Chocolate overnight oats are rich, healthy, and tastes like brownie batter! Chocolate oatmeal will be your new favorite breakfast in a jar!
If you’re looking for a filling, healthy, whole ingredient breakfast that’s easy to make ahead of time and requires zero cooking, I have the perfect recipe for you!
Chocolate overnight oats are going to be your new favorite, go-to breakfast! They are super chocolatey, perfect for any sweet tooth. And my toddler absolutely loves them, too! Plus, they only take 5 minutes to throw together on a weeknight. So incredibly easy!
I am completely regretting not trying chocolate oatmeal sooner. What’s not to love about dessert for breakfast?

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What do chocolate overnight oats taste like?
Chocolate overnight oats are sweet, rich, decadent, and taste like dessert for breakfast! They’re super chocolatey with little bites of chocolate chips mixed right in.
You can serve them warm or cold, whichever you prefer. They’re delicious either way!
Ingredients
Old fashioned rolled oats – The main ingredient in overnight oats, old fashioned rolled oats are the perfect texture after being soaked in milk all night. They don’t get mushy but they absorb a lot of the moisture!
Almond milk – Chocolate overnight oats need liquid in order to set right and make the oats soft, so don’t skip this ingredient!
Maple syrup – Pure maple syrup is a healthy sweetener and is really very mild. Your healthy chocolate overnight oats won’t taste anything like maple syrup, I promise.
Chia seeds – Chia seeds add a nice texture to overnight oats, make them a little more filling and add some healthy fats, too.
Vanilla extract – I love the way vanilla extract adds another depth of flavor to these cocoa overnight oats, and it’s so easy to throw a dash in!
Cocoa powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder is the way to go for this recipe, and two teaspoons is just the right amount to add tons of chocolate flavor without being too bitter.
Peanut butter – Adding some peanut butter definitely makes the flavor taste a little more like chocolate peanut butter overnight oats, but the flavor is subtle and pretty overpowered by all the chocolate!
Protein powder – A completely optional ingredient, but protein powder does make these more filling and depending on the protein powder you use, can add some more flavor and sweetness, too.
Chocolate chips – There’s nothing like biting into a few chocolate chips while eating breakfast that can make your day seem a little brighter. Chocolate chips contribute to that brownie batter flavor, and make these a little more like chocolate chip overnight oats!
Substitutions
Almond milk – These healthy overnight oats call for unsweetened almond milk because it’s low in calories and healthy, but you can use any plant-based or dairy milk you’d like!
Maple syrup – Any liquid sweetener like honey or agave will work perfectly in this healthy overnight oats recipe. However, they may alter the taste slightly.
Chia seeds – A totally optional ingredient, you can use ground flaxseed in its place if you want to omit the chia seeds.
Vanilla extract – This is also an optional ingredient, so if you want to omit it, you can!
Peanut butter – Any nut or seed butter will work great in chocolate overnight oats. Almond butter, sunflower butter, and cashew butter all work great!
Protein powder – Plant-based or whey protein powder is the way to go if you want to add some to your cocoa overnight oats. I would recommend vanilla or chocolate flavored for best results!
Chocolate chips – Semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, cocoa nibs, and peanut butter chips are all great options for this recipe. If you want to make these completely vegan, make sure to use vegan chocolate chips.
Instructions
- In a pint-sized jar, add all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Stir until everything is well-combined. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Optional: Mix in a scoop of protein powder before you refrigerate the oats to make them extra filling and protein-packed!
- After at least 8 hours, add chocolate chips on top or stir them in when ready to eat. Serve warm or cold!
Tips & FAQ
No, you don’t, it just makes everything so convenient! Any pint-sized container will work, or you could even double, triple, or quadruple the batch and divide it up later!
Yes, they are! Oats are full of fiber and complex carbohydrates, making them great for overall health! Making them with natural, whole ingredients keeps them as healthy, and as tasty as possible!
Nutritional Info
I love these overnight oats because not only do they taste like brownie batter, but they are healthy, too!
They are full of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and are fairly low in sodium, too! If you choose to add protein powder as well, that increases the calories but it also increases how full you’ll feel after eating them!
The nutritional information I calculated below includes the protein powder and the chocolate chips, so not using those in your chocolate peanut butter overnight oats will alter the nutritional content to be less protein and calories especially.
Total nutritional content per serving (including protein powder and chocolate chips) is:
- Calories: 541 calories
- Protein: 32 grams
- Total Fat: 21 grams
- Sodium: 223 mg
- Carbohydrates: 63 grams
- Fiber: 14 grams
*This nutritional information is an estimate and calculated based on the ingredients used to create the recipe. The nutritional value of your ingredients may differ slightly. Furthermore, this food is not intended to prevent, diagnose, cure, or treat any disease.
Pricing Info
This is what I personally paid to make this recipe:
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats: $0.08
- ¾ cup almond milk: $0.27
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup: $0.12
- 1 tbsp chia seeds: $0.10
- 1 tsp vanilla extract: $0.26
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder: $0.04
- 1 tbsp peanut butter: $0.09
- 1 scoop protein powder: $0.45
- 1 tbsp chocolate chips: $0.09
The total comes out to be around $1.50, which is an incredibly cheap make-ahead breakfast!
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Recipe
Chocolate Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- ½ cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup almond milk or milk of choice
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp peanut butter or other nut butter
- 1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder (optional)
- 1 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- In a pint-sized jar, add all ingredients except the chocolate chips. Stir until everything is well-combined. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- Optional: Mix in a scoop of protein powder before you refrigerate the oats to make them extra filling and protein-packed!
- After at least 8 hours, add chocolate chips on top or stir them in when ready to eat. Serve warm or cold!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Healthy chocolate overnight oats are easy and fast to make, and make the perfect chocolate breakfast on the go!
xoxo Megan
Super idea! I used Dark Chocolate shavings and added Pea Isolate for a protein punch. Also, added a half of a small banana. This made for a very tasty, satisfying, and nutrient-rich brunch item!
That sounds sooo good! I’m glad you loved it Nikki 🙂