If you are looking to beef up your overnight oats, let me show you how with this simple Overnight Oats With Protein Powder recipe. They are so simple to make and perfect for meal prep.
If getting in more protein is your goal, let me share a few other recipes I know you will love. These steak bites are so simple to make and delicious. You can have your meal on the table in about 10 minutes! Cajun chicken bites are another simple recipe high in lean protein. I also love blackened pork tenderloin.
What Makes This Recipe Work?
For one thing, overnight oats are really easy to make. If you are like us, time is at a premium in the mornings. We are headed off to work and get the kids to school. But, I will want everyone to eat healthy too.
This recipe adds extra protein into a carb-heavy meal. One of my health goals has been to get in more protein. Adding in the protein powder is a great way to do this.
This is awesome meal prep. You can double or triple this recipe and be ready to go for the week.
Another thing to love is this recipe has no refined sugar. I opted to use maple syrup, but you can also use honey or agave syrup instead if you like.
Ingredients
- Rolled oats- these need to be regular rolled oats. If you use quick-cook oats they turn into mush.
- Chia seeds- these are great as a thickener. Chia seeds are also full of nutrients such as protein, fiber, and antioxidants.
- Milk- I used almond milk for mine, but you can use any milk that you prefer.
- Vanilla Protein Powder- We use Domination Protein Powder as that is what the owner of the gym we go to recommends. There are a lot of types of protein powder out there, use whatever you like.
- Maple syrup- you can use any sweetener you like, but I was going for refined sugar-free and decided to use maple syrup.
- Fruit- I used strawberries and blueberries, but you can use whatever you like. or you can skip them altogether and add in extra nuts and seeds.
How To Make
- Heat up your milk. I put mine in a microwave-safe jar and put it into the microwave for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the heated milk over the oats, protein powder, and chia seeds.
- Mix well.
- Cover quickly with saran wrap and let sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Move to the fridge and let sit overnight.
- In the morning, mix a little more milk and maple syrup to get the consistency you want.
- Layer with fruit or whatever else you like to add-in.
What Makes This Recipe Different?
While I like the idea of overnight oats, I actually don't like the texture of them. I mean, it's just oats soaked in milk. So, I do something a little different with my recipe.
Instead of adding cold milk to the oats and leaving them to sit overnight in the fridge, I heat my milk until it is warm and pour it into the oats with a few chia seeds. This will soften your oats a lot more than the regular method, and the chia seeds help to thicken them up.
Then of course the protein powder is an added extra benefit as well. Oatmeal is a carb-heavy meal, but adding in the extra protein helps to balance this out.
I promise once you try this recipe, you will be surprised just how good it is!
Notes
- It is very important that you use regular oats in this recipe. Quick-cooking and steel-cut oats will not work. The quick-cooking oats will turn to mush and the steel-cut oats won't soften enough overnight.
- I used strawberries and blueberries in these photos, but know you can use whatever fruit you like. Or if you want to skip the fruit, add in extra nuts and seeds. I love using pepitas and unsweetened coconut to mine too.
- Many people have really strong preferences of what type of protein powder they use. I used Domination, but use whatever you prefer and have access to.
- These oats are best if you let them sit overnight, for around 8-10 hours. You can heat them in the morning if you'd like, but I prefer mine cold.
FAQ
No, you don't necessarily need to use chia seeds in this recipe. I love to use them for the health benefits, but also because it thickens the oats and makes the consistency perfect in my opinion.
Just about anything you can imagine. I used the almond milk, but you can also use any kind of cow's milk, goat's milk, or plant-based milk that you prefer.
These oats hold well in the fridge for 5-6 days. It makes a great meal prep!
Overnight Oats with Protein Powder
Ingredients
- 2 cups regular oats
- 1 ½ tablespoons chia seeds
- 3 cups milk of choice
- 2-3 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1-2 cups fruit of choice
- maple syrup or other sweetner of choice. I left the measurement here blank. It is up to you how sweet you like it. I used about 3 tablespoons.
Instructions
- Add oats and chia seeds to a bowl.
- Heat milk in microwave safe bowl until heated but not boiling. Mine took about 2 minutes.
- Pour the milk over the oats, protein powder, and chia seeds. Then, mix to combine.
- Cover the oats with saran wrap and leave them at room temp for about 10 minutes.
- Move them to the fridge and let them sit overnight.
- Mix oats. Add in maple syrup and more milk as needed. Mix again and taste for sweetness.
- Layer the oats with your fruits if you are using them, or other nuts and berries.
Notes
- It is very important that you use regular oats in this recipe. Quick-cooking and steel-cut oats will not work. The quick-cooking oats will turn to mush and the steel-cut oats won't soften enough overnight.
- I used strawberries and blueberries in these photos, but know you can use whatever fruit you like. Or if you want to skip the fruit, add in extra nuts and seeds. I love using pepitas and unsweetened coconut to mine too.
- Many people have really strong preferences of what type of protein powder they use. I used Domination, but use whatever you prefer and have access to.
- These oats are best if you let them sit overnight, for around 8-10 hours. You can heat them in the morning if you'd like, but I prefer mine cold.
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