High Protein Overnight Oats (vegan!)

Start your day energized, feeling full and ready to go! These yummy high protein overnight oats combine rolled oats, hemp hearts and chia seeds, plant-based milk and natural peanut butter. They’re made without protein powder yet pack in a whopping 27 grams of plant-based protein! This breakfast recipe is vegan, gluten free, and I’ve shared a low FODMAP option too!

All the oatmeal hate on the internet is SO weird. As a dietitian, I gotta tell you that oatmeal really is the breakfast of champions: affordable, easy to prepare, and so so good for you…and if you try my scrumptious apple pie oats, I promise you’ll never say oats are boring again!!

…but what if it’s too hot out to eat a warm breakfast? 

…or what if your mornings are chaos, and you don’t have time to cook oats?

I get it: I’ve got two kids so my mornings look nothing like those influencers who rise gently with the sun to do their journaling and recite affirmations while they cook breakfast. Until recently, my mornings started with one or both of my children either A) jumping on me while I tried to ignore them sleep or B) literally poking me in the head.

It was only after I managed to get them out of the house and stumble to my desk, still in my pyjamas to start work, that I realized (sometimes) I had forgotten to feed myself! Which is why I’m deeply committed to overnight oats, which I have to admit, I probably eat more often than warm oatmeal because it requires zero morning thought. 

BONUS: you can make it taste like dessert, like my unbelievable tiramisu overnight oats.

Overnight oats are not a new invention: the Swiss have been eating a soaked oats called bircher muesli for over a hundred years (curious? try the cinnamon oranger bircher in Good For Your Gut cookbook YUM)

Grab your ingredients for these high protein overnight oats

Make these high protein (27 grams!!) overnight oats with just 9 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, like oats and peanut butter. And NO protein powder, so they’re more affordable! Plus they’re high in gentle soluble fibre and give you 100% of your daily omega 3 requirement to help you feel full.

If your breakfast isn’t keeping you full, remember this magic trio: protein, fiber and fat. The soy milk, peanut butter, hemp hearts and oats help to slow down the rate at which your food is digested and absorbed, helping to create a slow and steady rise in blood sugars, which keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer.

FAQ: What is the best type of oats for overnight oats?

You can make overnight oats out of ANY oat, but in my opinion, the best oats for an overnight oats recipe are traditional rolled oats. Quick oats work, but they are a bit mushier and I like the texture of rolled oats here. If you have quick oats on hand, 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 make steel cut overnight oats but you want to make them at least 24 hours in advance or better yet, do a hot soak.

Make these filling high protein overnight oats your own

• I highly recommend adding the apple in the morning, so it is fresh and crisp. No time for that? Here’s a hack to help prevent browning: when you dice the apple, toss it in a teaspoon of lemon juice, which helps to stop the browning reaction.
• Gluten free? Make sure you buy GF certified oats and hemp hearts. Nut free? Use sunflower seed butter or tahini.
• Low FODMAP? Swap out high FODMAP soy milk for almond or macadamia and use a low FODMAP fruit like strawberries. You’ll still get 19 grams protein here! 
• Looking for more crunch? Add some chopped nuts!

More high protein vegan breakfast ideas

• 5 Minute Brownie Batter Overnight Oats (20g!)
• Crumbled Tofu Breakfast Skillet (low FODMAP)
• Protein Packed Black Forest Overnight Oats (20g!)
• Cherry Beet Power Smoothie (23g)
• Creamy Snickers Tofu Smoothie (37g!)