High-Protein Overnight Oats (2024)

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With 35 grams of protein, these healthy high-protein overnight oats are perfect for meal prepping and are an easy way to start your day.

Protein overnight oats are one the easiest ways to start your day, especially if you don't have time to cook up a big breakfast before heading out the door. There is a whopping 35 grams of protein packed into these oats! They are perfect for meal-prepping!

These protein powder overnight oats use both protein powder and greek yogurt to give you a boost in protein. When testing this recipe, I wanted to make sure you got lots of protein but also great flavor. I tried a few different ways and this turned out to be my favorite!

Also, be sure to try out my Raspberry Overnight Oats, Biscoff Overnight Oats, Tiramisu Overnight Oats, or my Overnight Oats with Frozen Fruit recipes! All are amazing variations of this recipe!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

They are a filling and nutritious way to start your day
They are easy to make, prep takes about 5 minutes and then they sit in the fridge for a bit.
They make good meal prep- my husband makes a batch of these every week for himself and grabs one on the go for breakfast every morning!
There are endless flavor and topping combos. See my full list below, but really you can add anything you like to these to make them that much more delicious!

Ingredients

This list is so simple! Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.

old-fashioned oats- Old-fashioned oats (rolled oats) are the star of the show here. By mixing them with milk and yogurt, they soak up all the liquid overnight but still keep their oat form so that they don't turn into mush like you sometimes get when cooking oatmeal. Use gluten-free rolled oats to make this recipe gluten-free.
greek yogurt- An amazing source of protein, I used non-fat greek yogurt and typically go for plain or vanilla flavored. You could swap this for cottage cheese for extra protein as well!
protein powder- Adding protein powder to your oats is an amazing way to get extra protein in. Make sure you use a protein powder that you love & enjoy, there are some protein powders out there that straight up do not taste good, and won't taste good in the oats! If protein powder isn't your thing, you can omit it from the recipe.
chia seeds- These add a lot of nutrients and also make the oats extra creamy after soaking up the liquid overnight!

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

What Makes This Recipe High Protein?

Almost everything in this recipe is a great source of protein-

To start, a half cup of old-fashioned oats is about 5 grams of protein on its own. I love Bob's Red Mill old fashioned oats.
Protein powders will give you anywhere between 20-40 grams of protein per scoop. The one I love and use is about 30 grams of protein per scoop! I use protein powder all the time for both oats and protein smoothies so it never goes to waste in my house.
Greek yogurt is an amazing sources of protein. I usually find a low-fat option, we really like Two Good greek yogurt!
Chia seeds are another great source of protein - there is about 5 grams of protein per 2 tablespoon of chia seeds.
Nut butters like peanut or almond butter are a fantastic source of protein and healthy fats. 2 tbsps of peanut butter is about 7 grams of protein!

I haven't been able to find a great plant protein that I love and would recommend, but I really love Driven Nutrition's protein powder! Another great option is this brand of whey protein powder that you can typically find pretty easily.

Protein powder varies so depending on how big the scoop is, it will change the amount of protein powder in your oats. The protein I love has a scoop size of about 30 grams. I like to weigh my protein powder with a kitchen scale if possible for

How to Make

Combine the oats, protein powder, and chia seeds in a container such as a mason jar or Tupperware container.

Pour in the milk, yogurt, and honey. Mix until well combined, making sure to stir up any chunks of protein powder that may be stuck on the bottom. Cover with a lid and place into the fridge overnight or for at least 5 hours.

Kelly's Top Tip

Make sure to mix your oats really well to avoid clumping! When I make these, I pop a lid on it and give it a good shake. I put it in the fridge for 10 minutes and then shake again to make sure everything is well mixed.

Recipe Variations

Strawberries & Cream- use vanilla protein powder when making the overnight oats. Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Dice up a few fresh strawberries and top with whipped cream or cool whip!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana- use chocolate protein powder, add ½-1 tablespoon of peanut butter and some banana slices to your overnight oats. I like to sprinkle this kind with mini chocolate chips!
Peanut Butter & Jelly- use vanilla protein powder, add in 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon jam (I like raspberry), and sprinkle the top with roasted peanuts for extra crunch! You can use fresh berries if you prefer them over jam as well.
Tropical- Use vanilla protein powder & add mango, pineapple, kiwi, and shredded coconut on top.
Chocolate Hazelnut- use chocolate protein powder and add in ½-1 tablespoon of nutella spread. Top with chopped hazelnuts.
Cinnamon Apple- use vanilla protein powder, add in ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the oats and top with chopped apples- I like honeycrisp or fuji apples.
Almond Joy- use chocolate protein powder + add shredded coconut and sliced almonds on top.

Substitutions & Additions

Nut butters- peanut, almond, cashew butter all make great additions to overnight oats. You could also add biscoff or nutella spread! My Nutella Overnight Oats are great to try too!
Fruit- I love adding fresh and frozen fruit like banana slices, berries, apples, peaches, pineapple, mango, kiwi, or pomegranate seeds. You could also add dried fruits/berries!
Sweeteners- I use honey in this recipe, but you can swap for maple syrup, agave, or coconut sugar. Adding mashed banana is a great sweetener option as well.
Seeds- chia seeds are in this original recipe, but you can add hemp or flaxseed as well. Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are also great additions.
Nuts- almonds, pecans, walnuts, peanuts make great crunchy toppings.
Spices/extracts: I love adding cinnamon to my overnight oats, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice all add perfect flavor. Vanilla or almond extract as well!
Granola, chocolate chips/cocoa nibs, dried coconut flakes, and bee pollen are some extra ideas!

Equipment I Used

This recipe doesn't require any specific or fancy equipment. I like making these in mason jars or glass jar containers for individual portions. You could also make one big batch in a tupperware container and leave it in your fridge to scoop out individual portions daily.

How To Store

Overnight oats will stay good in your fridge for up to 5 days. They only get creamier over time. If your oats seem to be dry (from sitting and soaking up all the liquid) just add a splash of milk before eating. I would suggest refraining from putting any fresh fruit into them until they are ready to be eaten.

You can also freeze overnight oats in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, just place them in the fridge the night before you want to eat them.

More High-Protein Recipes To Try

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie
Mango Protein Smoothie
Proats (Protein Oats)
Raspberry Overnight Oats

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