt! We really love a brand called Kite Hill.

How can I get different flavors?

The easiest way to get flavor variations in these high-protein overnight oats is to change the flavor of the protein powder! There's so many different protein powders out there. If you're looking for some really unique flavors (like chocolate covered strawberry, cookie butter, chocolate churro, and more) and high quality protein, try True Nutrition and use code ELIZABETH38783 to save 10%! Obviously you can try other flavorings like vanilla extract, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, or some nut or seed butter too.

More Healthy Breakfast Recipes

Want us to make more overnight oats protein recipes? Leave a comment or DM us on Bluesky or Instagram!