An easy make-ahead breakfast or snack, healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats take just 5 minutes to make, are packed with complex carbs, protein, fiber, and healthy fats, and are absolutely delicious! Vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Last updated on May 13, 2020.
Breakfast doesn’t get much easier than overnight oats. Especially when you combine chocolate and peanut to give you the creaminess of chocolate peanut overnight oats 🍫🥜
Although I am usually a savory breakfast type of kind of girl, I get in the mood for something sweet, and overnight oats always hit the spot. I mean what is better than making your breakfast before you go to bed and then waking up with it being ready?!
Not much in my opinion ha! Except maybe breakfast in bed 😋
I make a lot of overnight oats in our house. They make a super easy snack for me to make for Michael to bring to work. He is always on a mission to add more calories to his diet and I can pack overnight oats with a lot of healthy fats, protein, and complex carbs for a healthy snack. It’s so easy to change the flavors to keep it interesting too.
Recently when deciding what to mix in, I thought what goes better with chocolate than peanut butter?! Nothing really…except for maybe salted caramel. And I’m not really sure how to make that (but now I might try) so chocolate peanut butter overnight oats it is.
If you don’t eat peanut butter, I have also made these with almond butter and they turn out great! Cashew butter would also be delicious. Feel free to add a scoop of protein powder to up the protein factor, which would make these for a perfect post-workout treat!
What are overnight oats?
If you don’t know what overnight oats are, I’ll give you a brief rundown. Think oatmeal, but without any actual cooking. Sounds pretty great right?
You soak rolled oats in a liquid of choice (I like almond milk) with other flavors, spices, and ingredients and let it sit overnight. As it sits overnight (or for a few hours), the oats absorb the liquid and become a think and chewy texture, just like cooked oatmeal. Depending on how much milk you add, you are left with almost a pudding-like consistency, with the addition of oats.
What I love about overnight oats is the flavor possibilities are endless. Some of my favorite add-ins are nut butter, fruit (fresh or dried), chia seeds, cinnamon, cacao, maca, protein powder, and collagen.
How to make overnight oats
The base of overnight oats is always the same. You can change up the ratios and the additions some, but the base usually remains the same. This is the overnight oat ratio I use:
- 3/4-1 cup liquid, depending on the consistency you like – I like almond or cashew milk (dairy milk would work fine too!)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds – they help absorb the liquid
- add-ins – nut butter, protein powder, spices, cacao, fruit…
To make overnight oats, simply add all your ingredients to a large jar or bowl and mix well to combine. I like using a jar so I can just put the lid on and shake it up. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until the liquid is absorbed.
Stir it up, top with some toppings, and enjoy!
To make vegan chocolate peanut butter overnight oats
To spice it up, take the base of vegan overnight oats and add in your additions to make chocolate peanut butter overnight oats.
Here is what you need:
- almond milk
- rolled oats
- chia seeds
- peanut butter
- cacao powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- maple syrup (optional)
Simply add all your ingredients to a large jar, stir to combine or put on the lid and shake, and place in the refrigerator. When they are to your desired consistency, stir them up, top with some more toppings, and enjoy!
They are meant to be eaten cold, but you could heat them up in the microwave or on the stove to your desired temperature. If heating them up on the stove, you may need to add more almond milk.
Substitutions for chocolate peanut butter overnight oats
Like I said before, overnight oats are so customizable and you can tweak them to your preference and your macronutrient needs. Here are a few suggestions for this overnight oat recipe:
- milk – any kind of milk will work. Feel free to use nut milk, oat milk, coconut milk, or regular dairy milk.
- oats – you can use quick-cooking oats instead of rolled oats. While you can use steel-cut oats for overnight oats, they are a lot coarser (they aren’t as processed) and need to soak for at least 10-12 hours. Will will need more liquid if using steel cut oats as well.
- nut butter – any kind of nut butter will work or even a seed butter if you are allergic to nuts. Try almond, cashew, pecan, sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), or tahini.
- powdered peanut butter – if you want to lower the fat some but still want that peanut butter taste, you can use powdered peanut butter instead. I haven’t tried this, but it should work the same.
- sweetener – the sweetener is optional in this, but you can use honey instead of maple syrup.
- cacao powder – cacao powder is what gives this recipe the chocolate taste, but you could substitute your favorite chocolate protein powder instead. It will still give it that flavor while also adding some protein. You might not need any sweetener if your protein is sweetened though.
How long do overnight oats last?
We keep ours in the fridge for up to 5 days. The longer they sit, the more time to soak up the liquid. Overnight oats last for 5 days, but they might be a little bit mushier than on day 2 or 3.
They make a great option for meal prep – I will make a few servings at a time and just keep them in the fridge for Michael or myself to grab during the week. They also make a great post-workout snack or meal, especially if you add some protein powder.
More healthy oatmeal recipes
- Cinnamon Mango Overnight Oats
- Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal Bars
- Fig Apple Cinnamon Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oats
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats (Vegan)
ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
- pinch of salt
- 3/4-1 cup unsweetened almond milk, depending on desired consistency
- optional toppings: sliced banana, peanut butter, cacao nibs, cinnamon...
instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large jar. Stir well to combine or place the lid on the jar and shake well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until mixture thickens.
- Eat out of the jar or transfer to a bowl and top with toppings of choice. Enjoy!
notes
nutrition
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Meagan E Griffith says
Love this recipe! So quick – I make it in big batches in several jars on Sunday night so that I have them to grab and go in the morning OMW to work (I have to be there at 7am so it’s so important to me to get a good breakfast and get out the door FAST). I’ve also made several variations bc the base recipe provided is adaptable.
Kelly says
So happy to hear that! They really are so quick and easy and super customizable as well. Thanks for trying them, Meagan!
Shameer Mulji says
With respect to the Nutrtion Facts, does the total calorie amount take into account the maple syrup?
Kelly says
Yes, they do. If you don’t use maple syrup, you can minus 26 calories and 6.6 grams of carbs. Hope that helps!
Holly says
Are the calories posted including the optional maple syrup?
Kelly says
Hey Holly! They do. If you don’t use maple syrup, you can minus 26 calories and 6.6 grams of carbs. Hope that helps!
Shameer Mulji says
Would using steel cut oats & kefir work with this recipe?
Kelly says
Hey Shameer! Kefir would work, you might just need to use a little more since it is thicker. Steel cut oats will work as well, but since they are a different texture, they need to sit at least 8 hours. When using rolled oats, you can usually get by with 2 hours. Hope that helps!