Cherry Overnight Oats with Dark Chocolate Chips
My cherry chocolate overnight oats are perfect for the mornings you feel like eating dessert for breakfast. They’re thick and creamy with lots of texture from crunchy toasted almonds, dark chocolate chips, and juicy fresh cherries. Each serving has 15 grams of protein and an impressive 12 grams of dietary fiber to keep you full for hours! Meal prep tonight for a healthy and dessert-like breakfast tomorrow.
As a Registered Dietitian, you’re probably not surprised to hear that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.
What they say about breakfast really is true: eating a nutritious breakfast that has a combination of protein, fiber, and healthy fats improves our concentration and gives us energy for the day.
Oatmeal is my absolute favorite thing to eat for breakfast in all forms: stovetop oatmeal, baked oatmeal, and overnight oats!
For the days I know I’ll be super busy, I plan ahead and meal prep overnight oats the night before. That way, I have a healthy homemade breakfast waiting for me when I get up!
These cherry overnight oats with yogurt are one of my favorite things to make with fresh, in-season cherries. Paired with toasted almonds and dark chocolate chips (a classic dessert flavor combo), each bite is bursting with different textures and flavors.
How to make cherry overnight oats
Overnight oats are incredibly easy to make! It takes just about five minutes to prepare this recipe. You’ll start by mixing together the oats and chia seeds in a jar or tupperware container. Add a pinch of salt along with the almond milk and Greek yogurt. Stir it all together.
Then, stir in the toasted slivered almonds, dark chocolate chips, and pitted cherry halves. Mix it up very well, cover, and put it in the fridge. Overnight oats need to be refrigerated for at least a few hours in order for the oats to absorb all the liquid, but they don’t technically take the entire night to absorb.
Storing overnight oats
Overnight oats can technically be prepared days ahead of time, but the longer they sit in the fridge, the softer the oats become.
If I’m making overnight oats for the week, I like to prep the dry ingredients in individual jars ahead of time. Then, each night, I add the wet ingredients to one portion and pop it in the fridge. It’s a simple way to save time while keeping the ideal creamy, slightly chewy texture.
How to pit cherries without a cherry pitter
You can easily pit cherries without a cherry pitter if you have chopsticks or a metal straw on hand.
Wash cherries and remove the stems. Hold a cherry with two fingers, and put the smaller end of the chopstick in the stem hole. Gently but firmly push the chopstick down into the cherry, which will push the pit out the other end.
You then have a whole pitted cherry! For this recipe, cut the pitted cherry in half.
More healthy dessert-like overnight oats recipes
Let me know if you love this recipe 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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Cherry Overnight Oats with Dark Chocolate Chips
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 2
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: No bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
My cherry chocolate overnight oats are perfect for the mornings you feel like eating dessert for breakfast. They’re thick and creamy with lots of texture from crunchy toasted almonds, dark chocolate chips, and juicy fresh cherries. Each serving has 15 grams of protein and an impressive 12 grams of dietary fiber to keep you full for hours! Meal prep tonight for a healthy and dessert-like breakfast tomorrow.
Ingredient and dietary restriction substitution ideas
- Add more protein: Use regular milk or soy milk instead of almond milk, which would give these overnight oats an extra ~5 grams of protein.
- Make it dairy free and vegan. Use your favorite plant-based yogurt in place of the Greek yogurt.
- Use vanilla extract instead of almond extract. The almond extract adds a cake-like flavor, while vanilla will just enhance the other flavors of the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% fat)
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine oats, chia seeds, and salt in a jar or airtight container.
- Add the almond milk, Greek yogurt, almond extract, and maple syrup.
- Stir everything up very well.
- Add the toasted almonds, chocolate chips, and cherries. Stir again to combine.
- Cover the jar/container and refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Notes
Enjoy cold right from the fridge in the morning.
Storage: overnight oats are best eaten within five days of preparation.
Nutrition Disclaimer
As a Registered Dietitian, I create nutritionally-balanced recipes using whole food ingredients to promote good health and well-being. Additionally, I am a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. My nutrition philosophy encompasses an all-foods-fit approach, and I do not promote tracking calories, macronutrients, or other numbers. Nevertheless, I understand that this information can be educational and helpful for some people.
I cannot guarantee complete accuracy of the nutrition information provided here, as these numbers are estimates. Nutrition is individualized. If you have specific nutrition needs, please consult your physician or a Registered Dietitian.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one serving (half of the entire recipe)
- Calories: 517
- Fat: 22.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 69.5 g
- Fiber: 11.7 g
- Protein: 14.9 g
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I have been making this at least once a week since you first shared the recipe and finally decided to leave a rating . So delicious for breakfast! And it does keep me full until lunch. Will you post nutritional info any time?
Thank you Amy! So glad you love this recipe, and I greatly appreciate your comment and rating 🙂 I don’t post exact nutrition information for my recipes, but I recommend using Verwell Fit’s Recipe Nutrition Calculator for a quick and easy tool to find out that information. Enjoy!!