Healthy Chocolate Overnight Oats
Posted Jul 12, 2020, Updated Mar 30, 2024
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This healthy chocolate overnight oats recipe is a quick and easy, make-ahead breakfast. It only takes 5 minutes and 5 ingredients to mix up these chocolate oats, which are a gluten-free, dairy-free vegan-friendly meal prep breakfast!
Overnight oats are a genius breakfast idea. Recipes like these chocolate Overnight Oats (plus peanut butter overnight oats, overnight oats with yogurt, pumpkin overnight oats, chocolate peanut butter overnight oats) only take 5 minutes and minimal ingredients to prepare – but are a delicious make-ahead breakfast everyone loves.
And who wouldn’t want to enjoy chocolate for breakfast? Especially when it’s healthy, loaded with fiber and will keep you full until lunch!
Chocolate Overnight Oats: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s begin by chatting about the ingredients in this recipe, as well as possible substitutions.
- Old-fashioned oats. Feel free to use any variety of oats you wish including old-fashioned, rolled, quick-cooking and steel cut! My personal favorite is old-fashioned oats!
- Almond Milk. Any variety of milk works well in this recipe, both dairy and non-dairy milks! My recommendations are almond milk, coconut milk, whole milk or 2 % milk. Just remember the higher the fat content, the creamier your overnight oats will be! You can replace up to 1/2 cup of the milk with yogurt for an even creamier version (similar to these yogurt overnight oats).
- Cocoa Powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder is the best choice for these chocolate overnight oats. You could use a dark cocoa powder if you like a deeper richer flavor.
- Vanilla extract. I do not recommend omitting the vanilla extract, it adds such a great flavor! However you could use vanilla bean paste instead!
- Honey. Any liquid sweetener works well in this chocolate overnight oats recipe, however the two that I recommend most highly are honey and pure maple syrup (for a vegan option).
How to Make Chocolate Overnight Oats
This chocolate overnight oats recipe is so easy. As always, we will walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Begin by whisking the milk, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt together in a medium bowl.
Next, add the oats and stir to combine.
Chill
Divide the chocolate overnight oats mixture into four glass jars with lids. You can make two 8 ounce or four 4 ounce servings. Chill overnight (at least 12 hours).
Serve
Here are a few suggestions for toppings/mix-ins that pair wonderfully with these chocolate oats:
- Fresh Berries (careful not to use frozen berries unless you thaw and drain them first. They release water as they thaw and will cause your oats to become a little “soupy”)
- Fresh fruits (bananas, apples, citrus fruits, etc.)
- Nut Butters (like this vanilla almond butter or this homemade peanut butter)
- Chia Seeds
- Candied almonds
- Cinnamon Sugar pecans
- Honey or Maple Syrup
- Strawberry Sauce
- Chocolate chips or cocoa nibs
- Nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc.)
- Dried Fruits (cranberries, apricots, rasins, etc.)
Store/Freeze
Store in an airtight container (preferably a glass container with a lid) in the refrigerator for 5-7 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer the jar to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight.
Chocolate Overnight Oats Recipe FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about this chocolate overnight oats recipe.
These chocolate overnight oats stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Just be sure that the ingredients you use do not expire before you eat them. For example, if you make this recipe with milk that expires in 4 days, make sure to eat the overnight oats within those four days.
You can use all different types of oats to make this recipe! Here are some suggestions:
old-fashioned oats (my personal preference)!
quick-cooking oats
rolled oats
steel cut oats
You really can eat them at whatever temperature you choose. They are meant to be eaten cold, and taste delicious that way. However many people just have to eat their oatmeal warm, which is totally acceptable too.
Yes! If you want to enjoy chocolate overnight oats warm, you may heat them up in the microwave. I recommend starting by only warming them for 30 seconds, then stirring and tasting. Warm them in 30 second increments until you reach your desired temperature.
No, of course not! You can choose any container you’d like. I do recommend using an airtight glass container with a lid.
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Chocolate Overnight Oats Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk, whole milk, 2% milk, etc.)
- 4 Tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond milk, honey cocoa powder vanilla and sea salt.
- Add oats and stir to combine.
- Pour mixture into four glass jars. Secure the lids.
- Place in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy the next day for breakfast topped with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- Old-fashioned oats. Feel free to use any variety of oats you wish including old-fashioned, rolled, quick-cooking and steel cut!
- Almond Milk. Any variety of milk works well in this recipe, both dairy and non-dairy milks! My recommendations are almond milk, coconut milk, whole milk or 2 % milk. Just remember the higher the fat content, the creamier your overnight oats will be! You can replace up to 1/2 cup of the milk with yogurt for an even creamier version.
- Cocoa Powder. Unsweetened cocoa powder is the best choice for these chocolate overnight oats. You could use a dark cocoa powder if you like a deeper richer flavor.
- Vanilla extract. I do not recommend omitting the vanilla extract, it adds such a great flavor! However you could use vanilla bean paste instead!
- Honey. Any liquid sweetener works well in this chocolate overnight oats recipe, however the two that I recommend most highly are honey and pure maple syrup (for a vegan option).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could i make this in large batches and store it in one large container rather than individual jars?
Yes absolutely.
Hi, quick question. The 1x gives 4 servings? I did the 1x and got maybe half of 2 mason jars full. I just wanted to make sure of portions for calorie counting purposes. They taste amazing with chocolate!! Thank you!!
First time trying overnight oats, and these were delicious
Thank you!
This is delicious. I love oatmeal. This is the first time making overnight oats. I decided to give it a try. It came out great. Will definitely be making this again. My family and I just love your recipes. My 7 year old just loves your cookies
Thank you so much Holly!
Delicious! Great taste for being so low calorie.
Thank you Ava!
I’ve just made this but haven’t tasted it yet. What I liked about this most is that you were very forgiving of ingredients. If you don’t have rolled oats, you can use other types. If you don’t have almond milk, use something else. Other overnight oats recipes are very rigid on ingredients. So thank you. I didn’t see the jar sizes until after I half filled two 8 oz jars. That’s all that it made. So maybe with rolled oats it would have been a thicker amount. I did put in about a 1/4 cup peanut butter to help but all I got was about a total of maybe 10 ounces. Oh well. I’ll see how it tastes in the morning!
Thank you Jay! I hope you enjoy it for breakfast!
This recipe is the 💣 thanks! I added bananas overnight and it was delish! Also tastes great with a dollop of Kraft hazelnut spread!
Thank you Debbie!
This is the first overnight oats recipe I ever tried. I wanted to make a quick and easy breakfast to meal prep over the week and this was honestly perfect (and delicious). A great start to the day.
If you’re going to try this, don’t skip out on the fruit toppings. I personally dice 2-3 strawberries and it seems to be enough, though you might need more depending on the size of your portion. It really adds a nice flavor, and tastes x20 better than just eating the oats mixture on its own.
I meal prepped these for 7 days and kept them in the freezer, and they stayed fresh for the entire time.
Also, when pouring out the mixture I’d recommend using an ice-cream scoop.
Oh also, I added like a cup of chocolate whey protein powder (only use this if you’re trying to gain muscle) and it didn’t make any difference to the taste 🙂
Yum
Yummy yummy!