Chocolate Overnight Oats

Chocolate Overnight Oats are a perfectly sweet and decadent breakfast recipe that you can throw together in minutes!

With just a handful of healthy ingredients, these chocolate oats are both delicious and good for you.

All over the world, people are enjoying oats and other grains for breakfast. This is because hearty oatmeal and other types of porridge are full of carbohydrates to jump-start your day, and fiber to keep you full all morning long.

There are a million ways to make and enjoy oatmeal, but my favorite is this easy recipe for overnight oats that is chocolatey and sweet.

Chocolate Overnight Oats take less than five minutes to mix up in the evening, and they’ll be ready for you to enjoy when you wake up the next morning.

This recipe makes enough to serve two people, and it’s easy to adjust to make a single serving or multiple servings if you need to.

For more filling breakfast grains, try my Berry Quinoa Porridge, or learn how to cook Buckwheat Porridge (aka Kasha).

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. No Cooking Required– The beauty of overnight oats is that you don’t need to cook them. To make this recipe, you simply need to mix the ingredients up in a jar and put the jar in the fridge!
2. Rich Chocolate Flavor– I love a bit of chocolate in the morning, and I hope you do too. Cocoa powder gives this overnight oats recipe a decadence that will put a huge smile on your face as soon as you taste it.
3. Versatile Recipe – Overnight oats recipes like this one are very forgiving. You can add or remove ingredients, play with flavors and mix-ins, or make more or less oatmeal depending on what you like.

Ingredients In Chocolate Overnight Oats

Here’s what you need to make this easy overnight breakfast treat:

• Oats: The best type of oats for overnight oats are the ones labeled “Old-fashioned” Use rolled oats rather than steel-cut or instant oats for this recipe.
• Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are a healthy superfood, and they make this oatmeal extra thick and yummy.
• Cocoa Powder: Use your favorite unsweetened cocoa powder to give your oats a decadent flavor. If you really love chocolate, add in some miniature chocolate chips too!
• Milk: Any type of milk works to make overnight oats. I typically use oat milk for mine, but you can use regular milk, almond milk, or coconut milk as well. For a real treat, learn how to make your own creamy cashew milk!
• Maple syrup, salt, and vanilla extract: These work together to enhance the flavor of the cocoa and add a bit of natural sweetness.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Chocolate Overnight Oats

1. Combine the Ingredients: Using either a medium mixing bowl or two mason jars, combine the rolled oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix well. Then add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and stir again until well combined.

1. Refrigerate: When the oats are mixed up, cover the bowl or seal the jars, and place in the refrigerator for at least four hours, or overnight.

Recipe Tips

• To make a single serving, halve all of the ingredients. 
• You can also double the recipe to make breakfast for the whole family, or to have a jar of chocolate overnight oats ready for the next 4 days! 
• The ratio of oats to milk in this recipe is perfect, based on many, many tests, but if you like your oatmeal runnier, you can add an extra splash of milk before eating them. 
• Instead of mixing up the oats in a bowl, add the ingredients to 1 or 2 jars, cover tightly, and shake to combine. 
• I like to eat my overnight oats the next morning, but you can keep this recipe in the fridge for a few days before eating it. At a certain point, the oats won’t absorb any more of the liquid and will stay at the perfect texture.
• To make this recipe gluten-free, be sure that you buy oats that are labeled as such. While oats don’t contain gluten, they are often contaminated with wheat during the growing process if special protocols aren’t followed.

Storing Tips

You can make overnight oats ahead of time! Once mixed, you can store jars of overnight oats in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

This means that you can potentially make multiple servings on the weekend, and have breakfast ready to go all week long.

What To Serve With Overnight Oats

Make these chocolatey oats part of a delicious balanced and healthy breakfast by pairing them with some of my other easy breakfast recipes.

If you want a really excellent cup of coffee, learn how to make coffee with a French Press, or coffee in a Moka pot.

Enjoy your chocolate oatmeal with fresh fruit. I especially love this recipe with strawberries or raspberries. You might also enjoy my Mexican Fruit Salad with a kick of lime chili seasoning.

Prefer something a bit heartier in the morning? Try Scrambled Eggs with Cottage Cheese, Bisquick Breakfast Casserole, or a Bagel Breakfast Sandwich.

Recipe FAQs

If you love chocolate for breakfast, you have to try these easy Chocolate Overnight Oats! Add a handful of chocolate chips to make yours extra sweet.