These vanilla protein powder overnight oats recipes make for a healthy, delicious, and easy make-ahead breakfast that’s perfect for meal prep! The overnight oatmeal is made with protein powder and includes a variety of different flavours that can be prepped in mason jars for a high protein and convenient grab and go option! Free printable chalkboard labels included for all six delicious flavours {Gluten-free & vegan-friendly}.
If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I LOVE oats. I love the taste, the texture, the health benefits and their versatility. It’s even better when they contain a dose of protein like these healthy protein overnight oats!
These mason jar overnight oats with protein powder contain simple ingredients and are the perfect delicious and satisfying make-ahead option.
The best part is, they’re shelf-stable, perfectly measured out and portion-controlled with lots of different options for flavours, so it never gets boring!
All that you have to do is add one cup of preferred milk to the jar and allow it to soak for at least four hours or overnight. Then first thing the next morning, you’ll wake up to six delicious and creamy overnight oats to choose from. No preparation required!
It’s like instant oatmeal, only so much healthier, because you control EXACTLY what goes into each flavoured jar.
The perfect quick and easy high-protein breakfast for those crazy busy mornings!
If you’re a fan of this protein powder recipe, then you’ll love this Macro-friendly Oatmeal, these Banana Protein Pancakes and Chocolate Protein Pancakes too!
Table of Contents
Why we love these healthy overnight oats recipes
- Great for meal prep: You can make up as many of the flavours as you choose and have a variety of grab and go breakfasts for weeks! They’re an especially great option for the warmer summer months when you want to avoid eating a hot breakfast.
- Protein packed: There are about 27 grams of protein in each serving for a satisfying start to the day. Such an easy way to sneak in some extra protein!
- Satisfying: Oats are a source of whole grains, and along with the chia seeds, are a good source of soluble fibre which can help make you feel full for longer and also contain cholesterol-lowering properties. The add-ins like nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate are also a good source of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fibre. Not to mention, they add a nice flavour and texture to each bite!
- The perfect edible gift: Similar to soup in a jar, these oats in a jar would make such a perfect gift for the holidays (or anytime of year!) because it’s so practical and shelf-stable. Really, who doesn’t want to receive breakfast in a jar? It’s basically the gift that keeps on giving.
Flavours for Overnight Oats
I created six different flavours for variety, including:
- Chocolate
- Pecan Pie
- Cranberry Almond
- Pina Colada
- Apple Pie
- Cookie Dough
Feel free to add your own unique spin with all of your favourite flavours!
How to use mason jar overnight oats
As I was adding all of the ingredients to the jars, I was brainstorming all the ways to put these mason jar overnight oats to use.
This is what I came up with:
- A quick and healthy breakfast for you and your family.
- A shelf-stable breakfast (or any meal!) for travelling, staying overnight in a hotel and road trips if you’re trying to stay on track with your healthy eating. Just add milk or water when you’re ready to eat!
- As a gift! You can make the jars and wrap them up weeks in advance without worrying about them spoiling.
Such a delicious way to help you (and others) stay on track with their healthy eating goals!
How to make overnight oats with protein powder
- Combine all dry ingredients in mason jars with lids (see recipes for each flavour below).
- When ready to serve, pour in one cup of preferred milk, or more if desired (can use regular or milk alternative such as almond milk, or even hot water if you don’t have access to milk – like in a hotel room).
- Stir or secure the lid on and shake so that all ingredients are incorporated together.
- Allow mixture to soak in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve the overnight oats cold, warm or at room temperature!
- Serve with additional milk, fresh fruit or other toppings, if desired.
If making these oatmeal meal prep jars as gifts:
- Layer ingredients in the glass jars, without stirring so that you can see the different layers. It just looks more fancy that way!
- Download and print the chalkboard label for each flavour (you can download them at the end of the post) and cut out each label around the outer edge if using them as a regular tag or around the dotted line if securing them onto the lid. These labels are just the right size for the lids of these 16 oz wide mouth mason jars.
- If securing onto lid (as shown below), remove inner circle of mason jar lid. Place circular chalkboard label in middle of each circle (you can secure with double-sided tape, if desired) and place circular lid on opening of each jar.
- Secure by screwing the outer rim of lid onto the jar.
- Tie a pretty ribbon around the lid of each jar for an extra special touch!
And it’s as easy as that!
Recipe Notes:
- I chose to incorporate a bit of vegan vanilla protein powder (my favourite is Genuine Health Vegan Fermented Vanilla protein powder) to increase the protein content, but you can also use a vanilla whey protein powder if preferred.
- Since we’re trying to keep these jars shelf-stable for gifts/traveling, I opted to go with protein powder to increase the protein content, but you could always incorporate skim milk powder, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese when ready to serve (along with the milk) if you can do dairy.
- The vanilla protein powder also adds a bit of extra sweetness so no added sugar is required. If you find that you do require some additional sweetness, you can add a bit of honey, maple syrup, date syrup or other desired sweetener.
- You can print and add these cute printable chalkboard labels to the jars if you’re giving it as a gift, or even if you’re just making the recipes for yourself. Just because it’s chalkboard, and fun to look at, and will also help you remember which flavour is which. I made them to fit these 16 oz mason jars, but you could try trimming them down to fit other sized mason jars as well.
Recipe FAQs
Quick or instant oats can be used instead of the rolled or old-fashioned oats, but the oats will have a less chewy texture. I wouldn’t recommend using steel cut oats for overnight oats since they have a different consistency and will be too tough to chew.
For these oatmeal jars, I used 16 oz jars and they worked perfectly. You could also try 8 oz jars and they should do the trick as well.
The best type of protein powder for overnight oats is one that you actually enjoy since it will impact the taste of the oatmeal. You can use your favourite type of vanilla whey or vegan protein powder.
There are lots of options for making overnight oats beyond mason jars. If you don’t want to do the jars, you can also make the overnight oats in small containers or a bowl covered with saran wrap as well.
Overnight oats can be a great option if your overall goal is to lose weight since oats are a source of soluble fibre which can help keep you feeling full for longer. Also, all of the ingredients for overnight oats are measured out ahead of time, making it a great portion-controlled option.
Furthermore, since you can prep the recipes ahead of time, you’ll have a number of healthy overnight oats recipes waiting for you, which can help prevent you from grabbing for less healthy convenience options. Just be mindful of portions and any additional toppings that you choose to add to keep portions and overall caloric intake in check.
Storage Guidelines
Just dry ingredients: You can store the overnight oats without the milk added in a mason jar or airtight container for up to 6 months out of direct sunlight.
With milk added: For best results, you can store the finished oats with the milk added in the fridge for up to 4-5 days in a jar or airtight container.
Nutrition Tip: I always recommend trying to get some protein at each meal of the day to ensure that you maintain that feeling of fullness and also support the development and maintenance of lean muscle, which keeps that metabolism revved up.
Whether your goal is bodybuilding, weight loss, or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, these protein overnight oats are the perfect way add some extra protein in at breakfast or snack time!
Serving suggestions + optional toppings
You can eat these protein overnight oats cold, warm or at room temperature. If you want to warm them up, heat them for 30-60 seconds in the microwave after the oats have soaked.
Feel free to add on some additional toppings when ready to serve as well.
Try out any or a combination of the following toppings:
- Fruit like banana or fresh berries
- Chopped nuts
- Drizzle of peanut butter or almond butter
- Sprinkle of coconut flakes
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- Greek yogurt
- Hemp hearts
- Chocolate chips
- Jam (try this strawberry chia jam)!
Recipe variations
- Add extra flavour: Feel free to add some vanilla extract, cinnamon, a pinch of salt to incorporate even more flavour into these protein oats.
- Add fresh fruit: If you don’t require these oatmeal jars to be shelf-stable, you can always add fresh fruit instead of dried. For example, use fresh apple, pineapple or mango in the recipes that called for dried or add in some fresh banana slices or berries to any of the recipes.
- To make the overnight oats thicker: Decrease the amount of milk.
- Give it a chocolate twist: Try subbing in chocolate protein powder instead of vanilla or add in a sprinkle of cocoa powder for a chocolate base.
- To make vegan: Use a vegan vanilla protein powder and use a plant-based non-dairy milk alternative, such as almond, soy, coconut milk or oat milk.
- Other sources of protein: If you don’t want to add protein powder but still want some extra protein in your oats, you can also add about 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese to the overnight oats. Nut butters like peanut butter, almond butter and hemp hearts are some plant-based sources of protein that you could add if you wish to skip the protein powder. You may wish to add a bit of desired sweetener to the oats if you skip the vanilla protein powder.
Below you’ll find all six recipes so that you can make these oatmeal jars yourself whenever your heart desires.
If you’d like the recipes in printable format, you can download my overnight oat recipe cheat sheet at the end of the post!
Here are six fun, delicious and easy recipes to try out:
Protein Overnight Oats Recipes
1. Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup preferred milk
2. Pecan Pie Overnight Oats
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup preferred milk
3. Cranberry Almond Overnight Oats
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup preferred milk
4. Pina Colada Overnight Oats
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried pineapple (can also use dried mango)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup preferred milk
5. Apple Pie Overnight Oats
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried apple
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts or pecans
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup preferred milk
6. Cookie Dough Overnight Oats
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons dry peanut butter powder (I used PB2)
- 2 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup preferred milk
Scroll down to the recipe card to print out all of the protein overnight oat recipes or grab the cheatsheet here! You can also grab the free printable chalkboard labels here!
More healthy oatmeal recipes
- Birthday Cake Overnight Oats
- Blueberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats
- Tropical Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Cherry Overnight Oats
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oats
- Peach Pie Overnight Oats
- Creamy Oatmeal
Did you make these recipes? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Vanilla Protein Powder Overnight Oats {6 Easy Recipes}
Ingredients
Chocolate Protein Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative
Pecan Pie Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 dates pitted and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative
Cranberry Almond Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative
Tropical Protein Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried pineapple can also use dried mango
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative
Apple Pie Protein Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons chopped dried apple
- 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative
Cookie Dough Overnight Oats
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons dry powdered peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup milk or milk alternative
Instructions
- Combine all dry ingredients in mason jars with lids.
- When ready to serve, pour in one cup of preferred milk, or more if desired (can use regular or milk alternative such as almond milk, or even hot water if you don’t have access to milk – like in a hotel room).
- Stir or secure the lid on and shake so that all ingredients are incorporated together.Allow mixture to soak in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve the overnight oats cold, warm or at room temperature!
- Serve with additional milk, fruit or toppings if desired.
Notes
- The nutritional facts are calculated based on the base of the recipe (the oats, protein powder, chia seeds and skim milk). The extra add-ins have not been calculated, but you can add these using a tool like my fitnesspal to calculate the total nutritional facts for each recipe.
- I chose to incorporate a bit of vegan vanilla protein powder (my favourite is Sunwarrior Vanilla or Genuine Health Vegan Fermented Vanilla protein powder) to increase the protein content, but you can also use a vanilla whey protein powder if preferred.
- Since we’re trying to keep these jars shelf-stable for gifts/traveling, I opted to go with protein powder to increase the protein content, but you could always incorporate skim milk powder, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese when ready to serve (along with the milk) if you can do dairy.
- The vanilla protein powder also adds a bit of extra sweetness so no added sugar is required. If you find that you do require some additional sweetness, you can add a bit of honey, maple syrup, date syrup or other desired sweetener.
- You can print and add these cute printable chalkboard labels to the jars if you’re giving it as a gift, or even if you’re just making the recipes for yourself. Just because it’s chalkboard, and fun to look at, and will also help you remember which flavour is which. I made them to fit these 16 oz mason jars, but you could try trimming them down to fit other sized mason jars as well.
Nutrition
These recipes were originally posted in September 2018 and was updated March 2022 to include more helpful tips and photos.
This has become my go to recipe for overnight oats. It’s easy and delicious. My favorite is the chocolate chip cookie dough. I make some with a tablespoon of special dark cocoa powder and add several lightly salted roasted almonds for crunch. I don’t get hungry before lunch. Tides me over til early afternoon when I’m late eating lunch.
I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the overnight oats and that they’ve been keeping you satisfied until lunch! Love the idea of adding the cocoa powder and roasted almonds too…yum! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a rating and review :)
Love this, thank you for sharing! Can i use quick oats instead of rolled oats?
My pleasure :) Yes, you can definitely sub in quick oats instead of rolled. I’ve tried both options and it works both ways! Hope you enjoy!!
Do I have to use vanilla powder or is there something else I can sub?
You don’t have to use the vanilla protein powder, but it’s basically what adds the protein and sweetness to the overnight oats. You can use unflavoured protein powder or leave it out altogether, but you may wish to add some type of sweetener (i.e. maple syrup, stevia, etc.) to add some extra sweetness to the oats. If you choose to leave out the protein powder, you can also add Greek yogurt if you want some extra protein but you may need to adapt the amount of milk that you add so that it’s not too thick. Hope that helps!
I tried getting the lid labels but it takes me to a subscribe page but won”t let me do anything. I love the recipies and would like to make gifts of them for my friends.
I’m glad that you love the recipes, but I apologize that there was some confusion accessing the lid labels. I just tried it out on my end and it appears to be working. Once you’ve subscribed, make sure that you check your spam folder or “promotions” category in your email inbox as sometimes the emails go directly there. You should receive an email that says “Welcome! Here are you access instructions.” From there you can click on the link to my free resource library in the email and enter the password provided. You should be able to open and download the DIY Mason Jar Overnight Oat Chalkboard Labels under the ‘Healthy Living Resources’ heading.
Please let me know if you still can’t get access. Sorry for the confusion!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! What size (oz) are the jars you used in the pictures? They look smaller than 16 ounces. I was curious on which size I should buy for the jars that can accommodate these recipes. Thanks!!!
So glad that you love these recipes! I actually did use the 16 ounce wide mouth mason jars. They probably just appear smaller in the picture. The oatmeal mixture expands quite a bit when soaked in the milk so it’s good to have the extra space in the jar.
This is the link for the exact jars that I used:
https://amzn.to/2RjmoEQ
Hope that helps!
Great ideas. I appreciate the knowledge you share.
Thanks Manuela! Glad you’re enjoying the recipes and ideas!