You all know anytime I can get an hefty serving of protein, I say “yes, please!” Make it anything chocolate (and peanut butter) and you’ll have my heart forever. This high protein overnight oats recipe is no exception.

No one in my family is a morning person. Sure we are technically out of bed around 6, but in our household having your eyes open and being vertical doesn’t necessarily qualify as being awake. Pre morning coffee, my hubby and I are basically useless, so the last thing I want to do is worry about is deciding on a good combo of protein, carbs, and fats to slam before my AM workout sesh. Fortunately for me (and anyone subjected to a morning with me) this recipe is simple, easy to make the night before, (or a few days before!) and tastes great straight out of the fridge.

Ingredients

Protein overnight oats can be as simple or as complex as you like. You can customize it to the hilt to fit your macros and flavor profile of whatever you are in the mood for. Because I tend to be a lazy cook, I stick to just a few of the basics to make mine.

1/2 Cup Old fashioned rolled oats – The best choice for overnight oats. Steel cut oats are much heartier and require a different amount of liquid/ soaking time, and quick oats can get a little soggy in my opinion.

1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder – For my protein overnight oats I tend to stick with a basic flavor like chocolate or vanilla, but you could use any flavor you want to mix it up! This is what I use https://1stphorm.com/products/level-1/?a_aid=ElizabethC

3/4 Cup Almond Milk – You really could use any kind of milk. I like an unsweetened almond or unsweetened vanilla almond milk to keep it simple and light.

1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder – You could leave this out, however it really gives this recipe a great depth to the chocolate flavor. It almost tastes like a brownie batter 🤤 Yum.

1/2 Tablespoon Maple Syrup – Really any sweetener would work here, but this one was my fave. You could also sub honey, stevia or monkfruit, or omit entirely if you want it to be less sweet and shave off a few carbs.

Vanilla – Just a tiny amount, even for the aromatics takes me to a “brownies baking in the the oven” kinda moment.

Sea Salt – This little touch really kicks the flavor up a notch. I like a big flake sea salt for just a hint of crunch as well.

Other delicious (but totally optional) toppings

Chocolate Chips – While this particular recipe is packed with chocolatey goodness, as they say “the more, the merrier.” Mini chocolate chips or Lily’s dark chocolate chips are a nice low sugar, low carb choice.

Walnuts – Again, not necessary, but I don’t like nuts in my cookies or brownies. If you do, then sprinkle a few on top!

Peanut Butter – Totally self explanatory. Peanut butter is good on everything. I legit even put it on my egg white. Try it and then tell me I’m wrong. (Hint – you won’t.)

Like I said, you can customize this to any flavor profile you like, but this chocolate gooey wonderfulness makes my mornings feel just a little less groggy, and little more chipper.

How to

In a mason jar or other container (I just used a glass dish with a lid!)

1. Place oats, protein powder, milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt in a dish and stir until combined.
2. Seal with a lid and place in fridge until the next morning (4 hours min.)
3. The next morning, stir and add more milk if desired (the oats soak up most of it) and top with any toppings you like!
4. Enjoy! These are meant to be had chilled, but if you would rather have them warm just microwave in 30 second intervals and stir until warmed through.

The Breakdown

This recipe without all the extra toppings and add ons clocks in at an impressive 49g Carbs / 32 g Protein / 8 g Fat. That is a fantastic pre or post workout combo giving you plenty of carbs and protein to fuel up or recover.

If you are cool with a few more fats then go ahead and top with some peanut butter or chopped nuts and a few chocolate chips for that chefs kiss 🤌🏼

Wanna Mix it up

The beauty of protein overnight oats is you can change it for any flavor you want! In the fall I’ll share my recipe with pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon and it is the perfect blend of autumn flavors.

Some of my other fave toppings-

Fresh Fruit – Slicing up some bananas and strawberries, or even tossing in a few blueberries can really brighten up your morning.

Dried Fruit- This is a nice way to add some sweetness and texture to your oats!

Nuts– Another great way to add some crunch without adding too much extra junk! Just a few crushed nuts go a long way for texture.

Coconut Flakes – Try this with some mango and you’ll feel like your on a mini vacation.

Chia Seeds – I didn’t add these just because I really prefer to keep things super simple. But they are a great nutritious addition, as well as a nice texture change.

Alright, hit me with it people. Chocolate in the morning, hard yes or hard pass? Let me know what you think after you’ve tried it!

xoxo,

Liz