High protein overnight oats are the perfect breakfast. They’re packed with amazing ingredients, they give you loads of energy, and you’ll avoid those mid-morning biscuit tin hunger pangs. Plus, did anyone mention they’re delicious? Which is why I’ve put together my 10 favourite high protein overnight oats recipes that taste so good, you won’t even realise they’re healthy.

 

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What are protein overnight oats?

 

Making overnight oats is a method of making oatmeal that is really quick and simple, and can be enjoyed cold from the fridge. Instead of cooking your oats on the stovetop or in the microwave, you just mix all of the raw ingredients together and leave in the fridge to thicken up.

 

Overnight oats need to be stored in the fridge overnight, or at least for a few hours, so are perfect when meal prepping, but aren’t good for eating immediately if you’re craving an afternoon snack right now.

 

I’ve made this post for high protein overnight oats, as I often find that without careful planning, my daily intake ends up on the lower end of the protein scale, and getting a high-protein breakfast really satiates me and sets me up for the day in a positive way.

 

 

How much protein should you eat?

 

There is no one size fits all when it comes to protein intakes, as we are all different shapes and sizes with different activity levels.

 

The USDA recommends that 10-35% of your daily caloric needs should come from protein, for both men and women.

 

This is an extremely broad range, and by this recommendation, someone eating 2000 calories per day should eat anywhere from 200-700 calories of protein.

 

The general rule of thumb is to consume around 0.8g protein per kg of body weight for an average adult, but you’ll need more if you live a very active lifestyle.

 

 

 

Why is getting enough protein important?

 

Protein is an important macronutrient, and you should be making a conscious effort to eat enough protein throughout the day, especially if you’re plant-based like I am.

 

Here are some reasons to eat more protein:

 

• Protein-rich meals keep you fuller for longer.
• Protein increases muscle mass and strength.
• Lower risk of Osteoporosis and bone fractures.
• Boosts your metabolism.
• Maintains healthy blood pressure.
• Helps your body to repair itself after injury.
• Helps you to stay active as you age.

 

 

What are the benefits of eating protein overnight oats for breakfast?

 

Oats are widely known to be an extremely nutritious breakfast, with some nutritionists claiming that they are the healthiest breakfast you can eat.

 

Here are some of the micronutrients that half a cup of oats contain:

 

Manganese: 191% of the RDI

Phosphorus: 41% of the RDI

Magnesium: 34% of the RDI

Copper: 24% of the RDI

Iron: 20% of the RDI

Zinc: 20% of the RDI

Folate: 11% of the RDI

Vitamin B1: 39% of the RDI

Vitamin B5: 10% of the RDI

 

Some other benefits of oats include:

 

• High levels of antioxidants.
• Good fibre content.
• Oats can help to lower cholesterol levels.
• Oats can help to lower blood sugar levels.
• Oats can help to relieve constipation.
• Oats are a whole grain.
• Oats will keep you fuller for longer.

 

 

How long do overnight oats last?

 

Overnight oats last around 5 days when stored in the fridge, so it’s the perfect breakfast to prep on a Sunday night and take with you to work all throughout the week.

 

The great thing about meal prepping your overnight oats is that without much more effort, you could make a different flavour for each day. I’m the type of person that gets obsessed with one breakfast at a time, and I’ll eat it until I’m sick of it, but if you’re someone who likes a bit more variety, mixing up the flavour of your protein overnight oats is a great way to do this, while still getting all the nutritional benefits oats have to offer.

 

 

 

The best sources of protein to add to overnight oats

 

A lot of people, when they think of high protein overnight oats, they think of protein powder.

 

While protein powder is a great way to increase your daily protein intake and is included in some of these recipes, there are many other ingredients that you can add to your overnight oats to bump up your protein., which include:

 

• Nut Butters
• Chia seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Flax seeds
• Nuts
• Dairy-free yoghurt

 

 

10 Protein Overnight Oats Recipes

 

Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats – Feasting Not Fasting

 

 

This overnight oats recipe packs in 14g of protein, with 10g of fibre, and only 6g of sugar, so if you’re looking for a lower sugar breakfast whilst still getting a chocolatey hit, this is it! This recipe uses plant-based protein to bump up the protein levels. Get the recipe >>

 

Gingerbread Coconut Overnight Oats – Rainbow Nourishments

 

 

While I’m all for classic overnight oats flavour combos, I do love to spice it up here and there, and this gingerbread coconut recipe is right up my street. These oats have 20g of protein, which comes from chia seeds, as well as pecans and pistachios. The real pièce de résistance here is the sticky crumble topping. A crumble, for breakfast? Errr, YES PLEASE! Get the recipe >>

 

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats – Minimalist Baker

 

 

I don’t think there’s anything better than dipping your spoon, or better yet your finger, into the PB jar when you’re wandering about the kitchen in search of a snack. My partner hates peanut butter, and let me tell you, it was nearly a deal-breaker. These peanut butter overnight oats have 15g of protein with only 5 ingredients, so are perfect if you’re in a rush, or are prepping breakfast for a few days. The protein in these comes from peanut butter as well as chia seeds. Get the recipe >>

 

Almond Butter, Strawberry, & Banana Overnight Oats – Ambitious Kitchen

 

 

If you’ve never tried almond butter and strawberries together before, it’s a combo you’ll love. This recipe uses Greek yoghurt for a super creamy consistency. You can easily make this plant-based, by swapping out the yoghurt for a dairy-free version. You’ll get 18g of protein from these oats, coming from the yoghurt, almond butter, and chia seeds.

 

This recipe suggests stirring your fresh strawberries into the overnight oats before refrigerating overnight. Strawberries can go bad pretty fast, so if you’re making a few portions of this, maybe leave adding your strawberries in until the night before. Get the recipe >>

 

 

Blueberry Muffins Overnight Oats – Pick Up Limes

 

 

Any breakfast with desert vibes is just fine by me, and what better than blueberry muffin oats to start your day. If that’s not a good enough reason to try this recipe, it packs 19g of protein from cashew butter, pecans, flaxseeds, and soy yoghurt. So blueberry muffin flavour that’s nutritious, full of protein, AND delicious, what are you waiting for?! Get the recipe >>

 

Apple Pie Overnight Oats – Pick Up Limes

 

 

This is another overnight oats recipe from Pick Up Limes, but when the recipes are desert-inspired, how could I choose between them?! This time we’re going for apple pie oats, and I’m a big fan of anything that tastes like October, and apple pie is one of those things that immediately puts a smile on your face. This recipe also has 19g of protein which comes from almond butter, chia seeds, and walnuts. Get the recipe >>

 

 

Brownie Batter Vegan Protein Overnight Oats – The Conscientious Eater

 

 

Ok, I’m sensing a desert theme going on here, but honestly if you can have breakfast that tastes like pudding, why wouldn’t you?! If you’re looking to sneak some extra veggies in, this is a great recipe for you, and would also be perfect for fussy toddlers that hate veg, as this includes one whole courgette (zucchini). This recipe has approx 20g of protein per servings which comes from the chocolate protein powder and the chia seeds. Get the recipe >>

 

Spiced Chocolate Pear Overnight Oats – Feasting On Fruit

 

 

If you can’t decide between a fruity breakfast and a chocolatey one, this is the perfect combination of both. A brownie batter base topped with pear and cinnamon for a fruity kick. This recipe has 15g of protein which comes from chia seeds and pecans (the king of all nuts, IMO). Get the recipe >>

 

Peach Overnight Oats – Cozy Peach Kitchen

 

 

This one gives me peaches and cream vibes, with sweet, juicy peaches combined with yoghurt for that creamy hit. You can easily switch out the greek yoghurt for a dairy-free alternative to make this plant-based. This recipe manages to pack an impressive 28g of protein in, and none of it is from protein powder! Instead, the protein comes from yoghurt and pecans. Get the recipe >>

 

Vegan Protein-Packed Cookie Dough Overnight Oats – Nutrition In The Kitch

 

 

We’ll end on a protein high. Not only do these high protein overnight oats taste like cookie dough (what more could you possibly want) but they are also crowned as the protein king of this roundup, with a whopping 32g of protein per serving. This protein primarily comes from vanilla protein powder, but there’s also cashew butter and chia seeds in there to up the protein just a little bit more. Get the recipe >>

 

That’s my roundup of high protein overnight oats recipes, which should add some excitement to your breakfasts for a while. A lot of these have similar bases, so when meal prepping, it would be easy to switch up the flavours to give yourself a new overnight oats recipe to try every day of the week.

 

If you like this round-up post, check out my post of 15 bliss ball recipes, below.

 

Related: 15 Bliss Ball Recipes That Will WOW You!