Protein Overnight Oats Recipe

Oatmeal is a classic healthy breakfast staple but unfortunately, most recipes tend to be carb heavy and lacking in overall macro balance. Luckily, with a few simple ingredients you can add a serious boost of protein to your morning. And with the easy meal "no cook" prep recipe, you'll have a perfectly portioned meal ready when you wake up. 

About This Recipe

The secret to this recipe is actually in the yogurt. Greek yogurt provides a hefty amount of protein - 10 to 20 grams per cup depending on the brand! Yogurt is also a source of natural probiotics in the form of live bacteria - Lactobacillus - which acts like a pre-digesting enzyme. 

By combining the oats with yogurt, and leaving it overnight in the fridge, the bacteria breaks down the oatmeal and 'cooks' it, much like lime juice would 'cook' fish for ceviche (but that's acid 'cooking', versus in this case, bacteria cooking your food).

From a food geek standpoint, this is super fascinating!

This dish is also loaded with nutritious ingredients.

• Oats move boats - oats provide a sustained source of energy, as they are digested slowly by the body.
• Chia seeds - Chia seeds offer a high level of fiber and heart-healthy omega-3s! The fiber of these tiny seeds will support your satiety, while providing a heart healthy fats, and will help maintain constant energy levels, very similar to oats.

Want to make this vegan? Try this recipe with a coconut yogurt containing live bacteria and add a scoop of plant based protein powder. 

How to Make Protein Oats

To make one serving of protein oats, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 2%
• 2 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

To meal prep this for a full week's breakfast, just multiply by seven, or for as many days as you see fit!

Mix, Forget, and Reap the Benefits

There is not much to this recipe. You pretty much just mix all ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine, transfer to a jar, and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Choose Your Toppings

You can also choose to add toppings to make your breakfast-in-a-jar look beautiful and create a variety of flavor profiles. Personally, I love mine with berries and pomegranate seeds. Sprinkle some goji powder or matcha tea on top for a beautiful colorful addition too!

You can also try cacao nibs, peanut butter, or even half a banana to dress yours up!

Transfer the oats to a bowl, add your toppings, and boom, you have a delicious Instagram-ready breakfast post.

To cut back on sugar and carbs, try this with stevia instead of honey!

Get even more out of your meal prep and see results faster by learning how to dial in your nutrition. Download this free meal prep toolkit for weight loss and get a step-by-step guide on how to plan meals, hit your calorie and macro goals, and lose weight quickly.