Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Since I was a kid, I’ve had a soft spot for chocolate and peanut butter anything! However, I couldn’t possibly eat chocolate peanut butter cups every day as an adult, so I made a healthier version with overnight oats that is affordable and customizable based on your preferred ingredients. 

Why make overnight oats?

Overnight oats are a great source of nutritional benefits like protein and fiber from rolled oats and healthy fats from peanut butter. While there are many premade overnight oats I can purchase at the store, it’s just as easy to prepare at home and less expensive. 

I can also use my preferred ingredients like organic rolled oats, organic crunchy peanut butter, and organic alternative milks. Since I am always on the hunt for more protein, this recipe includes a scoop of protein powder to help boost fullness and offer more nutritional value to my overnight oats. 

Ingredients

Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats is super easy to make and doesn’t need any cooking. This recipe uses organic rolled oats, cacao powder, salt, almond milk, peanut butter, and a sweetener like honey. I added chia seeds and protein powder to add more health benefits. 

Tips for overnight oats success

To make the best overnight oats, I follow these little tips below: 

• Mix the dry ingredients together before adding the liquids. Some people like to add everything simultaneously, but I found incorporating all the dry ingredients first helpful because there are fewer lumps. 
• Use an appropriate ratio for oats to liquid to hit the target consistency you prefer. I like my overnight oats to be slightly thick, but still a little liquidy so I use a 1:1.5 ratio (or 1 cup of oats to 1.5 cups of liquid). If you like it less thick, use a 1:2 ratio. I wouldn’t recommend a 1:1 ratio because you want to make sure the oats soak up enough liquid and not be hard when eating. 
• Don’t add toppings until you’re about to eat the overnight oats to prevent the toppings from getting mushy. 
• Add Greek yogurt to your overnight oats if you like a creamy consistency. This will also add some more protein. 

Flavor variations

Here are different ways to mix up your chocolate peanut butter overnight oats:

• Extra chocolatey – use chocolate protein powder AND cacao powder
• Creamy – use ¼ cup Greek yogurt and 1 ¼ cup alternative milk as the liquid 
• Other toppings: fruit like raspberries or sliced bananas, coconut flakes, granola, hemp seeds, jam

For even more variations, check out our carrot cake overnight oats recipe or 12 ways to make protein overnight oats.

Is it healthy to put peanut butter in oatmeal?

Adding peanut butter to oatmeal or overnight oats can be a great source of protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E, vitamin B3, and vitamin B6. However, I would recommend sticking to peanut butter that doesn’t have too many additives, such as sugar or hydrogenated oils to keep it healthier.

Is 12 hours too long for overnight oats?

I recommend soaking the oats in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight. However, if you wait too long, the oats will soak up most of the liquid and turn mushy as time goes on. If you prefer more texture with your rolled oats, we recommend not waiting too long to eat your overnight oats.

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5 from 2 votes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

If you want a healthy and simple breakfast in the morning that will satisfy your sweet tooth, then this chocolate peanut butter overnight oats recipe is perfect for you. This recipe makes one serving (or one mason jar’s worth) of overnight oats, but you can easily multiply it for more servings. We would not recommend making more than two days' worth of servings because the oats will become too mushy.

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy breakfast

Prep Time 4 hours 2 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 2 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 505kcal

Equipment

• jar with lid
• spoon
• measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients

• ½ c rolled oats
• 1 scoop protein powder chocolate preferred
• ½ tbsp cacao powder
• ½ tbsp chia seeds
• pinch kosher salt
• ¾ c alternative milk
• 1 ½ tbsp peanut butter or other nut butter
• ½ tbsp maple syrup or honey

Optional toppings

• nut butter
• banana slices
• granola
• coconut flakes
• raspberries

Instructions

• In a jar, add the rolled oats, cacao powder, protein powder, chia seeds, and salt. Mix together until incorporated.
• Add the liquid ingredients into the same jar and mix again until incorporated.
• Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
• After chilling, add toppings of your choice and serve immediately. 

Nutrition

Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 397mg | Potassium: 457mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 408mg | Iron: 5mg