Overnight oats are the perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings. These protein overnight oats recipes all have Greek yogurt, a nutritious and filling source of protein. Each recipe is registered dietitian-designed, and takes just a few minutes to prepare the night before!

photos of different overnight oats recipes with text overlay

As a Registered Dietitian, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that I love breakfast.

Overnight oatmeal is one of my all time favorite breakfasts to make and eat, especially high protein overnight oats with nutritious Greek yogurt!

Not only are overnight oats delicious and filling, they are incredibly easy to make. You need just five minutes to prepare them the night before!

What are overnight oats?

Overnight oats is a preparation method for making oatmeal, with no cooking required.

Oats are mixed with a liquid, usually milk, and other ingredients such as fruit, nuts, seeds, yogurt, or spices.

Once refrigerated, the oats will soak in the liquid and become a pleasantly soft and chewy texture. Overnight oats are meant to be eaten cold.

Prefer hot oatmeal? Try making microwave oatmeal with old fashioned oats, microwave steel cut oats, PB&J stovetop oatmeal, or banana bread blended baked oats!

Table of Contents:

How to make overnight oats

Overnight oats with Greek yogurt are super easy to make.

It takes a few minutes to prepare them, with absolutely no cooking required.

  • First, add your dry ingredients to a glass container or jar: oats, chia seeds, and any dry mix-ins such as dried fruit, nuts and seeds, or spices.
  • Add the wet ingredients, including Greek yogurt, milk of choice, and liquid sweetener, like maple syrup or honey. I typically use plain almond milk for overnight oats, but you can use whichever milk variety you prefer.
  • Mix everything up very well until the ingredients are all combined. If you are making the overnight oats in a jar, you can close the jar and shake everything together to mix it up.
  • Cover, and set the overnight oats in the fridge overnight. At a minimum, they need two hours to soak up the liquid to obtain the proper texture.
  • The next morning, your oats are ready to eat! Add any additional toppings you may like, including fresh fruit, nut butters, etc.

Read this post to learn why Greek yogurt and other dairy products are beneficial on a plant-based diet.

Best oats to use for overnight oats

Use old fashioned rolled oats for overnight oats.

Quick oats or instant oats are too finely processed, so the texture is too mushy when used to make overnight oats.

Steel cut oats remain too hard when they are soaked for overnight oats, and they really do need to be cooked instead.

What do overnight oats taste like?

Overnight oats taste similar to hot oatmeal, except they are typically eaten cold.

The soaked oats have a pleasant nutty and hearty flavor, and a creamy and slightly chewy texture.

Overnight oats taste best when lightly sweetened with maple syrup, honey, or fruit. They are the perfect vehicle for other flavors including nut butters, spices, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, and seeds.

Two glass cups of overnight oats with banana slices and peanut butter on a wooden cutting board

How long do overnight oats last in the fridge?

Overnight oats stay fresh stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

That means you can prep breakfast for the whole work week over the weekend!

Note that as overnight oats sit, they will become softer and creamier, and lose a bit of their chewy texture.

Oatmeal nutrition benefits

Oatmeal, or oats, is packed with nutrients!

Oats are a good source of dietary fiber. One half cup of oats provides 4 grams, or 15 percent of your daily needs.

Oats also provide protein. The same half cup serving of oats has 5.3 grams of protein.

In addition, oats provide several micronutrients, including:

  • B Vitamins
  • Copper
  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Phosphorus
  • Selenium
  • Zinc

Oatmeal on it’s own is nutritious, and you can make it even more nutrient dense by adding healthy oatmeal toppings such as berries, banana, chia seeds, hemp seeds, nut butters, cinnamon, and more!

Recipes

Each of these overnight oats recipes has a minimum of 15 grams of protein per serving.

Feel free to boost the protein content even more by adding in hemp seeds, a high protein milk like soy milk, or your favorite protein powder.

All of the recipes are vegetarian because they contain dairy.

You can easily make them vegan overnight oats by using plant-based yogurt instead of Greek yogurt. Which one will you make first?

Two small jars of cinnamon roll overnight oats with cinnamon sticks

Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats

Cinnamon and maple syrup make these cinnamon roll overnight oats irresistible! It takes just a few minutes to prepare a batch tonight for a healthy breakfast ready to eat in the morning. As a Registered Dietitian, it probably comes as no surprise that I love to start my day with a nutritious breakfast. Oatmeal is

Glass cup filled with blueberry pie overnight oats garnished with fresh blueberries on a light beige dish towel

Easy & Healthy Blueberry Pie Overnight Oats

Start your day off right by preparing blueberry pie overnight oats the night before! This easy overnight oats recipe is packed with protein, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. It features healthy ingredients like old fashioned rolled oats, frozen blueberries, Greek yogurt, and chia seeds, and is lightly sweetened with a touch of maple syrup. 10 minutes of prep time makes a healthy breakfast that serves two.

jar of chocolate peanut butter overnight oats with a gold spoon on a light grey backdrop

Protein-Packed Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

If you love chocolate and peanut butter together, this is the healthy breakfast recipe for you! Creamy chocolate PB overnight oats are packed with high quality protein thanks to Greek yogurt and peanut butter. Made with nutritious ingredients like old fashioned oats, cocoa powder, chia seeds, and peanut butter, you can prepare this recipe in five minutes.

Two cups of overnight oats topped with berries, and a bowl of blueberries on a light striped dish towel

Healthy High Protein Overnight Oats (without Protein Powder)

Looking for a high protein breakfast recipe that isn’t eggs or a protein shake? Try these high protein overnight oats! Each serving packs 22 grams of protein with NO protein powder. The protein comes from whole food ingredients including Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds, and oats. This simple and healthy overnight oats recipe takes 5 minutes to prep and is the perfect base for all your favorite toppings.

two glass cups of overnight oats with raspberries and silver spoons

Healthy High Fiber Overnight Oats with Raspberries

These overnight oats are packed with 15 grams of dietary fiber from whole food sources to keep you full and satisfied throughout the morning. Overnight oats are a healthy breakfast that take just a few minutes of prep time the night before. Enjoy them cold right from the fridge, or grab and go for a busy morning!

Two glasses filled with chai latte overnight oats topped with apple slices on a wooden cutting board

Chai Latte Overnight Oats

Chai latte overnight oats are the perfect make-ahead healthy breakfast. They’re filled with warming spices and nutritious ingredients like chia seeds and Greek yogurt. Prep a batch today for a delicious and satisfying breakfast tomorrow morning! Breakfast that tastes like a coffee shop chai latte? Sign me up!

Two cups of mango lime overnight oats with mango chunks and sliced lime on top

Mango Lime Overnight Oats

These mango lime overnight oats are healthy, delicious, and filling. Meal prep a batch in five minutes for a nutritious and fast breakfast option! As a Registered Dietitian, I love to create healthy easy breakfast recipes. Starting your day with a nutritious breakfast has several benefits like improving energy levels, concentration, and weight management. If

Zucchini Bread Overnight Oats

This zucchini bread overnight oats recipe is a quick, easy, and healthy make-ahead breakfast option. It’s delicious warm or cold, and perfect for zucchini bread lovers! Zucchini in oatmeal? Yes, you read that right! If you’ve ever eaten zucchini bread, you know that zucchini is actually a delicious ingredient in sweet recipes.

Two jars of cherry overnight oats with two fresh cherries in the foreground

Cherry Overnight Oats with Dark Chocolate Chips

This nutritious cherry overnight oats recipe is easy and quick to prepare and will keep you full for hours! Meal prep tonight for breakfast tomorrow.

Two bowls of pear overnight oats on a grey striped towel

Spiced Pear Overnight Oats

This spiced pear overnight oats recipe packs tons of flavor from warming spices like cinnamon and ginger. It’s a satisfying and nutritious make-ahead breakfast filled with healthy ingredients like old fashioned oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and Greek yogurt. As a Registered Dietitian, you’re probably not surprised to hear how much I love breakfast.

Three jars of overnight oats topped with blueberries and green apple

Healthy Five-Minute Bircher Muesli Recipe

This Bircher muesli is a delicious make-ahead breakfast that takes just five minutes to prepare. It has fiber and protein to keep you full all morning! Bircher Muesli: The Original Overnight Oatmeal Is it just me, or is overnight oatmeal the best thing since sliced bread? It tastes amazing, is filled with nourishing ingredients, and

Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats (recipe below)

If you love the classic combination of peanut butter and banana, you are going to adore this recipe. These overnight oats are naturally sweetened with mashed banana, and are packed with protein from Greek yogurt, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. Get the recipe below!

two glass cups of peanut butter banana overnight oats on a grey backdrop

Let me know if you love these recipes by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!

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two glass cups of peanut butter banana overnight oats on a grey backdrop

12 Protein-Packed Overnight Oats Recipes (with Greek Yogurt): Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats

  • Author: Alex Aldeborgh
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: serves 2
  • Category: breakfast
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Overnight oats are the perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings. These protein overnight oats recipes all have Greek yogurt, a nutritious and filling source of protein. Each recipe is registered dietitian-designed, and takes just a few minutes to prepare the night before! Plus, the recipe for peanut butter banana overnight oats.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 very ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • Toppings: 2-3 tbsp peanut butter and another banana


Instructions

  1. In a medium sized glass container, peel and mash the banana with a fork.
  2. Add the Greek yogurt and almond milk to the container, then add the oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and cinnamon.
  3. Mix everything together very well. Cover the container and put it in the fridge overnight.
  4. The next morning, portion oats into two equal servings. Top each bowl with a scoop of peanut butter and sliced fresh banana.

Notes

Overnight oats stay fresh stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. That means you can prep breakfast for the whole work week over the weekend! Note that as overnight oats sit, they will become softer and creamier, and lose a bit of their chewy texture. 

Keywords: protein packed overnight oats, overnight oats with greek yogurt, overnight oats with chia seeds