Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

This chocolate peanut butter overnight oats recipe is easy to make and great for meal planning.  Soaking the oats in milk softens them up and creates a creamy consistency.  It’s a no-cook method to enjoy a cold breakfast.  

The oat recipe is simple and utilizes that delectable combination of chocolate and peanut butter.  It uses just 6 simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. They’re great for school mornings!  Just grab one out of the refrigerator, add some fruit on the side, and now you have a very filling breakfast for yourself or your kids. 

They’re not just great for busy mornings, but they also work well as a snack or a not-so-sweet dessert. This overnight oats recipe is actually what made my son like oats.  Before, he didn’t care for oatmeal no matter how it was made.  All I had to do was add cocoa powder and peanut butter and now he’s a fan.

I add maple syrup for a touch of sweetness because the cocoa powder doesn’t have any sweetener in it (which I love).  As for the peanut butter, well peanut butter makes everything delicious.

Substitutions

• The peanut butter can be substituted with almond butter, or sunflower butter for a nut-free version.
• The maple syrup can be substituted with agave syrup.
• The ground flaxseed can be substituted with ground chia seeds.  If you leave them out the overnight oats won’t be as thick.  

Tips

• If one portion is too small then increase the oats to however much you want and increase the milk by the same amount.  Instead of one portion being ½ cup oats and ½ cup milk, try ⅔ cup oats and ⅔ cup milk if you need more calories. Then increase the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
• I prefer an overnight oats ratio of 1:1 for oats and dairy-free milk, but if you prefer a thinner consistency then add a splash of milk before serving. For this particular recipe the cocoa powder soaks up more milk, so I add an additional tablespoon of dairy-free milk while making it.
• You can add the tablespoon of milk the next day if you're unsure of how thin or thick you like your oats.
• Depending on how sweet you like your oats, try 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup. 
• Make sure to use ground flax seeds, whole seeds may pass through you undigested, which means you won’t reap all of the benefits from them.

Storage for Overnight Oats

They don’t have to be made in jars, use any kind of container with a lid.  The oats don’t contain fruit so they will last in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  So enough can be made at one time for the school/work week.

Multiple servings can be made and mixed together, then stored together.  The next morning scoop out your desired portion size.  Another option is prepare each individual servings in its own individual container.

Topping Ideas

• Bananas
• Chopped nuts
• Cocoa nibs
• Vegan chocolate chips
• Sliced strawberries
• Granola
• Raisins

More Vegan Overnight Oat Recipes

• Simple Overnight Oats
• Mango Overnight Oats
• Pumpkin Overnight Oats
• Strawberry Overnight Oats
• Cherry Overnight Oats

As always, I hope you enjoy this recipe for healthy vegan chocolate peanut butter overnight oats!

Originally published on October 2, 2018, updated on April 14, 2021.

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