5 Minute Tiramisu Overnight Oats

These just might be the most delicious tiramisu overnight oats you’ll ever make! I use instant coffee in this Tiktok-famous recipe for a rich coffee flavour that tastes a lot more like the classic dessert. Low in sugar, vegan, with plenty of protein from hemp hearts – not protein powder – this is one make-ahead breakfast you’ll look forward to eating.

Tiramisu is my absolute favourite dessert: I am serious about it in all its creamy, coffee goodness so if I am making a tiramisu overnight oats, it better taste like the real thing! 

As a dietitian, I love overnight oats because it’s a quick, nourishing, make-ahead vegan breakfast that keeps you feeling energized for hours. So often, people are either too busy to make or eat breakfast when they wake up, so overnight oats are a great grab-and-go breakfast so as soon as you get a minute, you can eat!

Honestly, it happens to me too. Before I had kids, I could not imagine not eating breakfast right away but now, I often don’t sit down to eat until the kids are off to school so having these tiramisu overnight oats in the fridge means I can eat and get on with my day.

But real talk: if you want to keep it interesting, you’ve got to switch up the flavours once in a while! Sometimes I crave my blackberry pie overnight oats. Other times, I want the muesli-like texture of my high protein overnight oats. 

So when I saw this plant-based recipe all over my social feeds, I knew I had to get the flavours just right so you actually feel like you’re eating a tiramisu…not just some bland coffee-flavoured oats.

These tiramisu overnight oats are the perfect breakfast: they take just 5 minutes to make from a few basic ingredients. They’re naturally vegan, gluten free and even low FODMAP for my IBS buddies…and if you are looking for more gut-friendly recipes, be sure to pick up a copy of Good For Your Gut cookbook. I poured over a decade of experience into the educational section of the book and there are over 90 recipes designed to help you protect, heal or soothe your gut, deliciously!

Grab your ingredients for these nourishing tiramisu overnight oats

You’ll need just 8 ingredients – most of which you already have in your pantry, like vanilla – to make these creamy, flavourful vegan overnight oats. 

• Plant-based milk: Use your favourite unsweetened plant-based milk here; if you are looking to boost the protein, I recommend using either soy milk or my 3 minute homemade hemp seed milk!
• Rolled oats: oats are such a nutritious whole grain; packed with soluble beta-glucan fibre, and plenty of vitamins and minerals like iron. Rolled oats have the best texture for overnight oats.
• Hemp hearts: these are optional, but adding 3 tablespoons of hemp hearts packs 10 grams of plant-based protein, which when combined with a high protein plant milk and the oats, means this recipe rings in at about 18 grams of protein!
• Cocoa powder: cocoa powder is essential for creating a rich, complex flavour in the oats as I find that coffee alone doesn’t do it.
• Vanilla extract: adds the sensation of sweetness and makes these oats taste like dessert
• Instant coffee: I find that this is more convenient than having to brew coffee…but it also makes for a much richer flavour than brewed coffee in my opinion! I used Nescafe Bold Decaf instant coffee but if you want the jolt of caffeine, go for it!
• Maple syrup: I like my oats not so sweet, but you go ahead and sweeten to taste! You can totally use sugar for a more affordable option.
• Creamy vegan vanilla yogurt: The tang of yogurt makes these oats taste like you used mascarpone cheese SO much! I used Yoggu vanilla which I love because it is super creamy and has very little sugar. If you have a yummy vanilla Greek-style yogurt, that will up the protein even more. Be sure to taste your yogurt before you use it. If you don’t love it, you can doctor it up with a bit of extra vanilla extract or maybe coconut cream.

FAQ: What are the best kind of oats to use for overnight oats?

In my opinion, the best oats for an overnight oats recipe are traditional rolled oats. They retain more texture in the soaking process than quick oats…although quick oats will absolutely work too. I recommend if you have quick oats on hand, you use a heaping measurement. So for this recipe, use a heaping ⅓ cup instead of a level ⅓ cup.

Steel cut oats take a really long time to soak; you can totally make steel cut overnight oats but you want to make them at least 24 hours in advance or better yet, do a hot soak.

How to make tiramisu overnight oats, step by step

Got 5 minutes? Then you can make these nourishing tiramisu overnight oats…your tomorrow self will thank you! It’s so so easy….here’s what to do.

Mix the dry ingredients: In a liquid measuring cup – or directly in a mason jar – mix the oats, cocoa powder, instant coffee and hemp hearts if using. I use a lot of cocoa in this recipe, and I find it blends easier if you mix the dry ingredients together first.

Then, just add the liquid ingredients (except yogurt), stir and refrigerate! The oats will soften and become more digestible overnight as they soak. The next morning, just top with yogurt and go! Yes, you can also just add the yogurt the night before but you won’t have the cute layer.

Tips, Tricks and Substitutions

• For the best results, you want to soak your overnight oats at least 8 hours. So make them before bed! They will last for 3-4 days easily, so feel free to make multiple servings in one batch.
• Want to make these look cute for brunch guests? Layer them! If you’re making them as a starter, I recommend using the hemp hearts and making 1 serving for two people. Make as usual, then, in small ½ cup jars, layer a spoonful of oats with a spoonful of yogurt. Add another layer of oats and yogurt, then sprinkle cocoa powder on top, just like a real tiramisu!
• Heads up for my low FODMAP folks – hemp, almond and macadamia milk are low FODMAP.
• Don’t have instant coffee? Use homemade espresso. Just pour a shot of espresso into a ½ cup measure, then top off with your plant-based milk to keep the proportions the same.

FAQ: What type of overnight oats won’t spike blood sugar? 

This tiramisu overnight oats recipe is a great whole grain breakfast to help keep your blood sugars balanced. Here’s why: 

• It contains a moderate portion of oats: Oats are a wonderful blood sugar stabilizing whole grain as they contain slow burn (lower glycemic) carbs and soluble fibre.
• It contains protein-rich hemp hearts: hemp hearts contain 10 grams of plant-based protein per 3 tablespoons in addition to essential omega 3 fatty acids. Protein and healthy fats help slow the digestion and absorption of a meal to further moderate blood sugar rise.
• It is low in added sugars: this recipe is so flavourful, it doesn’t need much sugar to be delicious! 

As a dietitian, I am seeing a lot of misinformation out there these days about whole grains and blood sugars. Certain people on the internet are showing these graphs of “blood sugar spikes” and tell you that any rise in blood sugar is bad…when in fact, it’s exactly how our bodies are meant to work! 

You are designed to run on carbohydrates. Your blood sugars are meant to rise. And the glycemic index of a single food is not a good indicator of your blood sugar response! Why? Because the combination of fat, protein, fibre and acid in a meal will alter how quickly the meal is digested….COMPLETELY changing your blood sugar response.

Phew! Dietitian rant over…and yes, these overnight oats are a GREAT option for stable blood sugars.

More Quick + Easy Vegan Breakfasts

• High Protein Overnight Oats (vegan!)
• Easy Protein-Packed Chickpea Scramble
• 5-Minute Blackberry Pie Overnight Oats
• Turmeric Ginger Smoothie with Greens
• High Fiber Steel Cut Overnight Oats